OCEAN: Turtles & more – 9th Apr 2024

Ahoy from BA! This is Rorshok’s Ocean Update from the 9th of April twenty twenty-four. A summary of what's going down in the 70% surface of the Earth covered in saltwater.

This week, different organizations, like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Turtles Fly Too, set free dozens of rehabilitated turtles into the Atlantic Ocean, marking the largest release ever recorded. As ABC News reported on Thursday the 4th, the turtles underwent months of care in Northeast facilities before being transported to Georgia, in the United States, for release. Despite a delay due to a tornado watch, the crew members managed to walk one green sea turtle and the thirty-three Kemp’s ridley sea turtles into the ocean. The collaborative effort among the different local and national organizations succeeded in protecting endangered species and returning them to their natural habitat.

Still in the Atlantic. Experts anticipated an extremely active twenty twenty-four Atlantic hurricane season, predicting a higher-than-average number of named storms and named storm days. Researchers from the Colorado State University Tropical Meteorology Project released a report on Thursday the 4th, indicating increased probabilities of major hurricanes that might impact the Caribbean and the US coastline. The warm sea surface temperatures and the strong wind phenomenon La Niña, which brings warm water to Asia and cold to the American continent, will contribute to the season. Hurricanes will likely reach the Three, Four, and Five categories.

From the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. An article by Jon Letman published on Friday the 5th in the Guardian explained how there are teams of experts in the Marshall Islands who are still uncovering World War Two bombs in the ocean. The United States and several organizations invest millions to identify and destroy these dangerous unexploded devices scattered across the Pacific. These dormant bombs could still explode if disturbed. Local guides help the organizations navigate contaminated areas, preserving cultural and historical sites, as local communities identified some of the bombs for decades but could never remove them because they could go off. Golden West Humanitarian Foundation is currently leading disposal operations with US funding.

Let’s have a look at the Indian Ocean. A recent study published in Nature Communications on Monday the 1st suggests that prolonged greenhouse warming is reducing the variability of the Indian Ocean Dipole (or IOD), a climate phenomenon characterized by the differences in temperature between the western and eastern parts of the Indian Ocean. Using climate simulations, researchers found that while internal variability can mask changes in IOD over short periods, greenhouse warming consistently weakens IOD variability in the long term.

More about the Indian Ocean as on Thursday the 4th, twelve Indian scientists, led by the National Center for Polar and Ocean Research in Goa, embarked on a month-long expedition aboard the Norwegian vessel Argeo Searcher to look for minerals on the ocean floor. The mission, part of the government's Deep Ocean Mission, aims to explore the central Indian Ocean for copper, nickel, zinc, and manganese. The team will survey fifteen selected sites where hydrothermal vents might host mineral deposits. The Norwegian Autonomous Underwater Vehicle used for the mission is equipped with geophysical and electromagnetic sensors. It can dive four kilometers (or 2.5 miles) under the surface to produce high-resolution images to study the ocean floor better.

In other news, according to a study published in the journal Nature Communications on Saturday the 30th of March, the Arctic sea ice loss in the eastern Arctic is so rapid because of the summer climate pattern Asian-Pacific Oscillation (or APO). During the summer, the APO causes North Atlantic waters to warm up, leading to changes in atmospheric circulation over the Arctic. This results in more moisture moving into the eastern Arctic, which melts sea ice faster in the autumn. The findings show that alongside human-caused climate change, natural climate patterns like the APO also play a role in Arctic sea ice loss.

On a related note, on Saturday the 6th, science editor Robin McKie published an article in the Guardian saying that Antarctica experienced a record temperature jump of 38.5 Celsius (more than 100 Fahrenheit) in March twenty twenty-two, indicating serious climate changes. Warm winds from lower latitudes still penetrate deeper into the continent, causing unprecedented warming. Antarctica is now warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet, with severe consequences for ecosystems and global sea levels, with glaciers melting fast and sea ice levels plunging. The loss of sea ice threatens species like krill and penguins, putting over 90% of penguin colonies at risk of extinction in the next eighty years.

Up next, a recent research published in NPJ Climate and Atmospheric Science shows why the Southern Ocean has the cleanest air on Earth. Scientists studied cloud patterns and found that rain from certain clouds cleans the air. Using advanced satellite technology, they identified honeycomb-shaped clouds, with open cells linked to more rain and cleaner air. This discovery helps improve climate models and gives insight into Southern Ocean air quality and climate.

Moving on to the Panama Canal. The Panama Canal Authority has announced plans to ease restrictions due to the ongoing drought since last May, as rains are forecasted. The Danish liner company Maersk has reinstated a service through the canal in response to improving water levels. Transits have dropped by one-third during the restrictions, with a significant decrease in the number of ships waiting to pass through. Projections indicate that water depths at Gatun Lake will rise as the rainy season progresses, potentially restoring normal operations by the end of May.

In some updates on a different canal, Egypt revealed that it would invest almost two billion USD dollars in building a mini Suez Canal that would change its desert into habitable land. The project involves constructing a fifty-five-kilometer (or thirty-five miles) canal to channel water from the Mediterranean Sea into the Qattara Depression, creating a massive lake. The project will also increase humidity and rainfall in the region, changing the characteristics of the territory and creating settlements and agriculture opportunities. The initiative promises hydroelectric power generation, contributing to economic sustainability. However, the project was called into question, since even though it might be a great innovation, it could have environmental consequences.

Heading over to the Black Sea… A Turkish freight forwarder hired a cargo vessel that managed to deliver the first containers to Ukraine's Black Sea ports in Greater Odessa since the beginning of the Russian invasion. The ship was Panamanian-flagged and called T-Mare. It was mainly carrying cargo from the giant company Maersk when it arrived at Chornomorsk on Wednesday the 3rd. This marks a significant increase in Ukraine's capacity to manage essential goods like grains, metals, and chemicals. The reopening of Black Sea ports means having a potential safe corridor for container traffic, following Russia’s choice not to extend the grain corridor agreement after the twenty twenty-three summer. Analysts suggest more ships could join if this proves successful.

Closing with the Red Sea. On Wednesday the 3rd, Denmark dismissed Flemming Lentfer, its chief of defense, for neglecting to disclose malfunctions in a Danish frigate's defense systems during an engagement with Houthi militants in the Red Sea that took place on Saturday, the 9th of March. According to OLFI, the Danish military news website, Lentfer reportedly failed to inform Troels Lund Poulsen, the Defense Minister, about the incident. The frigate's air defense and ammunition systems failed during the battle with Houthi militants, but the warship still managed to fight off the attack, shooting down four drones. Poulsen replaced Lentfer with Major General Michael Wiggers Hyldgaard.

Houthi rebels have targeted many ships since October of last year, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

We want to invite you to take a look at one of Rorshok's other projects. The Daily Knowledge is a daily pocket newspaper that comes out Monday through Friday. It is in our Ourzine format, a little booklet that you have to print in order to read. In the Daily Knowledge ourzine you’ll find a collection of interesting newsletters and selected articles that take about an hour to read. Visit rorshok.com/ourzines/thedailyknowledge/ to find the latest editions. The link will also be in the show notes.

See you next week!