Plastic shouldn’t be part of any seabird’s habitat. Scientists estimate that 90% of seabirds have eaten plastic. Wildlife is put at risk with every bag, bottle and wrapper that reaches the ocean. It’s time to stop plastic pollution at the source.
Marvee Sambajon
@marveeambi.bsky.social
former documentary producer and writer. aspiring science communicator, interested in marine plastic pollution and harmful algal blooms. full-time daughter. professional daydreamer.
Plastic pollution won't be solved by reusable straws alone. It takes policy. This election season, ask candidates where they stand on plastic waste, reuse, and clean water—then vote. Read Lily Carver's blog: https://cleanwater.org/2026/07/30/i-thought-reusable-straws-would-change-world-i-was-wrong
Whale watchers in New York and New Jersey have documented their 500th individual humpback whale in local waters. More: gothamist.visitlink.me/nsZfGU
An “artificial Tums” could help the ocean store even more CO2 than it currently takes up, reducing the impacts of climate change. 📲Find out why WHOI scientists are studying this marine carbon dioxide removal strategy from @marketplace.org: go.whoi.edu/npr-mcdr #mcdr #oceanclimatesolutions
What makes human guts and coral reefs similar? Here is a blog post with some thoughts on ecosystem stability, stress, and microbiome, following a fresh pre-print by Marko Terzin et al: merenlab.org/blog/coral-r...
From coral reefs to human guts: stress is stress
Reefs and colons share no taxa, no host, no timescale, but they report stress the same way, which tells us where NOT to look for solutions.
merenlab.org
Japanese scientists created a plastic that dissolves in seawater within hours—no microplastics left behind. Made from plant-based CMC with salt-sensitive bonds, it breaks into harmless nutrients. [📹 RIKEN CEMS / Univ. of Tokyo] Original post
Australia has proposed a new 670,000 km² marine protected area—a significant step for marine conservation that could safeguard some of the country's most vital marine ecosystems for future generations.
Vibrant Underwater Coral Reef
ALT: Vibrant Underwater Coral Reef
static.klipy.com
🌊 From plankton to plate: Changing UK seas are shifting food webs …threatening food web efficiency, fisheries productivity, and the ocean's capacity to store carbon. oceanographicmagazine.com/news/from-pl...
From plankton to plate: Changing UK seas are shifting food webs - Oceanographic
UK report documents accelerating climate-driven shifts in plankton communities - with consequences for food webs, fisheries, and carbon.
oceanographicmagazine.com
🌊 Marine heatwaves aren’t just an ocean problem, they’re a human health issue. A new perspective highlights how MHWs can ripple through ecosystems, food systems, economies, and communities, affecting everything from seafood safety to livelihoods and mental wellbeing. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Recognizing the human health impacts of marine heatwaves - Nature Sustainability
Although the physical and ecological impacts of marine heatwaves are well recognized, their cascading consequences for human health remain poorly understood. We argue that marine heatwaves pose growin...
nature.com
How can we analyse thousands of plankton samples in seconds? Meet the FlowCam! 🌊🔬 As part of his Molly Spooner Studentship at the Marine Biological Association, Sam Upton is using high-speed FlowCam technology to automate particle imaging. #MarineBiology #FlowCam #Plankton #LabTech
The average sea surface temperature globally is surging to new record highs for this time of year, well above the historic warmth in 2023 and 2024. How anomalous will it get over the next year as El Niño tightens its grip? Track the data at zacklabe.com/climate-chan... 🌊
Sea salt in Lombok Island, Indonesia is contaminated with microplastics: study ->Mongabay | More on "Microplastics contaminating Indonesian sea salt" at BigEarthData.ai | #Island #Microplastic
Sea salt in Lombok Island, Indonesia is contaminated with microplastics: study
Sea salt sold in markets across Lombok Island, Indonesia, is contaminated with microplastics, according to a recent study. Microplastics are small plastic particles less than 5 millimeters in length that form when larger plastic waste breaks down. Microplastics have been found everywhere scientists have looked for them, including seafood and table salt, raising concerns for public health. Much of the plastic waste generated on land ends up in the ocean where it can break down into microplastics. Because sea salt is created by evaporating salt water, it is particularly vulnerable to microplastic contamination when the source water contains suspended microplastics. Scientists estimate that there are millions of tons of plastic pollution in the ocean, by far the largest form of marine pollution. The research team lead by Anna Ida Sunaryo Purwiyanto collected 20 salt samples from vendors at 10 markets across Lombok Island. They extracted potential microplastic particles from the samples and identified the particles using a stereo microscope. Every salt sample contained microplastics, “indicating widespread contamination across the surveyed markets,” the study notes. The researchers found some variation in microplastic contamination levels in different markets and in crystal versus fine sea salt. However, the results consistently showed that the...
