Ibusuki Beach: Sand bathing in southern Japan
In Ibusuki, a beachside city on Kyushu Island in Japan’s subtropical south, it’s all about the sand. Not the dark color of the sandy granules or even the length or width of the beaches, but rather the intense infusion of minerals from volcanic hot springs along the coast.
Easter Island is critically vulnerable to rising ocean levels
Nicholas Casey, a New York Times correspondent based in Colombia, and Josh Haner, a Times photographer, traveled 2,200 miles off the coast of Chile to see how the rising ocean is erasing the island’s monuments.
Isla Holbox, Mexico’s best barefoot beach
Isla Holbox is a small, slender island just north of Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula in the Gulf of Mexico. It’s a gorgeous destination, with clear green-blue waters in every direction, and aquatic-inspired art is everywhere.
Ailsa Craig
It has been a haven and sanctuary for pirates, smugglers, and religious dissenters. The Romans may have set up camp on this rock, and Catholic Spaniards and British and Scottish soldiers built a castle and other military garrisons on it. But these days, the tiny islet is known for two things: seabirds and curling stones.
Half a degree more global warming could flood out 5 million more people
A new study finds that by 2150, the seemingly small difference between a global temperature increase of 1.5 and 2.0 degrees Celsius would mean the permanent inundation of lands currently home to about 5 million people, including 60,000 who live on small island nations.
Coral reef experiment shows: acidification from carbon dioxide slows growth
Ocean acidification will severely impair coral reef growth before the end of the century if carbon dioxide emissions continue unchecked, according to new research on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef led by Carnegie’s Ken Caldeira and the California Academy of Sciences’ Rebecca Albright.
Top bottled water brands contaminated with plastic particles: report
The world’s leading brands of bottled water are contaminated with tiny plastic particles that are likely seeping in during the packaging process, according to a major study across nine countries.
Key Biological Mechanism is Disrupted by Ocean Acidification
A team led by scientists from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego has demonstrated that the excess carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere through the combustion of fossil fuels interferes with the health of phytoplankton which form the base of marine food webs.
The Sculpting of Ebro Delta
Just over 200 kilometers southwest of Barcelona, Spain’s largest river meets the Mediterranean Sea and creates the Ebro Delta. At 350 square kilometers, the delta is the fourth largest on the Mediterranean. It is an important wetland ecosystem and a productive agricultural area. Yet, humans, who indirectly drove the growth of the delta over the past 2100 years, are today starving the delta.