Every day around the world there are positive ocean news stories, from the latest marine science research, to evidence of animal populations recovering through conservation efforts. Here are our top 10 positive ocean news stories from June 2020 to give you some #oceanoptimism.
Whale Fans
Record numbers of Blue Whales were spotted off the coast of California. They’re still listed as endangered, but this population is estimated at 97% of its pre-whaling levels. Humpback & Gray Whales also visit the Farallon Islands, 40km west of San Francisco, USA.
Read the full story: Bay Nature Magazine
Photo by NOAA.
Turtle Fans
Loggerhead turtles have a world of miniature creatures on their back. Researchers counted over 146,000 individual microscopic organisms from over 200 different species of meiofauna (0.03 to 1mm in size) on the shell of a single turtle.
Read the full story: Florida State University
Photo by Brian Gratwicke
Sea Otter Fans
Sea otter populations in Canada are recovering. On Vancouver Island alone they’ve gone from near extinction to a population of over 5000. What’s more, the increase in sea otter numbers is helping keep a destructive sea urchin population at bay, allowing local kelp forests to recover.
Read the full story: University of British Columbia
Photo by James Thompson.
Penguin Fans
King Penguins emit so much laughing gas with their poop, researchers studying them can go a bit funny in the head. The world’s largest colony on the island of South Georgia in the Southern Atlantic has 300,000 breeding adults and their guano releases huge amounts of nitrous oxide.
Read the full story: Earthly Mission
Photo by Liam Quinn.
Dolphin Fans
Bottlenose Dolphins go on secret night-time missions in Florida. Satellites have been watching a population of over 1000 dolphins that live in the brackish waters of the Indian River Lagoon in Florida, and it appears the dolphins have a far greater range than previously thought. The satellites show that the dolphins will not only travel into the ocean, but they will swim up to 20km along freshwater rivers, creeks, and canals.
Read the full story: Florida Atlantic University
Photo by Walter Baxter.
Shark Fans
The diets of juvenile Great White Sharks have surprised marine scientists. When young, this apex predator spends more time feeding on creatures that live in or around the seabed than previously thought. It’s not until they reach adulthood, and over 2.2m in length, that they will take on bigger mid-water prey like marine mammals and other sharks.
Read the full story: The Sydney Morning Herald
Photo by Elias Levy.
Reef Fish Fans
Big vegetarians of the reef drive fish evolution. There are over 6000 fish species that live on coral reefs worldwide. And the diets of these reef fish dictate how fast fish and coral species have evolved together, and how fast reefs can grow. It appears herbivores, such as parrotfishes and surgeonfishes, are key to ecological diversity.
Read the full story: Phys.org
Photo by Richard Ling.
Coral Fans
The Great Barrier Reef’s museum of underwater art and sculpture is ready for divers and snorkellers. British artist and environmentalist Jason deCaires Taylor’s submerged installation off the Queensland coast in Australia is designed as an artificial reef that will support marine life.
Read the full story: The Guardian
Photo by Richard Woodgett
Mollusc Fans
Limpet sticking power is down to mucus, not muscle. They have incredible holding strength – South African Limpets can withstand up to 100kg of force. However, it’s not from suction or clamping, but from a bio-adhesive super-glue slime secreted from their foot.
Read the full story: University of Cambridge
Photo by Rachel Aucott.
Deep Sea Fans
Astronaut Kathy Sullivan is first woman to dive to the deepest point in the ocean. 11km straight down into the Mariana Trench, near Guam in the Western Pacific Ocean. After performing a space walk outside the space shuttle Challenger in 1984, she is now the eighth person to dive “Challenger Deep”. What’s more, a few weeks later Vanessa O’Brien became the second woman, and the first woman to scale both Earth’s highest (Everest) and lowest points.
Read the full story: Space.com
Photo by Kathy Sullivan.
So that’s our top 10 positive ocean news stories from June 2020
Have you seen any uplifting news stories about the ocean? Please share them in the comments below. Want to learn more about the ocean? Check out the different ways you can learn today.
Positive Ocean News
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