Latest news with #Paul Moore
Irish Times
11-08-2025
- Science
- Irish Times
Sea waters around UK experience record temperatures, causing dramatic changes in marine life
There have been dramatic changes to marine life as a result of seas around the UK having their warmest start to the year since records began, according to provisional data from the UK Met Office. Ireland's seawater temperatures, however, have declined since a marine heatwave occurred during exceptionally warm weather in May , but continue above normal in the east and south, Met Éireann climatologist Paul Moore said. UK Met Office data placed May's heatwave at the extreme end of the spectrum, with the Irish Marine Data Buoy Observation Network confirming sea surface temperatures were up to 4 degrees above average. The average surface temperature of UK waters in the seven months to the end of July was more than 0.2 degrees higher than in any year since 1980, with dramatic changes in marine life evident due to this prolonged heating, analysis of the provisional Met Office data by the BBC concludes. READ MORE Scientists and citizen naturalists have observed a remarkable range of species not usually widespread in UK waters, including octopus, bluefin tuna and mauve stinger jellyfish. [ Angling suspended at three of Ireland's top fisheries due to high water temperatures Opens in new window ] The abundance of these creatures can be affected by natural cycles and fishing practices, but many researchers point to the warming seas as a crucial part of their increased presence. 'Things like jellyfish, like octopus ... they are the sorts of things that you expect to respond quickly to climate change,' Dr Bryce Stewart, a senior research fellow at the Marine Biological Association in Plymouth, told the BBC. 'It's a bit like the canary in the coal mine – the sorts of quite extraordinary changes we've seen over the last few years really do indicate an ecosystem under flux." Atlantic bluefin tuna have been seen along Britain's southwest coast in large numbers this year and have been increasingly detected in Irish waters. Bluefin tuna numbers have been building over the past decade for a number of reasons, including warmer waters and better management of their populations. But extreme heat, combined with historical overfishing, is pushing some cold-adapted species like cod and wolffish to their limits. 'We're definitely seeing this shift of cooler water species moving north in general,' Dr Stewart added. The seas around Ireland and the UK are now considerably warmer than even a few decades ago, a trend driven by the burning of fossil fuels. Warmer seas intensify hurricanes and storms, while there are particular changes to Atlantic currents due to warming that could alter normal weather patterns profoundly. The world's oceans have taken up about 90 per cent of the Earth's excess heat from humanity's emissions of planet-warming gases, including carbon dioxide. This spring was dominated by high-pressure weather conditions, mostly just to the north of Ireland and Britain, resulting in above-average sunshine and below-average winds, generally coming from an easterly direction. A marine heatwave is when the sea surface temperatures are significantly above average for a long period of time. The warmest part of the year for sea surface temperatures is usually in August, with the latest data confirming waters off the south and west of England are exceptionally warm. Further south, the Bay of Biscay is experiencing temperatures 1 to 2 degrees above normal. [ Fishing industry fears changing stocks and species as sea temperatures rise from climate change Opens in new window ] Ireland still has above-average temperatures along the south and east, with waters off the north and west coasts nearer the average, Mr Moore said. Water temperatures in the Irish Sea were 15.3 degrees on Monday, close to the average for August. In Co Cork, waters were at 16.8 degrees, above the average of 16.2 degrees. This may change over the coming week, Mr Moore added, as Ireland is forecast to have winds predominantly from a southerly direction 'which is like to exacerbate sea temperatures'. Mr Moore confirmed the overall trend of warming in the Atlantic, with temperatures 'well above the 1991-2020 long-term average'. A marine heatwave in the Mediterranean intensified a 'heat dome' over France and Spain in recent weeks. The Met Office says its data from the end of June 2024 to now is provisional and will be finalised in the coming months, but this usually results in only very minor changes.
CBS News
15-07-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
University of Michigan under federal investigation after arrests of Chinese nationals in smuggling case
The University of Michigan is being federally investigated following the arrests of Chinese nationals in a number of pathogen smuggling cases. The U.S. Department of Education's Office of the General Counsel announced on Tuesday that it had opened a foreign funding investigation. The department accuses the university of being "inaccurate" in reporting foreign funding disclosures, alleging that the university has a history of "downplaying its vulnerabilities to malign foreign influence." A letter to U of M's Interim President Domenico Grasso, the DOE requested several documents, including tax records of foreign funding from Jan. 1, 2020, and present, and a complete list of all university and contract personnel involved in research collaborations with non-U.S. research institutions. CBS News Detroit reached out to U of M for comment and is waiting to hear back. Read the full statement from Chief Investigative Counsel Paul Moore: "Despite the University of Michigan's history of downplaying its vulnerabilities to malign foreign influence, recent reports reveal that UM's research laboratories remain vulnerable to sabotage, including what the U.S. Department of Justice recently described in criminal charges as 'potential agroterrorism' by Chinese nationals affiliated with UM. As the recipient of federal research funding, UM has both a moral and legal obligation to be completely transparent about its foreign partnerships. Unfortunately, tens of millions of dollars in foreign funding in UM's disclosure reports have been reported in an untimely manner and appear to erroneously identify some of UM's foreign funders as 'nongovernmental entities,' even though the foreign funders seem to be directly affiliated with foreign governments. OGC will vigorously investigate this matter to ensure that the American people know the true scope of foreign funding and influence on our campuses." On June 3, two Chinese nationals were charged with conspiracy, smuggling goods in the United States, false statements and visa fraud. Federal investigators allege that Yunqing Jian, 33, and her boyfriend, Zunyong Liu, 34, smuggled a "potential agroterrorism weapon" via a noxious fungus into the U.S. Jian worked at the University of Michigan, according to officials. Her boyfriend, Liu, works at a Chinese university. Less than a week later, a third Chinese national was accused of smuggling biological materials into the U.S. for work at a U of M laboratory. Chengxuan Han is charged with smuggling goods into the U.S. and making false statements. All three people were from the People's Republic of China. This comes after the university ended its partnership with Shanghai Jiao Tong University in the Chinese metropolis of Shanghai. The end to the partnership was the latest case of American universities moving away from Chinese universities over concerns by U.S. lawmakers that Americans could be helping the Chinese to develop critical technology to boost China's military capabilities. Eastern Michigan University also ended partnerships with two Chinese universities.
