|
|
MERCURY LEVELS ON THE RISE IN THE ARCTIC |
| |
 |
Unbeknownst to this polar bear, the very water he swims in could pose a threat to his life.
Did you know that more mercury is deposited in the Arctic than anywhere else on the planet? The concentration of mercury in people and animals that live in polar regions is on the increase. Polar bears and humans that eat marine mammals are the most affected. According to a new report, global mercury emissions could grow as much as 25 percent by 2020 if no action is taken to control them, posing a threat to polar bears, whales, seals and the Arctic communities who hunt those animals for food.
MORE INFO.
|
 |
OCEAN LEVELS ON THE RISE |
 | |
|
|
|
Sea levels could rise up to 5 feet by the end of this century, driven by warming in the Arctic and the resulting melt of snow and ice, according to a new study by the International Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (AMAP). This is more than two and a half times higher than the 2007 projection of one-half to two feet by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
|
|
| |
|
|
SEA URCHINS TURNING INTO CANNIBALS |
| |
|
|
Sea urchins have become a very trendy food, but unfortunately, due to starvation and overcrowded conditions, they're starting to eat each other. Cannibalism isn't limited to sea urchins - animals like lobster, shrimp, trout and flounder become cannibals under stress as well.
|
|
SILENCE OF THE SEA URCHINS?
| |
|
|
SAVE THE DATE TO JOIN HANDS AND DEFEND OUR OCEANS
|
| |
 |
|
2010 Hands Across the Sand event participants join hands in Santa Monica.
Last year, more than a hundred thousand people gathered in over 900 locations to join hands against offshore oil drilling. There were events organized in all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Originally intended as a local event, Hands Across the Sand went international with events held in Australia, South Africa, Japan and many others.
Event registration is now open for Hands Across the Sand on June 25, 2011! Sign up today to organize an event at your local beach and join the grassroots movement to protect our coastlines from offshore drilling! The premise of the event is very simple: on June 25 at 12pm local time people will join hands for 15 minutes on beaches around the world to protest new oil
drilling.
|
|
|
|
|
|
MOTORIZED SURFBOARD HITTING THE WAVES
|
| |
|
|
|
Surfers beware - looks like the lineup might be getting a bit more crowded this summer. Now to assist with paddling, catching and riding waves, surfers of all skill level can purchase a motor powered surfboard. The board, called a WaveJet, has a motor built into a carved-out section of the board, so it still acts like a regular surfboard - just 13 pounds heavier. Surfers can turn the motor on and off with a remote strapped to their arm in a wristwatch-like device, and recharge the board through a wall outlet.
|
|
| |
|
|
FISHING FOR PLASTIC COULD EQUAL BIG BUCKS |
| |
|
|
|
The European Union (EU) plans to pay the continent's fishing fleets for collecting plastic as part of an initiative that will help reduce pollution in the sea. Under a trial project that will start in the Mediterranean later this month, fishermen will be equipped with special nets to round up plastic that is threatening marine life. The collected plastic will be sent for recycling.
|
|
| |
|
|
RESIDENTS TORN OVER LOCAL BAG BAN |
| |
 |
Residents of Brownsville, Texas are making the shift to reusable bags.
Brownsville’s new bag ban, the first of its kind in Texas, has stirred controversy among local residents. Under the new policy, shoppers who find themselves without a bag at the store can either buy a reusable one on the spot or pay a fee of $1 to have their items packed in a plastic bag. The goal is to eventually get rid of the fee - the plastic-bag option will only be available until the plastic bags run out. While some residents have complained about the "inconvenience" of the fee, most residents are rejoicing. The policy, which took effect in January, has eliminated more than 350,000 bags per day, according to Mayor Pat Ahumada, who stated that the policy has "transformed our city from littered and dirty to a much cleaner city."
RISE ABOVE PLASTICS.
|
|
BRAZILIANS DOMINATE AT THE NIKE 6.0 LOWERS PRO
|
| |
|
|
Congratulations are in order to Brazil's Miguel Pupo who dominated the Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro contest. Pupo beat out San Clemente standout Tanner Gudauskas in a close final of 13.63 to 13.57. The talented Brazilian, who was sitting in spot 42 on the men's ASP World Ranking, will catapult up the standings with the win and substantially increase his chances of achieving his dream of qualifying for the elite ASP World Tour.
|
|
| |
|
|
85 YEAR OLD SAILOR CROSSES THE ATLANTIC ON A RAFT
|
| |
|
|
This just proves that it's never too late to go after your dreams. After 66 days at sea, a British sailor completed a trans-Atlantic voyage atop a raft last week. 85-year-old Anthony Smith completed his life long dream of sailing across the Atlantic with three of his closest friends to prove that the elderly are capable of embarking on adventures some may consider too dangerous.
|
|
AWESOME. | |
     
|
| | | |
