Latest news with #ScrippsInstitutionofOceanography
Newsweek
11 hours ago
- Science
- Newsweek
'Doomsday Fish' Discoveries Spark Fears Of Impending Natural Disaster
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The recent discoveries of two rare deep-sea dwelling oarfish have sparked fears of a looming natural disaster. The fish were discovered in separate incidents in India and Tasmania within the last week. In the first incident, fishermen in Tamil Nadu, India, pulled a 30-foot oarfish from the water. The massive fish required seven men to hold it for the video. Stock image of an oarfish. Stock image of an oarfish. Photo by Eric Broder Van Dyke / Getty Images On June 2, a dogwalker named Sybil Robertson encountered a dead nine-foot specimen washed up on a Tasmanian beach and posted photos to a citizen scientist group on social media. "I just knew it was something unusual and weird," Sybil Robertson told The Daily Mail, describing the oarfish's markings as "fabulous". A 'Doomsday' Fish? Oarfish are sometimes known as "doomsday fish"—a reputation that stems from interpretations of the oarfish in Japanese folklore. As per Forbes, at least a dozen oarfish washed up onto Japan's coastline in the year before the 2011 Fukushima earthquake and tsunami, which brought the deep-sea creatures back to the forefront of the imagination. Doomsday fish have been found in Tamil Nadu, India. — ಸನಾತನ (@sanatan_kannada) May 31, 2025 Ben Fraber, an ichthyologist and the marine vertebrate collection manager at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego, told Newsweek in a phone interview that the mythology was "compelling enough" to capture the public's attention. "You do see when there's a big change in pressure on land, birds and other animals will move out of the way," Fraber said. However, researchers in Japan took a closer look at the phenomenon, bringing in data points that included beached whales and anglerfish, as well as known natural disasters and earthquakes dating back to the early 1900s. "They found almost no correlation whatsoever," Fraber noted. "It's really interesting to think about, but it doesn't seem to have a statistical link that we can find." A Rare Find Fraber has seen oarfish in person—last year, two oarfish were discovered by employees of Scripps Institution of Oceanography who were out snorkeling for the day. The employees notified lifeguards, and the institute was able to work with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to bring the oarfish in. Fraber preserved the fish in formaldehyde and alcohol, and members of the public can see one of them currently in the Birch Aquarium at Scripps in San Diego. Fraber said oarfish sightings are relatively rare in Southern California—the two his team encountered were only the 21st and 22nd discovered since 1901. "Having the samples in person instead of just a video allows us to look at their stomach contents, look at their genetics, we'll get nitrogen and carbon isotopes that can tell us where they are in the open ocean food web," Fraber said. "And we preserve them so people in the future can continue asking questions from them." According to Fraber, oarfish are filter feeders whose jaws are modified so they can push them forward and vacuum water in, creating suction that traps food similar to bass or large whales. Oarfish primarily eat krill and small fish, which may be confused by the oarfish's silvery body that refracts light. "You're a little school of fish, you're swimming around, you see this thing, but it kind of just looks like a big jelly or gelatinous organism, something you're not too concerned about because a jellyfish is not going to try to eat you," Fraber said. "So you swim up and it's actually not that. It's this big fish that has a highly modified mouth that can protrude and create a kind of vacuum cleaner. It slurps up all these fish." A "Wow" Reaction Having handled and seen oarfish in person, Fraber understands the hype. "I think part of it is the size," he said. "Part of it is the look, they have this beautiful bright red fin, big silvery body, large eyes. "And part of it is the scale. We're not used to seeing animals that big—with the exception of sharks, dolphins and whales—so it elicits this kind of 'wow' reaction." Fraber noted that the mythology of sea serpents is probably related to misidentified oarfish long ago. "It's like actually getting to see this semi-mythological thing in person, it's not a myth, it's a real animal that's living with us on our planet, I think that makes it really amazing," he said. "Even though I've worked on fish for almost 20 years, and have handled many oarfish specimens, these two last year were the first time I actually got to see them fresh and unpreserved in person, and it was pretty magical."
