#oceansarelife — Public Fediverse posts

Updates on #DeepGreen’s #UnderwaterDatacenter project

by Ben Boettger | Sep 17, 2026

Excerpt: "An underwater data center’s chief selling point is the ability to passively dispel its waste heat into a cold sea. DeepGreen’s description of its 'compute hives' includes a passive cooling system that rejects heat via copper-nickel alloy cooling fins on the outside of the cylindrical hulls containing the computing equipment. Computation converts roughly 100 percent of its energy input into waste heat. DeepGreen is planning a 100 megawatt data center, which would release about 876 gigawatt-hours of #ThermalEnergy per year if it runs constantly.

"A big ocean can, of course, absorb far more heat than that. But the #Forelands is a narrow bottleneck of #CookInlet, through which salmon runs going into the #Susitna and other rivers of the northern watershed will need to pass. Whether the data center has the potential to create a #WarmWaterPlume in this relatively confined and important area, and whether this would affect the health or behavior of #salmon, #plankton, or other marine life is an unknown that should merit serious analysis.

#CopperPollution

"In addition to waste heat, the fact that the cooling system would include copper-nickel cooling fins directly exposed to seawater, strong currents, and silt might be an area of concern itself. Even small amounts of copper can be toxic to salmon.

"Though DeepGreen proposes to use a type of copper-nickel alloy common in plumbing for seawater cooling, #FERC should require them to study the concentration of copper particles it could release under conditions in the Forelands, where it would be exposed to high currents carrying a heavy load of fine silt, while subject to the thermal stress of releasing the data center’s waste heat. Chemical oceanographers and marine toxicologists should assess how serious the data center’s copper pollution could be.

"The communities of Cook Inlet | #Tikahtnu deserve thoughtful, sustainable solutions that truly serve local needs. Rather than prioritizing massive, energy-intensive data centers, we should focus on projects that deliver reliable, renewable energy and protect the region’s salmon and ecosystems for future generations."

Read more:
https://inletkeeper.org/updates-on-deepgreens-underwater-data-center-project-2/

#Greenwashing #UnderwaterDatacenters #NoAI #NoAIDatacenters #WaterIsLife
#OceansAreLife #BigTech #EndangeredSalmon #EndangeredSpecies #MarineLife

#EastportME Council unanimously adopts moratorium on #DeepGreen #UnderwaterDatacenter proposal

By Melissa S. Razdrih, August 13, 2026

EASTPORT — "The City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to enact a 180‑day moratorium that halts all progress on a proposed underwater artificial intelligence data center planned for waters off Eastport.

"Councilors said the move gives them time to consult with the Eastport Planning Board on the zoning impacts of two citizen-initiated ordinances designed to prevent data center projects in the city by amending the city’s Zoning and Shoreland Zoning ordinances.

"At the heart of the controversy is a project proposed by #LouisWolfson, a #LuxuryRealEstateDeveloper from Needham, Massachusetts, and the managing member of #DeepGreenHoldingsLLC.

"The company formed in Delaware one month before applying for Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or #FERC, preliminary permits to build tidal‑powered, underwater artificial intelligence data centers for both #DeepGreenWesternPassageSPV in #Maine and a second project in the #UpperCookInlet in #Alaska.

"The Alaska proposal has also faced #resistance from the local community.

"In February, DeepGreen filed a 48‑month preliminary permit application with FERC to begin engineering and environmental tests in Maine, a required first step toward developing an underwater #AIDatacenter in the #BayOfFundy .

"The application drew an almost immediate response from residents and #Passamaquoddy tribal officials, who strongly oppose the development. Among the most vocal opponents is the #EastportCoalitionForHealthyOceans, or #ECHO, which submitted two citizen petitions for ordinances intended to prevent the project and protect what the group describes as 'the character of the city.'

"FERC found multiple deficiencies in DeepGreen’s application, including failure to identify all Tribes affected by the project, failure to specify all physical dimensions and configurations required by statute, inclusion of maps that extended beyond the required project boundaries, and a lack of detailed technical explanation for a 400‑acre 'operational envelope' despite a much smaller active infrastructure footprint.

"In its response to FERC, DeepGreen supplied the requested names and contact information for Tribal leaders. The company also provided an updated map and revised technical specifications showing a significantly smaller proposal, reducing the original 400‑acre operational envelope in the Western Passage to an active infrastructure footprint of 27.1 acres.

"The company also told FERC that the 'total proposed project operational capacity has been scaled down to a maximum of 15 MW (megawatts) to align with revised commercial modeling,' compared to an earlier proposal that envisioned up to 51 MW. In the revised Phase I, DeepGreen projects installing 16 marine hydrokinetic turbines, increasing to 34 in Phase II. The original proposal called for 170 turbines.

"The permit application for the Alaska project received a similar letter of deficiencies from FERC, but the company has not indicated that the Alaska proposal is being scaled down."

Read more:
themainemonitor.org/eastport-adopts-moratorium-underwater-data-center-proposal/

#UnderwaterDatacenters #NoAI
#NoAIDatacenters #WaterIsLife
#OceansAreLife #BigTech #MainePol #PassamaquoddyNation #CenterForBiologicalDiversity
#Whales #EndangeredWhales #EndangeredSpecies

#Greenwashing at its finest! No mention of the harm that will be caused to #MarineLife by the #NoisePollution !

#Underwater AIDataCenter proposed off #EastportME

Project would rely on tidal power
BY EDWARD FRENCH

"Of the AI data center, Wolfson says, 'There’s a real need for it.' [BULLSHIT!] Noting that #datacenters utilize a great deal of energy, he wants to harness the energy of the tides to power the server racks, which would be underwater, with the surrounding water cooling them. Data centers generate massive amounts of heat and require intense cooling. Wolfson says other parts of the world are working on developing similar projects, with China having launched commercial‑scale undersea data centers to use seawater cooling for high‑performance computing.

