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] Systems already at risk include the Amazon rainforest (which could shift toward savanna), the ice sheets of Greenland and West Antarctica (which could raise sea levels by several meters), and the Atlantic Ocean circulation (whose collapse could sharply cool Europe). ScienceDaily
• [New] 2025 reveals how rising temperatures could trigger a cascade of system collapses, from the Amazon rainforest turning to savanna to the potential shutdown of the Atlantic Ocean circulation. ScienceDaily
• [New] If mixing increases, the Southern Ocean could begin releasing more CO2 than it absorbs. ScienceDaily
• [New] Puerto Rico's local green sea turtle population faces grave threats from habitat loss, coastal development, light pollution, and vegetation destruction. A-Z Animals
• [New] Throughout late 2029, naval combat in the South China Sea intensified, which led to the entrance of Vietnam, Japan and Laos into the war against China. Future
• [New] In the transport engineering cluster, the aerospace segment projects increased aircraft engine repair work, but the marine and offshore engineering and land segments forecast lower production amid continued headwinds to the global economy. ST
• [New] Over the next three years, the Ocean Autonomy Cluster will receive strategic support from the NIC program, coordinated by Fremtidens Industri, to accelerate innovation, expand international partnerships, and strengthen its members' competitiveness in global markets. Cyprus Shipping News
• [New] Emissions must drop by about 60% by 2035 to keep global temperature rise within 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels - a critical threshold beyond which the world faces far more catastrophic consequences, including heatwaves, droughts, floods and sea-level rise. ESG Post
• [New] As fall sets in, warm ocean temperatures and changing jet streams will drive severe weather across the U.S. EcoFlow
• [New] If we implemented the rescue plan in full, ocean life would become healthier, more abundant, and better able to cope with big global threats like climate change and plastic pollution. Greenpeace International
• [New] The Ocean Rescue Plan would create a huge network of protected areas (ocean sanctuaries) covering at least 30% of the oceans by 2030. Greenpeace International
• [New] NatPower Marine's Heysham-Northern Ireland corridor, built in partnership with Peel Ports Group, is already under construction and will eliminate over 10,000 tonnes of CO2 annually from Irish Sea routes. Global Trade Magazine
• [New] Consolidation in the Norwegian sector continued last month, with Mowi's acquisition of Nova Sea approved, making the world's biggest salmon farmer even bigger with an expected harvest volume of 597,000 tonnes in 2025. Aquaculture UK Exhibition - 16 - 17 June 2026 | Glasgow
• [New] Pro-aquaculture lobby group Stronger America Through Seafood, which includes Democrat and Republican politicians, hopes the Marine Aquaculture Research for America (MARA) Act will help coordinate federal permitting for a US aquaculture programme. Aquaculture UK Exhibition - 16 - 17 June 2026 | Glasgow
• [New] Vodafone Group and Vodafone Ukraine will construct the Kardesa underwater cable system connecting Ukraine, Bulgaria, Turkey, and Georgia through the Black Sea, bypassing Russia. Presage Global
• [New] There are substantial uncertainties associated with the translation of globally aggregated ocean heat content and thermal expansion to local ocean dynamic sea-level change, in particular when extrapolating to 2300. Nature
• [New] Under current climate policies, emissions until 2050 lock in 0.3m more global mean sea-level rise by 2300 than historical emissions until 2020. Nature
• [New] Sea levels today are climbing more quickly than at any time in the past 4,000 years, with China's coastal cities facing some of the most severe risks. ScienceDaily
• [New] The high-resolution simulations indicate that a stronger, more rhythmic ENSO could also align with other climate systems, including the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), the Indian Ocean Dipole, and the Tropical North Atlantic mode. ScienceDaily
• [New] OC plans to implement a world-first approach to consistent ocean monitoring by deploying multiple USVs equipped with sensors and communication networks through an initiative dubbed 'Oceanic Constellations'. MarineLink

Last updated: 03 November 2025