news.mongabay.com
We analyze microplastic samples in our ISO-5 Clean Laboratory using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (#FTIR). We can identify 20 of the most common plastic polymer types down to 10 microns and provide reliable polymer abundance, size, morphology, and chemical composition data. 🧑🏼🔬🔬
A study in Nature Ecology & Evolution identifies Karenia cristata as a brevetoxin-producing species that is the dominant component of the prolonged microalgal bloom causing mass marine mortality in South Australia. go.nature.com/3RjXCaZ 🌎🌊🧪
25 years later: what bottom-trawled seamounts look like in Chile. New publication here 🧪🦑🌊🌏🎣 : www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... @oceana.bsky.social press release with photos (lead author is one of our scientists) here: oceana.org/press-releas...
Bottom Trawling Impacts Still Visible Today on Chilean Seamounts
New research shows that deep-sea biodiversity has not fully recovered despite more than two decades without bottom trawling, reinforcing the case for protecting vulnerable ecosystems before damage bec...
oceana.org
Regardless of how you slice and dice the metrics—this #ElNiño will be a whopper with *severe* climate impacts for tropical (+other) countries. 🌊
James Dinneen@jamesdinneen.bsky.social · 2w agoIt's not quite "gobsmackingly bananas" but monster forecasts for the record El Nino brewing the Pacific Ocean get pretty close. Here's what to make of it in my first for @nature.com: 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
A supplement comprised of dead bacteria seems to remove microplastics, and prevent their absorption into cells, by attracting them to the bacteria's rough surfaces
Supplement that binds to microplastics may remove them from our body | New Scientist
A supplement comprised of dead bacteria seems to remove microplastics, and prevent their absorption into cells, by attracting them to the bacteria's rough surfaces
newscientist.com
🌊 In hot water: what happens to marine life during heatwaves UK waters are experiencing another major marine heatwave, with sea surface temperatures reaching unusually high levels for this time of year — around +4–5°C above the 1971–2000 baseline. theconversation.com/in-hot-water...
In hot water: what happens to marine life during heatwaves
The full picture of potential consequences of the UK’s marine heatwaves is only just starting to emerge.
theconversation.com
🌊🌡️Did you know that during El Niño events, marine heatwaves can intensify across the globe? Dr. Katie Smith breaks down how rising ocean temperatures put existing marine ecosystems under extreme pressure. What questions do you have about marine heatwaves? Let us know in the comments! 👇
🌊 A report led by Scripps scientists warns that oxygen loss in aquatic ecosystems could trigger changes lasting centuries. Aquatic deoxygenation is emerging as a major threat to marine life, fisheries & the natural systems regulating Earth's climate. ⤵️ https://bit.ly/4yxcvaL
Oxygen "disappearing" from earth's waters at alarming rate
Scientists warned that low oxygen levels threaten entire food webs, and the phenomenon should be recognised formally in climate frameworks
oceanographicmagazine.com
Microplastic fiber pollution might not be obvious to the naked eye, but its impact is devastating to marine wildlife and ecosystems. Scientists estimate about 211K metric tons of microplastic fibers are emitted into the ocean yearly–that’s equal to more than 1 BILLION T-shirts! 🚨
📣 We’re offering grants to newsrooms & media organizations in coastal countries—prioritizing Ghana, Mexico & the Philippines—for reporting, media training & other initiatives that expand 30x30 marine conservation target coverage. Apply in English or Spanish by August 10: https://loom.ly/MJb45qQ
Despite some early promises, the EPA isn't including microplastics in its new drinking water testing rules. #microplastics
After bold pledge, EPA shelves microplastics testing in U.S. drinking water
In April, EPA Chief Lee Zeldin and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. held a news conference declaring their dedication to studying microplastics, in the human body and in drinking water. But a new EPA drinking water testing rule leaves them out.
