• Climate
    • Climate Change
    • Extreme Weather
    • Mitigation
    • Natural Phenomena
  • Green Living
    • Buildings
    • Farming
    • Food and Drink
    • Holidays
    • Home & Garden
    • Natural Health
    • Personal Journey
    • Shopping
  • Resources
    • Finance
    • Water
      • Fresh Water
      • Oceans
    • Energy
    • Trees
    • Waste
      • Composting
      • Pollution
      • Recycling
      • Reduction
      • Repurpose
      • Reuse
  • Biodiversity
    • Air
    • Water
    • Land
  • Innovation
    • Creativity
    • Design
      • Green Building
    • Science
  • Community
    • Civil Society Work
    • Climate Express
    • Eco Communities
    • Faith communities
    • Gatherings
      • Awards
      • Conferences
      • Expo
    • Green Jobs
    • Vulnerable People
  • Responsibility
    • Calls to Action
    • Business
      • Corporate
      • SME’s
    • Governance
      • Cities & Towns
      • Governments
      • Policy Development
    • Individual
  • Training
    • Books
    • Courses
    • DVD’s & Films
    • Youth
      • Bursaries
      • Challenges
      • Competitions
      • Internships
      • Mentorships
      • Schools

The Green Times

Climate change is the most widespread & complex problem humanity has ever faced! There is no time to waste and we need to turn green talk into profound green action. This is the intention of the GREEN TIMES.

Shailene Woodley sails to the Sargasso Sea with Greenpeace

August 7, 2019 Leave a Comment

Greenpeace has launched an expedition to the Sargasso Sea, a unique region in the North Atlantic Ocean, to study the impact of plastics and microplastics on marine life, and to document the importance of this unique ecosystem for protection under a new Global Ocean Treaty that is being negotiated at the UN. The Greenpeace ship Esperanza departs from Penno’s Wharf in Bermuda and will sail upon the Sargasso Sea over the course of nearly three weeks.

“The world’s only borderless sea, the Sargasso has been a source of mystery and myth, from the lost kingdom of Atlantis to the Bermuda Triangle,” says Greenpeace Oceans Director, John Hocevar.

“Today, the Sargasso Sea continues to challenge us with questions that could affect us all. Is our reliance on fossil fuels and throwaway plastics transforming this vital sea turtle nursery area into a death trap? We hope our findings from this research expedition will shed light on the health of this unique ecosystem,” Hocevar adds.

The voyage to the Sargasso is part of Greenpeace’s ambitious Pole to Pole expedition aimed at highlighting the threats facing international waters – from the Arctic to the Antarctic – and the urgent need for their protection under a new Global Ocean Treaty.

“We have six months to build support for a strong Global Ocean Treaty. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to scale up ocean sanctuaries, the best tool we have to protect our oceans,” Hocevar stresses.

Onboard the Esperanza are Greenpeace scientists and partner researchers at the University of Florida who will be analyzing the critical importance of the Sargasso’s iconic drifting Sargassum (seaweed) habitat that acts as a nursery for juvenile sea turtles.

PhD Candidate, Alexandra Guilick from the Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research at the University of Florida, explains, “we will be quantifying thermal habitat for sea turtles in Sargassum mats in the Sargasso Sea. Sargassum mats are critical habitat for a number of species and provide refuge, forage, and early developmental habitat for juvenile sea turtles. More recently, it has been hypothesized that Sargassum may provide a heat advantage to developing sea turtles, providing a warmer environment than the neighboring open water, thus potentially increasing sea turtle growth rates.”

Fellow PhD Candidate, Nerine Constant adds, “creating detailed thermal profiles of Sargassum mats will improve our understanding of the importance of this habitat, and in light of climate change, may help predict potential impacts of increasing sea surface temperature on the suitability of this habitat for sea turtles and other species. We hope this study and our collaboration with Greenpeace will help raise awareness of the importance of protecting the Sargasso Sea from threats like climate change and plastic pollution.”

Also onboard is Emmy-award nominee and environmental activist, Shailene Woodley who announced the expedition on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, as the newest Greenpeace Oceans Ambassador.

Kimmel asked the ‘Big Little Lies’ star her plans for the summer, to which she replied: “I’m going to the ocean! I’m doing something with Greenpeace in a couple of weeks, which I feel very grateful for. We’re going to the Sargasso Sea and we’re going to study and research microplastics and micropollution.”

By Crystal Mojica

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • More
  • Email
  • Print
  • Pinterest

Related stories

tgt_bottom_banner_border_two_frames

Leave a Reply or Follow Cancel reply

Welcome to SA\s green news portal

Events

  1. W12 Congress

    January 27, 2020 @ 8:00 am - January 31, 2020 @ 5:00 pm
  2. African Marine Waste Network Conference

    April 20, 2020 @ 8:00 am - April 24, 2020 @ 5:00 pm

View All Events

Facebook feed

1 day ago
Five Beautiful Indigenous South African Plants for your Garden - Simunye

South Africa boasts a massive variety of distinctively beautiful native flora that will transform your garden into a breathtaking display of vivid colours and unique textures. Celebrate and conserve our country’s natural beauty by adding these indigenous plants to your garden!   Lion’s Ear – ... ... See more

View on facebook
1 day ago
GALLERY: Flooding wreaks havoc in Tshwane … and it’s not over yet

The Hennops River bursts its banks yesterday and parts of Gauteng have been flooded – and there is more to come, warns forecaster.

View on facebook
1 day ago
How can we take action to fight climate change?

The words ‘climate change’ are known by 41% of South Africans, according to a recent August 2019 Afro barometer Survey. However, there is quite a stark difference between having a term in our lexic… ... See more

View on facebook
1 day ago
Energy treaty 'risks undermining EU's green new deal'

Calls for ECT to be scrapped to stop fossil fuel firms using it to take governments to court

View on facebook
« ‹ 2 of 3 › »
  •      ECO DIRECTORY
    • Accommodation
    • Animals
    • Building
    • Cleaning
    • Clothing
    • Cosmetics
    • Electronics
    • Energy
      • Saving
      • Solar
    • Financial Services
    • Food/Farming
    • Gardening
    • Government
    • Health
    • Office
    • Publications
    • Restaurants
    • Supermarkets
    • Training
    • Transport
    • Trees
    • Waste
      • Composting
      • Recycling
    • Water
    • Web Services
fair game
PETCO
Foster And Welsh
Plastics SA
Cape Pulpit Radio
2012-giving-thanks-for-environmental-wins
CONTRIBUTE HERE
Do you like what we do? Would you like to help keep this work afloat with a small monthly contribution? Join as a member and let's do it together.
nedbank-plays-pivotal-role-in-sas-first-green-bond
BECOME A SPONSOR
Doing good is good for business. We rely on corporate CSI and philanthropic support to drive sustainability mainstream, where it belongs.
  • ABOUT GREEN TIMES
    • Our Ethos
    • Our Intention
  • Support
    • Editorial
    • Sales
    • Contributions
  • Journalist Training
  • Feedback from Our Clients
  • Newsfeed Archive
JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORKS
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
JOIN OUR MONTHLY NEWSFEED
Like our work? Please help Subscribe-now

      · Copyright © 2011–2019 All rights reserved · GREEN TIMES +2721 855 0518 · Design & Admin - THE GREEN TIMES ·

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.