A mounting problem

Can we clear the amount of plastic that is accumulating in our oceans.?
Plastic accumulates in natural vortex know as gyre; the largest of which is in the Pacific Ocean and is an area twice the size of France .
Scientist at the University of Sheffield believe they may have a solution.
Read more at the BBC or go to the report at the University of Sheffield

Saving the oceans?

The UK government has designated an area around the Chagos Islands as the world's largest marine reserve.
The reserve would cover a 544,000 sq km area around the Indian Ocean archipelago, regarded as one of the world's richest marine ecosystems.

For more details click this link.

What you've missed this week

Internal exams are over - hoorah! - and you have a week of rest and recuperation - so what have you missed this week whilst revising?

Britain's largest wind farm was switched on - hear more at this link or fly over it by clicking this link.

The oldest and largest trees within California's world famous Yosemite National Park are disappearing - find out why by clicking this link.

Britain's beaches are getting dirtier - so look at the Marine Conservation Society web page to check out the quality of the beach you plan to go to.

Other than these it's been quite quiet!

Have a good half term.

Coral calamity

The world's most important coral region is in danger of being wiped out by the end of this century unless fast action is taken, says a new report.
The international conservation group WWF warns that 40% of reefs in the Coral Triangle have already been lost.
The area is shared between Indonesia and five other South East Asian nations and is thought to contain 75% of the world's coral species.

Read more on the BBC website

We're doomed, all doomed!!!

The collapse of a major polar ice sheet will not raise global sea levels as much as previous projections suggest, a team of scientists has calculated.
Writing in Science, the researchers said that the demise of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) would result in a sea level rise of 3.3m (10 ft).
Previous estimates had forecast a rise in the region of five to six metres.
However, they added, the rise would still pose a serious threat to major coastal cities, such as New York.

For more information click this link to the BBC or check out the article in Science.

Google earth goes submarine

Take a plunge into the oceans of the world with Google Earth 5.0. In the new ocean layer, you can dive beneath the surface of the ocean, view exclusive content from top marine experts, discover new surf and dive spots, and explore 3D shipwrecks like the Titanic. Download at http://earth.google.com/ocean/