www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969…

"High variation in abundance of litter items, ranging from 0 to 1835 pieces km−2 of seafloor, was observed. Plastic tems such as bags, bottles and fishing related debris were commonly observed across all areas. Over the entire 25-year period...www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969…

"High variation in abundance of litter items, ranging from 0 to 1835 pieces km−2 of seafloor, was observed. Plastic tems such as bags, bottles and fishing related debris were commonly observed across all areas. Over the entire 25-year period (1992–2017), 63% of the 2461 trawls contained at least one plastic litter item. There was no significant temporal trend in the percentage of trawls containing any or total plastic litter items across the long-term datasets. Statistically significant trends, however, were observed in specific plastic litter categories only. These trends were all positive except for a negative trend in plastic bags in the Greater North Sea - suggesting that behavioural and legislative changes could reduce the problem of marine litter within decades."

So plastic pollution in the North Sea hasn't increased or decreased in 25 years.. Show more

theconversation.com/where-does-plastic-pollution-g…

www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/feb/25/atlant…

"Further weakening of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) could result in more storms battering the UK, more intense winters and an increase in damaging heatwaves and droughts across Europe."

deframedia.blog.gov.uk/2021/01/05/defra-response-t…

Pulse fishing is where the ship generates an electric pulse to scare flat fish off the bottom and into the waiting nets, it's contraversial as it affects other fish, and allegedly can break the backs of cod etc.

"On Sunday (3rd January), the...deframedia.blog.gov.uk/2021/01/05/defra-response-t…

Pulse fishing is where the ship generates an electric pulse to scare flat fish off the bottom and into the waiting nets, it's contraversial as it affects other fish, and allegedly can break the backs of cod etc.

"On Sunday (3rd January), the Prime Minister was interviewed on the Andrew Marr show. Discussing the benefits and opportunities that becoming an independent coastal State has to offer, the Prime Minister highlighted the freedom available to now manage our own fisheries, including ending the practice of pulse fishing and the potential to regulate the activity of large vessels sometimes referred to as ‘supertrawlers’." Show more

theconversation.com/how-city-roads-trap-migrating-…

Road run off containing pollutants from tyres does seem to be becoming a major culprit.

www.wired.com/story/climate-change-is-turning-citi…

Not directly related to beaches but some interesting points in that coastal towns are more humid than inland and that, in the US at least, Northern and Mid Western cities will see more significant rises than those in the Southern States. I'm not...www.wired.com/story/climate-change-is-turning-citi…

Not directly related to beaches but some interesting points in that coastal towns are more humid than inland and that, in the US at least, Northern and Mid Western cities will see more significant rises than those in the Southern States. I'm not sure how to interpret that as a 4.4°C rise in Chicago is probably less unappealing as the same hike in Houston.

It's 80 years away and lots could happen on that time that I doubt the models have accounted for. Clean energy, green concrete and depopulation due to an unexpected pandemic spring to mind..

.. Show more

www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/dec/07/coca-c…

"Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Nestlé named top plastic polluters for third year in a row.

Companies accused of “zero progress” on reducing plastic waste, with Coca-Cola ranked No 1 for most littered products"

Coca-cola ..

"..was found to be worse than...www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/dec/07/coca-c…

"Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Nestlé named top plastic polluters for third year in a row.

Companies accused of “zero progress” on reducing plastic waste, with Coca-Cola ranked No 1 for most littered products"

Coca-cola ..

"..was found to be worse than PepsiCo and Nestlé combined: Coca-Cola branding was found on 13,834 pieces of plastic, with PepsiCo branding on 5,155 and Nestlé branding on 8,633.

".. said it was working to address packaging waste, in partnership with others, and disputed the claim that it was making no progress.

“Globally, we have a commitment to get every bottle back by 2030, so that none of it ends up as litter or in the oceans, and the plastic can be recycled into new bottles.." "

That's interesting if implausible - this is all about branded plastics being found so the obvious first step would be to make the branding bio degrade rapidly, then your products disappear from the survey results.

A paper wrapper on an otherwise anonymous plastic bottle for example.. Show more

www.latimes.com/environment/story/2019-10-02/calif…

Storm water runoff from the roads is going to be increasingly in the eco-headlines. Microplastics in the ocean could be considered to be a bigger problem than global warming as if the entire human population suddenly disappeared, what would be...www.latimes.com/environment/story/2019-10-02/calif…

Storm water runoff from the roads is going to be increasingly in the eco-headlines. Microplastics in the ocean could be considered to be a bigger problem than global warming as if the entire human population suddenly disappeared, what would be left? There's an interesting documentary on that here bit.ly/343upWf - it's rather surprising.

From the LA Times article:

"Sediment samples were also collected from 20 sites. Scientists found that many microplastics do indeed sink and accumulate on the seafloor, and that the highest concentrations of microparticles were in areas that received large volumes of wastewater and stormwater discharges. Public attention and scientific study, they said, need to focus beyond just the plastic floating on the surface.

