Why would commercial aquaculture monitor algal blooms? Algae are essential for life on Earth and for commercial aquaculture. But when some species bloom, they can cause harm. Some 5,000 species of microalgae form the foundation of aquatic food chains, help control atmospheric CO2 levels, and produce roughly half of the world’s oxygen. The troublemakers are approximately 250 species that can produce potent toxins or cause harm through their sheer biomass; a particular problem in the aquaculture industry where the presence of algal blooms can cause all stock to be lost. What is a harmful algal bloom? Algal blooms can: •Read more
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Why is global shipping rising? With so many stores closed during the Pandemic, consumers globally had no option but to turn to the internet to buy the products they need. The pandemic sharply accelerated the shift towards a more digital world and triggered global changes in online shopping behaviours that are likely to last well beyond 2021. A key thing to note is that this acceleration towards online shopping is a global phenomenonas is the new urgency protecting the marine environment: in developed economies, online shopping was already popular, but some of the largest increases were in China and India,Read more
Why does Phytoplankton matter regarding climate change? Seen from space, earth is unquestionably an ocean planet; a beautiful blue marble serenely floating in a cold empty void. Standing at any shore, the big blue appears endless and even somewhat empty, filled with nothing but water. But below the surface, the ocean is in fact brimming with microscopic plants called Phytoplankton. If you were to take an empty glass and scoop up some water from the shore, in that glass you would have between 75-100 million Phytoplankton. Phytoplankton are the foundation of the aquatic food web, the primary producers, feeding everythingRead more