"Along with the #WesternPassage site, the company has filed for a preliminary permit from FERC for a site at #CookInlet in #Alaska, which happens to be the location of another #ORPC tidal energy project."

https://www.islandinstitute.org/working-waterfront/underwater-ai-data-center-proposed-off-eastport/

#DeepGreenWesternPassageSPV #UnderwaterDatacenters #NoAI #NoAIDatacenters #WaterIsLife #OceansAreLife #BigTech #MainePol #PassamaquoddyNation #CenterForBiologicalDiversity #Whales #EndangeredWhales #EndangeredSpecies

The reef menders of #PadangBai

"In this bustling port of Bali, #Indonesia, a group of dedicated divers is rebuilding reefs one metal frame and piece of coral at a time."

https://www.rewildingmag.com/the-reef-menders-of-padang-bai/

#SolarPunkSunday #Rewilding #RewildingTheOceans #RebuildingReefs #ReefRepair #CoralReef #Bali #OceansAreLife

The Potential Dangers of Natural Sea Foam

2025-09-09

"I’ll never forget that trip to the Oregon coast back in ’23. A storm had just rolled through, leaving behind colossal, meringue-like drifts of sea foam. It was a photographer’s dream. My first instinct was to run right into it, but something held me back. A strange, faint smell, and the slightly off-color tint made me pause. That pause led me down a research rabbit hole.

"What I discovered was fascinating and, frankly, a little unnerving. The key isn’t the foam itself, but what’s trapped inside it. It’s an incredible natural concentrator, which can be both beautiful and hazardous.

"My goal with this article is to share what I’ve learned over the years, not to scare you away from the beach, but to empower you. We’ll break down what sea foam is, when it’s perfectly safe, and the specific signs that tell you to keep your distance. You’ll leave knowing exactly how to enjoy the coast safely and confidently."

Learn more:
https://eathealthy365.com/the-potential-dangers-of-natural-sea-foam/

#ToxicSeaFoam #SeaFoam #HABs #HarmfulAlgaeBlooms #Pollutants #Wastewater #Bacteria #Runoff #OceansAreLife #WaterIsLife #OceanHazards #CoastalStorms

#Seahorse #habitats 'healing' thanks to #EcoMoorings

September 25, 2026

"Scars caused to rare seahorse habitats by boat anchors off the #Dorset coast are starting to heal, thanks to the installation of new moorings.

"In 2021, Studland Bay Marine Partnership began installing the first of dozens of eco-moorings in a bid to reverse damage to delicate #SeagrassMeadows.

"A new scientific study has now provided the first evidence that eco-moorings can help restore #seagrass, with some scars shrinking by more than 90% over four years.

"David Brown, chair of the partnership steering group, called the results 'incredibly exciting', adding: 'The impact has been beyond our expectations.'

" #SeagrassHabitats store carbon, support #biodiversity and help protect coastlines from erosion, but are declining globally due to pollution, development, disturbance and #ClimateChange.

"The research, conducted by Kira Dunn as part of her MSc in Marine Biology with Oceanography at the University of Southampton, analysed monitoring data collected since the first eco-moorings were installed."

Read more:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqrm90n3m90po

#SolarPunkSunday #RestoringNature #OceansAreLife #WaterIsLife #SeagrassRestoration #UKNews #DorsetUK

From the documentary, "How To Live On Planet Earth", how a #CoralReef is being restored using sounds of healthy coral reefs and lab-grown corals! Very inspiring!!!

Link to videos:
https://next.frame.io/share/953d1db9-9710-4239-84e9-bd911ce60bbe/a60868b8-7d28-42d5-aa54-a7e776c2b095

Watch the full documentary on YT (not sure how long it will be available):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3mRsvFmWi0&t=4122s

#SolarPunkSunday #CoralReefRestorations #OceansAreLife #MarineLife #Oceans #Rewilding #Sealife #Technology #HowToLiveOnPlanetEarth

Yikes! And I thought #KareniaMikimotoi was bad...

#SeaDragon populations decimated in ‘mind-blowing’ mass mortality event caused by #SouthAustralian #AlgalBloom

Thousands of #SeaDragons, #pipefishes and #seahorses have washed up along state’s coastline according to analysis of #CitizenScientist records

Petra Stock
Sat 19 Sep 2026

Excerpt: "Stefan Andrews, a marine biologist and co-founder of the Great Southern Reef Foundation, said the scale of the mortalities was 'mind blowing', especially for animals like sea dragons, which were rare to see and found in only a handful of locations along the coast.
More than 800 species have been affected in Australia’s first bloom of #KareniaCristata, a rare and toxic type of algae deadly to marine life.

"Surveys and reports were beginning to put numbers on the devastating toll, such as the catastrophic decline in #GiantCuttlefish this year, research made possible through the contributions of #CitizenScientists and divers.

" 'We saw so many people just step up and do their bit to report observations,' he said. 'Sometimes mortalities that wash up on the beach could have disappeared in a matter of hours. So to have all of this data and information that scientists can analyse deeply is so useful to get an understanding of what’s going on.' "

Read more:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/sep/20/sea-dragon-populations-decimated-mind-blowing-mass-mortality-event-south-australia-algal-bloom

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/iStlB

#AlgaeBloom #ToxicAlgae #ClimateDiaryAustralia #ClimateChange #ToxicAlgae #SouthAustralia #AlgalBloom #OceansAreLife #WaterIsLife

#CascoBay #AlgaeBloom weakens in some areas, but shellfish impacts to continue

Harpswell's harbormaster said as the algae dies, it uses up oxygen marine life need to survive.

by Alex Haskell (NCM)
September 21, 2026

HARPSWELL, Maine — "An algae bloom believed to be responsible for the deaths of thousands of shellfish in Casco Bay is weakening in some areas, but local officials said its effects could continue for weeks, and recovery could take years.

"The bloom has affected waters off #HarpswellME and #BrunswickME in recent weeks. Harpswell Harbormaster Darcie Couture said monitoring shows some improvement in places that were hit early.

