Employees informed by email that their jobs would be cut off at end of day in move a worker called ‘wrong all around’
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The Trump administration has fired hundreds of workers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa), the US’s pre-eminent climate research agency housed within the Department of Commerce, the Guardian has learned.
On Thursday afternoon, the commerce department sent emails to employees saying their jobs would be cut off at the end of the day. Other government agencies have also seen huge staffing cuts in recent days.
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Breaking Waves: Ocean News
02/27/2025 - 17:47
02/27/2025 - 17:06
The 1890 National Scholars program gives full rides to HBCU students in fields like botany, forestry and food safety
Dr Marcus Bernard was shocked to learn last week that the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) had suspended the 1890 National Scholars program that funds undergraduate students’ education in agriculture or related fields at about 20 historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).
Bernard is dean of the college of agriculture, health and natural resources at one of those institutions, Kentucky State University. At Kentucky State, close to 40 of the scholars have enrolled since the project’s inception in 1992. Nationwide, the program has supported more than 800 students, according to the USDA.
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02/27/2025 - 16:08
Couple unwittingly revealed to state wildlife agents that they were transporting the remains of a protected sea turtle
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A California couple learned the hard way that discussing their travel plans with strangers can have dire consequences, especially when those plans involve transporting the remains of a protected sea turtle in their carry-on luggage.
More than a year ago, two officers from the California department of fish and wildlife (CDFW) were flying back to northern California from San Diego, dressed in plain clothes, and struck up a conversation with a couple seated nearby who were discussing hunting.
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02/27/2025 - 12:58
New research highlights the unique dilemma faced by Sydney's koala population. Populations in south-western Sydney are among the very few in New South Wales still free of chlamydia, a highly contagious disease causing infertility that has severely diminished populations elsewhere in the continent's eastern states. However, analysis of these koalas shows how vulnerable they are to environmental threats and outbreaks of disease. Highly inbred and with low genetic diversity, they are less likely to adapt to the disease should it arrive on their doorstep.
02/27/2025 - 12:07
Trial announced as Keir Starmer arrives in Washington to meet Donald Trump, a longtime critic of windfarms
Offshore windfarms are to be painted black in an effort to reduce the number of birds that die after flying into them.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has launched a four-year trial to paint the wind turbines after officials raised concerns that the government’s plan to increase turbine numbers in the North Sea could spell danger for seabirds. Limited research has been conducted on the number of birds killed this way, but estimates range from four to 18 per turbine per year.
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02/27/2025 - 11:25
Airports want new runways that would allow them to massively increase the number of flights in and out of capital
Minister ‘sets path’ to allow Gatwick to open second runway
The government has signalled its backing for expansion at UK airports. But what are the next steps for the two biggest, London’s Gatwick and Heathrow?
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02/27/2025 - 10:00
Trial-monitoring committee in Dakota Access lawsuit have shared concerns of judicial bias and due-process violations
More than half the jurors selected to hear a case brought by a major energy company against Greenpeace have ties to the fossil fuel industry, and most had negative views of anti-pipeline protests or groups that oppose the use of fossil fuels.
The closely watched trial against Greenpeace in Mandan, North Dakota, showcased the difficulty in seating a jury in oil country, where many make their living in the industry. Greenpeace again on Wednesday sought to move the trial to another venue in the state.
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02/27/2025 - 10:00
Snap helps more than 42 million people, and is considered the country’s most effective tool to fight hunger
During a recent grocery store visit, Audrey Gwenyth spent $159.01 on items such as eggs, Greek yogurt, edamame snaps, bagels, chia seeds, brownie mix, oatmeal, milk, cilantro rice and pork sausage. The entire bill was paid via her electronic benefit transfer, or EBT, card, which is how recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap), pay for groceries at participating stores, farmers markets and restaurants.
“Because I’m a single mom and I don’t receive child support, I don’t have a lot of help in the world,” said Gwenyth, a mother of two toddlers, whose food budget is around $100 per week. She shares many of her EBT purchases on social media to help others make the most of their benefits. “I could not pay for food if it wasn’t for EBT. It’s been a lifesaver.”
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02/27/2025 - 09:00
Seeds of 177 species from across Africa to be stored in Norway to preserve crop diversity in case of disaster
More than 100,000 seeds from across Africa have been deposited in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, the world’s repository for specimens intended to preserve crop diversity in the event of disaster.
Among the latest additions are seeds critical to building climate resilience, such as the tree Faidherbia albida, which turns nitrogen into ammonia and nitrates, and Cordia africana, the Sudan teak, a tree renowned for its strength and durability.
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02/27/2025 - 05:10
Transport secretary backs £2.2bn airport plan but final decision delayed to October
What are the next steps for expansion at London Gatwick and Heathrow?
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Gatwick has been given a qualified green light to operate a second runway after the government “set out a path to expansion” for London’s second biggest airport.
The deadline for the government to make a final decision has been extended to late October, but the transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, has issued a “minded to approve” letter to Gatwick for the £2.2bn expansion scheme. The project could allow more than 100,000 extra flights a year at the West Sussex airport.
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