The ocean phenomenon could raise sea levels by up to a foot as El Niño keeps warm water trapped along the coast
Concerns are mounting about an ocean phenomenon known as a kelvin wave that could raise sea levels along the California coastline by up to a foot, as scientists say El Niño is supercharging the threat of storm surges and flooding in the coming months.
As an incredibly strong El Niño continues to develop in the Pacific, the phenomenon brings with it a strange shift in the ocean. The kelvin wave phenomenon is created when trade winds that usually blow from South America towards Asia die down or reverse in El Niño years, setting off a massive, slow-moving slosh of water.
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Breaking Waves: Ocean News
09/28/2026 - 06:00
09/28/2026 - 01:00
Fewer than 400 Eriskay ponies remain. One of the rarest native breeds in the world, their plight is unique because the community living on their tiny Hebridean island are fighting for them. The ponies wander the village and townsfolk care for them together
On the slopes of Beinn Sciathan, a rocky outcrop in the Outer Hebrides, white and grey ponies roam freely. Eriskay ponies, one of the rarest native breeds in the world, are critically endangered.
They have often been mixed with the Highland pony and other breeds, giving the false impression of higher population numbers. Only about 300 to 400 Eriskay ponies are thought to remain.
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09/28/2026 - 00:48
Researcher says sightings of the endangered moth have increased over the last two years but ‘this year has blown them out of the water’
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Swarms of bogong moths have surprised New South Wales residents over the last few days – with experts saying sightings of the endangered native insect are cause for excitement rather than alarm.
Hundreds of moth sightings in coastal areas were posted over the weekend to the iNaturalist page for Bogong Watch, a citizen science initiative run by Invertebrates Australia.
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09/27/2026 - 17:22
Couple was seriously injured after attack on 19 September and are mourning the death of their French bulldog
A bear attack last weekend has left a California couple seriously injured and mourning the death of their French bulldog, who tried to protect them from the animal.
In the early hours of 19 September, Jeff Wilson, who lives in rural northern California, let his dog Cassie go outside, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
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09/27/2026 - 11:24
Keys crops such as cereals, potatoes, sugar and oils grown in areas with moderate to very high risk
The vast majority of the UK’s essential foods, including cereals, potatoes, sugar and oil, are grown in areas of England rated as having a moderate to very high risk of drought.
A very high proportion – 81% – of England’s fresh produce is concentrated in parts of the country that are already experiencing water stress, according to the analysis by the nature-focused investment fund Rebalance Earth.
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09/27/2026 - 11:01
At least one person killed and about 110,500 households still without power from North Carolina to New England
A strong, deadly storm known as a nor’easter battered the US’s east coast over the weekend, bringing power outages, flooding, damaging winds and hazardous ocean conditions.
Trees and power lines were knocked down across the region, at least one person was killed and hundreds of thousands were left without electricity.
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09/27/2026 - 10:47
Airport chiefs say 2035 operations deadline unachievable as critics say new delay makes case for project ‘even more dubious’
Plans for a third runway at Heathrow are once again up in the air after the prime minister refused to say whether he backs the “contested” project which is delayed by up to four years.
Over the weekend it emerged that Heathrow no longer expects to meet the original 2035 deadline. Instead, the airport hopes to secure planning permission by 2029 and then open the runway “within a decade”, meaning it would not be operational until 2039.
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09/27/2026 - 09:00
Firms manipulating process to avoid emission controls and scrutiny of their projects, environmental groups warn
Datacenter developers are manipulating the EPA’s air pollution permitting process to avoid emission controls and scrutiny of their projects, environmental advocates allege.
Companies need federal permits to emit a range of pollutants. In their permit applications, some in big tech are avoiding “major” reviews by dividing their emissions sources into separate, multiple “minor” sources that require less regulatory oversight, the advocates say.
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09/27/2026 - 07:00
Bears are increasingly entering places where humans live in the US, forcing wildlife workers to make tough decisions
Dan Thompson, supervisor of the large carnivore section of the Wyoming game and fish department, enjoys the field work of capturing mountain lions, wolves, black bears and grizzly bears to study them.
“I have always been personally intrigued with carnivores and their role throughout any ecosystem,” Thompson said. “I actually feel very fortunate to get paid to do what we do.”
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09/27/2026 - 06:00
Two troops of chacma baboons are breaking into homes and shops but animal rights activists insist coexistence is the answer
Cape Town’s city council has said it will “imminently” round up two baboon troops coming into repeated conflict with residents. The animals will be sterilised and permanently moved to a newly constructed sanctuary. The plan has been fiercely criticised by animal rights activists, who say the monkeys should remain roaming freely, and that less destructive options have not been properly considered.
Cape Town’s baboon problem has been brewing since the 2000s, after the city stopped culling troops in the late 1990s after pressure from the public. But in the past two years it has reached boiling point. A 2025 census found that the population had grown by a third since 2000, from 360 baboons to 493, now living in 12 managed troops.
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