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

Death of millions of salmon due to global warming has sent prices spiraling

There is a major shortage of salmon due to death of millions of fish from global warming and this is sending salmon prices spiraling - as per the latest research, Chilean salmon prices are up by over 60 per cent year on year after an algal bloom hits the country's waters in February. The result was the release of powerful toxins and starving the water of oxygen that killed fish.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 17 May 2016.

In Norway, the salmon production has been hit by extreme weather apart from the impact of sea lice in some areas. It needs to be noted that algal blooms contain large numbers of marine algae which occur naturally in the ocean but usually in lower concentration. But, abnormally high ocean temperatures fueled by El Nino have allowed the bloom to flourish.
The bloom affected Chile's salmon region and loss of millions of fish saw the country suffering losses equivalent to 123,500 tonnes of salmon to date. It is predicted that Chilean salmon production could go down by 16 per cent year on year in 2016, to 494,000 tonnes.
The Chilean authorities have claimed that the algae was diminishing and salmon mortality had ended in mid-March. But, it is now battling a second algae attack that is killing bivalves. In the opinion of marine biologists, it could take months for the blooms to dissipate entirely.
The Norwegian salmon production for 2016 is forecast at 1.18 million tonnes - this is down 5 per cent on 2015 levels. Simultaneously, the prices were up 63 per cent year on year last month.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

Some more interesting links -

Cruise ship Harmony of the Seas can accommodate more than 8,000 passengers and crew

Leopards in search of food on the prowl in streets of Gujarat

Bust the obesity timebomb with grapes and oranges


Monsoons and Didi’s flipflops aka Hawaii chappals (satire)

Chopper scam and Moody’s questions (satire)

Baba Someday, his yoga and Pat & Jolie face cream (satire)


High alert in Cannes for the film festival where 45000 people would attend

Kavita Kaushik to play the role of an Army doctor in TV show “Dr. Bhanumati on Duty”

Lady Gaga to portray legendary singer Dionne Warwick in 'Dionne'


Bombs rock Baghdad - ISIS car bombs kill at least 89

No buyers for Zimmerman's gun that killed Trayvon Martin in 2012

Australian police arrest five men who planned to go to Syria by boat to join ISIS

Jellyfish in Jellyfish Lake, Palau, are now a threatened species

The Jellyfish Lake in Palau in the Pacific Ocean once used to have jellyfish in millions but their numbers have dwindled and now, only a few thousands remain - the blame lies on global warming and En-Nino effects. There are fears that this UNESCO World Heritage site may need to be reamed.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 3 May 2016.

The Jellyfish Lake is a saltwater lake and has long been a source of wonder for tourists - they used to go for snorkeling among the millions of golden jellyfish that fill the water. Unfortunately, some tourists in recent weeks wre not able to come across a single jellyfish. As a result, at least one tour operator has put on hold its trips.
This situation is due to a severe drought, coupled with hotter temperatures caused by the El Nino weather pattern and warming of portions of the Pacific Ocean that changes weather worldwide and tends to push up global temperatures.
Scientists are hopeful that the jellyfish numbers will rebound when conditions improve. But, they are also worried that the global warming poses a long-term threat to the delicate ecosystem of Palau, a tiny western Pacific island chain.
As per data furnished by Palau's Coral Reef Research Foundation, the numbers of golden jellyfish at the lake had declined from about 8 million to 600,000 and the number continues to drop. In fact, the adult jellyfish have pretty much died out completely, while some young ones remain. The problem is severe because the jellyfish in the lake are a unique subspecies. They have developed in isolation from their lagoon ancestors.


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