Hi Pod!
Firstly, thanks to everyone who’s filled in my survey. If you haven’t yet completed it, please help me improve Baleen for you.
Also, a little update. As you can probably imagine, trawling through the net to find and read the latest ocean stories then collate the best ones for you is rather time intensive. My freelance work has picked up a LOT recently and I’ve been crazy busy (good problem to have, I know). But trying to fit everything in has been pretty overwhelming and something’s gotta give… currently that’s the thing that doesn’t pay the bills (I don’t earn anything from Baleen right now apart from your generous tips).
So, from now on, Baleen will go out every other Monday but will still be packed with the latest marine news for you. Hopefully this (minor) absence will make your hearts grow fonder and give you something to look forward to!
Anyway, enough of me… what’s been happening underwater? Let’s dive in…
🐳 Whales & dolphins
Humpback disruptions: Calls for stricter tourism regulations in Panama as whale watching boats have been disturbing the animals (The Times)
Noisy oceans: a study looks at how human noise affects whale migrations (Phys.org)
Think orcas aren’t scared of anything? In Iceland, they’re scared of pilot whales! (The Atlantic)
🐙 Marine animals
He’s back! After his summer holidays in Europe, Wally the walrus has been spotted in Iceland (The Times)
Exceptional: loggerhead turtle eggs have hatched in the most northern spot ever recorded, perhaps due to global heating (Guardian)
Atlantic bluefin tuna: may have returned to the UK partly (again) due to rising sea temperatures (Sky News)
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🚯🎣 Threats
Sonar strandings: the Royal Navy has admitted it was operating in an area where mass strandings took place (The Times)
Warning: microbial blooms, which thrived during the Earth’s most severe extinction, are proliferating (VICE)
Never forget: scientists worry policymakers might be focusing so much on emissions that they’ll overlook the plastic problem (BBC)
A losing game: why ocean cleanups won’t solve the plastic crisis (Hakai magazine)
🐚🐠 Ecosystems
Coral microbiome: new research looks into corals’ bacteria, fungi and viruses to discover theire role in heat tolerance (SciTechDaily)
Marine food web: is climate change affecting the food chain underwater? (Phys.org)
Ocean forests: new startups are trying to capture carbon by planting seaweed farms in the middle of the ocean (Fast Company)
Super corals: a new coral reef sanctuary discovered in the Philippines (Phys.org)
That’s it for this week - thanks for reading and see you in TWO weeks!
Melissa