Coral Reefs Suffer Fourth Global Bleaching Event
."This year's global bleaching event adds further weight to concerns among scientists that corals are in grave danger."A realistic interpretation is that we have crossed the tipping point for coral reefs," said ecologist David Obura, who heads Coastal Oceans Research and Development Indian Ocean East Africa from Mombasa, Kenya."They're going into a decline that we cannot stop, unless we really stop carbon dioxide emissions" that are driving climate change, Obura added.Coral reefs are estimated to provide some $2.7 trillion in goods and services every year - with benefits
Malaysia Says MH370 Search Must Go On
from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014.Malaysian investigators initially did not rule out the possibility that the aircraft had been deliberately taken off course, and debris, some confirmed and some believed to be from the aircraft, has washed up along the coast of Africa and on islands in the Indian Ocean.Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke said U.S. seabed exploration firm Ocean Infinity had been invited to discuss its latest search proposal after two previous failed attempts."The Malaysian government is committed to the search (for MH370) and the search must go on," Loke
India Keeps Close Watch on Chinese Research Vessel
ships, officially, but India and others worry about the military use of their research.Relations between traditional friends New Delhi and Male have soured since President Muizzu took office in November riding an 'India Out' campaign.Both New Delhi and Beijing vie for influence on the tiny Indian Ocean nation but the new government in Male is pivoting towards China and has asked India to withdraw its nearly 80 troops stationed there.The Chinese vessel is en-route to Male, open source intelligence researcher Damien Symon wrote on social media platform X, saying Xiang Yang Hong 03 “is entering
Argeo Searcher Set to Sail to Indian Ocean after Shell’s Nigeria Task
Oslo-listed offshore service company Argeo has informed that its DP2 vessel Argeo Searcher completed the deepwater inspection services at Shell’s Bonga field, and is scheduled to set sail to Indian Ocean for a job with India’s National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR).In a vessel schedule update, released on January 22, 2024, Argeo confirmed its current backlog includes close to $53 million (NOK 550 million), with a further sales and revenue potential of additional $19 million (NOK 200) million for Argeo Searcher vessel in the second half of 2024.According to the company, Argeo
Plastic Pollution Threatens Birds Far Out at Sea
half of the global plastic exposure risk for petrels, potentially affecting all four of the species studied that forage there.But many other petrel species are at risk of encountering plastic in remote parts of the ocean, including the north-west and north-east Pacific, south Atlantic and south-west Indian Ocean. This is mainly due to large systems of circulating ocean currents, called mid-ocean gyres, which transport plastic debris thousands of miles from its source – such as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.In fact, one-quarter of petrels’ plastic exposure risk occurred in the high seas.
Inside the Subsea Cable Firm Secretly Helping America Take on China
On Feb. 10 last year, the cable ship CS Dependable appeared off the coast of the island of Diego Garcia, an Indian Ocean atoll that’s home to a discreet U.S. naval base.Over the next month, the ship’s crew covertly laid an underwater fiber-optic cable to the military base, an operation code-named “Big Wave,” according to four people with direct knowledge of the mission, as well as a Reuters analysis of satellite imagery and ship tracking data.The new super-fast internet link to Diego Garcia, which has not previously been reported, will boost U.S. military readiness in the
Corals Make Light Work of Photosynthesis Despite Lack of Sunshine
Honors student within Curtin University’s Coral Conservation and Research Group, said, “We found at 54m depth, only one percent of the surface light was available likely due to the rich phytoplankton community present in the mesophotic zone at Ashmore Reef, which is common for the eastern Indian Ocean region. Three of the five coral species examined were still able to meet their daily energy requirements via photosynthesis, which indicates that these species have a remarkable ability to efficiently use the low amount of light available. The remaining two species obtained most of their nutritional
Fact Check: Underwater Photograph Shows Diving Site, Not MH370 Wreckage
a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar aircraft with the caption: "Tristar Airplane Wreck Red Sea, Aqaba JO”.The fate of the lost Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777-200ER (here) remains unknown, although debris believed to be from the aircraft has been found along the coast of Africa and on islands in the Indian Ocean.On Facebook (here), (here) and Twitter (here), the miscaptioned image of a dilapidated aircraft on the ocean floor appears alongside text claiming that it is: “Malaysia Airplane MH370 that disappeared 9 years ago has been found under ocean with no human skeleton. The plane had 239 passengers
US, Australia to Unveil Submarine Pact to Counter China
plan to supply submarines and starting with an existing design like the Virginia Class was "a very plausible way forward."Australia's Defence Minister Richard Marles said on Thursday the submarines would ensure peace and stability across the Indo-Pacific, Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean."It is difficult to overstate the step that as a nation we are about to take," said Marles. "We have never operated a military capability at this level before."(Reuters - Reporting by David Brunnstrom, Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, Mike Stone, Jonathan Landay, Joel Schectman, Steve
February 2024
