Breaking Waves: Ocean News

‘There’s biological treasure here’: Chile’s endemic seals gain protection with new marine park

admin — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 12:00:49 +0000

Sixty years after the discovery of a colony of Juan Fernández fur seals, previously thought to be extinct, a landmark agreement extends ‘no take’ zone around the wildlife-rich archipelago

Six decades ago, pioneering oceanographer and conservationist Sylvia Earle made a bittersweet discovery while diving off Chile’s oceanic islands with the US National Science Foundation vessel, the Anton Bruun. She found the remains of a baby fur seal, one of the world’s most isolated aquatic mammals.

Secrets of the karst: new species found in Cambodia’s limestone caves – in pictures

admin — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 11:01:47 +0000

A survey has revealed the vast array of wildlife – some never seen before – living within the south-east Asian country’s karst ecosystems. The work was led by international wildlife conservation charity Fauna & Flora in collaboration with Cambodia’s environment ministry and field experts

I discovered three new geckos in Cambodia’s limestone caves – and that’s not all we found

Far more countries face critical food insecurity if world heats up by 2C, analysis shows

admin — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 11:00:48 +0000

Exclusive: Food systems of low-income nations projected to deteriorate seven times as fast as those of wealthy ones

The number of countries falling into critical food insecurity could almost triple to 24 if global temperatures increase by 2C, research has shown.

Analysis by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) shows the climate crisis will disproportionately affect food systems in poorer nations, widening the gap between the most and least vulnerable countries.

Predatory feral ferrets removed from an island for the first time ever

admin — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 08:00:45 +0000

Rathlin Island in Northern Ireland is ferret-free after £4.5m five-year partnership led by RSPB NI

Predatory feral ferrets have been removed from an island for the first time ever, in a boost for Northern Ireland’s largest seabird colony.

Rathlin Island is ferret-free after a £4.5m five-year partnership led by RSPB NI involving islanders, charities, volunteers and a red labrador called Woody.

Earth being ‘pushed beyond its limits’ as energy imbalance reaches record high

admin — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 04:00:39 +0000

State of the Climate report finds Earth’s energy has moved dangerously out of balance, with oceans absorbing vast majority of trapped heat

Our home planet is struggling with a record energy imbalance, which is warming oceans to unprecedented levels, making weather more extreme and threatening health and food supplies, the World Meteorological Organization has warned.

Truck convoy brings cattle feed relief to north-west Queensland after months of flooding – video

admin — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 02:51:54 +0000

A convoy of seven trucks and one semi-trailer carrying cattle feed has brought much-needed relief to flood-affected graziers in north-west Queensland. Many in the area have not been able to leave their farms for weeks as flood waters forced road closures. Tens of thousands of cattle have also been lost in the floods that have affected the region since January. The charity group Rapid Relief Team organised the free cattle feed as well as a community catchup event. It was the first time since January that many farmers were able to talk with their neighbours face-to-face

I discovered three new geckos in Cambodia’s limestone caves – and that’s not all we found

admin — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 00:01:35 +0000

The whole ecosystem inside a cave feeds off guano, dead bats, or any dead animals on the ground. It’s not for the faint-hearted

It can be daunting entering a cave. It is an underground world that possibly hasn’t been explored before. The first smell that hits you is guano (or bat poo). Some of these caves host millions of bats – you can hear them chirping above, hanging in the darkness, and occasionally flying around. It always seems like night-time inside a cave because it’s pitch black.

Weather extremes gripping US bear climate crisis ‘fingerprint’, experts say

admin — Sun, 22 Mar 2026 12:00:21 +0000

There are flooding rains in Hawaii, rare snow in Alabama and a severe heatwave in the west coast

‘She gave her life to protect the richness of Congo’: inside the deadly assault on Upemba wildlife park

admin — Sun, 22 Mar 2026 12:00:21 +0000

Survivors describe how rangers and staff were targeted by an armed group during a raid on DRC’s national park earlier this month

Nearby Congolese soldiers had received warnings of the attack in the morning. But the soldiers did not arrive until late in the evening, long after the killings were over.

Hidden antibiotics in river fish spark new food safety fears

admin — Sun, 22 Mar 2026 00:48:07 +0000

Antibiotics are accumulating in a major Brazilian river, especially during the dry season when pollution becomes more concentrated. Scientists even detected a banned drug inside fish sold for food, raising concerns about human exposure. A common aquatic plant showed promise in removing these chemicals from water—but it also altered how fish absorb them, creating unexpected risks.