Science & Technology

Photos via Wired; Credit Jill Heinerth / IntoThePlanet.com

Cave diving is scary business. There's an endless list of things that can go wrong and a diver puts their life at risk every time they slip on their air mask. However, exploring underwater caves is important to understanding and discovering rarely seen ecosystems and slices of prehistoric worlds. Thanks to a great gallery of images, we get to see some of the wonder that attracts cave divers to their profession, and keeps them swimming despite their risk.

Science & Technology

The Saving Water Song from Intelligent Use of Water Contest on Vimeo.

Rain Bird has just announced the finalists for its Intelligent Use of Water video competition. The competition is intended to get people excited about conserving water through the medium of film. There are six videos that made it to the home stretch. Two winners will be announced, getting cash prizes of $6,000 for the jury's selection and $3,000 for the audience favorite. For us, two videos stood out immediately - this one, and our second choice is after the jump.

Science & Technology

Image: © 2007 MBARI

A high tech, deep sea robot named the Benthic Rover has been crawling around the ocean floors off the coast of California, collecting data on life at the bottom of the sea. The findings not only help scientists to understand more about how life exists at these depths, but can also be important for our understanding of how warming temperatures is affecting marine ecosystems.

Science & Technology

Photo via Japan Probe

Richard O'Barry was waiting for this, knowing that the halt on this year's dolphin hunt was too good to be true, or last very long. Eight days later than usual, but still arriving, this year's seasonal cetaceans killing has begun at Taiji with about 50 pilot whales and 100 bottlenose dolphins being driven into the cove this morning.

NEW UPDATE - Click through to get the latest info to cross the wires about the Taiji dolphin and pilot whale round up.

Culture & Celebrity

Photo via Roz Savage

Roz Savage has just completed stage two of her journey rowing solo across the Pacific Ocean. She landed in Tarawa, a small atoll in the Republic of Kiribati after 104 solid days of rowing. That means two things: First, she's the first woman to row solo across the Pacific. Second, while stage two is done, there's a really, really big stage 3 to look forward to. But her message makes the miles worth it.

Science & Technology

Photo via wildxplorer

Coral reefs are worth about $100 billion annually thanks to everything from tourism to fishing. However, current climate targets are still not good enough to save them from dying off. If the fact that they're a cornerstone for healthy ocean life is not incentive enough to save them, then is the loss of the source for this incredible annual revenue be enough to get policy makers to save coral reefs with appropriate climate targets?

Culture & Celebrity

Update: Green Porno 3 with Isabella Rossellini Now Live

Good News for Green Porno Fans!
The Sundance Channel has announced that Green Porno, which features Isabella Rossellini, will come back for a 3rd season and in book form. If you are scratching your head and wondering what the heck "Green Porno" is, see our previous coverage (Green Porno 1, Green Porno 2, and Green Porno contest). More details on the 3rd season and book below.

Take Action

Photo via TheCoveMovie.com

In April we highlighted the activists who have been courageously working to expose and stop the dolphin slaughter that occurs every year in Taiji, Japan. Over 23,000 dolphins are killed, and many are separated out to go to "swim with the dolphin" programs during a horrific round-up. During Blue August, Planet Green talked with director Louie Psihoyos about his film The Cove, which uncovers the much-protected secrets of the slaughter. Apparently all their hard work is paying off because September 1st is typically day one of the annual killing...but not this year.

Science & Technology

photo: Mel Silvers via flickr

When it comes to climate change science it seems like each new week brings a fresh study showing how much crop yields are going to decline, how much less water many places are going to have, how quickly sea level rise is going to happen, how many more infectious diseases are going to spread, et cetera, et cetera. In short, just how bad things could get. With the UN climate talks just about three months away now, it seemed appropriate to round up some of these, starting with oceans:

Culture & Celebrity

Outside Lands, the San Francisco music festival, is working diligently to be a green standard for music festivals. And in fact, the designated Eco Lands section is a haven for those looking for organic and local refreshments, renewable energy-powered music, and opportunities to volunteer for non-profits. I'll bring on the posts about all these great features soon. However, there's one thing I dealt with literally upon walking into the gate that marred the impression of just how seriously the fest is taking going green. And when it's 95 degrees outside, it's an issue that stands out even more: Water.

