Study: Noise pollution a significant threat to fin whales

Posted on July 28, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Fin whale populations in the Mediterranean are being affected by sound pollution. Image courtesy NOAA.

Mediterranean cetaceans hit hard by noise pollution

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Researchers in the Mediterranean have found that undersea noise caused by oil prospecting caused a “massive displacement” of fin whales more than 150 miles away from the source of the sound.

Along with geographic displacement, the study found that deep-sea noise pollution also drastically reduces the effectiveness of the whales’ songs. The whales modified the characteristics of their songs in order to try to reduce the impact of noise on their propagation, said NOAA researcher Manuel Castellote.

“The noise generated through human activity in the oceans leads to possible chronic effects on the health of this species,” Castellote said. “Noise in the marine medium, despite being recognized as a significant pollutant, is far from being controlled and regulated within the waters of the Exclusive Economic Zone of Spain,” Castellote said. (more…)

Filed under: biodiversity, endangered species, Environment, Marine biology, ocean conservation | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Mediterranean biodiversity is under pressure

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

The Mediterranean Sea.

Extensive marine preserves needed to prevent ecosystem collapse

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — The Mediterranean Sea is dying a death of a thousand cuts, according to the results of one of the most extensive surveys of marine biodiversity in the region.

Centuries of over-exploitation of fish and other marine resources — as well as an invasion of fish from the Red Sea — have turned some formerly healthy Mediterranean Sea ecosystems into barren places.

The healthiest remaining reaches of the Mediterranean are in well-enforced marine reserves, where fish biomass recovered from overfishing to levels five to 10 times greater than that of fished areas. (more…)

Filed under: biodiversity, Environment, Marine biology | Tagged: , , , , | 3 Comments »

Weird weather: Alaska gets hit by superstorm, parts of Mediterranean experience tropical storm conditions

Posted on November 9, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

Is it climate change or coincidence?

A 'superstorm' raked Alaska with hurricane force winds and 35-foot waves. SATELLITE IMAGE COURTESY NOAA.

A NASA satellite image shows 'Rolf,' a Mediterranean storm with some tropical characteristics.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — A winter storm with hurricane-force winds slammed into the west coast of Alaska today, bringing blizzard warnings to much of the region, along with a storm surge of up to 6 feet along parts of the coast.

At the same time, an unusual storm with subtropical characteristics brought stormy weather to parts of the Mediterranean that are renowned for calm seas and balmy conditions.

Some weather watchers say the storms are part of a global trend toward more extreme weather that includes severe tornado outbreaks, as well as a rare tropical storm over the Arabian Gulf.

Taken separately, none of the events are unprecedented, but it may be a bit unusual for all these things to be happening at the same time. Most climate scientists say that extreme weather is not caused by global warming, but that global warming can amplify the risk for extreme weather events.

Some towns on the west coast of Alaska reported sustained winds of 70 mph, with gusts into the 80s, along with blinding snowfall. Coastal flood watches remain in effect for widespread areas in a region that’s already been hammered by rising sea levels and melting coastal permafrost. The Alaska Dispatch has an interesting story on the nature of the big storm.

The European storm started out as a strong extratropical storm named Rolf, then stalled over the Mediterranean and developed into a system with tropical characteristics, including a strong central circulation, intense convection and tropical storm force winds, with a 95 mph gust reported in Toulon.

According to Dr. Jeff Masters’ WunderBlog, ocean temps in the region were far below those usually needed to sustain a tropical storm.

Video of storm surf in Cannes, France:

Filed under: climate and weather, Environment, global warming | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Global warming: Water-borne diseases on the rise

Posted on September 15, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

Europe facing significant health and economic impacts

A NASA satellite image shows smoke from wildfires in Greece.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Global warming is likely to increase health-related expenses in Europe by millions of dollars, as disease caused by contaminated seafood and ingestion of water-borne pathogens becomes more common.

The findings were part of a far-reaching study that looked at the results of numerous academic papers on climate change published since 1998 under the umbrella of a collaborative of European marine institutes called the Climate Change & European Marine Ecosystem Research.

The research covered topics like chemical and biological marine changes with far-reaching consequences, including sea-level rise, coastal erosion, melting ice, storm frequency and intensity, physical changes including the North Atlantic circulation system, chemical changes such as acidification and deoxygenation, changes in marine life patterns, and the ultimate impacts of all this on humans – both social and economic. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Environment, global warming, Summit County news | Tagged: , , , , | 3 Comments »

Fate of Aegean reptiles foreshadows global warming impacts

Posted on December 12, 2010 by Bob Berwyn

An Aegean wall lizard on a Greek Island. PHOTO BY JOHANNES FOUFOPOLOUS.

New study shows importance of preserving intact wildlife movement corridors

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Scientists studying reptile extinctions on Greek islands say their work may help show how global warming will affect plants and animals in the coming centuries. The study also highlights the importance of preserving habitat corridors so plants and animals can migrate in response to climate change, thereby maximizing their chances of survival. (more…)

Filed under: Environment, global warming, Summit County Colorado | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Deep sea research in Gulf to stream live on web

Posted on December 4, 2010 by Bob Berwyn

Deep sea divers will send live videos from the Gulf streaming o the web. Click on the image to learn more.

Teams to search for oil impacts around the failed BP oil well

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — Parts of a deep-sea mission to investigate the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico will  stream live on the web next week (Dec. 6-14), as researchers from several universities roam over the seafloor in a research submarine named Alvin.

Scientists from Penn State University, Temple University, Haverford College, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution are part of the mission, which will be based on the R/V Atlantis, and feature six dives using Alvin to document the ocean bottom and collect samples of animals and sediment.

The first dive site will likely be the location where a preceding expedition that ended in early November found signs of dead and dying corals near the Macondo 252 well, which blew out on April 20 and continued to pour oil into the Gulf for 86 days. (more…)

Filed under: Summit County Colorado | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

New coral reefs discovered in Mediterranean

Posted on October 5, 2010 by Bob Berwyn

A 'ghost shark' photographed near a new coral reef discovered by University of Haifa researchers.

Researchers call for creation of a deep sea preserve

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Deep sea exploration has been one of the most exciting science frontiers, with new species still being discovered on a regular basis. In one of the latest missions, a team of scientists from the University of Haifa reported finding a new coral reef in the Mediterranean Sea about 30 to 40 kilometers off the coast of Tel Aviv.

The reef stretches over a few kilometers, 700 meters under the surface. According to the researchers, this southeastern region of the Mediterranean has only sparse sea life and they likened their discovery to finding an oasis in the middle of an arid expanse. (more…)

Filed under: Summit County Colorado | Tagged: , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 5,590 other followers