" 'The areas that were first impacted, we’re watching the cell counts go down,' Couture said.

"However, declining algae levels can create another problem for marine life. As the algae dies, it uses up dissolved oxygen in the water.

" 'Dissolved oxygen is what’s out there in the water that everything else needs to survive—all the clams, the fish, everything that lives there,' Couture said. 'So we’re potentially looking at a second wave of impacts.'

"It could take days or weeks for oxygen levels to return to normal, according to Couture. In the meantime, additional marine life could die as oxygen levels remain low.

"Officials are also watching new blooms developing elsewhere in the region, including the #NewMeadowsRiver area at the northern end of Casco Bay.

" 'We’re trying to figure how to manage that and continue to track the bloom,' Couture said.

"The bloom has also prompted harvesting restrictions. Hundreds of acres of #mudflats under stress from the bloom are now closed to shellfish harvesting in Brunswick and Harpswell.

" 'The closure was put in place because of a request from the two towns over concerns that continued harvesting will cause additional stress and increased mortality,' Maine Department of Marine Resources Communications Director Jeff Nichols said in a statement.

"While those closures directly affect where shellfish harvesters can work, officials are still determining what the bloom could mean for local aquaculture operations.

" 'We’ve had some reports of sickly-looking oysters,' Couture told NEWS CENTER Maine.

"The full extent of the damage may not become clear for some time. Couture said the algae bloom could linger until late fall, and officials will need to conduct a survey after it disappears to determine its overall effect on the area's shellfish.

"She said the affected mudflats could take years to fully recover.

"Intense weather this fall could also complicate the situation by pushing additional blooms toward Maine waters, Couture added."

Source:
https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/tech/science/environment/casco-bay-algae-bloom-weakens-shellfish-continue-harpswell-brunswick-maine/97-4a42d48d-f71d-425e-9351-aa22ad89d512

#ClimateDiaryMaine #ClimateChange #ToxicAlgae #Maine #AlgalBloom #OceansAreLife #WaterIsLife #KareniaMikimotoi

To be overdeveloped, especially near the ocean, is to hasten decay! (Modified quote by Lao Tzu)

A luxury house is close to tumbling into #CapeCodBay Will anyone stop it?

by Andre Muggiati, February 05, 2025

Excerpt: "The report said a collapse could send debris into #WellfleetHarbor, where the town's namesake oysters, well known to shellfish lovers, take two to three years to reach maturity.

" 'The house has a lot of fiberglass insulation in it. It has toxic material in it,' Cumbler said. 'If that toxic material gets into Wellfleet Harbor, which is where the currents will take it, it could endanger the oyster industry in Wellfleet, our major industry outside of tourism.' "

https://www.wbur.org/news/2025/02/05/wellfleet-home-erosion-climate-change-collapse

#USPol #CoastalCommunities #OceansAreLife #FEMA #EPAFail

Personally, I think it's foolish to build anything (other than a lighthouse) next to the water, but FEMA's policy is ridiculous! And polluting!

People's houses are collapsing into the ocean. #FEMA gives them no other option

By Rebecca Hersher, Ryan Kellman
September 17, 20265:00 AM ET

Excerpt: "FEMA provides most residential flood insurance in the United States. The agency will pay homeowners after a house collapses, but not before. That means owners stand to lose tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars by tearing down a doomed house before the ocean takes it.

" 'The homeowner is incentivized to wait for collapse and get a payout,' says John Ryan-Henry, a policy analyst at the Coastal States Organization, a nonprofit that advocates on behalf of #coastal state governments, including those along the #GreatLakes.

"And when homes collapse, they pollute the water and leave wreckage on the shore."

https://www.npr.org/2026/09/17/nx-s1-5844642/fema-homes-collapse-ocean-climate-north-carolina-maine?

#USPol #CoastalCommunities #OceansAreLife #WaterIsLife

NOT so harmless...

Excerpt: "Introducing #KareniaMikimotoi

"The species responsible for recent events in #SouthAustralia beaches, #KMikimotoi, causes harmful #algal blooms in #Asia, #Europe, #SouthAfrica and #SouthAmerica, as well as #Australia and #NewZealand. These blooms all caused fish deaths, and some also caused #breathing difficulties among local #beachgoers.

"The most drastic of these K. mikimotoi blooms have occurred in China over the past two decades. In 2012, more than 300 square kilometres of abalone farms were affected, causing about A$525 million in lost production.

Explaining the toxic effects

"Microalgae can damage the gills of fish and shellfish, preventing them from breathing. This is the main cause of death. But some studies have also found damage to the gastrointestinal tracts and livers of fish.

"Tests using fish gill cells clearly show the dramatic toxic effect of K. mikimotoi. When the fish gill cells were exposed to intact K. mikimotoi cells, after 3.5 hours more than 80% of the fish cells had died.

"Fortunately, the toxin does not persist in the environment after the K. mikimotoi cells are dead. So once the bloom is over, the marine environment can recover relatively quickly.

"Its toxicity is partly due to the algae’s production of 'reactive oxygen species', reactive forms of oxygen molecules which can cause the deaths of cells in high doses. K. mikimotoi cells may also produce lipid (fat) molecules that cause some toxic effects.

"Finally, a very dense bloom of microalgae can sometimes reduce the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water column, which means there is less oxygen for other marine life.

"The human health effects are not very well known but probably relate to the reactive oxygen species being an irritant.

"K. mikimitoi cells can also produce 'mucilage', a type of thick, gluey substance made of complex sugars, which can accumulate #bacteria inside it. This can cause 'sea foam', which was evident on beaches last week.

"A question for many people is whether increasing water temperatures make blooms of K. mikimotoi more likely.

"Another concern is whether nutrient runoff from farms, cities and #aquaculture could cause more harmful algal blooms.

"Unfortunately, for Australia at least, the answer to these questions is we don’t know yet. While we know some harmful algal blooms do increase when nutrient runoff is higher, others actually prefer fewer nutrients or colder temperatures.

