Our Scans · (LF.14) Life Below Water · Weekly Summary

In September 2015, 193 world leaders agreed to 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development. If these Goals are completed, it would mean an end to extreme poverty, inequality and climate change by 2030.
Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.

• [New] Researchers led by the University of Exeter, working with partners in Colombia and the United States, created a new computer model to examine how sea-level rise could affect carbon storage across entire mangrove forests. ScienceDaily
• [New] Mangroves are among the world's most effective natural carbon stores, but new research suggests their ability to lock away carbon could weaken as sea levels continue to rise. ScienceDaily
• [New] Sea level rise may increase carbon storage in some localized areas at first, but whole-forest carbon storage is likely to decline over the next century, meaning more carbon will be kept in the atmosphere, adding to the effects of climate change. Live Science
• [New] Scientists have uncovered a hidden Antarctic threat that could accelerate global sea level rise far faster than expected. ScienceDaily
• [New] While disease is a concern, the main threat to polar bears globally continues to be sea ice loss from human-driven climate warming. Refractor
• [New] The UN urged all countries on Tuesday to bolster early warning systems after confirming the onset of El Nino, warning that the Pacific Ocean-warming phenomenon will bring above-average temperatures nearly everywhere and fuel more extreme weather. UN News
• [New] Sea surface temperatures in a key region of the central equatorial Pacific Ocean will climb 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit (3 degrees Celsius) above average by December of 2026, with some scenarios showing they could go above 7.2 F (4 C). Live Science
• [New] Ocean temperatures reached a near-record-breaking monthly high in April as forecasters warn that we could be on the cusp of one of the strongest El Nino events of the century. Live Science
• [New] Plastics accumulating in the ocean will reach 76 million tonnes by 2040 and 141 million tonnes by 2060. Plastic Bank
• [New] Globally ambitious action across the plastics lifecycle can prevent up to 61 million tonnes of additional ocean plastic by 2060. Plastic Bank
• [New] The world's ocean plastic crisis could be dramatically reduced within the next 15 years - and for less than $1bn (£750m). Positive News
• [New] Although the Antarctic Ice Sheet is currently contributing less to global sea level compared to either mountain glaciers or Greenland, it carries even greater threat to global sea-level rise. Climate Judiciary Project
• [New] Antarctica's Doomsday Glacier is about to lose an ice shelf that protects it from warming ocean waters, which could have devastating long-term consequences for hundreds of millions of people affected by rising sea levels. Live Science
• [New] West Antarctica's Doomsday Glacier is on the brink of losing its ice shelf, further compromising the already melting ice mass and threatening to unleash devastating sea-level rises. Live Science
• [New] Long term projections (beyond 2100) indicate a large dependence of the sea-level response to future carbon emissions trajectories (mainly from the Antarctic Ice Sheet). Climate Judiciary Project
• [New] The most recent UK Climate Projections confirm that we can expect increases to extreme coastal water levels as a result of the increase in mean sea level, and that there is potential for changes in the severity of future storm surge events. RMetS
• [New] Protecting 30% of Canada's ocean by 2030 is science-based, achievable, and essential to ensure a sustainable future. Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society
• [New] Canada then joined 196 countries in committing to the more ambitious 30×30 targets, which were meant to serve as a crucial milestone towards sustainability by 2050; however, marine protected areas do not work overnight. Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society
• [New] In the North Atlantic, well-designed MPA networks safeguarding 30-40% of the deep ocean could protect about 75% of species, like coral and sponges, that provide habitats for many other marine animals. Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society
• [New] Protecting 30% of the ocean increases the likelihood that juvenile fish will be transported by currents to another MPA, where their chances of survival and producing their own offspring are greatly improved. Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society

Last updated: 08 June 2026