Oceans

The Pentagon’s Scary Plan to Militarize Ocean Life

by

– The Pentagon’s Scary Plan to Militarize Ocean Life:

The US military has plans to create genetically modified marine organisms that can be used as underwater spies for the military. Fantastic as this idea may seem, the Pentagon’s research arm, DARPA (or Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), has actually launched a new program that aims to tap into the “natural sensing capabilities” of marine organisms, who are highly attuned to their surroundings, to track enemy traffic undersea.

Source: www.earthisland.org By Maia Danks

The project out of DARPA’s Biological Technologies Office, called the Persistent Aquatic Living Sensors (PALS) program hopes to use everything from bacteria to large fish to find underwater vehicles by recording the creatures’ natural reactions to these vehicles and sending the data to an outside base.

A recent press release about the program said it would “study natural and modified organisms (emphasis added) to determine which ones could best support sensor systems that detect the movement of manned and unmanned underwater vehicles.”

Read moreThe Pentagon’s Scary Plan to Militarize Ocean Life

Trash in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch Has Quadrupled, Maybe Even 16-upled

by

– Trash in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch Has Quadrupled, Maybe Even 16-upled:

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is getting denser. The enormous plastic soup floating in the vast North Pacific spans more than 617,000 square miles (1.6 million square kilometers), and its density is now between four and 16 times greater than previous estimates, scientists have found.

Researchers made the discovery by looking at the accumulation of plastic trash in the Pacific between California and Hawaii. They found that the patch has more than 87,000 tons (79,000 metric tons) of plastic in it. That equates to 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic, or roughly 250 pieces for every person on the planet, the researchers said.

Moreover, the concentration of tiny pieces of plastic, known as microplastics, has exponentially increased since the 1970s, like a person adding more pulp to a glass of orange juice. In the 1970s, the patch housed 2.28 lbs. of plastic per square mile (0.4 kilograms per square kilometer), but by 2015, that number had grown to 7.02 lbs. of plastic per square mile (1.23 kg per square km), the researchers found. [In Images: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch]

The researchers also looked at the size of the plastics in the water. While debris larger than 2 inches (5 centimeters) across accounted for more than 75 percent of the total weight of the plastics, there were far more microplastics, which represented the majority of the 1.8 trillion pieces inside the patch, said Laurent Lebreton, the lead researcher of the Ocean Cleanup Foundation and the lead author of the study. The foundation aims to develop technologies that can extract the plastic from the garbage patch.

…

H/t reader kevin a.

* * *

PayPal: Donate in USD
PayPal: Donate in EUR
PayPal: Donate in GBP

Niagara Falls Freezes Over And Sharks Are Freezing To Death In The Atlantic

by

– Niagara Falls has frozen over because it’s so cold in America

America is experiencing one of the coldest weekends of the year as Niagara Falls has frozen over and sharks are freezing to death in the Atlantic.

The US is currently gripped by an arctic blast of air that has kept temperatures below freezing and brought record cold to some spots.

A huge swathe of the country is facing numbing cold as forecasters warn New Year’s revelers from Memphis to Maine to expect freezing conditions on Sunday.

As far south as Charleston, South Carolina, freezing rain coated the city’s landmark church steeples, while brutally cold weather has iced plans for scores of events in the Northeast from New Year’s Eve through New Year’s Day.

Authorities are warning revelers in New York City that it could be one of the coldest New Year’s Eve ball drops on record while in Boston the weather has cracked railway tracks, causing chaos for commuters.

…

* * *

PayPal: Donate in USD
PayPal: Donate in EUR
PayPal: Donate in GBP

AP: “Japan poised to flood Pacific with 1 Million tons of nuclear water contaminated by Fukushima” — Newsweek: “Experts want Japan to push a Million tons of radioactive water Into ocean” — Release could kill fishing industry (VIDEO)

by

– AP: “Japan poised to flood Pacific with 1 Million tons of nuclear water contaminated by Fukushima” — Newsweek: “Experts want Japan to push a Million tons of radioactive water Into ocean” — Release could kill fishing industry (VIDEO):

AP, Nov 26, 2017: Japan is poised to flood the Pacific with one million tons of nuclear water contaminated by the Fukushima power plant… The Japanese government is being urged by experts to gradually release radioactive water in to the Pacific Ocean… The water is stored on site in around 900 large and densely packed tanks and could spill should another major disaster strike. The government has been urged to release the water into the ocean… Local fishermen are extremely hesitant to this solution… Fumio Haga, a drag-net fisherman, said: ‘People would shun Fukushima fish again as soon as the water is released.’…

Read moreAP: “Japan poised to flood Pacific with 1 Million tons of nuclear water contaminated by Fukushima” — Newsweek: “Experts want Japan to push a Million tons of radioactive water Into ocean” — Release could kill fishing industry (VIDEO)

Thousands of Sharks, Other Sea Life Mysteriously Die in San Francisco Bay

by

– Thousands of Sharks, Other Sea Life Mysteriously Die in San Francisco Bay:

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife isn’t dedicating any funding toward determining the cause, says resources are needed elsewhere

…

H/t reader kevin a.

