Satellite images are used to detect small pieces of plastic pollution floating in the ocean

Of 30 billion plastic bottles used by UK households each year, only 57 per cent are currently recycled. With half of these going to landfill, half of all plastic bottles that are recycled go to waste. Around 700,000 plastic bottles a day end up as litter. This is largely due to plastic wrapping around bottles … Read more

Couple ‘unaware’ of Covid-19 pandemic as they were sailing across the ocean

‘Nobody told us about the pandemic’: Couple travelling the world in a yacht had no idea coronavirus had swept the globe until they were stopped from docking at Caribbean island after 25 days at sea Elena Manighetti and Ryan Osborne were sailing across the Atlantic in March The couple were completely unaware of the global … Read more

Arctic ocean will be ice-free in summer before 2050 even if emission cutting goals are met

Arctic ocean will be ice-free in the summer before 2050 even if emission cutting goals are met, shock study reveals Sea ice in the Arctic grows and shrinks across the seasons, not melting entirely This will change in the future even if temperature rises are kept under 2°C (3.6°F) Experts modelled the impact on Arctic … Read more

Captain threw pair of stowaways overboard into shark-infested Indian Ocean

A captain and his crew pleaded guilty to attempted murder after throwing two terrified stowaways into a shark infested ocean to avoid catching coronavirus from them. Skipper Cui Rongli watched as his crew built a makeshift raft roping together sealed plastic drums and plywood then stopped his ship to dump the petrified pair overboard in … Read more

More than half of all Earth’s ocean life died off 444 million years ago because it ran out of oxygen

A bad time to be alive’: More than half of all Earth’s ocean life died off 444 million years ago because it ran out of oxygen, study shows Researchers studied samples of black shale from the Murzuq Basin in Libya They used this and existing data to build a model of ancient ocean oxygen levels It suggested … Read more

Monkeys sailed across the Atlantic Ocean 34 million years ago

An extinct species of monkey the size of a marmoset conquered the Atlantic Ocean 34 million years ago and sailed from Africa to South America, according to a study.  The incredible feat occurred when the continents were closer together than they are today and the likely distance of the voyage was around 900 miles (1,450km). … Read more

Researchers develop plastic from cassava starch and wood pulp that’s biodegradable in ocean water

Researchers develop a new kind of plastic from cassava starch and wood pulp that is twice as strong and can be broken down in ocean water in as little as 30 days Scientists from Osaka University have developed a new biodegradable plastic They  claim it’s twice as strong as conventional plastic made from polyethylene Made from … Read more

Italian cyclist tries to dodge £350 coronavirus lockdown fine by riding into ocean 

Sea ya later! Italian cyclist tries to dodge £350 coronavirus lockdown fine by riding into the ocean Man went into the sea on Otranto beach in Italy’s southern Apulia region Police were performing identification on checks because of coronavirus crisis Cyclist refused to leave the sea but police identified and fined him  Coronavirus symptoms: what … Read more

Exhaust from commercial container ships crossing the Atlantic Ocean alter cloud composition

Exhaust from container ships crossing the Atlantic Ocean triggers cloud formation and blocks solar energy from reaching the ocean, masking the effects of global warming Researchers analyzed satellite data from a popular shipping route in the Atlantic They found greater cloud cover and more reflected energy from the sun This was caused by clouds that … Read more

Lego bricks could survive in ocean for 1,300 years

Lego bricks can survive in the ocean for up to 1,300 YEARS before they break down – posing a serious threat to marine animals and the environment Lego bricks weathered at sea were collected from English beaches for the study They compared the bricks from the south-west beaches with unweathered sets The team found that … Read more