Breaking Waves: Ocean News

France recorded more than 5,700 excess deaths during June heatwave

admin — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 15:34:27 +0000

Figures come as large parts of southern Europe endure another record-breaking period of extreme temperatures

France recorded more than 5,700 excess deaths during its June heatwave, authorities have said, as swathes of southern Europe continue to endure another record-breaking period of extreme temperatures.

The French national health agency said on Wednesday that it had recorded 5,764 excess deaths ⁠between 17 June and 2 July, an excess mortality rate of 36%.

One billion plastic pellets spilled into River Tyne after two ships collide

admin — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 15:34:24 +0000

Up to 25 tonnes of nurdles, the raw material for plastic manufacturing, have spread further than initially feared

Approximately a billion tiny plastic nurdles have entered the River Tyne after a “devastating spill”, with the pellets thought to have spread much further than first thought.

Nurdles, which are usually 1mm-5mm in size, act as the raw material to manufacture most plastic products.

Great Barrier Reef microbiome mapped as researchers discover 500 bacterial species previously unknown to science

admin — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 15:00:18 +0000

Research identifies 808,585 viral genomes belonging to what scientists estimate to be 362,802 different viruses

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Sperm whales change ‘vowel’ sounds when boats are nearby, scientists discover

admin — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:00:15 +0000

Researchers listening off the Caribbean island of Dominica found variations in the mammals’ audible clicks when marine traffic was close

Sperm whales produce a specific pattern of clicking noises when they hear the noise of boats, researchers have found. The pattern is so distinct that the scientists who identified it said they can now use it to predict when ships are nearby.

Former Southern Water employees to face trial over alleged cover-up in wastewater testing

admin — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 12:58:10 +0000

Ex-chief executive Matthew Wright among those named in criminal proceedings by Environment Agency

Britain’s ⁠Environment Agency (EA) is ⁠bringing a fraud case against ⁠four former Southern Water employees, including ⁠the former chief executive Matthew ‌Wright, over ‌allegations they manipulated wastewater ‌testing results.

The regulator said the four had allegedly conspired ‌to defraud the Environment Agency and water regulator Ofwat between 2012 and 2017 by ⁠creating artificial “no-flow” events at wastewater treatment works to influence ‌compliance checks.

Six beluga whales finally leave embattled Canadian marine park

admin — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 11:48:32 +0000

Whales flown to US aquariums after long-running saga in which Marineland had threatened to euthanise them

Six beluga whales have at last left Marineland, the embattled Canadian marine park in Niagara Falls that previously threatened to kill its own animals, and are arriving at US aquariums this week.

The world is on fire, and who does Trump blame? The Canadians | Arwa Mahdawi

admin — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 10:00:13 +0000

The US president has been complaining about Canada’s ‘filthy, polluted and unhealthy air’. Maybe he should put all that energy into tackling the climate crisis

World’s largest meat company faces legal challenge over green credentials of $6bn global expansion

admin — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 06:00:09 +0000

Greenpeace petitions Dutch courts to order JBS to disclose how its aims are compatible with responsibilities to climate and human rights

The world’s biggest meat company, JBS, faces a landmark legal challenge to disclose how its $6bn (£4.5bn) global expansion plan is compatible with responsibilities to the climate, nature and human rights.

Courts in the Netherlands, where JBS is headquartered, will assess the petition filed by Greenpeace for information on whether the company is compliant with Dutch laws on “duty of care” as well as its own publicly stated commitments.

Japan swelters through rising heat – in pictures

admin — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 05:15:01 +0000

For Japan, days where the mercury soars above 40C now have their own term – kokushobi (酷暑日), or ‘cruelly hot day’, as rising temperatures cause heatstroke deaths and impact on crop yields across the country

Japan records its first ‘cruelly hot day’ as cities swelter in 40-degree heat

‘A great thrill’: baby puffin is first one seen on Dorset coast in three decades

admin — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 04:00:06 +0000

Puffling excites volunteers trying to save the last known regular nesting site on mainland of southern England

For years, volunteers have craned their necks and tested their patience to peer into the crevices of the cliffs hoping for a glimpse of fluffy joy.

Finally it all paid off as a puffling – baby puffin – poked its way into the sunshine, becoming the first to be spotted on the coast of Dorset in southern England for three decades.

Breaking Waves: Ocean News

France recorded more than 5,700 excess deaths during June heatwave

One billion plastic pellets spilled into River Tyne after two ships collide

Great Barrier Reef microbiome mapped as researchers discover 500 bacterial species previously unknown to science

Sperm whales change ‘vowel’ sounds when boats are nearby, scientists discover

Former Southern Water employees to face trial over alleged cover-up in wastewater testing

Six beluga whales finally leave embattled Canadian marine park

The world is on fire, and who does Trump blame? The Canadians | Arwa Mahdawi

​World’s largest meat company faces legal challenge over green credentials of $6bn global expansion

Japan swelters through rising heat – in pictures

‘A great thrill’: baby puffin is first one seen on Dorset coast in three decades

World’s largest meat company faces legal challenge over green credentials of $6bn global expansion