Science & Technology

Image via Yanko Design

Saving water and energy during laundry day is important, and we typically think of water-wise washers and hang-drying as the best options. But even when we hang-dry our laundry, there's a smidgen of water wasted by what drips off the clothes. We could put our potted plants under the clothesline and call it a day for using a resource to its fullest. Or, designer Tian Lingrui has another idea.

Science & Technology

Photo credit: Algalita.org

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch has been getting loads of attention in recent months from researchers and activists. But even those who are aware of and prepared for the disaster area in the middle of the Pacific still are shocked at the sheer mass of floating trash. Such was the case with SEAPLEX, the Scripps Environmental Accumulation of Plastic Expedition, when they sailed this month to assess the damage and couldn't quite grasp the situation.

Science & Technology

Those black areas are the least productive 'desert' regions of the oceans. Image: NOAA

It's pretty well known that ocean dead zones -- oxygen starved areas such as the one in the Gulf of Mexico -- are expanding. But new research in Geophysical Research Letters shows that ocean 'deserts' are also expanding. Discovery News has the story on these areas where virtually nothing lives:

Business & Politics

Image credit:USA Today, Iraq lashed by sandstorms and battling drought

Certainly the headline is a bit of hyperbole; but, the underlying point should not be lost. The human impact of climate change, combined with the demands of a burgeoning regional population may exceed that of insurrection in Iraq. As reported in The Guardian, Water shortage threatens two million people in southern Iraq "During the last five chaotic years, many new dams and reservoirs have been built in Turkey, Syria and Iran, which share the Euphrates and its small tributaries. The effect has been to starve the Euphrates of its lifeblood, which throughout the ages has guaranteed bountiful water, even during drought."

Take Action

Photo via Roz Savage

The end of August is approaching and with it, Blue August, our month-long focus on everything water related, from drinking water to ocean acidification. But it doesn't mean that the end of the month means the end of staying aware of what's happening to our oceans and water supplies. Roz Savage, an eco-warrior we greatly admire, gives us a great message to end the month on an inspiring note. Check out the video after the jump.

Science & Technology

Image via MAKE

Mocha Dick, a giant whale made of felt, is the creation of artists Tristin Lowe. The piece is housed at the Fabric Workshop and Museum in Philadelphia. The purpose? In part, to send home an environmental message.

Science & Technology

The story of charity: water - The 2009 September Campaign Trailer from charity: water on Vimeo.

Charity:water, a group that works to bring fresh water to every person in the world, is inspiring all on its own, but if you need an extra nudge to get involved, this video will do it (and probably inspire a "I'm fine, I just have something in my eye" moment). The group turns three years old next month, and they have one ever-so-small goal to accomplish.

Science & Technology

photo: NASA

Here's an effect of global warming that you probably haven't considered: As the world's oceans warm, the Earth's axis could shift by the end of this century. Chalk this one up in the 'interesting' rather than 'I should be really worried about it' category though. Discovery News reports that the shift is likely to be about 1.5 meters:

Travel & Nature

Loggerhead turtles are among the species threatened by the oil slick. Photo: Damien du Toit via flickr.

Reuters reports that a leaking Australian offshore oil well will continue to spill oil into the Timor Sea for nearly two months. That's how long it take to fix the blow out -- two miles below the surface -- which occurred last week:

Culture & Celebrity

Mira Sorvino and family watch red-shouldered hawk release after "public option" rehab. Photo by Gayle Uyehara

Every week private oceanside homes, from Laguna to Malibu, host star-studded annual fundraising galas. Last Sunday Mira Sorvino, Pam Anderson and Ed Begley, Jr. graced Gulls Way Estate to support healthcare for California wildlife. This week it’s Glenn Close and Morgan Freeman gathering the glitterati at Villa De Sogni to fork over donations for Oceana. While town hall rabble-rousers fake concern over healthcare, who takes the tuna and terns to the vet?