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Articles on Marine pollution

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Response teams often make assumptions about the way oil behaves in the ocean, but this means oil plumes can go undetected and get missed in the clean-up. (Shutterstock)

How autonomous underwater robots can spot oil plumes after an ocean spill

Clean-up operations after a spill can miss large quantities of the oil, with severe risks for marine habitats, fish and birds.
Delegates at this week’s marine science conference in Fremantle take a plastic-free coffee break. Alicia Sutton/AMSA

We organised a conference for 570 people without using plastic. Here’s how it went

This year’s national conference of the Australian Marine Science Association is a plastic-free zone, as marine scientists aim to reduce the environmental burden of throwaway plastic.
Plastic bags, balloons, and rope fragments were among more than 100 pieces of plastic in the gut of a single turtle. Qamar Schuyler

How much plastic does it take to kill a turtle? Typically just 14 pieces

Autopsies of 1,000 turtles washed up on Australian beaches paint a grim picture of the impact of plastic debris. Even a single piece can be deadly, and on average 14 pieces equals a 50% fatality rate.
A whale shark moves towards a piece of plastic in the ocean. (Shutterstock)

Not all marine fish eat plastics

If we are truly invested in addressing the issue of marine plastic and offsetting the potential harms, we have to understand which fish eat plastic and which ones don’t.
Eating raw oysters can put you at risk of food-borne illnesses, such as norovirus, hepatitis A and salmonella. And, sadly, hot sauce, lemon juice and alcohol do not reduce the risks. (Shutterstock))

Why you may never eat raw oysters again

In the wake of a norovirus outbreak traced to raw oysters from British Columbia, our expert explains how to eat this culinary delicacy safely.
Healthy aquatic vegetation in the Chesapeake Bay. Cassie Gurbisz/University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science

Cutting pollution in the Chesapeake Bay has helped underwater grasses rebound

An ambitious plan to cut the flow of nutrients into the Chesapeake Bay has produced historic regrowth of underwater seagrasses. These results offer hope for other polluted water bodies.

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