A new study has determined that the global coverage of seagrass meadows is now declining at an unprecedented rate of 7% per year. The findings of this the study conducted by researchers in the US, Australia and Europe show that seagrasses are now disappearing at rates similar to coral reefs and tropical rainforests. The research estimates that seagrasses have been disappearing at the rate of 110 square-kilometers (42.4 square-miles) per year since 1980 (see Seagrass Watch for more details).
Although seagrasses, and particularly their fauna, are under increasing pressure from changing …

A study published in Nature Reports Climate Change on 11 June 2009 reports on the consequences of the emission targets being set by countries, including the US and Australia, in the lead-up to the international climate negotiations in Copenhagen in December.
Joeri Rogelj and colleagues conclude, “National targets give virtually no chance of constraining warming to 2 °C and no chance of protecting coral reefs.”

Citing recent publications of Jacob Silverman and colleagues, they note in relation to ocean acidification and coral reefs:
Acid test
While we have focused on global mean temperature increase …

Jane Lubchenco, head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration gives an update on the state of the oceans. She discusses how climate change is affecting ocean ecosystems including coral reefs  and what the administration plans to do about overfishing. Originally broadcasted on June 8, 2009 on the nationally syndicated Diane Rehm show (WAMU, NPR).  Click below for a 20 min. clip of the  audio interview.
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
Go here to listen to the entire interview.
Read a related post about Dr. Lubchenco’s assignment of head of NOAA here.

Paul Krugman, an op-ed columnist for the New York Times has written an interesting article likening the members of the US Senate who voted against the Waxman-Markey climate change bill as “a form of treason against the planet”
212 representatives voted no. A handful of these no votes came from representatives who considered the bill too weak, but most rejected the bill because they rejected the whole notion that we have to do something about greenhouse gases. And as I watched the deniers make their arguments, I couldn’t help thinking that …

This incredible photograph was  taken from the International Space Station and captures the eruption of the Sarychev Volcano, Kuril Island chain, Japan. From the NASA’s Earth Observatory:
The main column is one of a series of plumes that rose above Matua Island (48.1 degrees north latitude and 153.2 degrees east longitude) on June 12. The plume appears to be a combination of brown ash and white steam. The vigorously rising plume gives the steam a bubble-like appearance; the surrounding atmosphere has been shoved up by the shock wave of the …

From the NYT:
By JOHN M. BRODER
Published: June 26, 2009
WASHINGTON — The House passed legislation on Friday intended to address global warming and transform the way the nation produces and uses energy. The vote was the first time either house of Congress had approved a bill meant to curb the heat-trapping gases scientists have linked to climate change. The legislation, which passed despite deep divisions among Democrats, could lead to profound changes in many sectors of the economy, including electric power generation, agriculture, manufacturing and construction.
The bill’s passage, by 219 to …

Having trouble keeping all those greenhouse gases straight?  Looking for some reliable information and understandable graphics on anthropogenic climate change? A good place is the Climate Change Collection in the Encyclopedia of Earth.
The collection includes:
• A number of articles on topics like 21st century climate change scenarios, Mauna Loa curve, albedo, history of climate change and variability, and Methane
• FAQs like; What factors determine the earth’s climate? What is the greenhouse effect? and What is radiative forcing?
• Biographies of influential climate change scientists (primarily climatologists)
The EoE is a new electronic …

The Algalita Marine Research Foundation is on a 2 month voyage across the Pacific to study the concentration of plastics in the North Subtropical Gyre.  This area has been known as the “Pacific Garbage Patch” due to the convergence of several ocean currents that drag garbage from all corners of the globe.  Not only is there large floating debris (bottle caps, toothbrushes, plastic bags, etc.) but half of the debris found is small chips of unidentifiable plastics.
Charles Moore, who discovered this garbage patch, found plastic flakes floating 10 meters below …