UNIVERSITY OF HAWAIʻI - An analysis of more than 2,300 seawater samples from more than 20 field studies around the globe indicates that human-made chemicals—from plastic additives and industrial lubricants to pharmaceuticals and pesticides—are widespread in the marine environment, particularly in coastal and estuarine waters. The study, co-authored by University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa oceanographers...
EARTH.COM - The ocean has always shown clear signs of human impact. You see plastic floating, oil on the surface, and rising temperatures. Those are easy to notice. But there’s another change happening quietly, and it’s only now becoming clear. Scientists studying seawater from around the world found something worrying. A large share of what...
EARTH.COM - Kelp forests, once a towering and life-filled part of many temperate coastlines, are vanishing fast. In their place, low-growing mats of turf algae are taking over. This shift isn’t just cosmetic. It’s causing steep losses in biodiversity, disrupting how energy and nutrients flow through reefs, and changing the chemistry of coastal waters in...