Yahoo
a day ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Earth's atmosphere hasn't had this much CO2 in millions of years
Earth's atmosphere now has more carbon dioxide in it than it has in millions — and possibly tens of millions — of years, according to data released Thursday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and scientists at the University of California San Diego. For the first time, global average concentrations of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas emitted as a byproduct of burning fossil fuels, exceeded 430 parts per million (ppm) in May. The new readings were a record high and represented an increase of more than 3 ppm over last year. The measurements indicate that countries are not doing enough to limit greenhouse gas emissions and reverse the steady buildup of C02, which climate scientists point to as the main culprit for global warming. 'Another year, another record,' Ralph Keeling, a professor of climate sciences, marine chemistry and geochemistry at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography, said in a statement. 'It's sad.' Carbon dioxide, like other greenhouse gases, traps heat from the sun and can remain in the atmosphere for centuries. As such, high concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere contribute to higher global temperatures and other negative consequences of climate change, including rising sea levels, melting polar ice, and more frequent and severe extreme weather events. Atmospheric carbon dioxide has risen sharply since preindustrial times, owing mostly to human activities that pump greenhouse gases into the air. Decades ago, crossing the 400 ppm threshold was unthinkable. That meant that for every 1 million molecules of gas in the atmosphere, more than 400 were carbon dioxide. The planet hit that grim milestone in 2013. And now, scientists have warned that levels of CO2 could reach 500 ppm within 30 years. But human society is already in uncharted territory. The last time the planet had such high levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was likely more than 30 million years ago, Keeling said, long before humans roamed Earth and during a time when the climate was vastly different. He said it's alarming not only how high CO2 levels have climbed, but also how quickly. 'It's changing so fast,' he told NBC News. 'If humans had evolved in such a high-CO2 world, there would probably be places where we wouldn't be living now. We probably could have adapted to such a world, but we built our society and a civilization around yesterday's climate.' Carbon dioxide levels are typically represented on a graph known as the Keeling Curve, named for Keeling's father, Charles David Keeling, who began taking daily measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide in 1958 with instruments atop the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii. The Keeling Curve famously shows a steep climb since the Industrial Revolution, owing to human-caused climate change. Ralph Keeling and his colleagues at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography found that average concentrations of atmospheric CO2 in May were 430.2 ppm. NOAA's Global Monitoring Laboratory, which has conducted separate daily readings since 1974, reported an average of 430.5 ppm in May. Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are closely monitored to gauge how much humans are influencing Earth's climate. The readings are also an indicator of the planet's overall health. 'They're telling you about your whole system health with a single-point measurement,' Keeling said. 'We're getting a holistic measurement of the atmosphere from really a kind of simple set of measurements.' This article was originally published on
NBC News
a day ago
- Science
- NBC News
Earth's atmosphere hasn't had this much CO2 in millions of years
Earth's atmosphere now has more carbon dioxide in it than it has in millions — and possibly tens of millions — of years, according to data released Thursday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and scientists at the University of California San Diego. For the first time, global average concentrations of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas emitted as a byproduct of burning fossil fuels, exceeded 430 parts per million (ppm) in May. The new readings were a record high and represented an increase of more than 3 ppm over last year. The measurements indicate that countries are not doing enough to limit greenhouse gas emissions and reverse the steady buildup of C02, which climate scientists point to as the main culprit for global warming. 'Another year, another record,' Ralph Keeling, a professor of climate sciences, marine chemistry and geochemistry at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography, said in a statement. 'It's sad.' Carbon dioxide, like other greenhouse gases, traps heat from the sun and can remain in the atmosphere for centuries. As such, high concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere contribute to higher global temperatures and other negative consequences of climate change, including rising sea levels, melting polar ice, and more frequent and severe extreme weather events. Atmospheric carbon dioxide has risen sharply since preindustrial times, owing mostly to human activities that pump greenhouse gases into the air. Decades ago, crossing the 400 ppm threshold was unthinkable. That meant that for every 1 million molecules of gas in the atmosphere, more than 400 were carbon dioxide. The planet hit that grim milestone in 2013. And now, scientists have warned that levels of CO2 could reach 500 ppm within 30 years. But human society is already in uncharted territory. The last time the planet had such high levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was likely more than 30 million years ago, Keeling said, long before humans roamed Earth and during a time when the climate was vastly different. He said it's alarming not only how high CO2 levels have climbed, but also how quickly. 'It's changing so fast,' he told NBC News. 'If humans had evolved in such a high-CO2 world, there would probably be places where we wouldn't be living now. We probably could have adapted to such a world, but we built our society and a civilization around yesterday's climate.' Carbon dioxide levels are typically represented on a graph known as the Keeling Curve, named for Keeling's father, Charles David Keeling, who began taking daily measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide in 1958 with instruments atop the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii. The Keeling Curve famously shows a steep climb since the Industrial Revolution, owing to human-caused climate change. Ralph Keeling and his colleagues at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography found that average concentrations of atmospheric CO2 in May were 430.2 ppm. NOAA's Global Monitoring Laboratory, which has conducted separate daily readings since 1974, reported an average of 430.5 ppm in May. Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are closely monitored to gauge how much humans are influencing Earth's climate. The readings are also an indicator of the planet's overall health. 'They're telling you about your whole system health with a single-point measurement,' Keeling said. 'We're getting a holistic measurement of the atmosphere from really a kind of simple set of measurements.'
