Over 15 years of ocean science and conservation online
Giant deep-sea tube worms. When the RV Knorr arrived above Galapagos Rift in 1977, a team of geologists, geochemists, and geophysicist, including Robert Ballard who would go on to locate the wreck of the Titanic among other ocean-shaping discoveries) was prepared to witness something never before seen: a geyser of superheated, chemical rich water erupting … Read More “Giant tube worms dwell in the deep places beneath the ocean floor.” »
The membership of the America the Beautiful for All coalition stretches from the Marianas to Maine, Alaska to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. We are the largest, most diverse coalition of its kind to ever exist in the United States. Last week, 170+ conservation, climate change, and community leaders from across the United States … Read More “6 Ways to Support the America the Beautiful for All Coalition” »
For close to two decades now, the venerable YSI Castaway has been the gold standard for small, relatively cheap, handheld CTDs. In the early days of OpenROV, the robot’s little payload bay was sized explicitly to fit a Castaway. When Kersey and I started building the OpenCTD, our benchmark for viability was how well the … Read More “Comparing the OpenCTD to a YSI Castaway” »
One of the most iconic images of shark behavior is a great white shark hitting its prey so hard from below that the whole shark flies out of the water. This behavior, called “breaching,” has been documented in many species, and is useful for a variety of ecological functions, not just hunting. I spoke to … Read More “Jumping the shark: New study reviews the breaching behavior of sharks and rays” »
Donald Trump’s Project 2025 is an extreme MAGA policy blueprint that aims to reshape the U.S. federal government significantly. While it touches on nearly every facet of life in America, it poses substantial threats to environmental and climate change action. This is a list of resources that call attention to this terrifying vision of a … Read More “Resources for Donald Trump’s Project 2025 and the Environment” »
In a surprise upset on the final day of the 29th Session of the International Seabed Authority, Leticia Carvalho secured the position of Secretary General over 8-year incumbent Michael Lodge. The 79 to 34 vote was a decisive rejection of Lodge’s leadership, whose tenure has been marred by criticism that he has improperly shared information … Read More “Leticia Carvalho will be the next Secretary General of the International Seabed Authority” »
Near the end of last year, the Heritage Foundation unveiled Project 2025, a sweeping, 900-page document that outlines their vision for a second Trump administration. Authored by key leaders of the former administration and Trump’s campaign team, this document lays the groundwork for Trump’s policy agenda, should he defeat Vice President Harris in the 2024 … Read More “How Trump’s Project 2025 would reshape America’s oceans” »
We have a problem. Collectively, we need to dramatically reduce our carbon emissions over the next few years to stave off the worst climate change outcomes. While this demands sweeping changes to energy policy at national and international levels, for individuals and organizations, electrification of the world’s automotive fleets offers the most direct change. Electric … Read More “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good: Plug-in Electric Hybrids are better than you think” »
Next week, delegates from 169 countries, NGOs representing civil society, and other experts will gather in Kingston, Jamaica to continue the work of developing a set of rules governing how the minerals of the deep sea, which fall beyond the borders of any nation, can be exploited, ostensibly for the Good of Humankind. In many … Read More “Deep-sea mining meeting convenes once again to negotiate the future of our oceans.” »
A groundbreaking journal article, recently published in Environmental Justice, calls for a significant shift in the approach to conservation in the Pacific Remote Islands Area (PRIA). The article, titled “Disavowing the Doctrine of Discovery: Indigenous Healing, Decolonization, and Implications for Environmental Justice in the Pacific Remote Islands Area,” presents a critical analysis of the proposal … Read More “Decolonize the Pacific Remote Islands” »
