Posts filed under ‘Ocean Health’
Lab Develops Breakthrough ‘Superclean’ Hydrogen Fuel
Scientists at Livermore Lab have developed a process that fixes sea water that’s messed up by climate change and is killing reefs while producing hydrogen fuel at the same time.
19-Year-Old Student Develops Ocean Cleanup Array That Could Remove 7,250,000 Tons Of Plastic From the Worlds Oceans
The device consists of an anchored network of floating booms and processing platforms that could be dispatched to garbage patches around the world. Instead of moving through the ocean, the array would span the radius of a garbage patch, acting as a giant funnel. The angle of the booms would force plastic in the direction of the platforms, where it would be separated from plankton, filtered and stored for recycling.
“we estimate that by selling the plastic retrieved from the 5 gyres, we would make in fact more money than the plan would cost to execute. In other words; it’s profitable.”
Irreversible warming will cause sea levels to rise for thousands of years to come, new research shows
Greenhouse gas emissions up to now have triggered an irreversible warming of Earth that will cause sea levels to rise for thousands of years to come, new research has shown.
“Changing Tides,” A Film on Hawaii’s Marine Debris Issues, Premiers at the 2012 Maui Film Festival
The Sustainable Living Institute of Maui (SLIM), Positive H2O (+H2O) and Surfrider Foundation teamed up with award winning filmmaker Danny Miller to produce the new documentary, CHANGING TIDES. This 15 minute film was officially selected for the 2012 Maui Film Festival. It was 100% filmed in Hawaii, yet it brings the issue of oceanic garbage into a global dialogue, where ideas are formed and solutions proposed. Click here for a link to the trailer.
The engaging story is told through the eyes of Hawaiian kapuna, professional watermen, scientists, and volunteers who share their passion for the ocean and what they are doing to protect it. Their stories bring us an in-depth look at oceanic garbage in the Pacific, and what it means for residents of Hawai’i and other Pacific islands impacted by the waste. CHANGING TIDES dispels the myths and demonstrates the real dangers of the Northern Pacific Gyre and provides solutions that individuals can take to decrease their plastic footprint.
The film will be shown at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center on June 16 at 4:00. Positive H2O and Surfrider will be holding a beach cleanup at Launiupoko Beach from 9-12 with a free lunch from Lulu’s afterwards. Bring your boards to enjoy our clean water playground after the cleanup. SLIM, +H2O, and Surfrider invite the Maui community to join us for the clean-up and lunch at Launiupoko, and at the MACC that evening to see our film, Changing Tides.
Changing Tides trailer
Value of Hawai’ian Reefs estimated at $33.57 billion
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is completing a study that sets the value of the Hawai’ian coral reefs at $33.57 billion. This assesment, the first of its kind, will be useful in setting policy to protect the reefs.
UH Researcher Predicts Tsunami Debris Coming Sooner To Hawaii
Since receiving a report from a Russian ship, researchers have shortened their two year estimate for the debris from the March 11th tsunami in Japan to hit Hawaii’s west-facing beaches.
They estimate 5 to 20 million tons of debris coming from Japan
Why climate models underestimated Arctic sea ice retreat: No Arctic sea ice in summer by end of century?
In recent decades, Arctic sea ice has suffered a dramatic decline that exceeds climate model predictions. The unexpected rate of ice shrinkage has now been explained by researchers at CNRS, Université Joseph Fourier and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. They argue that climate models underestimate the rate of ice thinning, which is actually about four times faster than calculations.
Reef protection Bill in Hawai’i Senate
SB580, the state measure regulating the aquarium trade to protecting all of Hawaii’s reef wildlife has been scheduled for a Tuesday hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee chaired by Sen. Clayton Hee.
Here is how you can submit testimony online:
1) Enter SB580; click “Get latest hearing”
2) Verify the information:
Committee: JDL
Room: 016
Hearing Date: 3/1/2011 9:00 AM
3) Fill in your basic info (address not required)
4) Testifier position: Chose whether you want to Support or Oppose the bill for stronger regulations.
5) Write your testimony in the comment field or upload your testimony, if longer.
6) Check the box, ” I understand and agree to the terms above “.
7) Click “Submit”.
Maui Council Challenges Reef Fish Exporters
Maui County Council again challenged the largest wildlife exporter in Hawaii Friday, with a new law requiring humane treatment of reef fish captured for the aquarium trade. Finning, fizzing and starvation of colorful fish prior to shipment are now illegal, as the campaign to ban aquarium collecting from its most lucrative source, Hawaii, gains momentum.
The new humane treatment law responds to unlimited trafficking in wildlife for the pet trade that has gone unchecked for many years in Hawaii. The reported catch revenue of about $2 million is believed to be far less than actual revenue on unreported/poached catch. Actual aquarium revenue may be $20 million, but that figure pales beside the $800 million annual in reef-based tourism. Hawaii reefs and reef fish populations are in decline. The aquarium trade denies culpability and demands more, with no limit on the catch, no limit on the number of catchers and no constraints on endemic or vanishing species.
South Maui Sustainability 