Tag Archives: University of South Florida

To fight climate change, should we mine the deep sea?

Ancient rocks lie across vast fields miles below the surface of the Pacific Ocean. Far from people, but not entirely out of reach, they contain metals such as cobalt, used in batteries for technology like electric cars. They are numerous, about the size of meatballs or potatoes, and formed over millions of years. These stones may hold a key to fighting climate change, according to a contingent of entrepreneurs who want to mine them. To wean the world off fossil fuels that worsen global warming, scientists say, will require a lot of batteries. Opponents argue that rushing into deep-sea mining risks destroying a pristine wilderness,,, Skeptics of the industry believe it is better to focus on improving mining conditions on land.  >click to read< 17:25

BP still in the frame for Gulf of Mexico fish lesions

‘We can’t say with 100 per cent certainty that it was the Deepwater Horizon oil spill’, explained Steven Murawski, marine science professor at the University of South Florida, ‘but we can say what it wasn’t. The findings, published in Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, were disputed by BP. According to Geoff Morrell, a senior vice president with BP, such lesions ‘have long been observed in the Gulf and have little effect on a species’ health or population.’  <Read more here> 11:34

USF Study: Skin Lesions on Fish Decline Years After BP Oil Spill

Scientists studying the impact of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill on the health of fish in the Gulf of Mexico have found strong evidence that an outbreak of skin lesions and oil residue signatures discovered in fishes a year after the spill may be related to the catastrophe.  Read more here 15:17