OCEAN: The World’s Largest Coral & more – 19th Nov 2024

Ahoy from BA! This is the Rorshok Ocean Update from the 19th of November twenty twenty-four. A summary of what's going down in the 70% surface of the Earth covered in saltwater.

Kicking off this week, scientists discovered the world’s largest coral near the Solomon Islands, in the Pacific Ocean. The coral is over 300 years old and the size of two basketball courts. It houses almost a billion polyps functioning as a single organism.

Located in deep waters, the coral thrives despite global ocean warming, providing refuge for marine species like fish, shrimp, and crabs. The Solomon Islands’ climate minister highlighted its ecological and economic importance, stressing the need for protection.

Scientists see its resilience as a sign of hope for coral ecosystems under climate stress and wish to inspire global conservation efforts with this discovery, especially as rising temperatures and human activities continue to threaten coral reefs worldwide.

Still in the Pacific. Marine biologists from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute recently published a study on a new sea slug species in the deep-sea midnight zone off the Pacific coast in the journal Deep Sea Research Part I. Scientists spotted the animal for the first time in the year two thousand, and spent more than twenty years studying its behavior, anatomy, and genetics.

This species thrives in the deep water column, between 3,300 and 13,100 feet (or between one and four kilometers). Researchers described its translucent, gelatinous body, a large hood, flat tail with finger-like fringes, and striking bioluminescence. Scientists observed more than 100 sea slugs during their explorations, and collected and closely studied a single specimen in a laboratory to study its genetics and anatomy.

From the Pacific to the Atlantic. The International Council on Clean Transportation has proposed a new North Atlantic Emission Control Area (or ECA) to reduce shipping pollution. The zone would connect existing ECAs in North America and Europe, covering busy shipping routes from Portugal and Gibraltar to Greenland, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands.

Research shows that this could cut sulfur dioxide emissions by up to 86% and particulate matter by 59%, preventing three to four thousand premature deaths between twenty thirty and twenty fifty. This could also save between twenty and thirty billion euros and improve public health for 193 million people living in the region. The plan will also protect 1,500 marine protected areas, seventeen marine mammal habitats, and almost 150 UNESCO sites by reducing pollution and ocean acidification.

In more news from the Atlantic, a Disney cruise ship, the Disney Treasure, assisted in rescuing four stranded boaters off the coast of Bermuda on Sunday the 10th. The US Coast Guard got a distress call from the Serenity, a fifty-foot catamaran, which had suffered a gasket failure and was taking on water. The Coast Guard requested help, and the nearest vessel, the Disney Treasure, responded, about eighty miles away.

The cruise ship, traveling from the Netherlands to Port Canaveral, Florida, sent out one of its small boats to the scene. The rescue team safely evacuated all four boaters, who reported no medical issues. The Disney Treasure is set to begin its maiden voyage on Saturday, the 21st of December.

Next up, a new study examined how changes in Arctic sea ice might influence the Summer North Atlantic Oscillation (or SNAO), which affects weather patterns in Europe, North America, and Asia.

The study shows that changes in sea ice in the East Siberian to Arctic Canada area can affect the SNAO because of Rossby waves, which are movements in the atmosphere that travel from the poles toward the equator.

This research helps scientists understand how warming in the Arctic can change weather patterns and improve weather forecasts in the Northern Hemisphere.

From one Pole to the other. Researchers recently discovered the world’s southernmost amber in Antarctica. The amber, found in a sediment core from the Amundsen Sea, in the Antarctic Ocean, taken during the twenty seventeen Polarstern expedition, offers new insights into Antarctica’s climate ninety million years ago when resin-producing trees thrived near the South Pole.

The team named the amber Pine Island amber, after its location in the Pine Island Bay. The fragments provide clues about the Cretaceous forest ecosystem, suggesting that West Antarctica once hosted a conifer-rich, temperate rainforest. The discovery also shows evidence of tree bark and resin flow, indicating how trees responded to damage from parasites or wildfires.

On another note, the Royal Australian Navy (or RAN) has recently located and identified the wreck of the USS Edsall, a US Navy destroyer sunk during World War II. Using advanced robotic and autonomous systems, the RAN, in collaboration with the US Navy, found the Clemson-class destroyer on the seabed 320 kilometers off Christmas Island, in the Indian Ocean.

Japanese dive bombers sank The USS Edsall while transporting US Army Air Forces pilots to Java, on the 1st of March nineteen forty-two. The ship’s crew, including 185 sailors and thirty-one pilots, all perished when the destroyer went down.

In other news, on Tuesday the 12th, the Department of Migrant Workers (or DMW) at the CREW Connect Global seafaring conference shared the data that almost 5,000 Filipino seafarers work in high-risk maritime zones, including piracy and conflict zones like the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

Among them, 740 people have fallen victim to attacks in these regions, which are affected by ongoing Middle East conflicts. Hans Cacdac, the DMW Secretary, stressed the severity of the situation and revealed efforts to support workers, such as encouraging shipowners to reroute vessels to safer areas. He also emphasized the need for better safety protocols and clearer guidance.

Talking about the Red Sea, on Saturday the 16th, Yemen's Houthi forces claimed responsibility for an attack on a key target in Israel's port city of Eilat using drones. The Houthis, aligned with Iran, have launched several attacks on global shipping in the Red Sea region since November, supporting Palestinians amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

Yahya Saree, the Houthis spokesperson, vowed that such operations would continue until Israel ends its aggression, lifts the Gaza blockade, and stops its actions in Lebanon. As we talked about in previous shows, these attacks have disrupted global trade, forcing ships to avoid the Suez Canal and triggering retaliatory strikes by the US and UK since February.

From the Suez to the Panama Canal. Ricaurte Vásquez, the Panama Canal Administrator, recently introduced new strategies to boost sustainability and operational diversification. The Panama Canal Authority plans to develop alternative income streams, including pipelines, to counter water shortages caused by the recent climate-change-caused drought, which lasted over one year.

The Panama Canal Authority committed 8.5 billion US dollars over five years for infrastructure, water management upgrades, and digital improvements, aiming to achieve net-zero emissions by twenty fifty. The canal also introduced measures like a greenhouse gas emissions fee and a Freshwater Surcharge to conserve resources and align with climate neutrality goals.

The Panama Canal is just one example of the challenges Latin America and the Caribbean are facing. According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s Review of Maritime Transport twenty twenty-four, released on Tuesday the 12th, the maritime sector in Latin America and the Caribbean faces issues due to climate disruptions, freight rate fluctuations, and connectivity issues.

Caribbean ports, in particular, struggle with high costs and inefficiencies. The report calls for improved port efficiency and climate resilience. The International Maritime Organization has also promoted decarbonization efforts and initiatives like renewable energy in ports to support small island states and least-developed countries.

Closing with deep-sea mining, on Tuesday the 12th, an Amsterdam court rejected Nauru Ocean Resources Inc.’s (or NORI) attempt to block Greenpeace protests against deep-sea mining. NORI wanted a 500-meter no-protest zone around its vessel, but the court upheld Greenpeace’s right to peaceful demonstrations, citing the European Convention on Human Rights.

This decision follows NORI’s failed attempt in twenty twenty-three to stop Greenpeace activists from disrupting a deep sea mining expedition. Greenpeace called the ruling a major win for ocean protection. More than thirty governments and several businesses have already taken a stand against the industry due to its potential environmental harm.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

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