NASA has selected 16 cool new futuristic space technology concepts for further study. Four of them are from NASA’s own Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), including a railway system on the moon to move cargo. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/futuristic-space-technology-concepts-nasa-jpl-niac…
Tag: Seas
Hundreds of fish species, including many we eat, are consuming plastic
As more and more plastic trash permeates the oceans, microplastics are making their way into fish and shellfish, and potentially into humans. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/hundreds-fish-species-consume-microplastics-including-human-food…
Seas will likely rise even faster than worst-case scenarios predicted by climate models
Sea levels will probably rise faster than the most mainstream climate models predict, according to a new study. Source: https://www.livescience.com/sea-levels-rising-faster-than-models.html
A robot submarine could explore Titan’s deepest sea
A new study of data from NASA’s bountiful Cassini mission shows that Titan’s largest methane sea, Kraken Mare, is at least 1,000 feet – 300 meters – deep near its center. That’s plenty of room for a future robotic submarine to explore. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/titans-largest-sea-kraken-mare-is-1000-feet-deep…
Megalodon shark’s enormous babies ate their siblings in the womb
Megalodons – the extinct giant sharks that lived in most of Earth’s oceans about 3 million years ago – gave birth to babies that were larger than adult humans, scientists say. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/megalodon-extinct-giant-shark-enormous-babies…
The long decline of Arctic sea ice
Forty years of satellite data show that 2020 was just the latest in a decades-long decline of Arctic sea ice. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/decline-of-arctic-sea-ice-1979-2019…
Sluggish start for Arctic sea ice freeze-up
Early ice retreat amid warm Arctic air temperatures set the stage for the slow refreeze in 2020. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/sluggish-start-for-arctic-sea-ice-freeze-up-2020…
In Rare Show of Solidarity, 14 Key Nations Commit To Protect Oceans
When the heads of state of 14 nations sat down together in late 2018 to discuss the grim condition of the world’s oceans, there was no certainty that anything consequential would result. The leaders planned 14 gatherings, but met only twice before the pandemic upended their talks. So when the group announced this week the world’s most far-reaching pact to protect…
The ESA Starts a New Commercial Sector in Space: Removing Space Debris
Long-time Slashdot reader SonicSpike brings some big news from outer space. European Space Agency announced this week that they’re signing “a €86 million ($102 million USD) contract with an industrial team led by the Swiss start-up ClearSpace SA to purchase a unique service: the first removal of an item of space debris from orbit” in the year 2025. “With this contract…
EU Plans To Increase Offshore Windfarm Capacity By 250%
The capacity of the EU’s offshore windfarms in the North Sea, the Baltic, the Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea will be increased by 250% under a draft plan drawn up by the European commission. The Guardian reports: The total energy generating capacity in Europe’s seas stands at 23 gigawatts (GW), from 5,047 grid-connected wind turbines across 12 countries, including…