"We do know warmer water species seem to be moving further south along the Australian coastline, changing #phytoplankton species abundance and distribution.

"While some microalgal blooms can cause bioluminescence that is beautiful to watch, others such as K. mikimotoi can cause skin and respiratory irritations.

If you notice discoloured water, fish deaths or excessive sea foam along the coast or in an estuary, avoid fishing or swimming in the area and notify local primary industry or environmental authorities in your state."

https://theconversation.com/mystery-solved-our-tests-reveal-the-tiny-algae-killing-fish-and-harming-surfers-on-sa-beaches-252810

#OceanHealth #Beaches Algae #SeaFoam #HABs #HarmfulAlgaeBlooms #KareniaMikimotoi #WarmingOceans #Radioactivity #NutrientRunoff #OceansAreLife #ROS #SkinIrritations #RespiratoryIrration #ReactiveOxygenSpecies #DeadZones

Earth’s oceans just broke a heat record. The implications will be massive

By Anthony Edwards, Aug 23, 2026

"Earth’s oceans were warmer than any day in recorded history Friday due to a combination of long-term human-caused global warming and short-term effects of #ElNiño.

The average sea surface temperature of 21.1 degrees Celsius, or 70 degrees Fahrenheit, breaks the old record of 21.09 degrees Celsius set many times in early 2024 during the most recent El Niño.

" 'There is quite a big certainty that sea surface temperatures globally are now higher than even the last warm period before the last ice age,' #LeonSimons, a climate systems analyst and executive director of the #ClubOfRome Netherlands, said during a webinar Sunday.

"Measurements are based on data from satellites, buoys and ships between 60 degrees south and 60 degrees north latitude and analyzed by the Copernicus Climate Change Service. Daily measurements date back to 1979, though July sea surface temperatures were the warmest month globally since at least 1854."

Read more:
https://www.sfchronicle.com/climate/article/ocean-heat-record-el-nino-22400114.php

#OceanHeat #ClimateChange #BigOilKnew #GlobalWarming #ClimateCrisis #WarmingOceans #WarmingSeas #HumanInducedClimateChange #BigOilAndGas #OceansAreLife #WaterIsLife

As #EastAfrica’s oceans change, coastal women build new livelihoods

By ALLAN OLINGO, July 5, 2026 at 10:36 pm

MALINDI, #Kenya (AP) — "The unfinished restaurant is still little more than concrete walls and wooden beams. As her daughter sweeps away the last piles of sand, 54-year-old Nuru Mohammed directs women hanging fishing nets to serve as decor. In a few days, the beachside restaurant on Kenya’s Indian Ocean coast will open, offering another way to earn a living.

" 'For us women, this is hope,' says Mohammed, who, for most of her life, was one of the few fisherwomen in Malindi, a town northeast of the port city of #Mombasa. 'It will help support many families that have depended on the ocean for decades.'

"Across East Africa’s coast, fisherfolk are increasingly turning to tourism, #EcosystemRestoration and other conservation-based businesses, reinventing their relationship with the sea as #ClimateChange, #overfishing and declining ocean health threaten their livelihoods.

"In Kenya, women are turning restored #MangroveForests into sources of income through #beekeeping and #ecotourism. In #Tanzania’s #Zanzibar archipelago, fishing communities are protecting #CoralReefs through locally managed closures. In #Mozambique, #SeaGrassRestoration is creating jobs while reviving marine habitats. Together, these efforts are redefining resilience, not as leaving the ocean behind, but as restoring it while building enduring livelihoods.

" 'Communities that depend on the ocean are also its best stewards,' said Andreane Martel, project director for a conservation program dubbed #ReSea. 'When local people, especially women, lead conservation, they protect #biodiversity while creating more resilient and inclusive livelihoods.' "

Read more:
https://www.seattletimes.com/business/as-east-africas-oceans-change-coastal-women-build-new-livelihoods/

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/LTBNs

#SolarPunkSunday #ClimateResilience #OceansAreLife #Stewardship

From #Arctic heat to #megafires, #WMO report shows climate change completely reshaping #Europe

By Andrei Ionescu, 6/2/2026

"In the far north, climate change is not some distant warning anymore. It is already reshaping the landscape.

"Across Alaska and Canada, Arctic and boreal regions are warming up to four times faster than the global average.

"That puts a huge amount of pressure on #ecosystems that have long helped slow climate change by pulling carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and storing it in #trees, #shrubs, and #soil.

When forests stop helping

"The trouble is, those ecosystems do not always stay helpful under stress.

"As wildfires grow more intense, drought becomes more common, and other disturbances spread, parts of the north may start giving #carbon back to the atmosphere instead of locking it away.

"Once that happens, the whole climate system becomes harder to stabilize.

"That is why scientists care so much about #biomass, the total amount of living plant material across these landscapes."

Read more:
https://www.earth.com/news/arctic-forests-could-be-hiding-a-major-climate-surprise/

#BorealForests #ArcticForests #ClimateChange #GlobalWarming #WarmingOceans #Heatwaves
#ArcticEcosystems #OceansAreLife

#SeaIce loss in the #Arctic has triggered a critical #TippingPoint that's destroying the food chain

Story by Sascha Pare, June 8, 2026

"The Arctic Ocean has crossed a tipping point that is wreaking havoc on the region's food chain, with potentially dire consequences for commercial fishing and the ocean's capacity to soak up carbon, a new study reports.

"Scientists found that vast areas of melting sea ice in the Arctic are leading to a significant reduction in nitrate, a key nutrient that forms the base of the marine food web and thus underpins important regional fisheries. As the ice disappears, more light hits the water's surface, promoting the growth of microscopic, plant-like organisms called phytoplankton. When phytoplankton die, their cells sink to the seafloor and are decomposed by nitrate- and oxygen-consuming bacteria.

"The new study, published May 28 in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, found that the bacteria are consuming more nitrate than the Arctic ecosystem can withstand.

