Breaking Waves: Ocean News

‘We rarely see them now’: just how vulnerable are Vanuatu’s dugongs?

admin — Thu, 04 Jul 2024 03:00:25 +0000

A study of the sea cow population in the South Pacific islands is urgently needed, say experts, as numbers fall dramatically

On a bright spring day, the sun dances over the water of Havannah Bay on the island of Efate in Vanuatu. Below the surface, pockets of seagrass that can just about be seen from the shoreline, sway in the current. It’s here, if they are lucky, that onlookers may spot a dugong bobbing in the shallow water, orbiting the seagrass meadows they feed on.

Nearly 30,000 people in northern California evacuated as raging wildfire spreads

admin — Wed, 03 Jul 2024 17:40:15 +0000

Thompson fire near Oroville destroys homes and vehicles as state simmers in brutal and potentially historic heatwave

Thousands of homes are under threat from a raging wildfire that erupted in northern California on Tuesday, as the state simmers in a brutal and potentially historic heatwave.

Roughly 28,000 residents have been forced to evacuate as the Thompson fire quickly swept across more than 3,500 acres (1,416 hectares) near the city of Oroville, about an hour outside Sacramento, California’s capital.

‘Weak link’ in Sydney’s waste disposal infrastructure could leave city with piles of uncollected garbage

admin — Wed, 03 Jul 2024 15:00:12 +0000

Exclusive: Ageing, flood-prone rail line carrying the city’s waste to landfill increasingly vulnerable to disruptions, experts say

Dick Smith enters nuclear debate but CSIRO analysis shows his argument in meltdown

admin — Wed, 03 Jul 2024 15:00:12 +0000

The entrepreneur claims agency exaggerated the costs of the Coalition plan despite it using best-case scenario South Korea as the benchmark

Wimbledon gardeners reuse coffee grounds in sustainability bid

admin — Wed, 03 Jul 2024 13:17:36 +0000

More plans afoot for compostable food use, says head gardener, as tournament commits to wildlife ‘net gain’ by 2030

Rain or shine – usually more of the former – Wimbledon’s stunning floral displays always manage to dazzle.

For those hoping to give their gardens an SW19-inspired transformation, the tournament’s secret has finally been revealed: coffee grounds from the staff room.

Artificial light on coastlines lures small fish to their doom, coral reef study finds

admin — Wed, 03 Jul 2024 13:00:08 +0000

Light pollution acts as ‘midnight fridge’, drawing in young fish, then predators, according to tests in French Polynesia

Artificial light shining from coastlines around the world is acting like “a midnight fridge” full of tasty snacks, threatening young fish who can be drawn to it and who are then eaten by predators also attracted by the brightness, according to a study.

Disastrous fruit and vegetable crops must be ‘wake-up call’ for UK, say farmers

admin — Wed, 03 Jul 2024 11:28:19 +0000

Next government urged to have a proper plan for food security, as UK’s climate becomes more unpredictable

UK fruit and vegetable production has plummeted as farms have been hit by extreme weather.

‘Please send help’: Caribbean reels from Hurricane Beryl devastation

admin — Wed, 03 Jul 2024 11:21:05 +0000

Homes flattened, apocalyptic scenes and at least four dead as St Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada try to recover

This should have been a week of celebration in the Caribbean country of St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG). The annual Vincy Mas carnival, which attracts thousands of tourists, had advertised a packed schedule of costume parades, soca competitions, and beauty pageants.

Hippos might fly: UK research discovers animal can get airborne

admin — Wed, 03 Jul 2024 11:00:06 +0000

Analysis shows hippos get all four feet off the ground at once up to 15% of the time when at full pelt

It takes a scientific mind to see the grunting hulk of a hippopotamus and wonder whether, given sufficient motivation, such an improbable beast might ever become airborne.

And so to researchers at the Royal Veterinary College in North Mymms, Hertfordshire, whose painstaking examination of footage of the creatures revealed that when the hefty herbivores reach top speed they do indeed take off.

‘It’s nonsensical’: how Trump is making climate the latest culture war

admin — Wed, 03 Jul 2024 10:00:06 +0000

The ex-president is ranting about low water pressure and attacking mundane rules and technologies – and Republicans in Congress are now following his lead

When Donald Trump embarked upon a lengthy complaint at a recent rally about how long it takes to wash his “beautiful luxuriant hair” due to his shower’s low water pressure, he highlighted the expanding assault he and Republicans are launching against even the most obscure environmental policies – a push that’s starting to influence voters.