Retreating ice, caused by climate change, has exposed the rocky shoreline of Cape Rasmussen on the Antarctic Peninsula.
Retreating ice, caused by climate change, has exposed the rocky shoreline of Cape Rasmussen on the Antarctic Peninsula.

Deploying marine robots to boost climate change research

Scientists believe that the ice shelves under the sea ice hold the keys to further our understanding of climate change. Unfortunately, diving to such areas to explore them is impossible.

How, then, can we access these areas?

Scientist Xi Yu from West Virginia University may have found the answer. She suggests deploying a fleet of marine robots, controlled by a smart mothership, to reach these inaccessible depths and transmit back invaluable insights.

Dolphins illustration
Microplastics were found embedded in the tissues of about two-thirds of marine mammals in the study. (Photo illustration: G. Symes. Source images: Pixabay license)

Microplastics discovered in tissues of dolphins and whales

The study, set to be published in the October 15th issue of Environmental Pollution, has provided evidence that microscopic plastic particles, which were discovered in the fats and lungs of around two-thirds of the marine mammals investigated, are not confined to the digestive tracts of these creatures but can migrate and embed themselves in their vital tissues.

Southern Resident orca harassing a porpoise
Southern Resident orca harassing a porpoise

Why Southern Resident orcas harass porpoises

A study in the Marine Mammal Science journal examines the question of why Southern Resident orcas in the Pacific Northwest harass and sometimes kill porpoises without eating them.

Such behaviour has been passed down through the generations and across social groupings, and has been recorded as far back as 1962.

The question of why comes to mind.

Not on the menu

Certainly not to eat them. Southern Resident orcas do not harass the porpoises to consume them.