"This effect, known as 'denitrification,"' is irreversible under current climate conditions because we have passed a threshold where so much sunlight reaches the ocean that it's supercharging phytoplankton's productivity, said Marta Santos-García, a doctoral student of Arctic marine biogeochemistry at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and the first author of the study.

" 'Even if sea ice were to increase temporarily, the Arctic nutrient system responds over much longer timescales,' Santos-García told Live Science in an email. 'Short-term increases in sea ice would be unlikely to rapidly reverse the decline in nitrate inventories, which may take much longer to recover.'

"Dropping nitrate levels may eventually come back to bite phytoplankton, because these tiny organisms need nitrate to carry out photosynthesis. As a result, the transition to a low-nitrate regime could accelerate #ClimateChange, as nitrate plays an essential role in the ocean's biological pump, which takes #CarbonDioxide from the atmosphere via photosynthesis and locks it away at depth when #phytoplankton and the animals that eat it die.

" 'With nutrients such as nitrate in limited supply this mechanism cannot work effectively,' Santos-García said.

"To understand ecosystem changes in the Arctic, the researchers analyzed two decades of data from the Fram Strait, a passage between Greenland and Svalbard, Norway, that is the main gateway through which Arctic waters flow into the Atlantic Ocean. They found a sharp decline in nitrate levels in this region after 2009, which coincided with a dramatic reduction in Arctic sea ice and a gradual shift in phytoplankton communities toward smaller species that can cope with low nutrient levels.

" 'Shifts towards smaller phytoplankton have already been observed in parts of the Arctic, although these changes have not previously been linked to nitrate losses,' Santos-García said. 'This matters because smaller phytoplankton are generally less efficient at transferring energy up the food web. More of the energy is recycled within microbial communities rather than being passed on to larger zooplankton, fish, seabirds, and marine mammals.'

"Phytoplankton sit at the very bottom of the marine food chain, so the impacts of nitrate depletion will ripple through the Arctic ecosystem, impacting species at the highest levels. This could also affect fisheries in regions that depend on Arctic nutrient exports, such as the North Atlantic. But pinpointing what will happen in ecosystems downstream of the Arctic Ocean requires more research, Santos-García said.

"For years, researchers thought the long-term impact of sea ice loss in the Arctic would be an increase in phytoplankton, because more organisms can bathe in sunlight and multiply when the sea ice extent is small. However, the increase in phytoplankton since 2009 has depleted nitrate levels enough to limit future phytoplankton growth.

"Whereas phytoplankton proliferation used to be limited by how much sunlight reached surface waters, it is now controlled by nitrate levels. Therefore, nitrate must be considered as a key driver of future changes in the Arctic, Santos-García said.

" 'As nitrate is the nutrient that limits Arctic productivity, understanding these changes is therefore important not only for Arctic communities and ecosystems, but also for improving projections of future climate change,' she said."

Source:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/sea-ice-loss-in-the-arctic-has-triggered-a-critical-tipping-point-that-s-destroying-the-food-chain/ar-AA257Nx3?ocid=winp2fptaskbarhoverent&cvid=fc8829987c62417bd8585d854cb2ec7b&ei=5

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/E1Dlw

#ClimateChange #TippingPoint #GlobalWarming #WarmingOceans #ArcticEcosystems #SeaIce #OceansAreLife

#MangroveForests are healing after decades of human destruction

by Matt McGrath and Esme Stallard
June 4, 2026

"The world's coastal #mangrove forests, which protect millions of people from storms - and soak up vast amounts of planet-warming gases - are staging an unexpected comeback, scientists find.

"For decades these swampy trees had been declining rapidly as they were cleared for fish farms and housing.

"But a new study shows that since 2010 the world has been gaining more mangroves than it has been losing - driven by stronger #LegalProtections and increased #PublicAwareness of their importance, sparked by disasters such as the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

"The researchers say the key factor though is the remarkable capacity of these forests to #regenerate naturally once humans stop chopping them down.

"Mangroves are one of the world's unsung #environmental heroes.

"Not only do they store up to five times more #CarbonDioxide than land-based forests, but their tangled roots can also slow down waves and protect coastal communities from #StormSurges and #tsunamis.

"These same roots provide a perfect nursery for many species of fish and other #MarineLife - protecting them from predators and providing ample food.

"These benefits, though, have come under serious threat over the past century as the rise of fish farming, agriculture and the expansion of coastal cities and towns have seen mangroves chopped down and rapidly removed.

"From the 1980s to 2010, over 12,000 sq km (4,600 sq miles) of mangroves were cleared or destroyed across #Asia, #Africa and the #Americas - an area the size of Jamaica.

"However, the new study shows a real reversal of that trend, particularly over the last decade. The total net losses - the forest lost and not replaced - since the 1980s have now been reduced to around 849 sq km (328 sq miles)."

Read more:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn4pk07npvvo

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/EX19Y

#SolarPunkSunday #FishNurseries #Mangroves #RestoreNature #CoastalRewilding #RestoringMangroves
#PreserveNature #OceansAreLife

Companies join a #DeepSeaMining rush after Trump executive order, as regulators fast-track permits

Trump’s order suggests the U.S. will decide for itself when to mine the global seabed, reversing the decision of previous administrations to honor the seabed authority’s rules.

By HELEN WIEFFERING
Updated 3:11 PM UTC, May 22, 2026

WASHINGTON (AP) — "In the year since President Donald Trump signed an executive order promising to create a deep-sea mining industry from scratch, businesses have raised millions of dollars from investors, stock prices have soared and federal regulators have raced to fast-track a permitting process.

"At least nine companies are in talks with the government for access to seabed minerals, according to an Associated Press review. Sections of the seafloor from #AmericanSamoa to #Alaska could be auctioned for offshore mining this summer and through the fall.

All the action suggests the U.S. may soon give the green light for companies to commercially mine the seabed — something that’s never been done in international waters.

