Small Organisms Have Large Impact on Seabed
Not only physical forces such as tides and sand transport but also small organisms such as molluscs, tube worms and sea urchins have a large impact on seabed formation.
An Oyster in the Storm, Op Ed by Paul Greenberg
“I wish I had some oysters. I’m not talking about oysters to eat … I’m talking about the oysters that once protected New Yorkers from storm surges, a bivalve population that numbered in the trillions and that played a critical role in stabilizing the shoreline from Washington to Boston…” An Op Ed by Paul Greenberg, The New York Times.
Europe’s Oldest Prehistoric Town Unearthed in Bulgaria
Archaeologists in Bulgaria say they have uncovered the oldest prehistoric town found to date in Europe. The newly discovered ancient settlement, thought to date back to 4700BC, is near the Bulgarian town of Provadia, about 25 miles from the country’s Black Sea coast.
Sandy Reminds Us of Coastal Hazards, by Robert Young
Hurricane Sandy will almost certainly join the pantheon of “costliest storms in history.”The impacts of the storm have been felt as far inland as Toronto, Ontario and coastal erosion and flooding affected beaches from South Carolina to southern Massachusetts. There has been massive damage to significant segments of the New Jersey and New York coastal infrastructure.
Seismic Signs Of Escaping Methane Under The Sea
Somewhere off the eastern coast of North Carolina, a frozen mixture of water and methane gas tucked in seabed sediments is starting to break down.
Persian Gulf States See Greater Number Of Green Buildings, Qatar
Green buildings would seem an oddity in this tiny Gulf nation which has plenty of oil and gas and, according to the International Energy Agency, the highest per capita emissions in the world, closely followed by Gulf neighbors Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. But attitudes about energy use are changing across the Gulf.
Countries Agree to Double Resources for Biodiversity Protection by 2015, UN Conference
The world’s governments have agreed to increase funding in support of actions to halt the rate of loss of biodiversity at the eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.
Some Caribbean Hotels Back Away from Battered Coastlines
The postcards portray sand, sea and sun. But key players in the Caribbean tourism industry are warning that it’s time to shift gears away from the region’s threatened coastlines and instead promote inland attractions like biodiversity.
Antarctic Seas In The Balance
Next week, negotiators at a meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources may try to contain the accelerating rush to access the region’s natural resources. At stake is one of the planet’s last great wildernesses, as well as the credibility of the international body set up to protect Antarctica’s marine life…