by Alice Stroud in GNRII on June 04, 2021
What is the first image that comes to your mind when asked about the lungs of the planet? Forests? Nope – think
blue… something that covers 70% of the planet: the ocean! Oceans are a major carbon storage system for carbon dioxide (CO2), absorb about 30% of CO2 produced by human activities, and release at least 50% of the planet’s oxygen in the atmosphere.
The ocean is home to most of Earth’s biodiversity. However, human activities are threatening fragile marine ecosystems. Threats to oceans include climate change, which is making oceans hotter and more acidic, pollution (in particular plastic pollution), and overfishing. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing activities are responsible for the loss of up to 26 million tons of fish each year, which is estimated to have an economic value of USD $10-23 billion.
By Jason Hall
May 28, 2021
Passengers aboard a ship bound for New England spotted a giant shark in the Atlantic Ocean in a now viral video.
The incident was captured in a video shared by
Alex Albrecht, 20, of Seattle, on his TikTok channel, which has been seen by more than 30 million people as of Friday.
The Sun reports the passengers were on a six-week marine research trip from Florida to Massachusetts and spotted the gigantic shark about 100 miles offshore of New England. I was sailing on the SSV Corwith Cramer on a semester program with Sea Education Association studying Marine Biodiversity and Conservation, Albrecht said. We also were being trained as tallship crew, so we sailed the boat ourselves as students. The video is taken from high up on the mast, where you can climb to tend to rigging or enjoy the view.