"But a close look at some of the companies involved reveals uncertain track records and histories spattered with legal disputes, while major questions about how the minerals would be processed and refined remain unanswered. Watchers of the nascent industry are skeptical the promised riches will ever materialize."

Read more:
https://apnews.com/article/trump-deepsea-mining-executive-orders-oceans-environment-399faab6fc32922b4c533d3bad9c1ca5

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/MGqWh

#USPol #DeepSeaLife #OceansAreLife
#WorldPol #NoDeepSeaMining
#RecycleMetals #TrumpSucks #DeepSeaMiningMoratorium
#OxygenSource #Extinction
#PlanetEarth #LockheedMartin
#TheMetalsCompany #DeepSeaMineralsCorp #Allseas
#DeepSeaRareMinerals #BOEM #LifeOnEarth #Ecocide #PlanetDestroyers #HumanGreed #NoisePollution #SedimentPlumes #RecycleNickel #RecycleCobalt

#ClimateChange May Unearth #ColdWar-Era #NuclearWaste Stored by the U.S. in Other Countries

A new report finds that melting ice and #RisingSeaLevels could disturb #RadioactiveContamination left over from American #NuclearTests after World War II

by Tara Wu, March 6, 2024

Excerpt: "Rising global temperatures could unearth Cold War-era nuclear waste created by the United States and stored in other countries, posing potential issues for the environment and local inhabitants, according to a new report.

"An assessment conducted by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released earlier this year examined nuclear waste in the #MarshallIslands, #Greenland and #Spain, three locations with radioactive contamination resulting from American nuclear activity in the decades following World War II. Climate change could cause this nuclear waste to enter the environment, as warming temperatures melt ice sheets that contain radioactive liquid and raise sea levels that could pollute food and water sources with toxic waste, per the study.

"This lingering contamination came from nuclear weapon detonations, including hydrogen bombs, and accidents at numerous sites around the world. Often, the U.S. government stored this waste near the sites of detonation, Robert Hayes, a nuclear engineer at North Carolina State University, says to Julia Jacobo of ABC News. In Greenland, officials disposed of nuclear waste in the ice sheet, and in the Marshall Islands, they placed it in a container with a concrete cap."

Read more:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/climate-change-may-unearth-cold-war-era-nuclear-waste-stored-by-the-us-in-other-countries-180983901/

#ClimateChange #GlobalWarming #NoNukes #NoNuclearWeapons #NoNuclearWar #NuclearDumping #NuclearWaste #NuclearWeapons #WaterIsLife #OceansAreLife #Environment #EnvironmentalRacism

SimplyInfo.org: 15th Anniversary Report #FukushimaDaiichi

March 2, 2026

Excerpt: "This TV Asahi investigative report from March 2025 [linked below] paints a sobering picture of the enormous challenges still facing the decommissioning of Fukushima Daiichi, fourteen years after the accident. While #TEPCO achieved a milestone the previous November by extracting roughly 0.7 grams of #NuclearFuel debris for the first time, experts interviewed for the piece emphasized that debris removal is just one piece of a far more complex puzzle. Around 1,000 fuel assemblies
still remain in the spent fuel pools of Units 1 and 2, untouched since the accident, and officials from the Nuclear Damage Compensation and Decommissioning Facilitation Corporation (#NDF) described clearing these pools as the single most urgent priority — in part because another
#earthquake or #tsunami could strike at any time.

"Before large-scale debris removal can even begin, the area around the reactor buildings must be cleared of heavily contaminated structures and exhaust stacks to make room for the massive equipment required. Because humans cannot safely approach the highly radioactive debris, all removal work must be done remotely. Radiation levels outside the buildings remain dangerously high — a dosimeter near #Unit2 showed particularly elevated readings — and contaminated water continues to be generated at a rate of roughly 80 tons per day as #rainwater and #groundwater contact radioactive materials on site, despite TEPCO having already released about 80,000 tons of treated [but still radioactive] water into the ocean.

"Perhaps the most troubling concern raised in the article is what happens to the debris and #RadioactiveWaste after it is removed. Hiroshi Miyano, chairman of the Decommissioning Review Committee of the Atomic Energy Society of Japan, was blunt in his criticism, saying no serious thought has been given to managing this waste over the coming century or two.

"The Fukushima debris is uniquely complicated because it is a mixture of melted nuclear fuel and structural materials, and experts warned that removal may not even be possible until a concrete disposal plan is in place. General decommissioning superintendent Toyoshi Fukada warned that without proper storage facilities ready in advance, the entire decommissioning effort could eventually grind to a halt simply because there would be nowhere to put the waste."

Read more:
https://simplyinfo.org/2026/03/simplyinfo-org-15th-anniversary-report-fukushima-daiichi/

Asashi investigative report [pdf]:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ysaf6a7hj62286sv4hoql/alps_water_d250130_14-j_translated.pdf?rlkey=3u397ndoafdtiq6fgjczg4a74&st=845tdf30&dl=0

#FukushimaIsntOver #TEPCOLies #RethinkNotRestart #NoNukes #NoNukesForAI #RenewablesNow #WaterIsLife #OceansAreLife #NuclearPlants #NuclearDisaster #Remember311

#ToxicWaste from screens ends up in endangered #dolphins, study finds

Gene-altering chemicals found in humpback dolphins and finless porpoises, raising alarm they may end up in human food chain

by Tara Russell
Wed 25 Feb 2026 08.00 EST

Excerpt: " 'The presence of #LCMs in their brains is a major red flag,' He said. 'If these chemicals can cross the blood-brain barrier in dolphins, we must be concerned about the potential for similar effects in humans who are exposed through contaminated seafood or even drinking water.'

"#ElectronicWaste is a growing problem around the world, with 62m tonnes of it generated each year. The main culprit is '#FastTech' – cheap and often poorly manufactured items viewed as disposable, including devices that use LCMs.

"To reduce the damage, the researchers said people should try to extend the life of their #electronics through #repairs and disposing of them using certified #EWaste recycling methods."

