Breaking Waves: Ocean News

03/11/2025 - 05:48
Highly toxic jet fuel leaking from oil tanker threatens local ecosystems as investigations begin into collision’s cause Leaking fuel from the collision between a cargo ship and oil tanker in the North Sea would have a “devastating” impact on marine life, experts have said, as investigations began into the cause of the incident. Fires continued to burn onboard both vessels 24 hours after the Stena Immaculate tanker and cargo ship Solong collided off the coast of Yorkshire on Monday morning. A search for a missing crew member was called off overnight. Continue reading...
03/11/2025 - 02:07
US-style mega-farms in Herefordshire face tough new regulations after high court ruling Industrial poultry farms face tough new regulations around the disposal of chicken manure after a judge ruled it can be classified as waste and requires a detailed and transparent plan to dispose of it without damaging the environment. The high court ruling means new US-style mega-farms in Herefordshire will have to deal with poultry manure as if it was industrial waste. Continue reading...
03/11/2025 - 02:00
A new partnership will give campers exclusive access to rewilding sites and a chance to join in with conservation efforts Campers looking for a back-to-nature experience this summer will be able to wild camp on land that was previously off-limits across Britain thanks to an initiative launched by camping booking platform CampWild and the nature recovery charity Rewilding Britain. The partnership will provide outdoor enthusiasts with access to nature restoration projects that have not previously permitted overnight stays – and campers can get involved in conservation and citizen science activities on-site, too. Continue reading...
03/11/2025 - 01:00
Campaigners to argue in court of appeal that plan is not in public interest and special administration is best option Environmental campaigners will challenge the granting of a high-interest £3bn emergency loan to struggling Thames Water at an appeal on Tuesday, arguing the “eye-watering” costs for a short-term fix are not in the public interest. With protests planned outside the court of appeal, Charlie Maynard, a Liberal Democrat MP who represents the campaigners, will argue in a three-day hearing that the public and consumer interest is not served by the debt package, which comes with a bill of almost £1bn in interest payments and financial adviser fees. Continue reading...
03/11/2025 - 00:26
Tetrodotoxin immobilises the female – who is about two to five times bigger than the male – so mating can occur, researchers observed Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Male blue-lined octopuses inject females with venom during sex, paralysing their larger mates to avoid being eaten, new research has found. The blue-lined octopus is a tiny, highly dangerous cephalopod found commonly in shallow reefs and tide pools. Continue reading...
03/10/2025 - 23:00
Annual survey by IQAir based on toxic PM2.5 particles reveals some progress in pollution levels in India and China Nearly every country on Earth has dirtier air than doctors recommend breathing, a report has found. Only seven countries met the World Health Organization’s guidelines for tiny toxic particles known as PM2.5 last year, according to analysis from the Swiss air quality technology company IQAir. Continue reading...
03/10/2025 - 20:35
'There's good news when it comes to the rivers in the northern rivers – all are receding,’ the New South Wales premier says, adding: ‘The immediate threat to the community has been reduced.' State Emergency Service deputy commissioner Damien Johnston says overnight rainfall was not significant enough to affect river systems but warns residents: ‘You do need to be vigilant’ Hell and high water: flooded-in northern rivers residents grapple with ‘no water, no phone or power’ Squatters in flood buyback homes to be evicted and properties demolished, NSW premier says Australia news updates Continue reading...
03/10/2025 - 19:56
Chris Minns vows to remove ‘overseas visitors, tourists, backpackers’ from Lismore houses during ex-Cyclone Alfred cleanup Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Squatters living in formerly vacant, water-damaged homes will be forcibly evicted as the clean-up begins from the latest spate of floods in northern New South Wales. Chris Minns vowed on Tuesday to evict “overseas visitors, tourists, backpackers” who he said were taking advantage of condemned properties left empty after being included in a state buyback scheme for Lismore homes after the 2022 floods. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...
03/10/2025 - 19:41
Alfred is being used as the latest front in an ideological war, but facts are relevant to how we prepare for a climate-changed future Want to get this in your inbox when it publishes? Sign up for the Clear Air Australia newsletter here It’s not a good time for climate science. The Trump administration has sacked more than a thousand staff from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the country’s leading agency for weather forecasting and climate science, potentially damaging its ability to do lifesaving work forecasting hurricanes and other extreme weather events. The New York Times reported plans are under way to fire another 1,000. If true, that will take the cuts to about 20% of the workforce. On Monday, it was announced Nasa was axing its chief scientist, Katherine Calvin, who had been appointed to lead the agency’s work on climate change. In trademark Donald Trump/Elon Musk style, there appears little care or sense in where cuts have been made. It’s destruction for destruction’s sake, with tens of thousands of peer-reviewed scientific papers underpinning the understanding of climate science dismissed as a “hoax” or, somehow, “woke”. As in most areas, what happens in the US on forecasting and science capability will have an impact beyond its borders. Continue reading...
03/10/2025 - 16:29
Concerns for elderly and vulnerable as some homes in south-east Queensland face days without power Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast The cleanup has begun in flood-affected parts of Queensland but thousands of homes will remain without power until the weekend. All police emergency warnings for the region have been cancelled after the rain caused by ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred eased. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...