Dec 4, 2020

Scientists organize to tackle crisis of coral bleaching

Coral reefs are among the most diverse ecosystems in the world, protecting coastlines from erosion and supporting more than 500 million people through tourism and fishing livelihoods. But at the current rate of global warming, mass coral bleaching is expected to become more frequent and severe worldwide. Coral bleaching is a significant problem for the world’s ocean ecosystems: When coral becomes bleached, it loses the algae that live inside it, turning it white.

Mobile app for boaters expands to Washington state

Washington Sea Grant, in partnership with the Washington State Parks Clean Vessel Act (CVA) Grant Program, is excited to announce that Pumpout Nav, a free iOS and Android app for boaters, has expanded to Washington. Boaters can now use the interactive tool to find nearly 200 pumpout and portable toilet dump stations in Washington, in addition to hundreds of pumpout and floating restroom facilities in Oregon and California.

Systemic racism has consequences for all life in cities

An aerial view showing the differences in tree cover in two neighboring cities.

Social inequalities, specifically racism and classism, are impacting the biodiversity, evolutionary shifts and ecological health of plants and animals in our cities. That’s the main finding of a review paper led by the University of Washington, with co-authors at the University of California, Berkeley, and University of Michigan, which examined more than 170 published studies and analyzed the influence of systemic inequalities on ecology and evolution.

Global study reveals hope for recovery in declining shark populations

In a first-of-its-kind study published in Nature, scientists report on the conservation status of reef shark populations worldwide. The results are grim; reef sharks have become rare at numerous locations that used to be prime habitat, and in some cases sharks may be absent altogether. A long history of human exploitation is the culprit, with depleted shark populations strongly tied to socio-economic conditions, lack of governance and the proximity of reef environments to large human population centers.

New studies show how to save parasites and why it’s important

Chelsea Wood alongside one of the ponds in the research experiment.

Parasites have a public relations problem. Unlike the many charismatic mammals, fishes and birds that receive our attention (and our conservation dollars), parasites are thought of as something to eradicate — and certainly not something to protect. But only 4% of known parasites can infect humans, and the majority actually serve critical ecological roles, like regulating wildlife that might otherwise balloon in population size and become pests.