December 5, 2014
Ocean Roundup: Most Distinct Humpback Whale Population Discovered, Sea Turtle Fossils Discovered in Australia, and More
– Scientists have found that humpback whales in the Arabian Sea are the most genetically distinct in the world. The scientists say they have remained isolated from other populations for 70,000 years—a trait that’s quite rare for animals that embark on such long migrations. Discovery News
– Two fossils discovered in a Melbourne, Victoria suburb are found to be from a five-million-year-old sea turtle—and have helped to fill a 66 million year gap in understanding Australian sea turtles. The fossils were of a bone and a jaw, and hint that the turtle wasn’t more than two feet long. ABC Australia
– A young adult orca, J-32, from the endangered southern resident population died earlier this week. This population has just 77 individuals left, and lost four whales so far this year. CBCNews
– Indonesian officials sank three unoccupied Vietnamese fishing boats, as well as seizing fish the vessels previously caught. Officials said they performed such a move to send a message about keeping illegal fishing from their waters. Channel News Asia
Op-Ed:
– The U.S. tested dozens of nuclear weapons around the mid-twentieth century on the Enewetak coral atoll in the Marshall Islands, and essentially left the radioactive material to decay naturally. But with the Marshall Islands sitting no more than six feet above sea level, climate change is posing another threat to these islands. The New York Times