458 - Plastic Pandemic

A Plastic Pandemic. A glut of discarded single-use masks and gloves is washing up on shorelines and littering the seabed. Conservationists have warned that the coronavirus pandemic could spark a surge in ocean pollution -- adding to a glut of plastic waste that already threatens marine life -- after finding disposable masks floating like jellyfish and waterlogged latex gloves scattered across sea beds. Divers have found “Covid waste” -- dozens of gloves, masks, and bottles of hand sanitizer -- beneath the waves of the Mediterranean, mixed with the usual litter of disposable cups and aluminum cans. Wear a mask, but be careful with its disposal. 129 billion facemasks are disposed of every month. ( The Guardian/BBC) https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-53287940/coronavirus-the-masks-you-throw-away-could-end-up-killing-a-whale Face Masks from Recycled Ocean Plastic. PADI has partnered with sportswear company Rash'R to make face masks out of plastic recovered from the ocean. Each mask is sold with five replacement filters (at $20.40). These PADI masks are a sustainable alternative to the N95 respirator masks reserved for front line workers. Children's masks are available too. So far, 1,300 pounds of ocean plastic have been recycled into masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. https://rashr.com/collections/face-masks-by-rashr Microplastics on the Ocean Floor https://biotech-insider.com/highest-microplastic-concentration-found-deep-down-on-ocean-floor/ Sleeping microbes wake up after 100 million years buried under the seafloor https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/sleeping-microbes-wake-up-after-100-million-years-buried-under-the-seafloor/ar-BB17n5yA?ocid=spartandhp The Vanishing Sharks of South Africa. Those operating cage diving from Cape Town are concerned that this year no great white sharks have been seen -- not a single one. Their absence could be the most dramatic environmental change there in 20 years. Not long ago the sheer numbers gathering around one island off the stunning curve of sand just east of the Cape of Good Hope made it the great white capital of the world. Longline fishing, pollution, the arrival of orcas – what’s causing these crowd-drawing sharks to shun these waters? Great white vanishing act: where have South Africa's famous sharks gone? https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/08/south-africa-return-great-white-sharks-disappearance-species-marine-biologists-eco-tourism A Tokyo Aquarium Needs You to FaceTime Their Shy Eels Right Now https://www.sciencealert.com/tokyo-aquarium-needs-your-help-reminding-their-eels-to-not-fear-humans Local scuba divers explore Fall River https://www.rexburgstandardjournal.com/rexburg/local-scuba-divers-explore-fall-river/article_842384a9-54d0-5213-8c45-2b35960f9713.html Can you beat the bog? https://www.visitwales.com/en-us/things-do/events/sport/can-you-beat-bog