Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Make wet wipe producers pay for polluting England’s waterways, says report

admin — Sat, 26 Jul 2025 06:00:45 +0000

Water firms claim wet wipes, which shed microplastics and cause blockages, are main source of sewage pollution

Wet wipe producers should be charged to remove their pollution from England’s waterways, the author of a government review into reforming the sector says.

‘The sorest my legs have ever been’: hordes to descend on Hackney for litter-picking world cup

admin — Sat, 26 Jul 2025 06:00:45 +0000

The public-spirited sport of spogomi is catching on across Britain, which boasts its world champion team

Armed with gloves, metal tongs and plastic rubbish sacks, hordes of determined litter-pickers will descend on Hackney Marshes in east London this weekend.

Spogomi, a Japanese litter-picking sport, has come to the UK. Invented in 2008, it was intended as a competition to encourage people to clean up public spaces. It is now played in schools across the country as people gamify collecting rubbish.

‘Excellent size’: UK blueberry crop up nearly a quarter after warm spring

admin — Sat, 26 Jul 2025 05:00:47 +0000

New technology also helps fruit yield, while strawberry, raspberry and blackberry output has risen

British blueberries are the latest fruit to benefit from the warmest spring on record, with the harvest up by almost a quarter so far this year.

Growers say the weather has produced an early crop with more and larger berries, while new varieties can bring higher yields and better resilience. About 5,133 tonnes are expected by the end of August, up significantly from almost 4,187 tonnes by the same point last year.

Two top Noaa officials linked to Trump’s ‘Sharpiegate’ incident put on leave

admin — Fri, 25 Jul 2025 22:18:59 +0000

Two men led inquiry into 2019 debacle involving incorrect hurricane projections that tarnished federal agency’s record

Two high-ranking officials at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration were placed on administrative leave on Friday, fueling speculation that the Trump administration was retaliating against them for actions taken during the president’s first term.

US heat dome causes dangerous conditions for more than 100 million people

admin — Fri, 25 Jul 2025 16:17:51 +0000

High temperatures and humidity across north-eastern coast increase risk of heat exhaustion, illnesses and death

More than a 100 million people in the US will face dangerous conditions over the weekend as a heat dome that has scorched much of the center of the country nudges eastward.

‘It’s spectacular’: volunteer Dorset divers see summer of surging seahorses

admin — Fri, 25 Jul 2025 14:54:03 +0000

After efforts to make conditions better for the elusive creatures in Studland Bay, sightings are greatly increasing

The divers emerged from the water smiling with satisfaction. They had found what they were looking for in the undersea meadows off the south coast of England.

“Seahorses are tricky to spot,” said Mark Fox. “The seagrass sways and they blend into it pretty well. It helps if it’s sunny and not too choppy but you have to get your eye in. When you see them, it’s brilliant.”

As food prices rise, Mamdani wants public grocery stores in New York. Can it work?

admin — Fri, 25 Jul 2025 14:00:27 +0000

Experts say there’s plenty of precedent both in the US and abroad for state-supported food infrastructure

‘Intrinsically connected’: how human neurodiversity could help save nature

admin — Fri, 25 Jul 2025 11:00:37 +0000

Biodiversity is linked to people’s diversity, and nature lends itself to people who are different, says author Joe Harkness

When Joe Harkness received a message from a friend about macerating moth abdomens to check their genitalia to identify the species, it sparked an idea for a new book about wildlife obsessions. But over time, this developed into a completely different book: a clarion call to embrace neurodiversity in the fight against the extinction crisis.

From punk rock to gardening classes: the cemeteries getting a new lease on life

admin — Fri, 25 Jul 2025 11:00:22 +0000

‘Instead of just a choral group in a chapel, now it’s a rock group in a mausoleum,’ says one unspooked supporter

Rodney Anonymous, lead singer of the punk rock band The Dead Milkmen, has performed in venues around the world. His favorite place to play live is filled with the dead at the Laurel Hill cemetery in Philadelphia, where he used to ride his bike as a kid.

Caribbean leaders hail ICJ climate ruling as ‘historic’ win for small island states

admin — Fri, 25 Jul 2025 10:00:56 +0000

PM of St Vincent and the Grenadines says ruling will strengthen the Caribbean’s negotiating power when it comes to climate change reparations

Leaders in the Caribbean have hailed the outcome of the international court of justice (ICJ) climate change case as a “historic legal victory” for small island states everywhere.