latimes.com
Postdoc with us, Marina Arregui, has been involved with this unique study of a 2022 toxic algal bloom in Argentina, tracking the toxins through the entire marine food web and even linking it to sickness in the human population. 🌱>🐟>🦭>🐋>🚶♀️>🌏 #MarineEcology #Science 🧪 #Marinemammals #ecotoxicology
Marine mammal mortality during a harmful algal bloom in the Southwestern Atlantic reveals trophic phycotoxin transfer and fetal exposure in sea lions - Communications Earth & Environment
A 2022 harmful algal bloom in Argentina resulted in phycotoxin transfer across trophic levels, causing marine mammal mortality and maternal toxin transfer in sea lions revealed through integrated mult...
doi.org
✊ Waste-to-energy isn't the answer to the plastic crisis. Join our #PlasticFreeJuly webinar to hear how communities are successfully challenging incinerators and advancing real zero waste solutions. 📅 July 15 🕧 12:30 PM Delhi | 3 PM Manila 🔗 bit.ly/BFFPwebinarsjuly2026 #BreakFreeFromPlastic
Heartbreaking photos reveal devastating toll plastic pollution is taking on seabirds: Plastic pollution is causing a devastating global crisis for seabirds, as marine conservation organization Oceana warns that these animals frequently mistake floating debris for foo… https://ranked.news/1110409?u=b
Plastic pollution and drug-resistant infections are intersecting. New research shows microplastics promote bacterial biofilms that accelerate the spread of antibiotic resistance. Experts to call for urgent wastewater management reforms. @claireasher.bsky.social reports for #Mongabay.
Microplastic pollution can fuel rise in antibiotic resistance, studies find
Plastic pollution is among the gravest environmental crises facing humanity. Plastic production since 1950 has exceeded 8,300 million metric tons, with most plastic waste ending up in the…
mongabay.cc
Advancing Marine Conservation: IUCN Green List for Coral Triangle Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) at the CTI-CFF MPA Re ->International Union for Conservation of Nature | More on "Coral Triangle marine protected areas" at BigEarthData.ai | #MarineProtectedArea #Nature #Conservation #Coral #Iucn #Ocean
Advancing Marine Conservation: IUCN Green List for Coral Triangle Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) at the CTI-CFF MPA Re
The IUCN team actively participated in the event, representing the IUCN Green List programme throughout the three-day Regional Exchange and during Days 4 and 5, which included the field visit to Tun Mustapha Park and the high-level MPA TWG Meeting. Setting the Scene: Why the IUCN Green List Matters for the Coral Triangle The 12th MPA REX, themed "Road Towards 2030: Resilient & Effective MPAs in the Coral Triangle Region," provided a timely platform to examine how the Coral Triangle Marine Protected Area System (CTMPAS), now over a decade old, can be strengthened and modernised to meet current global conservation commitments, including the 30×30 target under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Md Anjum opened by presenting the IUCN Green List programme on Day 1, introducing participants to its mission, elements, indicators, and key milestones. He highlighted progress under the IUCN SOMACORE programme, which has been supporting Green List candidacy across the CT6 member states, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste. A central message was that the IUCN Green List is not intended to replace existing frameworks such as CTMPAS, but to complement and strengthen them, providing globally credentialed recognition for MPAs that demonstrate sound governance,...
iucn.org
A major technological breakthrough developed by @whoi.edu can predict mass coral bleaching 5-6 months before it actually occurs. This vital lead time allows marine conservationists and reef managers to enact critical emergency triage. @oceanographicmag.bsky.social
Scientists can predict coral bleaching months before it happens
Researchers develop an early-warning tool that predicts coral bleaching five to six months in advance by tracking climate patterns.
oceanographicmagazine.com
The last three months have averaged the highest global mean sea surface temperature on record relative to any other April-May-June period (since at least 1854)... 🌊 Data from www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/ext...
