Latest news with #JosephPrezioso
Scotsman
29-04-2025
- Science
- Scotsman
Why humanity's 'greatest ally against climate change' may be about to switch sides
Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The oceans have been described as our 'greatest ally against climate change', and for a very good reason: they have been soaking up a staggering 90 per cent of the heat generated by our carbon emissions, damping down the consequences of our folly. So while the most noticeable signs of climate change – like out-of-season wildfires, devastating floods and deadly heatwaves – are all on land, there is clearly a lot going on beneath the waves that most of us do not see. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The rise in sea levels – fuelled by melting ice sheets and expansion as the water warms – is the most obvious one to humans, particularly those who inhabit low-lying Pacific Islands and places like Indonesia's capital Jakarta, which has the misfortune of being on the coast, low-lying and the fastest-sinking city in the world. There are other serious concerns, such as the acidification caused by extra carbon in the water, a threat to shellfish and coral reefs, and the disruption of ocean currents that have a huge influence on our climate. Global warming is affecting the oceans as well as the land and the consequences for humanity could be just as profound (Picture: Joseph Prezioso) | AFP via Getty Images A sudden depature from the norm Sea surface temperatures tell a similar story to those on land – they are rising – and this is documented in near-real time by the Copernicus Climate Change Service. So on Sunday, the average global ocean temperature, between 60 degrees north to 60 degrees south, was 20.88 degrees Celsius, which, for someone who has occasionally dipped a timid toe into the North Sea, sounds lovely. Until recently, every year, the average temperature would peak in about March or April, as the southern hemisphere neared the end of its summer, then fall back, with a second, smaller peak towards the end of the north's summer. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad However, in May 2023, something strange happened. After a brief dip, temperatures plateaued when they should have been falling and then rose dramatically to set a new record high temperature in August, the wrong time of year. If the graph had been data from a machine, you might think that, after a long build-up, something had snapped. Part of the explanation is that the world was experiencing the natural 'El Nino' weather phenomenon, which has a warming effect. However this is a regular event and previous iterations did not result in temperatures breaking free from the usual, seasonal pattern. Watch a live climate event unfold Fortunately, this pattern returned last year, although temperatures have remained at a higher level than before 2023. The mercury had been fairly steadily rising, but the Copernicus graph showing sea surface temperature anomalies has a pronounced warm spike from 2023 onwards. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In an interview, Dr Samantha Burgess, Copernicus Climate Service's deputy director, told me: 'We've seen, in the last two years, a stronger departure from average [temperatures]. We've not seen that type of signal before, that strength of signal, and scientists are still trying to understand why we saw such a departure with an El Nino event that wasn't particularly strong.' Over the next few weeks, we will discover whether or not there will be another abrupt departure from the historic pattern and we can all watch it play out on the near-live Copernicus graph. The service also has a graph for air temperatures and an interactive globe that allows you to see which parts were hotter or cooler than normal on a given day all over the world. Tipping points To me, the strange and record-breaking sea surface temperatures of 2023, which were surpassed in 2024, are an early warning sign that something fundamental is changing in our oceans, that they are moving closer to the 'tipping points' feared by climate scientists. With global warming recently rising above 1.5C for a full year for the first time, Dr Burgess pointed to some of the potential consequences of allowing this process to continue. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'One of the tipping points in the ocean is for ecosystems. So if we get up to two degrees of warming, it's predicted that we'll lose coral reefs and other calcifying organisms,' she said. 'If we get up to two degrees of warming, it's predicted to significantly disrupt our ocean circulation as well and, in the UK, in particular, we're much warmer than we would be due to warm ocean currents keeping our temperature quite mild.' Net zero better than geo-engineering Concern about climate change has prompted research into 'geo-engineering', with scientists investigating ways to artificially cool the Earth. One such project involves removing carbon from the sea, storing it, and returning the decarbonised water, which is then better able to absorb carbon from the air. Such research may strike some as hopeful, but as far as I'm concerned, it's mildly terrifying. If we have reached a point where we must start interfering with the climate on a global scale, we really are in trouble. The potential for unintended consequences when dealing with such a complex system seems obvious and immense. The drive to reduce our carbon emissions to net zero by 2050 may be difficult – or even, as Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has claimed, 'impossible'. However, to my mind, it still provides the safest, surest way out of the growing climate crisis, for all the practical problems that completing such an endeavour within 25 years will inevitably create. The task is vast, but so is the threat. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
