Vancouver Aquarium ‘alarmed’ at mass die-off of sea stars on ocean floor – ‘Whatever hit them, it was like wildfire and just wiped them out’

By Dene Moore7 October 2013 VANCOUVER (The Canadian Press) –Last month, a diver alerted Vancouver Aquarium staff that he had found a number of dead and decaying sunflower sea stars in the cold Pacific waters of a popular dive spot just off the shore of West Vancouver. Within weeks, the tentacled orange sea stars had […]

In South Florida, a polluted bubble ready to burst – ‘These coastal estuaries cannot take this. This cannot continue to happen.’

By LIZETTE ALVAREZ8 September 2013 CLEWISTON, Florida (The New York Times) – On wind-whipped days when rain pounds this part of South Florida, people are quickly reminded that Lake Okeechobee, with its vulnerable dike and polluted waters, has become a giant environmental problem far beyond its banks. Beginning in May, huge downpours ushered in the […]

Where sand is gold, the reserves are running dry – ‘What happens in 50 years when all that sand is gone?’

By LIZETTE ALVAREZ24 August 2013 FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (The New York Times) – With inviting beaches that run for miles along South Florida’s shores, it is easy to put sand into the same category as turbo air-conditioning and a decent mojito — something ever present and easily taken for granted. As it turns out, though, […]

National Geographic: Rising Seas

By Tim Folger1 September 2013 (National Geographic) – By the time Hurricane Sandy veered toward the Northeast coast of the United States last October 29, it had mauled several countries in the Caribbean and left dozens dead. Faced with the largest storm ever spawned over the Atlantic, New York and other cities ordered mandatory evacuations […]

U.S. government underestimated contamination in Gulf of Mexico after Deepwater Horizon oil spill – ‘To see NOAA doing this, that’s inexcusable’

By HENRY FOUNTAIN19 August 2013 (The New York Times) – An analysis of water, sediment, and seafood samples taken in 2010 during and after the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has found higher contamination levels in some cases than previous studies by federal agencies did, casting doubt on some of the earlier sampling […]

Video: Florida congressman Jeff Miller says climate change from God, not humans – ‘I will defund the E.P.A.’

(Wolf PAC Florida) – Florida congressman Jeff Miller states his position on climate change. Miller states his commitment to defund the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Miller asserts that the majority scientific consensus on climate change is not accurate, and that he has scientists (who he does not refer to by name or institutional affiliation) to […]

Florida declares two butterfly species extinct as pollinator crisis worsens

By Alexander Holmgren 1 August 2013 (mongabay.com) – Conservationist’s faced a crushing blow last month as two butterfly species native to Florida were declared extinct. “Occasionally, these types of butterflies disappear for long periods of time but are rediscovered in another location,” said Larry Williams, U.S. Fish and Wildlife state supervisor for ecological services. We […]

Officials in the Florida Keys stop debating sea level rise, start adjusting infrastructure – ‘The rate’s doubled. It would be disingenuous and sloppy and irresponsible not to respond to it.’

KEY WEST, Florida, 2 July 2013 (Associated Press) – Hurricane storm surge can inundate the narrow, low-lying Florida Keys, but that is far from the only water worry for officials. A tidal gauge operating since before the Civil War has documented a sea level rise of 9 inches in the last century, and officials expect […]

By century’s end, rising sea levels will turn Miami into an American Atlantis – ‘Miami, as we know it today, is doomed. It’s not a question of if. It’s a question of when.’

By Jeff Goodell20 June 2013 (Rolling Stone) – When the water receded after Hurricane Milo of 2030, there was a foot of sand covering the famous bow-tie floor in the lobby of the Fontaine­bleau hotel in Miami Beach. A dead manatee floated in the pool where Elvis had once swum. Most of the damage occurred […]

Indian River Lagoon mystery ailment killing dolphins, manatees, pelicans

By Craig Pittman16 June 2013 (Tampa Bay Times) – The Indian River Lagoon on Florida’s east coast has long been known as the most diverse ecosystem in North America. Its 156 miles of water boast more than 600 species of fish and more than 300 kinds of birds. The lagoon is not just an ecological […]

Social media & sharing icons powered by UltimatelySocial