* * *

PayPal: Donate in USD
PayPal: Donate in EUR
PayPal: Donate in GBP

AND NOW: Fukushima’s radioactive water to be released into ocean under new plan

by

– Fukushima’s radioactive water to be released into ocean under new plan:

The “decision has already been made” to release radioactive material from the Fukushima plant into the ocean, according to its owners. Fishermen have reacted with fury to the decision, claiming it will devastate their already struggling industry.

Under the plan the radioactive material tritium, which is being used to cool reactors whose cooling systems were damaged in the 2011 tsunami, will be released into the Pacific Ocean.

“I’m very sorry that Tepco has been prolonging making a decision,” the new chairman of Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO) Takashi Kawamura told reporters on Thursday, reported Reuters. “We could have decided much earlier, and that is Tepco’s responsibility.”

Read moreAND NOW: Fukushima’s radioactive water to be released into ocean under new plan

4500 Olympic-Sized Swimming Pools Of Fish Is Wasted Each Year

by

– A Staggering Amount Of Fish Is Wasted Each Year:

New research shows that industrial fisheries are responsible for dumping nearly 10 million tonnes of perfectly good fish back into the ocean each year — enough to fill 4500 Olympic-sized swimming pools. This news comes at a time when nearly 90 per cent of the world’s fish stocks are threatened by overfishing.

Read more4500 Olympic-Sized Swimming Pools Of Fish Is Wasted Each Year

Mysterious Glowing Sea Creatures Infest US West Coast Despite Colder Water

by

– Mysterious Glowing Sea Creatures Infest US West Coast Despite Colder Water:

[6/21/17/ SPUTNIK]

 Colonies of fluorescent tropical animals, detected recently off the west coast of the continental US, are rapidly expanding for unknown reasons. These creatures are social as they can exchange light signals with each other and in between their colonies, but overall there is little known about them, and what happens next is a mystery, too.

Kristian Rouz — Scientists have encountered a bizarre phenomenon in the waters along the US West Coast they are working on finding an explanation for. Despite lower water temperatures in the first half of this year, glowing tropical sea animals called pyrosomes, or “fire bodies”, have appeared in enormous quantities off the coast of Oregon and Alaska, primarily, which might have serious consequences for the sea life in the region. 

Read moreMysterious Glowing Sea Creatures Infest US West Coast Despite Colder Water

Mass die-off in the Pacific as hundreds of sharks wash up on the shores of San Francisco

by

– Mass die-off in the Pacific as hundreds of sharks wash up on the shores of San Francisco:

Ohia.org reminds us that sharks are both scavengers and super -predators, who greatly assist in keeping the ocean’s ecosystem balanced. Sharks eat fish that are the “weakest, sick or dead,” and also “maintain prey species diversity” by keeping other predator species in check. A decline in shark populations not only threatens fishery operations, but can also indicate deeper problems within our ecosystem. This may be the case in the waters of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Francisco, where for more than seven weeks, hundreds of Leopard sharks have been found dying, or dead, as reported by the San Francisco Gate.

Read moreMass die-off in the Pacific as hundreds of sharks wash up on the shores of San Francisco

Peak of Fukushima radiation now moving to West Coast — Levels much higher than predicted — Huge red blob of nuclear waste near shore — San Francisco area being hit hardest — Concern over Iodine-129 with 15 million year half-life (MAPS)

by

– Peak of Fukushima radiation now moving to West Coast — Levels much higher than predicted — Huge red blob of nuclear waste near shore — San Francisco area being hit hardest — Concern over Iodine-129 with 15 million year half-life (MAPS)

 *****
– Brain-rotting toxin killing huge numbers of marine animals on California coast — Die-offs skyrocket over past week — Expert: “It’s worst year we’ve ever seen” — Mass deaths of sea lions, dolphins, birds — Officials warn outbreak is spreading (VIDEOS)