Read more:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/feb/25/toxic-waste-from-screens-ends-up-in-endangered-dolphins-study-finds

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/cVdai

#RepairReuseRestore #EWaste #Pollution #OceansAreLife #WaterIsLife #RepairCafes #RightToRepair #PlannedObsolescence #CheapElectronics #LCDs

‘It’s a catastrophe’: Wellington rages as millions of litres of raw sewage pour into ocean

Abandoned beaches, public health warning signs and seagulls eating human waste are now features of the popular coastline in #NewZealand

Michelle Duff in Wellington
Wed 18 Feb 2026 22.42 EST

"A tide of anger is rising in New Zealand’s capital, Wellington, as the city’s toilets continue to flush directly into the ocean more than two weeks after the catastrophic collapse of its wastewater treatment plant.

"Millions of litres of raw and partially screened sewage have been pouring into pristine #reefs and a #MarineReserve along the south coast daily since 4 February, prompting a national inquiry, as the authorities struggle to get the decimated plant operational.

"Abandoned beaches, public health warning signs and seagulls eating human waste are now features of the popular coastline, with the environmental disaster zone adjacent to the airport where thousands of international visitors alight every day.

"Fears for the safety of marine #ecosystems – including vulnerable species such as the little blue penguin, or #kororā, which nest along the shore – are mixed with concerns over the length and cost of disruption to those who depend on the coast for income, wellness, and recreation.

"As a southerly storm whipped through the lower North Island and churned up polluted seawater this week, hundreds of residents turned out to a public meeting to seek answers.

" 'They’re warning us to close our windows because a shit-laden hurricane is coming at us,' said the south coast resident and environmentalist Eugene Doyle, whose house faces the sea. 'Everyone in charge has done an appalling job, and they need to be held accountable.' "

Read more:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/19/wellington-raw-sewage-leak-spill-water-new-zealand

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/bjF7f

#OceansAreLife #Sewage #Aotearoa #GovernmentFail #NZ

'It's overwhelming': #Plastic from 1960s #Canada washes up on #Orkney beach

Evie McGowan, February 18, 2026

"Plastic bottles and debris which appears to have originated in Canada and dates back to the 1960s and 70s has washed up on an Orkney beach.

"Litter pickers say they are 'overwhelmed' by the amount of plastic they have found on the shoreline at #HowarSands in Sanday over the last few weeks.
David Warner, who organises beach cleans, said he gathered 42 plastic bottles from the shore last year - yet already this year he has found hundreds.
Experts blame 'fairly extraordinary weather', with strong south-easterly winds, for the increase in '#RetroRubbish'.

"Warner, 35, said some of the plastic bottles he has discovered on Sanday appear to have originated in #Newfoundland and #Labrador in Canada.

"He worries that even more detritus will wash up on the beach in the future.
'We haven't hit rubbish from the nineties and noughties, so that's going to be extortionate amounts,' he said."

Read more:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2k8g4p44l0o

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/D2xFR

#Scotland #PlasticPollution #Microplastics #WaterIsLife #OceansAreLife

#DeepSeaMining causes immediate loss of #SeafloorLife

by Eric Ralls, February 5, 2026

"Far below the ocean surface, the deep seafloor is often described as one of the planet’s least disturbed ecosystems. That assumption is now being tested.

"Companies are preparing to mine mineral-rich #nodules scattered across the abyss. The shift raises urgent questions about how quickly damage could appear once #industrial machines begin operating.

"A new field experiment offers one of the clearest answers yet. Researchers found that a single trial of a deep-sea mining collector physically removed more than one-third of the animals and species living directly in its path.

"The results show that biological impacts can occur immediately, not only after years of full-scale extraction."

Read more:
https://www.earth.com/news/deep-sea-mining-machines-could-erase-seafloor-life-in-hours/

#DeepSeaLife #OceansAreLife #WorldPol #NoDeepSeaMining #RecycleMetals #DeepSeaMiningMoratorium #OxygenSource #Extinction #PlanetEarth

Who needs #BioLabs when there's all sorts of #bacteria about to be exposed after thousands of years!

Researchers issue warning after making grim #Antarctic discovery: 'We are only beginning to understand'

Story by Daysia Tolentino, January 29, 2026

Excerpt: "A study published in the journal #Biocontaminant examined the effects of #GlacialMelting on our #WaterSupply.

"#Glaciers serve as reservoirs for #AntibioticResistanceGenes, or #ARGs, and other #microbes. When they are released from the ice, they enter our water systems, posing a major health risk to people downstream.

"Millions of people get their water from glacier-fed rivers and lakes. ARGs are strands of DNA that make bacteria more resistant to drugs. When ARGs in #meltwater make their way into our water supply, they become a global public health risk.

"The study emphasizes the importance of viewing glaciers, rivers, and lakes as being part of a 'glacier continuum.' This means they are an interconnected system rather than separate environments.

Why are melting glaciers concerning?

"From our gas-powered cars to #overconsumption, human activity has contributed to the production of heat-trapping gases that warm the planet. Rising global temperatures have caused glaciers to rapidly melt, causing elevated sea levels and releasing ARGs.

"ARGs from melting glaciers are worrisome because they help facilitate the spread of diseases. This threat is compounded by the fact that our growing #microplastic problem is also helping #AntibioticResistant #bacteria breed. As a result, #medicines are being rendered less effective."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/researchers-issue-warning-after-making-grim-antarctic-discovery-we-are-only-beginning-to-understand/

#WorldPol #USPol #FossilFuels #FossilFools #Degrowth #RenewablesNow #WaterIsLife #OceansAreLife #HumanFolly #NewDiseases

"#Agricultural runoff provides perfect nutrients for #methanogen growth.

#Fertilizer and animal waste washing into ocean systems creates nutrient-rich zones where these methanogens thrive like never before. #Nitrogen and #phosphorus pollution from farmland creates ideal conditions for explosive #microbial growth in #coastal waters and #DeepOcean areas. These agricultural inputs essentially act as fertilizer for #methane-producing microbes, creating a connection between #IndustrialFarming and atmospheric #GreenhouseGas levels that scientists never fully appreciated.

