Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Heavy rain forecast will not reverse widespread drought conditions in UK

admin — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 13:44:49 +0000

Forecasters say intense showers might cause flooding as rain falls on dry, hard ground

Floods and drought could hit the UK at the same time this week, with heavy rain forecast to fall on hard, parched soil.

While some parts of the UK will have the “first meaningful rain for a long time” in the coming days, it will not reverse widespread drought conditions that have put pressure on wildlife, farmers, firefighters and water resources.

‘We humans are inept at taking care of baby animals’: why well-fed orphan bears die in the wild

admin — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 13:00:46 +0000

Scientists surprised to find all but two of 12 grizzlies were dead within a year of ‘feelgood’ release, unable to sustain their high-calorie diet and inclined to approach humans

The orphaned grizzly bear cubs were bulked up with a generous diet of roadkill, watermelon, dog food and snacks donated by the public. Their contact with carers was limited to two people. Then, after up to a year in rehabilitation, they returned home to the wilds of British Columbia.

‘A new normal’: Miami faces worsening seaweed problem as piles of algae wash up on beaches

admin — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 11:30:44 +0000

Officials have had to remove thousands of tons of sargassum from Florida’s beaches amid the climate crisis

Dealing with seaweed is the bulk of Chris Bumpus’s job during the summer. As chief of conservation for Miami-Dade county’s parks, recreation and open spaces department, Bumpus is in charge of cleaning sargassum off 17 miles (27km) of county beaches. But some days, the odds are stacked against him and his team.

More and more sargassum, a kind of floating brown algae, has been washing up on the beaches of south Florida, west Africa, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.

England’s ancient oak trees dying in extreme hot and dry weather

admin — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 11:00:43 +0000

Woodland Trust says trees struggling in drought stress, with older ‘survivors’ disproportionately affected

England’s ancient oak trees are dying in the summer’s extreme heat and dry weather, according to the Woodland Trust, with trees and ecosystems unable to adapt fast enough to the changing climate.

The ocean as a unifying agenda across the climate, biodiversity, and land degradation conventions

admin — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 04:00:00 +0000

npj Ocean Sustainability, Published online: 18 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s44183-026-00227-9

The ocean as a unifying agenda across the climate, biodiversity, and land degradation conventions

Extreme heat more dangerous for people 60 and over than previously thought

admin — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 22:30:06 +0000

Study finds older adults could face harmful heat stress at just 1.5C of warming above preindustrial levels

People aged 60 and over face dangers to their health from exposure to heat at much lower temperatures than previously thought, research has found.

European farmers face ‘unprecedented crisis’ after successive heatwaves

admin — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 16:01:47 +0000

Vegetable and grain growers call for urgent action, warning of ‘catastrophic’ harvests due to continent-wide drought

Successive intense heatwaves and an increasingly severe, continent-wide drought have left many of Europe’s farmers in an “unprecedented” crisis, with vegetable and grain growers in particular warning of “catastrophic” harvests.

Sharks have always stoked panic in Australia. While scientific understanding grows, conservation efforts can be unseated by fear | Anna Clark

admin — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 15:00:04 +0000

From Aboriginal rock art to colonial encounters, sharks have been a figure of fear and fascination throughout the long human history of this continent

Is there a more primal fear among beach-goers than the shark? Although many more Australians drown each year at the beach than are killed by these creatures, it’s sharks that inhabit the jagged edges of our collective consciousness.

3M knew for more than 50 years that its products could harm humans, Australian government alleges in court documents

admin — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 15:00:03 +0000

Exclusive: federal government court filings claim internal company documents included warnings about products being toxic

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Reform’s Tice accused of misinformation after urging people to enjoy heatwaves

admin — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 14:51:21 +0000

Nurses, medical experts and green campaigners reject party deputy leader’s dismissal of efforts to reach net zero

Reform’s deputy leader has been accused of spreading misinformation after he dismissed efforts to tackle the climate crisis and urged British people to enjoy the warmth of the recent heatwaves.

Richard Tice prompted a backlash from nurses, medical experts and green campaigners on Monday after he told a press conference he believed it was “arrogant” to try to stop the climate emergency, while encouraging people to focus on upsides such as better English wine.