Seas

Some salt marshes have kept pace with sea level rise over the past century while others have foundered, according to new research in Earth’s Future. The study is the first to measure and compare wetland growth rates across much of the East Coast. Credit: James Loesch/flickrSalt marshes along the U.S. East Coast have been building elevation to keep pace with rising sea levels over the last century, according to a study published in Earth’s Future. While some marshes have adapted, there is a tipping point where they will no…

An artist’s impression of the pliosaur. University of Portsmouth paleontologists have discovered evidence suggesting that pliosaurs, closely related to the Liopleurodon, could have reached up to 14.4 meters in length, twice the size of a killer whale. Credit: Megan Jacobs, University of PortsmouthPaleontologists have discovered evidence that pliosaurs could have reached up to 14.4 meters in length, twice the size of a killer whale, after finding four large vertebrae in an Oxfordshire museum.Over 20 years ago, the BBC’s…

Snow cover in Tianshan mountain. The photo was taken in Xinjiang, China, 9 January 2023. Credit: Shengxi Sun Snowfall accumulates to form snow cover, which can then influence other components of the earth system at various scales, such as atmospheric circulation, climatic anomalies, the hydrological cycle, and ecosystems. …

CLIMATEWIRE | Sea levels have surged along the coastlines of the southeastern United States, new research finds — hitting some of their highest rates in more than a century. They've risen more than a centimeter a year over the last decade — about triple the global average — and the effects on communities near the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean already are being observed in the form of increased flooding, more severe hurricanes and eroding shorelines. “We have seen the impacts quite significantly,” said Sönke…

The threat of rising seas is often framed in terms of inundation risk, with a focus on what ends up underwater.But in areas where the coastal landscape isn't entirely flat, rising seas can also pose a much more insidious threat, cutting residents off from essential services.According to a new study, many living along both coasts of the United States face increasing risk of periodic isolation during high tides or storms, if not permanent disconnection from other communities by the formation of new islands.It could happen…

PRYMORSKE, UKRAINE—This stretch of Black Sea coastline is almost deserted, save for a small hut, running entirely on solar power. About 50 kilometers across the blue water is Zmiinyi (Snake) Island, which two Russian warships attacked at the beginning of the invasion last year. It was during this attack that the now-ubiquitous phrase “Russian warship, go fuck yourself” was first-uttered by border guard Roman Hrybov. Ukraine reclaimed the island in June.Rare Polar Bear Attack in Canada | Extreme EarthThe clean, cold air…

Satellite data from 30 years of observations is helping researchers tease apart natural and human-caused drivers of sea level rise. The information will help planners in regions like New Orleans, Louisiana, along the U.S. Gulf Coast to prepare for the future. Credit: NASA Observations from space show that the rate of sea level rise is increasing. Knowing where and how much rise is happening can help coastal planners prepare…

After years of debates and discussions, nations have agreed on a High Seas Treaty to protect marine biodiversity and provide oversight of international waters. It is being lauded by researchers as an important step for conservation that encourages international research collaboration without hindering science. “We’re ecstatic,” says Kristina Gjerde, who researches marine environmental law at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California. “This long-awaited treaty contains many of the vital…

Earth is a blue planet, and this weekend yielded good news for our world’s plentiful marine environments. Leaders from more than 190 nations around the world came together on Saturday night to establish a long-awaited, global agreement to protect the world’s oceans.The final text came from a meeting of United Nations delegates at the Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ), after 38 hours of discussions at the U.N. headquarters in New York City. If 38 hours of talks…

For the first time, United Nations members have agreed on a unified treaty to protect biodiversity in the high seas — nearly half the planet's surface — concluding two weeks of talks in New York.The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea came into force in 1994, before marine biodiversity was a well-established concept. An updated framework to protect marine life in the regions outside national boundary waters, known as the high seas, had been in discussions for more than 20 years, but previous efforts to reach an agreement…