"Coastal regions near major agricultural areas show the highest concentrations of these supercharged methanogens, with some areas recording methane production levels ten times higher than baseline measurements. The problem compounds itself because areas with intensive farming also tend to have the strongest ocean currents, meaning these fertilized methanogen populations get distributed globally. Every season’s #AgriculturalRunoff creates new opportunities for these microbes to establish thriving colonies in previously stable ocean environments."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/earth-s-dangerous-warming-traced-to-a-hidden-culprit-says-new-data/ss-AA1VuuPp?ocid=winp2fptaskbarhover#image=2

#DeepSeaLife #AgriculturalRunoff #BigAg #OceansAreLife #OceanCurrents #OceanMethane

"Marine scientists drilling into abyssal ocean floor sediments discovered thriving colonies of this new #methanogen species at depths previously thought to be biologically inactive. These extreme environments, characterized by crushing pressure and complete darkness, harbor #microbial communities that have evolved unique metabolic pathways. According to research published in #NatureGeoscience, these #DeepSea methanogens can survive in conditions that would kill most known life forms.

"The discovery challenges everything scientists thought they knew about where life can exist in Earth’s oceans. These microbes don’t just survive in the deep ocean trenches, they’re actually flourishing and producing methane at industrial scales. Their metabolic processes operate entirely differently from surface-dwelling organisms, using chemical energy sources that most life forms can’t even process."

Learn more:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/earth-s-dangerous-warming-traced-to-a-hidden-culprit-says-new-data/ss-AA1VuuPp?ocid=winp2fptaskbarhover&cvid=0a3d1a553ba44c8893415037fea29306&ei=7#image=2

#DeepSeaLife #AgriculturalRunoff #BigAg #OceansAreLife #OceanCurrents #OceanMethane

It's not enough that #Fukushima #RadioactiveWaterDumping will continue for years (centuries?), now #Japan wants to mine the #DeepSea and kill even more #OceanLife? WTF!

Japan hauls rare earth-rich mud from deep sea in bold test mission

Story by BeckhamLangford
Feburary 3, 2026

"Japan’s own planners acknowledge the uncertainties. Jan briefings on the test mining plan stressed that, However, key aspects remain unknown, including the quality of the minerals and the economics of lifting and processing such vast volumes of mud. Mining the mud had previously been seen as too expensive compared with land-based deposits, and even with new technology, the cost of pumping, dewatering and refining the material at scale is still an open question. Analysts also point out that any move toward commercial production will face intense scrutiny from environmental regulators and coastal communities, who want clearer evidence on how sediment plumes, noise and habitat disruption will affect #DeepOcean #ecosystems around the site."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/japan-hauls-rare-earth-rich-mud-from-deep-sea-in-bold-test-mission/ar-AA1VBa5u

#OceansAreLife #JapanPol #NoDeepSeaMining #NoOceanDumping #FukushimaIsntOver #RecycleMetals #BuildTechnologyThatLasts #OceansAreLife #WaterIsLife #LeaveItInTheOcean #DeepSeaMining
#NoDeepSeaMining #RecycleCopper
#LifeOnEarth #Ecocide #DeepSeaLife #OceansAreLife #PlanetDestroyers #HumanGreed #NoisePollution #SedimentPlumes

Japan Is Restarting Its #NuclearPower Program 15 Years After the #Fukushima Disaster

One of the surviving reactors at the #KashiwazakiKariwa plant was loaded with fuel last summer and recently turned back on, to mixed reactions.

By Elizabeth Rayne, Published: Jan 28, 2026

Excerpt: "Despite the benefits [sic] of nuclear energy, not everyone is so sure about this move. The Japanese government’s strategic energy plan previously intended to reduce the use of nuclear power as much as possible, but as far back as 2021, it has been focused on incorporating nuclear back into its bank of power sources as a way to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels. Its newest plan addresses the progress that has been made since the Fukushima disaster, admitting that the power plant failed to make improvements because of 'the myth [that] created the impression that meeting the standards and conditions set by the government and industry would eliminate all risks.'

"Some citizens see the return to nuclear power as a dismissal of caution."

Read more:
https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/energy/a70108280/japan-is-restarting-its-nuclear-power-program-15-years-after-the-fukushima-disaster/

#RethinkNotRestart #NoMoreFukushimas #TEPCOLies #KEPCOLies #NoNukes #RenewablesNow #Geothermal #Hotsprings #FukushimaIsntOver #WaterIsLife #OceansAreLife #Radiation #NuclearWasteIsForever

Unfortunately, the #FukushimaDiary website seems to have been locked down. This was one of the last articles posted by #Mochizuki (on December 7, 2025).

#TEPCO Downgrades Thermometers After 80°C Spike, But Data Suggests a Systemic Issue

"TEPCO recently reported that a thermometer in #FukushimaDaiichi’s Reactor 1 recorded an unexpected 80°C temperature increase following nitrogen injection into the primary containment vessel (#PCV). Initially, this raised concerns about a possible heat source inside the containment vessel .

"However, after an internal review, TEPCO concluded that the reading did not reflect an actual temperature increase, attributing it to instrument malfunction. As a result, they downgraded multiple thermometers to “reference use” and removed them from official monitoring .
Contradictions in TEPCO’s Explanation

"TEPCO’s official report claims that the 80°C spike was a sensor anomaly, yet the data contradicts this conclusion..."

https://web.archive.org/web/20251207175303/https://fukushima-diary.com/2025/03/tepco-downgrades-thermometers-after-80c-spike-but-data-suggests-a-systemic-issue/

#RethinkNotRestart #NoMoreFukushimas #TEPCOLies #KEPCOLies #NoNukes #FukushimaIsntOver #WaterIsLife
#OceansAreLife #Radiation #NuclearWasteIsForever