Breaking Waves: Ocean News https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-waves/index.php en Psychedelic rock! Formations that mess with your mind – in pictures https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/psychedelic-rock-formations-mess-your-mind-pictures <p>In Glass Mountain, Michael Lundgren captures remote American landscapes with a haunting stillness, revealing the hidden rhythms and enthralling mystery of the natural world</p> <p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2025/aug/21/psychedelic-rock-glass-mountain-michael-lundgren">Continue reading...</a></p> Thu, 21 Aug 2025 06:01:01 +0000 admin 101021 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org The surprising reason timber plantations explode into megafires https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/surprising-reason-timber-plantations-explode-megafires <p>Industrial forests, packed with evenly spaced trees, face nearly 50% higher odds of megafires than public lands. A lidar-powered study of California’s Sierra Nevada reveals how dense plantations feed fire severity, but also shows that proactive thinning could prevent forests from collapsing into shrubland ecosystems.</p> Thu, 21 Aug 2025 05:32:18 +0000 admin 101019 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Angela Rayner hit with legal challenge over datacentre on green belt land https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/angela-rayner-hit-legal-challenge-over-datacentre-green-belt-land <p>Exclusive: Campaigners complain no environmental assessment made for 90MW Buckinghamshire facility </p> <p>The deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, has been hit with a legal challenge after she overruled a local council to approve a hyperscale datacentre on green belt land by the M25 in Buckinghamshire.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/angela-rayner-hit-legal-challenge-over-datacentre-green-belt-land" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Thu, 21 Aug 2025 05:00:03 +0000 admin 101017 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org ‘Landmines have become the greatest protectors’: how wildlife is thriving in the Korean DMZ https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/landmines-have-become-greatest-protectors-how-wildlife-thriving-korean-dmz <p>The demilitarised zone between North and South Korea has become an ecological oasis with nearly 6,000 species documented, including rare cranes, deer and bears</p> <p>Standing on top of a small mountain, Kim Seung-ho gazes out over an expanse of paddy fields glowing in their autumn gold, the ripening grains swaying gently in the wind. In the distance, North Korea stretches beyond the horizon.</p> <p>“It’s so peaceful,” says the director of the DMZ Ecology Research Institute. “Over there, it used to be an artillery range, but since they stopped firing, the nature has become so beautiful.”</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/landmines-have-become-greatest-protectors-how-wildlife-thriving-korean-dmz" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Thu, 21 Aug 2025 05:00:03 +0000 admin 101018 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org This is where tree planting has the biggest climate impact https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/where-tree-planting-has-biggest-climate-impact <p>Planting more trees can help cool the planet and reduce fire risk—but where they are planted matters. According to UC Riverside researchers, tropical regions provide the most powerful climate benefits because trees there grow year-round, absorb more carbon dioxide, and cool the air through processes like evapotranspiration, or “tree sweating.”</p> Thu, 21 Aug 2025 04:34:57 +0000 admin 101020 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Californians brace for worst multiday heatwave of the year https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/californians-brace-worst-multiday-heatwave-year <p>Temperatures are expected to spike with a trio of heat, thunderstorms and fire risks compounding dangers</p> <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/california">Californians</a> are bracing for the first major <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/extreme-heat">heatwave</a> of the year, a multiday scorcher that could bring triple-digit temperatures, pose significant threats to public health and sharply heighten wildfire risks.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/californians-brace-worst-multiday-heatwave-year" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Wed, 20 Aug 2025 19:12:43 +0000 admin 101015 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Hurricane Erin pounds US east coast as residents brace for ‘life-threatening’ waves https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/hurricane-erin-pounds-us-east-coast-residents-brace-life-threatening-waves <p>North Carolina anticipates the most brutal surf conditions after storm reportedly rebuilds inner eye wall</p> <p>Hurricane Erin’s arrival is being felt all along the east coast, where higher tides and powerful surf have triggered expanded warnings for flooding and tropical storm conditions.</p> <p>Coastal residents are bracing for the possibility of a dangerous storm surge reaching up to 4ft (1.2 metres), along with severe beach erosion. The hurricane is expected to generate “life-threatening” waves ranging from 15 to 20ft, with North Carolina beaches anticipating the most brutal waves.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/hurricane-erin-pounds-us-east-coast-residents-brace-life-threatening-waves" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Wed, 20 Aug 2025 15:18:54 +0000 admin 101014 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Police investigate sabotage claims by UK activists against ‘fossil fuel finance’ https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/police-investigate-sabotage-claims-uk-activists-against-fossil-fuel-finance <p>Shut the System says its supporters carried out actions at offices of JP Morgan Chase, Allianz and Barclaycard</p> <p>The City of London police are investigating claims by environmental activists to have carried out acts of sabotage on the offices of major insurers and financial institutions.</p> <p>Activist group Shut the System said its supporters had cut cables and glued electrical service cabinets at JP Morgan Chase and Allianz, in what it described as the start of “a period of sustained sabotage” against fossil fuel finance.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/police-investigate-sabotage-claims-uk-activists-against-fossil-fuel-finance" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Wed, 20 Aug 2025 14:03:51 +0000 admin 101013 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Trump-fueled gas boom has Gulf coast communities on edge: ‘We will keep fighting’ https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/trump-fueled-gas-boom-has-gulf-coast-communities-edge-we-will-keep-fighting <p>Residents cite pollution, loss of fishing and diminished tax revenue as liquefied natural gas production for export accelerates</p> <p><em>This story </em><em>was originally published by <a href="https://floodlightnews.org/trump-fueled-gas-boom-has-fenceline-gulf-coast-communities-on-edge/">Floodlight</a>, a non-profit newsroom that investigates the powers stalling climate action</em></p> <p>***</p> <p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/aug/20/natural-gas-terminals-texas-louisiana-gulf-mexico">Continue reading...</a></p> Wed, 20 Aug 2025 12:00:21 +0000 admin 101012 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Dramatic rise in whale and dolphin strandings in Scotland https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/dramatic-rise-whale-and-dolphin-strandings-scotland <p>Research shows steep increases over past 30 years, after summer of strandings across Europe</p> <p>The number of marine mammals stranded in Scotland has risen dramatically in the past 30 years, a study has found.</p> <p>From 1992 to 2022, 5,147 cetaceans died on Scottish shores, and a new paper shows steep increases in the rate of strandings of up to 800% in some species, continuing exponentially every year.</p> <p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/aug/20/rise-whale-marine-mammal-strandings-scotland">Continue reading...</a></p> Wed, 20 Aug 2025 09:00:17 +0000 admin 101010 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org