November 7, 2014
Ocean Roundup: Polar Bears Congregating in Manitoba, Northern Shrimp Declining across Their Range, and More
– Yesterday, North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory held a meeting behind closed doors with state and federal officials and agencies involved with offshore drilling, which was closed to journalists, environmental groups, and the public. The meeting included discussions related to offshore oil and gas exploration that could be coming to the North Carolina coast within a few years. The Associated Press
– A new study found that one coral reef-building species (Siderastrea sidereal) actually thrives under some effects of climate change—specifically warmer ocean temperatures. The authors noted that it was only under extreme changes in ocean acidity and thermal conditions that this coral experienced declines. ScienceDaily
– Earlier this week, a federal court reaffirmed its earlier ruling that BP could pay fines under the Clean Water Act for damages from the 2010 BP oil spill, after BP had argued there were errors in its earlier ruling. If BP is ultimately found liable to Clean Water Act damages, it could end up paying $18 billion. The Associated Press
– Scientists say that northern shrimp are declining across their cold-water range—not just in the Gulf of Maine where regulators just close the shrimping season for the second year in a row. The shrimp are said to be acutely sensitive to changes in water temperature, so their abundance and reproductive capabilities have declined as waters have warmed. Portland Press Herald
Long Read:
– As polar bears congregate in Churchill, Manitoba—anxiously awaiting sea ice to freeze over for the winter so they can start hunting seals—scientists and tourists alike are coming to the area to study and watch polar bears. Here, BBC explores climate change’s effects on polar bears, as some estimates say about two-thirds of the world’s polar bears could be gone by the mid–century. BBC