Breaking Waves: Ocean News https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-waves/index.php en On a Colorado farm, solar panels bring shade for plants, power – and cash: in pictures https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/colorado-farm-solar-panels-bring-shade-plants-power-and-cash-pictures <p>More than 3,000 solar panels power Jack’s Solar Garden, cool the land and help it turn a profit</p> <p><em>The Guardian receives support for visual climate coverage from the Outrider Foundation. The Guardian’s coverage is editorially independent</em></p> <p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2026/jul/20/colorado-farming-solar-panels-in-pictures">Continue reading...</a></p> Mon, 20 Jul 2026 12:00:40 +0000 admin 103943 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Trump officials kill proposed rules for Pfas-contaminated sewage fertilizer https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/trump-officials-kill-proposed-rules-pfas-contaminated-sewage-fertilizer <p>EPA tosses out scientific research carried out under Biden and says toxic sludge not a significant threat to public</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/trump-officials-kill-proposed-rules-pfas-contaminated-sewage-fertilizer" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Mon, 20 Jul 2026 12:00:40 +0000 admin 103944 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org ‘It’s total devastation’: inside the Amazonian war against illegal gold mining https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/it-s-total-devastation-inside-amazonian-war-against-illegal-gold-mining <p>The Guardian goes on the ground with Brazilian forces fighting to eradicate mining that has destroyed protected areas of Indigenous land</p> <p>The jerry-built bordello at the foot of Vila Cururu, an illegal gold-mining settlement at the heart of Brazil’s most desecrated Indigenous territory, was a hive of depravity until just a few weeks ago.</p> <p>Inebriated prospectors huddled around wooden tables, swigging beer and Scotch whisky, and ogling pole-dancing sex workers before going with them to shacks behind the brothel.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/it-s-total-devastation-inside-amazonian-war-against-illegal-gold-mining" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Mon, 20 Jul 2026 05:00:47 +0000 admin 103941 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org AI-altered images on birdwatching forums putting research at risk https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/ai-altered-images-birdwatching-forums-putting-research-risk <p>Experts warn increase in enhanced photos on birding platforms creating fake sightings, threatening credibility of tool used by scientists</p> <p>For many birdwatchers, recording a species outside its normal range is the holy grail. In the UK, the discoveries often make national headlines. The western reef heron, for example, usually found in Africa and southern Europe, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/13/tropical-heron-spotted-first-time-uk-aoe">was spotted in a seaside town in north Wales</a> in June, and widely celebrated on birding forums.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/ai-altered-images-birdwatching-forums-putting-research-risk" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Mon, 20 Jul 2026 04:00:45 +0000 admin 103940 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Combining nature conservation with maritime spatial planning in Northern Europe https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/combining-nature-conservation-maritime-spatial-planning-northern-europe <p>npj Ocean Sustainability, Published online: 20 July 2026; <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s44183-026-00225-x">doi:10.1038/s44183-026-00225-x</a></p> <p>Combining nature conservation with maritime spatial planning in Northern Europe</p> Mon, 20 Jul 2026 04:00:00 +0000 admin 103942 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org ‘When I get home, my whole body aches’: extreme heat saps health and wages of India’s poorest workers https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/when-i-get-home-my-whole-body-aches-extreme-heat-saps-health-and-wages-india-s-poorest <p>Exclusive: Outdoor workers losing up to 9% of income as weather becomes ‘poverty multiplier’, research says</p> <p>Extreme heat is pushing some of India’s poorest workers further into poverty, with income losses of up to 9% for outdoor workers, new research has found.</p> <p>Analysis done by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), and shared exclusively with the Guardian, found that extreme heat is acting as a “poverty multiplier” for hundreds of millions of workers in India’s informal sector.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/when-i-get-home-my-whole-body-aches-extreme-heat-saps-health-and-wages-india-s-poorest" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Mon, 20 Jul 2026 03:00:44 +0000 admin 103939 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Five family members found dead after flash flood in Utah canyon, police say https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/five-family-members-found-dead-after-flash-flood-utah-canyon-police-say <p>Victims were Provo’s fire captain, his wife and their three sons, who were hiking in Bicknell amid heavy rains</p> <p>Five family members who had set out for a day of hiking were killed after a flash flood swept through canyons of southern <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/utah">Utah</a> on Friday, law enforcement officials said.</p> <p>The victims were a captain in the Provo fire department, his wife and their sons, according to fire officials. A daughter who was not on the trip survived.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/five-family-members-found-dead-after-flash-flood-utah-canyon-police-say" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Sun, 19 Jul 2026 22:24:04 +0000 admin 103938 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Majority of US voters link extreme weather to climate crisis, study finds https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/majority-us-voters-link-extreme-weather-climate-crisis-study-finds <p>Top Democrat says findings show public ‘way ahead of the politicians’ as Trump dismisses global heating as ‘hoax’</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/majority-us-voters-link-extreme-weather-climate-crisis-study-finds" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Sun, 19 Jul 2026 11:00:26 +0000 admin 103935 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Molten salt and human sweat: the weird batteries that could store renewable energy https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/molten-salt-and-human-sweat-weird-batteries-could-store-renewable-energy <p>From Nevada to Manchester, developers are trialling innovative solutions to clean energy’s biggest challenge</p> <p>In the deserts of the United Arab Emirates a sprawling <a href="https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/how-falling-battery-costs-are-igniting-race-round-the-clock-solar-power--ecmii-2026-03-10/">clean energy project</a>, stretching across an area roughly the size of 12,600 football fields, will play host to a breakthrough allowing solar energy to power the equivalent of half a million homes through the night.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/molten-salt-and-human-sweat-weird-batteries-could-store-renewable-energy" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Sun, 19 Jul 2026 11:00:25 +0000 admin 103937 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org How Trump and his administration have mired the US in multiple crises https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/how-trump-and-his-administration-have-mired-us-multiple-crises <p>From manufactured election insecurity to an outbreak of ‘explosive’ diarrhea, Americans are bearing the brunt of harmful policies</p> <p>Between widespread cuts to vital government agencies, various disease and illness outbreaks, and new environmental disaster vulnerabilities, the United States is facing a convergence of crises with widespread repercussions.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/how-trump-and-his-administration-have-mired-us-multiple-crises" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Sun, 19 Jul 2026 11:00:25 +0000 admin 103936 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org