Breaking Waves: Ocean News https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-waves/kominki.evenweb.com en US border patrol expected to aid Grand Canyon search for missing person https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/us-border-patrol-expected-aid-grand-canyon-search-missing-person <p>Nearly 80 people have been rescued, and two people confirmed dead, after flood hit national park</p> <p>A US border patrol technical search team is expected to deploy in the Grand Canyon, as authorities continue the search for at least one missing person after <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/30/grand-canyon-flash-flood-arizona-people-missing-evacuated">a fatal flash flood</a> washed through the national park over the weekend.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/us-border-patrol-expected-aid-grand-canyon-search-missing-person" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Tue, 01 Sep 2026 14:19:17 +0000 admin 104443 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org High winds during El Niño could be deadly for England’s stressed trees, say experts https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/high-winds-during-el-ni-o-could-be-deadly-england-s-stressed-trees-say-experts <p>Head of tree collections at Kew ‘very worried about this autumn’ as hot, dry summer has caused brittleness</p> <p>High winds associated with El Niño could cause widespread mortality among tree species already weakened by a prolonged period of extreme heat and drought, experts have warned.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/high-winds-during-el-ni-o-could-be-deadly-england-s-stressed-trees-say-experts" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Tue, 01 Sep 2026 14:00:00 +0000 admin 104442 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Forest Service chief faces scrutiny over logging ties as Trump plans to scrap protections https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/forest-service-chief-faces-scrutiny-over-logging-ties-trump-plans-scrap-protections <p>Rollback of ‘roadless rule’ expected to benefit companies US Forest Service chief, Tom Schultz, previously lobbied for</p> <p>Donald Trump this month announced plans to rescind a landmark rule that has protected old-growth forests in the US for 25 years. If finalized, the rollback is expected to benefit the companies that Tom Schultz, chief of the US Forest Service, represented in his previous roles as a timber industry lobbyist and executive, according to research by consumer advocacy non-profit Public Citizen.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/forest-service-chief-faces-scrutiny-over-logging-ties-trump-plans-scrap-protections" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Tue, 01 Sep 2026 11:00:03 +0000 admin 104441 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Nepal’s glacial collapse foreshadowed a future of climate disaster | Michael Mann https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/nepal-s-glacial-collapse-foreshadowed-future-climate-disaster-michael-mann <p>The deluge capped a summer of extreme climate events, from deadly heatwaves to wildfires. We must take action now</p> <p>For millennia, the high peaks of the Himalayas were held together by an invisible, frozen cement – permafrost and glacial ice that bound ancient rock into seemingly unshakable fortresses. But as the planet continues to warm, this alpine glue is liquefying.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/nepal-s-glacial-collapse-foreshadowed-future-climate-disaster-michael-mann" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Tue, 01 Sep 2026 09:00:05 +0000 admin 104440 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Could this humble sea sponge clean up the world’s ports? https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/could-humble-sea-sponge-clean-world-s-ports <p>The chicken liver sponge has sailed through a test of its ability to filter pollutants in a harbour in Spain’s Costa Brava</p> <p>In the polluted waters of Marina Palamós on Spain’s Costa Brava, Manuel Maldonado, a sponge biologist, noticed something unusual last month: red starfish had started settling in the area.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/could-humble-sea-sponge-clean-world-s-ports" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Tue, 01 Sep 2026 08:00:48 +0000 admin 104439 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org ‘The mountains are changing’: What the floods tell us about the future of India’s Himalayas https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/mountains-are-changing-what-floods-tell-us-about-future-india-s-himalayas <p>As families await news of missing loved ones, the disaster is a stark reminder of how the climate crisis is creating a fast-growing threat. Plus, the town considered India’s ‘Jurassic Park’</p> <p><strong>• </strong><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/30/sign-up-for-this-is-india-our-free-weekly-newsletter-on-life-in-the-subcontinent"><strong>Don’t get This is India delivered to your inbox? Sign up here</strong></a></p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/mountains-are-changing-what-floods-tell-us-about-future-india-s-himalayas" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Tue, 01 Sep 2026 06:30:46 +0000 admin 104438 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Cities sweltering and the smell of the middle ages: has the climate crisis killed Instagram’s Euro summer? | Brigid Delaney https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/cities-sweltering-and-smell-middle-ages-has-climate-crisis-killed-instagram-s-euro-sum <p>Who dreams of having a Euro summer now when staying in an ancient, uncooled building in the Old Town is like trying to sleep in a wood-fired pizza oven?</p> <p>This week the Euro summer comes to an end – and so does a certain type of posting on Instagram.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/cities-sweltering-and-smell-middle-ages-has-climate-crisis-killed-instagram-s-euro-sum" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Tue, 01 Sep 2026 05:03:17 +0000 admin 104436 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Dry weather sewage discharges soar as water companies face scrutiny https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/dry-weather-sewage-discharges-soar-water-companies-face-scrutiny <p>Exclusive: 7,280 suspected illegal spills in rivers and sea recorded in first five months of 2026</p> <p>The number of suspected illegal discharges of raw sewage into rivers and seas by water companies during dry weather increased significantly during the first five months of 2026.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/dry-weather-sewage-discharges-soar-water-companies-face-scrutiny" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Tue, 01 Sep 2026 05:00:45 +0000 admin 104435 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org The Nepal and Tibet flood is a warning: melting snow and ice will bring more disasters around the world | Bill McGuire https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/nepal-and-tibet-flood-warning-melting-snow-and-ice-will-bring-more-disasters-around-wo <p>In Alaska, the Himalayas, the Andes, Greenland, and perhaps also the Alps, deadly chain reactions are just waiting to be triggered</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/nepal-and-tibet-flood-warning-melting-snow-and-ice-will-bring-more-disasters-around-wo" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Tue, 01 Sep 2026 05:00:45 +0000 admin 104437 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Could humans ever communicate with whales? - podcast https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/could-humans-ever-communicate-whales-podcast <p>Ever since the earliest known recording of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/mar/16/oldest-known-whale-song-recording-ocean-sounds">whale song was made in 1949</a>, researchers have been captivated by the wails, rumbles, clicks, grunts and squeals of their communication. As technology improves, scientists are decoding the intricate patterns that make different species’ vocalisations distinctive. Madeleine Finlay hears from Emma Bryce, a journalist who has spent months investigating human efforts to understand whale song.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/could-humans-ever-communicate-whales-podcast" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Tue, 01 Sep 2026 04:00:43 +0000 admin 104434 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org