Our oceans are under threat and, with it, our very existence

The oceans are our planet's life support system because, half the oxygen we breathe is produced by marine plankton and, one billion people depend on fish as their primary source of protein. And, these oceans are under threat and, experts have identified five main reasons for this phenomenon.
These are (i) sea temperature (ii) acidification (iii) plastics (iv) overfishing and (v) invasive species. This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 25 July 2016.

These are attributable to climate change, El Nino effect, pollution due to plastics, excess of fishing and invasion of new species into areas where they are not normally found. These cause degradation of the environment which could, in the long run, create survival problems for future generations.
It is, therefore, essential to realize the grave consequences and take corrective action at all levels so that mankind can continue to inhabit the Earth.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

Efforts on by Odisha to get UNESCO Heritage tag for Bhitarkanika national park

Alitalia pilot refused to fly from Beirut to Rome because he was tired - passengers stuck for 16 hours at Beirut

Wildfire in California spreads over 11,000 acres - residents evacuated


Didi not happy seeing urchins in Howrah Station (satire)

Lord Shiva stumped by the sea of humanity on 21st (satire)

Moody embraces yoga, his medics could embrace poverty (satire)

Lone wolf attack in Munich mall kills 10 including the attacker

Youth attacks train commuters with an axe - leaves more than 20 injured, some seriously

ISIS carries out suicide attack in Kabul - 80 killed, death toll could rise


Sir Michael Caine forced to change his name because of ISIS

Irrfan Khan meets Arvind Kejriwal before release of his film 'Madaari'

Kissing scenes in movies – why this fad has never caught on in Bollywood

Corals of the Great Barrier Reef losing their sheen due to global warming

In the opinion of scientists, nearly 93% of Australia's Great Barrier Reef is affected by coral bleaching which is presumed to be a direct fallout of abnormally warm ocean temperatures attributable to global warming. The GBR is a World Heritage site and this damage to the corals is established by the footage released by the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 20 April 2016.

Experts had carried out extensive aerial and underwater surveys along the full 1,429-mile length of the Great Barrier Reef in March and April when the damage has come to light. The finding is that only 7% are not affected or 68 of the 911 individual reefs examined.
It was also revealed that between 60% and 100% of corals were severely bleached on 316 reefs - nearly all of these were in the northern half of the Reef. Another finding is that the reefs in Sydney Harbour were affected by minor bleaching for the first time.
The study was undertaken by the National Coral Bleaching Taskforce and the fact is that, at the moment, nearly 50% of the coral is already dead or dying. Coral bleaching occurs when abnormal environmental conditions, like warmer sea temperatures, make the corals to expel tiny photosynthetic algae called zooxanthellae. This drains them of their color. Of course, coral can recover if the temperature drops and the algae are able to recolonize them.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

Some more interesting links -

Didi wants to move around fast and wants a solution (satire)

Lord Shiva intrigued by the writing on the walls (satire)

Moody hates hotels and feels more at home in his aircraft (satire)


Taj Mumbai welcomes Prince William and Kate, the fourth generation of British monarchy

Huge 26ft python found in Penang - could become a new a Guinness Record holder

Lok Sabha ethics committee probing Narada sting feels the videos are genuine


ISIS still holding 30 workers out of 300 kidnapped from cement factory in Dumeir

Another Bangladeshi blogger killed in Dhaka because of his views on religion

Florida hunters bag a 15-foot 800-pound massive alligator


James Cameron, writer director of Avatar, promises his fans four sequels

'Deadpool' sequel planned and in the pipeline with Ryan Reynolds

Indonesian pop star dies after being bitten by a cobra on stage

Global warming is sounding the death knell for corals worldwide

#coralbleaching #climatechange #globalwarming #ElNino Corals worldwide are on their death bed because they are at grave risk from a major episode of bleaching. The reefs lose color due to this bleaching and scientists have confirmed that this has already hit the reefs in the Pacific, Atlantic and Caribbean. As per data from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), bleaching may affect over 38% of the world's reefs, and destroy over 12,000 sq km of reefs.
This has been reported in bbc.com dated 8 October 2015.

The mass bleaching is apparently a result of the rising water temperatures because of two natural warm currents and exacerbated by man-made climate change. The phenomenon occurs when corals under stress drive out the algae known as zooxanthellae that give them color.
If and when normal conditions return, the corals can recover – the reversal process can take decades, and if the stress continues, the corals can perish. They are also under multiple threats from pollution, over-fishing, sedimentation and damage from boats and tourism.
The global warming due to the warming Pacific current, El Nino, coupled with rise in water temperatures by the Pacific Blob have aggravated the situation. Along with this, man-made climate change also contributes because the oceans are absorbing about 93% of the increase in the earth's heat.
Another threat for the corals is ocean acidification as CO2 emissions get absorbed into the oceans. This causes change of the pH of seawater.
Incidentally, coral reefs are the breeding ground for tropical fisheries apart from providing shelter from the waves for tropical islands and also bring invaluable tourist income.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

Some more interesting 'must reads'-
Skywalk planned by UP tourism department to connect Taj Mahal with Agra Fort

Undaunted by a target of 200, South Africa romp home in Dharamsala with two balls to spare

After yoga, central government promotes outdoor sports like jungle safari, rafting


Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan to promote tourism in Bengal

Sunny Leone is a guest at the PETA US’ 35th anniversary gala at the Hollywood Palladium

X-Files, Scully and Mulder to return on January 24th after a 13-year-break


ISIS harvesting organs of healthy individuals to treat the injured jihadists

US airstrike targets a hospital in Kunduz instead of Taliban outposts – 9 Doctors Without Borders members killed

Russia carries out airstrikes in Syria – targets CIA-backed rebels instead of ISIS


Durga Puja is the busiest time of the year for Kumortuli

Puja Special issues of Bengali magazines

Durga Puja today is a commercial venture