* * *

PayPal: Donate in USD
PayPal: Donate in EUR
PayPal: Donate in GBP

Brain-rotting toxin killing huge numbers of marine animals on California coast — Mass deaths of sea lions, dolphins, birds

by

– Brain-rotting toxin killing huge numbers of marine animals on California coast — Die-offs skyrocket over past week — Expert: “It’s worst year we’ve ever seen” — Mass deaths of sea lions, dolphins, birds — Officials warn outbreak is spreading (VIDEOS)

* * *

PayPal: Donate in USD
PayPal: Donate in EUR
PayPal: Donate in GBP

Mass die-off ongoing along US West Coast — TV: “It’s just not clear why all the marine life is washing up like this… Reports coming in every day” — Experts: ‘Unknown’ organisms eating away brains, hearts… New infection never seen before (VIDEOS)

by

– Mass die-off ongoing along US West Coast — TV: “It’s just not clear why all the marine life is washing up like this… Reports coming in every day” — Experts: ‘Unknown’ organisms eating away brains, hearts… New infection never seen before (VIDEOS):

KRON, Apr 13, 2017 (emphasis added): A troubling trend – sharks and other marine life are washing up on Bay Area shorelines. First, it was Santa Cruz, and now, it’s the Peninsula… dead sharks were found washed up Thursday morning… Experts say similar reports are coming in every day, and it’s not clear why all the marine life is washing up… [T]he Pelagic Shark Foundation in Santa Cruz is pleading with Bay Area people to be alert on walks and report to them immediately.

KRON transcript, Apr 13, 2017: “There are a lot of small dead sharks that have been found, just today… it’s just not clear why all the marine life is washing up like this.”

Read moreMass die-off ongoing along US West Coast — TV: “It’s just not clear why all the marine life is washing up like this… Reports coming in every day” — Experts: ‘Unknown’ organisms eating away brains, hearts… New infection never seen before (VIDEOS)

“Most catastrophic fisheries collapse in history” expected along West Coast — Official: “This is a nightmare, I have never in my life dreamed that it could get this bad” — Threat of “coast-wide fishing failure” (VIDEO)

by

– “Most catastrophic fisheries collapse in history” expected along West Coast — Official: “This is a nightmare, I have never in my life dreamed that it could get this bad” — Threat of “coast-wide fishing failure” (VIDEO)

* * *

PayPal: Donate in USD
PayPal: Donate in EUR
PayPal: Donate in GBP

Fish leaking pus, covered in lesions, deformed along US West Coast — Fisherman: Nearly all fish caught affected; “I’ve never seen this… Some had pus all over body” — Official: So many are showing illness, environmental conditions could be a factor (PHOTOS)

by

– Fish leaking pus, covered in lesions, deformed along US West Coast — Fisherman: Nearly all fish caught affected; “I’ve never seen this… Some had pus all over body” — Official: So many are showing illness, environmental conditions could be a factor (PHOTOS)

* * *

PayPal: Donate in USD
PayPal: Donate in EUR
PayPal: Donate in GBP

Massive die-off of sea creatures from California to Alaska — Animals starving as food chains continue to collapse — Mass starvation events plague West Coast — Scientist: “Felt like I was doing nothing but counting dead animals” — TV: Deaths really quite troubling (VIDEO)

by

– Massive die-off of sea creatures from California to Alaska — Animals starving as food chains continue to collapse — Mass starvation events plague West Coast — Scientist: “Felt like I was doing nothing but counting dead animals” — TV: Deaths really quite troubling (VIDEO):

The Press Democrat, Dec 25, 2016 (emphasis added): Ocean changes upend North Coast fisheries… once reliable ocean rhythms have been seriously unsettled of late, confounding those who depend on predictable, seasonal cycles… a symptom of widespread marine anomalies that have prevailed for the past three years, threatening everything from seabirds and sea lions to treasured catches such as salmon and abalone. “The ocean is changing,” one glum crabber aboard the vessel New Horizon said… Irregularity “is starting to look like the new normal,” he said… Evidence of starvation in abalone populations prompted authorities to impose new restrictions in the sport abalone fishery next year to limit the catch. The commercial red urchin fishery is suffering, as well… Meanwhile, the commercial salmon harvest, California’s most valuable ocean fishery, continues to suffer, with spawning populations reduced significantly… Mass-starvation events have hit a spectrum of other West Coast marine wildlife, mostly due to the collapse of food chains… Large dieoffs of Cassin’s auklets, a tiny seabird, were first noticed when dead birds began washing ashore in fall of 2014. A year later, it was malnourished and dead common murres that were found adrift. Juvenile California sea lions, Guadalupe fur seals and other marine mammals have suffered for several years, as well, both from starvation and, to a lesser extent, from domoic acid poisoning.

