Latest Oceans News
Greek minister says 2 major new marine parks will be created by the end of this year
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece will be able to create the two new major marine parks it has announced for the Ionian Sea and the Aegean Sea by the end of this year, the country’s environment and energy minister said Wednesday. Speaking during an international ocean conference in...
UN envoy says of the threat to coral reefs: 'Are we faced with a colossal ecosystem tragedy? Yes'
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The world is not doing enough to protect coral reefs, the United Nations’ special envoy for the ocean said Tuesday in defense of the marine ecosystems that protect biodiversity, sustain underwater life and produce some of the oxygen we breathe. In an...
Greece plans 2 marine protected areas. But rival Turkey and environmental groups aren't impressed
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece aims to create two large marine parks as part of a 780-million-euro ($830 million) program to protect biodiversity and marine ecosystems that includes banning bottom trawling and tackling plastic and microplastic pollution, the prime minister announced during an...
Scientists say coral reefs around the world are experiencing mass bleaching in warming oceans
Coral reefs around the world are experiencing global bleaching for the fourth time, top reef scientists declared Monday, a result of warming ocean waters amid human-caused climate change. Coral reef bleaching across at least 53 countries, territories or local economies has been...
These biodegradable straws could prevent new coral from becoming expensive fish food
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — South Florida researchers trying to prevent predatory fish from devouring laboratory-grown coral are grasping at biodegradable straws in an effort to restore what some call the rainforest of the sea. Scientists around the world have been working for...
Czech man dies after falling into sea while taking photos of huge waves in Spain's Canary Islands
MADRID (AP) — A Czech tourist died after falling into the sea while apparently taking photographs of huge waves during a storm on the Canary Island of Tenerife, authorities said Thursday. A Canary Island local government statement said the 53-year-old man died Wednesday afternoon...
Book Review: Hampton Sides revisits Captain James Cook, a divisive figure in the South Pacific
Captain James Cook’s voyages in the South Pacific in the late 1700s exemplify the law of unintended consequences. He set out to find a westward ocean passage from Europe to Asia but instead, with the maps he created and his reports, Cook revealed the Pacific islands and their people to the world....
4 people die on Spain's coastlines after falling into sea during high winds
MADRID (AP) — Four people have died after falling into the sea in three incidents on Spain's Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts, emergency services said Thursday. The deaths came amid warnings of strong winds and widespread rain across many parts of the country and warnings of high...
What is a whale native to the North Pacific doing off New England? Climate change could be the key
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Scientists have confirmed the presence of a whale off New England that went extinct in the Atlantic Ocean two centuries ago — an exciting discovery, but one they said that illustrates the impact of climate change on sea life. Researchers with the New...
In Hawaii, coral is the foundation of life. What happened to it after the Lahaina wildfire?
Abraham “Snake” Ah Hee rides waves when the surf’s up and dives for octopus and shells when the water is calm. The lifelong Lahaina, Hawaii, resident spends so much time in the ocean that his wife jokes he needs to wet his gills. But these days Ah Hee is worried the water...