Forbes
14-04-2025
- Forbes
Why Massachusetts Is Cracking Down On Shore-Based White Shark Fishing
A person runs as a Great White Shark swims just meters away on the Cape Cod National Sea Shore on ... More the eastern side of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images) Are you one of those fishermen chasing social media clout by trying to land a great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias)? If so, Massachusetts has a message for you: think again. Ahead of the upcoming white shark season, state officials have rolled out stricter rules to crack down on shore-based shark fishing, particularly around Cape Cod. While targeting white sharks has long been prohibited, enforcement has been tricky. Anglers have often gotten around the ban by claiming they're fishing for other, legal shark species. That loophole is now closing. Thanks to a recent vote by the state's Marine Fisheries Advisory Commission, new regulations give the Massachusetts Environmental Police the authority they need to address this growing issue. White sharks are protected in state and federal waters, and Cape Cod has become a seasonal hotspot for them. These new regulations are meant to reduce the chances of intentional or unintentional targeting of white sharks, which not only harms the animals but also increases public safety risks. According to Daniel McKiernan, Director of the Division of Marine Fisheries, the goal is to limit shore-based fishing for white sharks without completely shutting down recreational fishing. 'We believe the new regulations balance public safety while still allowing shore-based recreational fishing opportunities for other species,' he said. So what's driving the need for these changes? Part of the problem is how visible and enticing this type of fishing has become on social media. Videos of people landing sharks — especially iconic species like the great white — get lots of clicks, shares, and praise online. This has led to more people trying their luck at catching one, even if they're not supposed to. Jared Silva, a policy analyst with the Division of Marine Fisheries, called out this trend directly, saying there's a growing group of anglers chasing viral fame instead of respecting the rules. But this behavior isn't just risky for the sharks. It's risky for people, too. Chumming and baiting activities bring sharks closer to shore — sometimes dangerously close to where people are swimming, surfing or just enjoying the beach. And as fishermen try to cast their lines farther out, many now use drones or other mechanized devices to drop baits beyond the surf. Add in the summer tourist crowds, and it becomes a volatile mix. 'They can't co-exist,' Silva said bluntly. Shark fishing and sunbathers just don't go hand in hand. 'It's a huge public safety issue.' Greg Skomal pointed out that targeting white sharks in the banned areas is 'quite easy,' given their ... More high seasonal abundance nearshore along the Cape's eastern beaches. 'The abundance that we see out there is mind blowing,' Skomal said. 'They are quite close to shore.' That's why the new rules include clear boundaries, such as a defined ban on shore-based shark fishing in key areas of Cape Cod where white sharks are commonly seen. This includes the coastline from Plymouth Beach south to the Cape Cod Canal, continuing along Cape Cod Bay and wrapping around to the Atlantic-facing beaches down to Chatham. The restrictions cover both the outer and inner Cape, including Monomoy Island and Chatham Harbor — all known white shark hotspots. The South Cape and Islands — where recreational shark fishing has historically focused on species other than great whites — are not included in the restricted area. The regulations also take aim at some of the techniques that have become popular in recent years, such as chumming (the act of throwing bloody fish parts or other bait into the water to attract sharks). Chumming is now banned from sunrise to sunset when fishing from shore, and mechanized or remote-controlled devices (like drones) are not prohibited to deploy bait while fishing with rod and reel from the shore. These specific restrictions give environmental police a better chance at stopping illegal targeting of white sharks before an incident occurs. In other words, officials don't need to guess someone's intent anymore — they just need to see the gear or methods being used. Of course, not everyone is thrilled about the new rules. Tim Brady, the only dissenting member of the Marine Fisheries Advisory Commission, raised concerns that the rules might unintentionally block access to legal shark species: 'I understand the potential user group conflict but are we also preventing somebody who's targeting a different shark species, which they can target?' He also questioned just how likely it really is to hook a great white. But longtime shark scientist Dr. Greg Skomal quickly pushed back. Along the eastern beaches of the Cape, he said, 'The abundance that we see out there is mind blowing. They are quite close to shore.' For Skomal, the new rules are not about taking away fishing opportunities — they're about protecting both people and sharks. He emphasized that most other legally fishable shark species are located on the southern side of the Cape and Islands, far from the newly restricted zones. 'There will be little impact on those existing fisheries,' he added. Pending a final regulatory review, the rules are expected to go into effect for the upcoming season. And when they do, Massachusetts Environmental Police will finally have the tools they need to curb a growing and dangerous trend. Whether you're an angler looking to catch a thrill or a tourist hoping for a peaceful day at the beach, the message is clear: Massachusetts is putting safety and science first.
