Earthweek: a diary of the planet

Climatic hues

The distinctive blue color that Earth presents to the universe could change by the end of this century due to the effects of a warmer climate.

A team of U.S. and British researchers modeled how phytoplankton absorb and reflect light, and how the ocean’s color will change as global warming alters the composition of those microorganisms living in it. The scientists predict that blue regions, such as the subtropics, will become more blue, and areas nearer the poles might turn a deeper green as warmer waters stimulate larger and more diverse blooms of phytoplankton.

“There will be a noticeable difference in the color of 50 percent of the ocean by the end of the 21st century,” said lead researcher Stephanie Dutkiewicz of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Tropical cyclones

Cyclones Funani and Gelena churned the open waters of the western Indian Ocean. Both storms were mainly a threat to shipping and fishing operations in the region. Plastic meals

Researchers say microplastics were in the guts of every marine animal they examined that had washed up on the coast of Great Britain, including dolphins, seals and whales.

A team from the University of Exeter and Plymouth Marine Laboratory says that most of the particles found in 50 animals from 10 different species were synthetic fibers, which can come from fishing nets, toothbrushes and clothing. The researchers believe the rest came from sources such as food packaging and plastic bottles.

Though it’s thought the plastic could eventually pass through the digestive systems or be regurgitated, the scientists say they “don’t yet know what effects the microplastics, or the chemicals on and in them, might have on marine mammals.”

Warming record

The U.N. weather agency announced that the past four years have been the warmest ever recorded since reliable measurements began.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), based in Switzerland, also says that the 20 warmest years in history occurred during the past 22 years. The WMO went on to point out that the unprecedented warming continues this year, with Australia experiencing its hottest January on record.

“The degree of warming during the past four years has been exceptional, both on land and in the ocean,” said WMO SecretaryGeneral Petteri Taalas.

Grieving dolphin

New Zealand officials advised boaters to steer clear of a griefstricken bottlenose dolphin that has been spotted carrying around her deceased calf for days. It’s believed the calf was stillborn in the Bay of Islands.

“The mother is grieving and needs space and time to do this,” senior ranger of biodiversity Catherine Peters said in a prepared statement. The sighting was reminiscent of a mother orca whale off the coast of British Columbia last year that carried her dead newborn calf for more than two weeks.

Indonesia eruption

An eruption of Indonesia’s Karangetang volcano isolated the village of Batubulan after lava flowed over Siau Island’s coast highway and into the ocean, slightly enlarging the island in North Sulawesi province. Lava flows also stopped just short of other villages and roads. Clouds of ash cascaded down the volcano’s slopes, coating several villages.

Karangetang’s last big eruption in 2011 killed four people.

Earthquakes

Several structures, including a clinic, were destroyed by a sharp earthquake centered just off the southwestern coast of Indonesia’s Sumatra Island. In addition, a broad area from central and southern Mexico to Guatemala and Belize was jolted by a magnitude 6.6 temblor, centered in Mexico’s Chiapas state. Earth movements also were felt in western Greece, South Asia’s Kashmir region, Taiwan and central Colorado.

©2019 Earth Environment Service