USA Today
a day ago
- Science
- USA Today
Carbon dioxide levels usually peak in May, but 2025's reading was like no other
Carbon dioxide levels usually peak in May, but 2025's reading was like no other Show Caption Hide Caption How President Trump impacted climate change policy so far Since taking office, President Trump has abandoned efforts to reduce global warming. It could 'take a generation or more to repair the damage." An observatory high on Hawaii's Mauna Loa volcano that measures carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has reported its highest ever seasonal peak concentration of the greenhouse gas. For the first time, the May average exceeded 430 parts per million, reported scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Mauna Loa Observatory and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego. "Another year, another record," said Ralph Keeling, director of the Scripps CO2 Program. "It's sad." Carbon dioxide and other gases function like a blanket around the Earth, holding in heat and warming the atmosphere above the surface, scientists say. A broad consensus of international scientists say the rise in carbon dioxide concentrations is responsible for the globe's changing climate, helping to make natural weather events such as rainfall, drought and heat waves more extreme. While carbon dioxide is naturally present in Earth's atmosphere, scientists say the problem is the rate at which it's increasing, driven by fossil fuel emissions. Geoscientists at the University of Utah, who participated in a 2023 study with more than 90 scientists in 16 countries, previously stated that CO2 levels in the atmosphere are higher than they've been in human history and highest in at least 14 million years. Climate change policy: Shifting rapidly under Trump administration Last year, the average level of carbon dioxide rose faster over the previous year than at any other point since the recordings began, Scripps reported in January. The average readings for the 12 months was 3.58 parts per million higher than the previous year's average, breaking a record set in 2016. In both years, the climate pattern El Niño played a role, Keeling said in January. "Although this El Niño event ended early in 2024, it is often the case that El Niño events are associated with higher than normal CO2 growth extending into the northern hemisphere summer following the El Niño event." The historic 67-year-old laboratory at elevation 11,141 feet is the global benchmark location for monitoring carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Its measurements represent the average state of the atmosphere in the northern hemisphere. Scripps scientist Charles David Keeling, Ralph Keeling's father, began monitoring CO2 concentrations there in 1958. He was the first to realize CO2 levels peak in May in the northern hemisphere, fall during the growing season and rise again after plants die in the fall, according to Scripps. The fluctuations were presented in a record that became known as the Keeling Curve, which demonstrated carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere were increasing every year. NOAA initiated daily measurements at Mauna Loa in 1974 and has maintained a complementary, independent measurement record ever since. A global network that includes NOAA and Scripps, forms a dataset used by climate scientists internationally. Eruptions at Mauna Loa caused an interruption to power at the observatory in 2022, NOAA said. Scientists established a temporary measurement site at Mauna Kea nearby. Dinah Voyles Pulver, a national correspondent for USA TODAY, covers climate change, wildlife and the environment. Reach her at dpulver@ or @dinahvp on Bluesky or X or dinahvp.77 on Signal.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
California fish carry human-infecting parasites that can cause stroke or heart attack, researchers find
More than 90 percent of popular freshwater game fish in Southern California contain a parasite that is capable of inducing strokes or heart attacks in the humans who eat them. Researchers said the parasites were two species of flatworms known as trematodes. At no more than a few centimeters in length, the flukes – a class of flatworms – can result in weight loss or lethargy. Although rare, infection has also resulted in more severe consequences. 'Americans don't usually think about parasites when they eat freshwater fish because it hasn't historically been an issue here,' Ryan Hechinger, an ecologist and parasitologist at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography, said in a statement. 'But these trematodes have now been widely introduced in the U.S. and that means that doctors and the public should be aware.' He is the senior author of the study which was published Tuesday in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. It was funded by the National Institutes of Health. To identify this issue, Hechinger, the University of Nebraska's Daniel Metz, and former Scripps graduate student and Smithsonian Environmental Research Center marine scientist Emma Palmer examined 84 fish from seven different species in 2023. Those fish included largemouth bass and bluegill, which were collected from five frequented fishing locations in San Diego County. Of those, 93 percent were infected with the Haplorchis pumilio parasite, and some were the host to thousands. Two of the five locations yielded positive results for the second parasite known as Centrocestus formosanus, which occurred in 91 percent of the fish. Historically, the trematodes have infected people in Southeast Asia and likely arrived in the U.S. more than a decade ago inside an invasive aquatic snail known as the red-rimmed melania. That snail is found in 17 states and Puerto Rico. Previous work led by Hechinger had found that the red-rimmed melania and its parasites are widespread in the Golden State. So, what is the risk to Californians and Americans at large? Hechinger says there haven't been any reported cases of parasites infecting Americans yets, but 'nobody is looking for cases and doctors aren't required to report them.' Californians should make sure to monitor fish advisories for any changes. The risks posed by them are easy to avoid as, if you fully cook your fish or freeze any that's intended to be eaten raw for at least a week, the parasites will die. Although, the authors found that many Americans are likely consuming freshwater fish without taking the proper precautions. The greatest health threats come from repeated infection over many months or years. Foodborne trematode infections cause two million life years lost to disability and death worldwide every year, according to the World Health Organization. They recommend that fish-borne trematode infection be added to the list of diseases doctors are required to report to public health officials. 'These parasites are here in the U.S., and they're infecting fish that people are eating,' said Hechinger. 'We hope this study can help make public health officials, doctors and the public more aware.'
