Sea salt around the world is contaminated by plastic, studies show
New studies find microplastics in salt from the US, Europe and China, adding to evidence that plastic pollution is pervasive in the environment.
Where can you find sand and sandbags ahead of Irma? Not the beach
Sandbags are being made available at several locations around our area, but there’s one place where you can’t get sand for sandbags: the beach. It is illegal to take sand from the beach for sandbags.
Hurricane Jose strengthens to a Category 4
As of Friday morning, a hurricane watch was in effect for Antigua, Barbuda and Anguilla; St. Martin; and St. Barthelemy — islands that were all just battered by Hurricane Irma.
A Magnitude-8.1 quake registered off Mexico’s southern coast
The most powerful earthquake to hit Mexico in a century struck off the country’s southern coast. A tsunami was confirmed in Mexico, with one wave coming in at 3 feet (1 meter).
A looming tragedy of the sand commons
Because of the difficulty in regulating their consumption, common-pool resources are prone to tragedies of the commons as people may selfishly extract them without considering long-term consequences, eventually leading to overexploitation or degradation. Even when sand mining is regulated, it is often subject to rampant illegal extraction and trade.