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

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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] Hosting the UN Ocean Conference in 2028 is expected to enhance South Korea's global standing, allowing it to spearhead international collaboration on crucial ocean issues such as marine plastic pollution and biodiversity. Maritime Fairtrade
• [New] Northland is developing a Polish offshore wind farm in the Baltic Sea, expected to be completed in 2026. The Globe and Mail
• [New] The world's oceans are expected to play a key part in drawing carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere to help slow dangerous climate warming. ScienceDaily
• [New] Oceans may help capture carbon in the future, but experts warn the world must proceed cautiously and prioritize cutting emissions now. ScienceDaily
• [New] Marine parks such as Gorgona contribute to the 30 x30 global agreement to conserve 30% of land, water and ocean by 2030, as outlined in the Convention on Biological Diversity. The Guardian
• [New] If glaciers of greater size experience comparable events, the impact on global sea level rise could be significant. SciTechDaily
• [New] Antarctica's Hektoria Glacier collapsed at record speed, revealing how quickly ice loss could drive sea level rise. SciTechDaily
• [New] Warming in the Southern Ocean could continue to intensify heatwaves for centuries even after net zero is reached. ScienceDaily
• [New] Rising sea levels threaten to flood more than 5,500 toxic sites across the US by 2100. The Guardian
• [New] Rising sea levels have already largely swamped two of Tuvalu's nine coral atolls - and scientists fear the entire archipelago could be unliveable by the end of the century. Yahoo News UK
• [New] Australia had sought to co-host the UN's top climate conference alongside South Pacific neighbours gravely threatened by rising oceans, parching droughts and acidifying seas. Yahoo News UK
• [New] Retaining the COP 31 Presidency role provides an opportunity for Australia to advance an agenda that speaks to the priorities of the Pacific - to elevate Pacific-led perspectives and priorities on Indigenous and traditional knowledge, ocean stewardship and a fossil-free future. The Conversation
• [New] Historic SS United States to Become World's Largest Artificial Reef off Florida The SS United States, a legendary 1950s ocean liner and holder of the trans-Atlantic speed record, will be sunk off Florida's Gulf Coast in early 2026 to create the world's largest artificial reef. SOFREP
• [New] NASA and its European partners have successfully launched Sentinel-6B, the second in a pair of U.S.-European ocean-monitoring satellites that will provide high-precision measurements of sea-level rise, ocean currents, and atmospheric conditions. Tech Startups - Tech News, Tech Trends & Startup Fundin
• [New] A large body of scientific evidence shows that warming of 2 C or more would bring serious consequences, including extreme heat, higher sea levels and threats to food security. BBC News
• [New] India has announced plans to build the world's deepest underwater research laboratory at a depth of 6,000 meters in the Indian Ocean, forming a major milestone under Vision 2047. Guidely
• [New] The continuous absorption of carbon dioxide by oceans is causing ocean acidification, which severely threatens marine ecosystems and food security globally. Risk Prevention Mitigation and Management Forum
• [New] Under the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and constituent Nature Restoration Regulation the EU intends to increase protected areas to cover 30% of land and sea, and restore 20% of its land and sea areas by 2030. Environment
• [New] Ocean solutions remain vastly underfunded compared to their climate potential, but momentum is growing: 39% more countries now include the ocean in their climate investment plans. Ocean Conservancy
• [New] Marine microbiomes, forming the foundation of ocean food webs and the global nutrient cycle, are predicted to undergo significant shifts due to rising ocean temperatures and increased acidification. BioMed Central
• [New] By 2050, plastics are expected to outweigh fish in the ocean. MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• [New] Microplastics overlap with the prey item size of many marine organisms and can enter the food web, with the potential to transfer contaminants into cells and tissues. The Guardian
• [New] MISO activity in marine sediments could be responsible for as much as 7% of all global sulfide oxidation to sulfate. ScienceDaily

Last updated: 24 November 2025