Marine

The year 2017 was the hottest year ever recorded for the world’s oceans, according to a study by the Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IAP CAS). The study shows that ocean warming in 2017 has occurred in most parts of the world, even though the Atlantic and the oceans of the southern hemisphere (south of 30°) have ...

The UN Educational, Scientific, Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) on Wednesday, January 31, 2018 said it is partnering with the Federal Government of Nigeria to use scientific and cultural methods to restore the Lake Chad basin. The partnership will be done through the Ministry of Water Resources to launch BIOPALT, a project targeted at scientifically and culturally restoring the basin. Dr Osuji ...

Billions of bits of plastic waste are entangled in corals and sickening reefs from Thailand to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, scientists said on Thursday, January 25, 2018. The trash is another pressure on corals, already suffering from over-fishing, rising temperatures caused by climate change and other pollution. In the Asia-Pacific region, a total of 11.1 billion plastic items – including ...

Australia has issued an open call to scientists to help save the corals of the Great Barrier Reef with a $2 million challenge, an Environmentalist said on Tuesday, January 16, 2018. A reef is a bar of rock, sand, coral or similar material, lying beneath the surface of water; it may go as deep as 261 feet (80m) below the ...

Rising temperatures at Australia’s Great Barrier Reef are causing more green turtles to be born female, which could lead to the species dying out, a new scientific study has found. As the gender of green turtles is determined by temperature, the hotter weather caused by climate change induces warmer incubations of eggs, and that has led to a greater number ...

The Federal Ministry of Water Resources says it will host a global forum on sustainable solutions to save the drought-ravaged Lake Chad between Feb. 26 and Feb. 28 in Abuja. Dr Musa Ibrahim, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, said this in a statement in Abuja on Friday, January 12, 2018. He said that the theme of the conference was ...

A new paper published in Science magazine shows that oxygen concentrations in ocean water are declining, not least as a result of climate change. This is in turn posing a serious threat to marine life and people dependent on the ocean. The study, compiled by a network of scientists initiated by the UN, also highlights the importance of reining in both ...

Belize has made history by unanimously passing the “Petroleum Operations (Offshore Zone Moratorium) Bill, 2017” which will place an indefinite moratorium on offshore oil in Belize’s marine territory. The decision has been welcomed by Oceana, WWF, and other members of the Belize Coalition to Save Our Natural Heritage as a landmark step forward to protect the Belize Barrier Reef and strengthen marine ...

Courtesy of efforts by a group of professionals from North America, Europe, and Africa, an institute focused on increasing the capacity of African freshwater experts has emerged. Similarly, the new organisation aims at positively affect policy and management on Africa’s Great Lakes, allowing those who depend on them (the lakes) to realise their vision of livelihoods, justice, equity, democracy, and peace. ...

The Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Dakuku Peterside, said the Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, has initiated plans to create a National Policy on Blue Economy. Peterside said this in Lagos on Thursday, December 14, 2017 during an enlightenment workshop organised for directors of Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC). According to him, the National Policy on ...