sea

12 Stories

With No Options Left, They Keep Risking Lives by Boat

But 1 in 8 Rohingya refugees who flee Myanmar or camps in Bangladesh are lost at sea

(Newser) - Across a treacherous stretch of water, the Rohingya came by the thousands, then died by the hundreds. Last year, nearly 4,500 ethnic Rohingya Muslims—two-thirds of them women and children—fled their homeland of Myanmar and refugee camps in neighboring Bangladesh by boat, the United Nations' refugee agency reported....

California's Waves Are Getting Bigger
In California, 13-Foot
Waves Are a 'Harbinger'
new study

In California, 13-Foot Waves Are a 'Harbinger'

Study says giant swells have become more common, with signs pointing to climate change

(Newser) - Waves are getting bigger, and surf at least 13 feet tall is becoming more common off California's coast as the planet warms, according to innovative new research that tracked the increasing height from historical data gathered over the past 90 years. Oceanographer Peter Bromirski at the Scripps Institution of...

How to Save the Oceans: Eat Sardines

Overfishing has led to wildly unbalanced ecosystem

(Newser) - Want to help restore the ocean’s severely unbalanced ecoysystem? Develop a taste for anchovies and sardines. A new study shows that a worldwide appetite for smaller, “grazing” fish would do wonders to restore balance after years of overfishing the more popular, and larger, varieties. Humans tend to like...

Team Discovers Mini-Monsters of the Deep

Thousands of bizarre creatures discovered in blackest black

(Newser) - A team of scientists have discovered thousands of incredibly bizarre new creatures living in the blackness of the deep Atlantic ocean. They range from "Jumbo Dumbo," an octopod that swims by flapping a pair of ear-like fins, to shining golden crustaceans. Most of the animals found are only...

Blaze Erupts on Aussie Oil Rig
 Blaze Erupts on Aussie Oil Rig 

Blaze Erupts on Aussie Oil Rig

Leak spewing 400 barrels of oil daily

(Newser) - A massive blaze has erupted from an oil rig in the Timor Sea off northwest Australia. The fire was sparked as workers battled to plug an undersea leak that has spewed 400 barrels of oil a day for the past 10 weeks. No one was injured in the fire and...

US Lensman Captures Life-Size Whale Pics

Photog praises 'gentle, friendly' beasts

(Newser) - A US lensman who has opened an exhibit of life-size whale photographs in Norway calls the great beasts "the most friendly and inquisitive carnivores on the planet." Bryant Austin spent five years, including days diving with "exceptional individual" whales he could touch, to collect enough photos to...

Acid Ocean Will Dissolve Sea Creatures' Shells

Researchers uncover another devastating impact of global warming

(Newser) - Waters around the North Pole are absorbing so much carbon dioxide that acid in the ocean will soon begin dissolving sea creatures' shells, scientists warn. By 2018 10% of the Arctic Ocean will be corrosive, spelling potential disaster for the food chain as crustaceans begin to die off, reports the...

Drug Smugglers Head to Sea on .... Surfboards?

(Newser) - Improved security along the US-Mexico border has pushed enterprising smugglers to the sea in any manner of craft, the New York Times reports. Authorities have been catching twice as many illegal immigrants as usual—and seized 7 times the typical quantity of drugs—in recent months from boats and beaches,...

Sharks Enjoy a Cuddle
 Sharks Enjoy a Cuddle 

Sharks Enjoy a Cuddle

(Newser) - British aquarium managers are going to begin training sharks with rewards and even hugs after US scientists have discovered that certain breeds of the toothsome fish enjoy human cuddles, reports the Telegraph. "Zebra sharks will even roll over to have their tummies scratched or allow themselves to be lifted...

Diver Dies of Bends Filming for Natl. Geographic

(Newser) - An underwater photographer has died of the bends while filming for National Geographic, reports the Telegraph. Carl Spencer, 37, was part of team exploring the the British World War I hospital ship HMHS Britannic, the sister ship of the Titanic, off the coast of Greece. He collapsed and was airlifted...

Pirates Kill Brit Yachtsman
 Pirates Kill Brit Yachtsman 

Pirates Kill Brit Yachtsman

Wife hears sounds of a scuffle, then silence

(Newser) - A British yachtsman was killed off the coast of Thailand by three fisherman-pirates who locked his wife in the cabin, reports the Times of London. The body of the vacationing 64-year-old businessman was not found, but police believe he was thrown overboard after his throat was cut. His wife managed...

Panel Links Global Warming to Hurricane Surge

Study backs UN Panel's conclusion that humans are driving dangerous trend

(Newser) - Rising sea temperatures caused by global warming are causing a surge in the number of hurricanes and tropical storms, a new study confirms. The research, which examined the pattern of storms from the last 100 years, buffers a UN panel's conclusion earlier this year that humans are "more likely...

12 Stories