State of the Oceans — Log 101

Oct 2

YOUR WEEKLY BRIEFING FROM PARLEY

This image by Joe Waranont. Header image by John Robert McPherson / CC BY-SA.

MANGROVES

Brazil is facing its worst fire season in a decade, with a staggering 22% of the Pantanal wetlands burning, as well as large areas of the Amazon rainforest. To make matters worse, the Brazilian environment minister, Ricardo Salles, has announced an end to two legal protections for mangroves and coastal forests, arguing the protections are excessively restrictive and stifle economic development. The decision was immediately suspended by a judge as it violates the constitutional rights of Brazilians enjoying an ecologically balanced environment. Activists say Salles is working to appease certain business sectors and experts have found that policies like weakening regulations on timber and failing to fund conservation efforts have a clear impact on the rapid wildfires that Brazil is experiencing.

WHALES

It’s been a surprisingly silent summer for many whales in the Atlantic and near Alaska this year. Environmental activists have temporarily managed to halt seismic blasting for offshore oil research, a practice that is known to inflict damage on marine animals near and far, amongst them the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale. The Atlantic Ocean blast zone had spanned Cape May, New Jersey to Cape Canaveral, Florida, an area that, according to Oceana, contains at least 34 species of marine mammals, including the only known calving ground for the North Atlantic right whale, of which only around 400 animals remain. Seismic blasts can not only cause hearing damage but also disorientate them and disrupt their communication, feeding, predator avoidance, and social behavior. On the other side of North America, local humpback whale populations have been thriving in the quiet waters as the global pandemic has effectively decreased the number of cruise ships in the area to zero. This is the first time since 1976 that researchers have been able to listen to humpbacks in a silent ocean in Alaska. Experts will sample the stress levels through blubber biopsies, look to see how the whales will socialize differently and how they interact with the environment compared to previous decades.

INNOVATION

Special sponges, magnetic soap and autonomous robots are among the latest wave of inventions aimed at tackling oil spills. Oil incidents have ravaged numerous coastlines this year – devastating the environment and threatening communities who rely on the sea or tourism for their livelihoods. Professor Vinayak Dravid and Vikas Nandwana, a PhD student, have developed a sponge capable of selectively soaking up oil spills found in ocean water. The sponge has a coating of magnetic nanostructures and a carbon-based surface that attracts oil and resists water, and can absorb more than 30 times its weight in oil. Another team of scientists from Bristol University developed another option for cleaning oil spills: magnetic soap. The soap is composed of dissolvable iron rich salts, which respond to magnetic fields when placed in solution. Carlo Ratti, the director of the MIT Senseable City Lab, pioneered the Sea Swarm robot fleet. Each robot can hold up to 20 times its weight in oil and works as a collective. The robots consist of a head covered by a layer of photovoltaic cells and a conveyor belt covered with tiny wires. After each use, the fabric can be heated to remove the oil. Once the oil is removed, the nanowire mesh can be recycled again and again.

BIOPLASTICS

The British Standards Institution has published a new standard for biodegradable plastic which scientists say will cut through a jungle of classifications that leave consumers confused. Plastic claiming to be biodegradable will have to pass a test to prove it breaks down into a harmless wax which contains no microplastics or nanoplastics in order to make the grade. A British company called Polymateria created a formula called biotransformation, to transform plastic items such as bottles, cups and film into a sludge at a specific moment in the product’s life. Niall Dunne, chief executive of Polymateria, said in tests using the formula, polyethylene film fully broke down in 226 days and plastic cups in 336 days. Furthermore, the biodegradable products created by Polumateria contain a clear recycle-by date, to show consumers that they have a timeframe to dispose of them responsibly in the recycling system before they start breaking down.

* In case you’re still confused about the Dos and Don’ts of biodegradable products, The New York Times has a handy break down of why bioplastics may not, in fact, break down.

PLASTIC POLLUTION

Scientists have found further evidence that the bacteria Ideonella sakaiensis produces two enzymes that break plastic down. Specifically, the enzymes work efficiently to break down PET, the type of plastic used to make soda bottles and synthetic fabric for clothing. Since the initial finding, scientists have been studying the enzyme and reworking its properties to engineer a new form of the enzyme called PETase. Research showed that this version of the enzyme sped up the natural disintegration of plastic, but only by 20%. The researchers have now created a second enzyme that the bacteria produces, called MHETase. Their study has proven that PETase and MHETase work in concert to break down plastic at a rate six times faster than the naturally-occurring processes. Though we need a more holistic approach, i.e, not making so much plastic, this finding could revolutionize the way the world disposes of plastic waste.