Scientists were also taken aback by the sheer amount of particles coming from stormwater runoff, as well as the “black rubbery fragments” that made up almost half of all the particles collected from these samples.

“No one had looked at all the water rushing off the streets during rainfall events to see whether that had plastics in it,” said estuary institute scientist Rebecca Sutton, the study’s lead author. “That makes all that driving we do something to think about, not just in the Bay Area, but any setting where there are cars.” " Show more

www.tv.com/shows/life-after-people-the-series/

Precis verbatim from Top Documentary Films (bit.ly/3quK5LB) as I couldn't write it any better:

"Based on an odd, slightly morbid but deliriously intriguing premise, the feature-length premiere episode of the History Channel series Life after...www.tv.com/shows/life-after-people-the-series/

Precis verbatim from Top Documentary Films (bit.ly/3quK5LB) as I couldn't write it any better:

"Based on an odd, slightly morbid but deliriously intriguing premise, the feature-length premiere episode of the History Channel series Life after People supposes what would become of the planet's infrastructure, natural environment and animal population if its human inhabitants were to suddenly disappear.

A world without human beings may sound like a notion right out of an apocalyptic science fiction novel. But given the lingering threats of nuclear and chemical weaponry, and the intensifying tensions in war-torn regions around the world, many believe that such a reality may be inevitable.

We all realize that human beings depend on the planet and its many resources for survival, but to what extent is the planet dependent on us? As detailed in the film, the aftermath of human extinction is as dire and frightening as you would imagine. Millions of dogs and other family pets - particularly those which are housebound - would perish in a matter of weeks. Even the rodent population would become a thing of the past in a surprisingly short period of time. Lions and bears would prowl the streets as if the entire open world was their own private zoo, and only the most resilient among them would thrive.

The tunnels of major cities would swell with unfiltered groundwater, and our oceans and lakes would rise to substantially higher levels. Lightning strikes would spark uncontrollable fires, and burn entire regions to the ground. Plant life would overtake roads, bridges, and buildings. Our most iconic structures would erode into the earth and sea.

Convincing computerized graphics illustrate each step of this probable metamorphosis, but some of the film's most haunting imagery actually comes from a real world setting. Deserted for several decades following a nuclear disaster, the Ukraine city of Chernobyl serves as the primary case study for a post-humanity future. It is here that researchers can witness the environmental effects of decayed buildings, roaming wildlife and uncontrolled vegetation first-hand.

Featuring revealing observations from ecologists, engineers and biologists, Life after People may be far too macabre a proposition for some, but many will be riveted by its exploration of the ultimate what-if scenario." Show more

www.netflixreleases.com/plastic-paradise-the-great…

In the same way that any freediving movie rapidly degrades into a colossal ego trip for the person making it, these kind of NESM documentaries (No Enemy Save Man) tend to be preachy, but there is some content amongst the "we all need to"...www.netflixreleases.com/plastic-paradise-the-great…

In the same way that any freediving movie rapidly degrades into a colossal ego trip for the person making it, these kind of NESM documentaries (No Enemy Save Man) tend to be preachy, but there is some content amongst the "we all need to" admonishments.

Specifically - how many of these garbage patches there are, where they are, why they form and what they really look like.

As to what can be done - not much good news on that front I'm afraid. Show more

theconversation.com/can-countries-end-overfishing-…


Henrik Österblom, Professor of Environmental Science Stockholm University and marine biologist discusses "the recent agreement between 14 heads of state, the participating countries – Australia, Canada, Chile, Fiji, Ghana, Indonesia, Jamaica, Japan,...theconversation.com/can-countries-end-overfishing-…


Henrik Österblom, Professor of Environmental Science Stockholm University and marine biologist discusses "the recent agreement between 14 heads of state, the participating countries – Australia, Canada, Chile, Fiji, Ghana, Indonesia, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Namibia, Norway, Palau and Portugal – committed to a number of goals within their national waters, including investment in zero-emission shipping, eliminating waste and ensuring fisheries are sustainable. The aim is to ensure all activity within these exclusive economic zones is sustainable by 2025.

The countries agreed to fast-track their plan for action, rather than work through the UN. Their combined national waters roughly equal the size of Africa."

The fast track aspect is interesting (admittedly the 14 countries aren't superpowers but then superpowers don't derive their wealth from the oceans) - in bypassing the UN and other global autocracies the 14 countries are basically saying "you offer nothing but regulation for the sake it of and your collective desire for world control - you bring nothing to the table here so you are not involved"

It will be interesting to see how far they are allowed to get

.. Show more

Increasingly what we do on or in the ocean is being affected by climate change and/or pollution - an example is the recent club article on pollution in Poole Harbour details.

This news group is intended to collate published articles over time and ideally pit scientific data against intuition; are...Increasingly what we do on or in the ocean is being affected by climate change and/or pollution - an example is the recent club article on pollution in Poole Harbour details.

This news group is intended to collate published articles over time and ideally pit scientific data against intuition; are the seas getting bigger or are we simply getting older? Show more