oceans
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The Shipping News
Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn has announced an agreement in which several of the largest shipping companies in Asia will work with L.A. to clean up air quality in the city’s port. Last year, the port received 2,200 cargo ship visits, each burning about 14 tons of heavy bunker fuel. Under the new plan, the […]
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Turning the Tide
The world’s most northerly town, will soon be the first to take advantage of ocean tides to create electricity with a sub-sea power station. Similar tidal projects are also underway in Australia and Britain, but none has begun selling power. Later this month or early in December, tidal currents on the seabed near Kvalsund, at […]
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On the Mexican coast, little shrimp are causing big trouble
Just above the high-tide mark on the coast of northern Mexico, elegant fingers of pitaya cacti rise far above the surrounding mesquite trees. Roseate spoonbills and frigatebirds sail silently overhead, a dolphin skirts the tangle of mangroves near the shore, and a fishing boat sputters out to the Sea of Cortez. On this muggy, almost […]
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Taking stock of the world’s coral reefs
One ocean binds together our world. Of that vast expanse of water, less than one-fourth of 1 percent is occupied by coral reefs — yet reefs are home to more than a quarter of all known marine fish species. Anyone who dives knows that these reefs are dying, but few understand the extent to which […]
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Coral-ations
98,572 — square miles of coral reef in the world 1 97,100 — square miles of the state of Wyoming 2 58 — percentage of the world’s reefs that are potentially threatened by human activities 1 34 — percentage of the world’s reefs that are off the shores of Southeast Asia 3 88 — percentage […]
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Pulling Back the Rains
A single rainstorm can whisk 10,000 tons of dirt and grit and millions of pounds of toxics and nutrient pollution into the Chesapeake Bay. Officials from Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and the District of Columbia are unveiling plans today to rein in rain-related pollution problems, in the first major restoration effort they’ve announced since pledging well […]
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Parris in the Summertime
As a last hurrah, Maryland Gov. Parris Glendening (D) says he will push for new restrictions on development along Maryland’s coastal bays. He says he will introduce a bill to preserve the wetlands and protect water quality in the next legislative session –which will be his final one in office — and he expects the […]