Read moreMassive die-off of sea creatures from California to Alaska — Animals starving as food chains continue to collapse — Mass starvation events plague West Coast — Scientist: “Felt like I was doing nothing but counting dead animals” — TV: Deaths really quite troubling (VIDEO)

Cover-up Admitted: Radioactive Fish Off U.S. West Coast With “Disturbing Fingerprint of Fukushima”

by

japan-radiation-marine-greenpeace

– Cover-up Admitted: Radioactive Fish Off U.S. West Coast With “Disturbing Fingerprint of Fukushima”:

The entire Pacific Coast of the United States, Canada and Mexico has been contaminated with radioactive particles from Fukushima.

And finally, it is being officially acknowledged. This is really happening…

It is a stark reminder that the effects from Fukushima radiation continually spilling into the ocean have not been abated. The site continues to leak highly toxic radioactive material to this day. Nothing has stopped.

…

* * *

PayPal: Donate in USD
PayPal: Donate in EUR
PayPal: Donate in GBP

Alert: Typhoons cause failure of ‘ice wall’ around Fukushima reactors — Highly radioactive water flowing into ocean — Structure “critically affected” — Fears over multiple sections of barrier that have thawed — Expert: “The plan to block groundwater is failing” (VIDEO)

by

– Alert: Typhoons cause failure of ‘ice wall’ around Fukushima reactors — Highly radioactive water flowing into ocean — Structure “critically affected” — Fears over multiple sections of barrier that have thawed — Expert: “The plan to block groundwater is failing” (VIDEO)

H/t reader squodgy:

“Never had a chance. They are so desperate they’ll be asking spiders to build a protective web next.”

* * *

PayPal: Donate in USD
PayPal: Donate in EUR
PayPal: Donate in GBP

It’s NOT Global Warming, It’s OCEAN Warming – This Is How We’re Being Conned

by

Ocean-Warming-Not-Global-Warming

– It’s not global warming, it’s OCEAN warming:

This is how we’re being conned.

*****

It’s not global warming, it’s OCEAN warming

By Robert W Felix

We keep hearing that this month, or that month, or some other month, was the hottest month on record.

“May 2016 Was the 13th Consecutive Warmest Month on Record,” shouts the headline on Weather.com.

“The 15th month, in a row, that we’ve had the hottest month on record,” warns the accompanying video.

“NASA Report, 8th Consecutive Warmest Month On Record,” the article explains.

“April 2016 was the warmest April on record for the globe, making it the 12th consecutive month that earth has recorded its warmest respective month on record.”

Eighth? Thirteenth? Fifteenth? Twelfth? All of these conflicting numbers appeared in the same article.

Whatever the number,  it’s still a con job.

Read moreIt’s NOT Global Warming, It’s OCEAN Warming – This Is How We’re Being Conned

“Barrier Is Not Holding” at Fukushima Plant – All Efforts Failed To Stop Very High Levels Of Radioactive Materials Flowing Into Pacific Ocean

by

fukushima-radiation

– “Barrier Is Not Holding” at Fukushima Plant:

All efforts have failed to stop very high levels of radioactive materials flowing into the Pacific ocean.

TEPCO and the Japanese authorities are running out of ‘solutions’ for the containment of the highly radioactive water that continues to accumulate at the stricken plant.

Read more“Barrier Is Not Holding” at Fukushima Plant – All Efforts Failed To Stop Very High Levels Of Radioactive Materials Flowing Into Pacific Ocean

All Of A Sudden, Fish Are Dying By The MILLIONS All Over The Planet

by

Fish-Deaths

– All Of A Sudden, Fish Are Dying By The MILLIONS All Over The Planet:

Why are millions upon millions of dead sea creatures suddenly washing up on beaches all over the world?  It is certainly not unusual for fish and other inhabitants of our oceans to die.  This happens all the time.  But over the past month we have seen a series of extremely alarming mass death incidents all over the planet.  As you will see below, many of these mass death incidents have involved more than 30 tons of fish.  In places such as Chile and Vietnam, it has already gotten to the level where it has started to become a major national crisis.  People see their coastlines absolutely buried in dead sea creatures, and they are starting to freak out.

Read moreAll Of A Sudden, Fish Are Dying By The MILLIONS All Over The Planet