Paris, France (Sep 20, 2006 19:12 EST) Satellite images acquired from 23 to 25 August 2006 have shown for the first time dramatic openings – over a geographic extent larger than the size of the British Isles – in the Arctic's perennial sea ice pack north of Svalbard, and extending into the Russian Arctic all the way to the North Pole.

Earlier this week, we told you about the the 645-foot Clipper Lasco cargo ship that ran aground on a Ft. Lauderdale reef. At the time, Coast Guard petty officer Dana Warr had viewed a preliminary video of the sea floor taken by divers, and concluded that the damage "may not be as bad as initially feared." It turns out that's pretty much true: it's not as bad as initially feared -- it's worse.

Fishermen, conservationists clash over fish refuges off South Carolina coast

CHARLESTON, S.C., Sep. 6, 2006
(AP) A plan to create fish refuges off the South Carolina coast sparked a clash between fishermen and conservationists.

More than 30 fishermen and environmentalists attended a public hearing Tuesday to discuss the plan by the National Marine Fisheries Service.

ST. CROIX, Virgin Islands (23 August 2006) -- Scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Coral Reef Watch have issued a warning to scuba-dive operators and fishery managers to be on the lookout for signs of coral bleaching after satellite images taken earlier this week reflected above normal temperatures in the Caribbean Sea.

Al Strong, a scientist with NOAA's Coral Reef Watch, said the sea surface temperatures around Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands reached 83.66 degrees Fahrenheit on Tuesday - surpassing highs not normally expected until September and October.

By Leo Solinap

Concepcion, Philippines - The Philippine Coast Guard appealed on Thursday for chicken feathers and human hair to help sponge up the country's worst oil spill.

A tanker chartered by refiner Petron sank in heavy seas on August 11, oozing about a 10th of its two million litre cargo of industrial fuel off the central island of Guimaras, affecting 40 000 people and 200km of coastline.

ROBIN MCDOWELL
Associated Press

MANADO, Indonesia - An American who heads the Indonesian branch of the world's largest gold producer on Friday blasted pollution charges against the company as "silly," and said he was looking forward to taking the stand to clear his name.

Richard Ness, president director of Newmont Mining Corp.'s Indonesian subsidiary, told The Associated Press that his Sulawesi island mine discharged only 0.11 ounces of mercury per day into the sea during 9 1/2 years of operations.

Manila, The Philippines (Aug 24, 2006 18:18 EST) An official of Petron Corporation on Thursday said the company would not leave the Guimaras area until it completely cleans the sea and coastlines of the bunker oil that is leaking from a chartered tanker that sank off the island about two weeks ago.

"For us, it's a moral responsibility to help the people clean up (the oil spill)," said Peter Paul Shotwell, Petron's supply operations and planning manager.

Beirut, Lebanon (Aug 25, 2006 17:47 EST) The impact on marine life of an oil slick off the Lebanese coast, caused by Israel's bombing of a power plant, might not be as devastating as had been feared, a Lebanese environmentalist group said on Friday.

Shellfish, fish larvae and baby turtles have been badly hit but larger fish have survived virtually unscathed, the group, Bahr Loubnan (Lebanon's Sea), said.

Guimaras, The Philippines (Aug 23, 2006 17:41 EST) The sunken tanker responsible for the worst oil spill in the nation’s history began leaking more oil on Tuesday, the coast guard said.

With clean-up crews already losing the race to contain the massive slick that has washed sludge and dead fish up onto hundreds of kilometers of coastline, reports of a new leak raised fears the disaster could get worse.

But the company that chartered the doomed Solar I, sitting on the ocean floor with 450,000 gallons of oil still on board, denied the claims of the coast guard, which said a new leak had sprung overnight.

Broward County, Florida (Aug 22, 2006 23:41 EST) In the 1970s, nearly 2 million tires were tossed into the ocean in hopes of creating an artificial reef. Now, a study is under way to see if the tires can be removed since they are actually damaging the coral reefs.

The Broward County Environmental Protection Department is partnering with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, U.S. Navy Salvage Divers and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Debris Program, to conduct a pilot project to remove the waste tires from the coast.