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] By examining the material of cold-water geysers on Earth, scientists can speculate what might happen to plumes on ocean worlds as they move from the ocean to space. Discover Magazine
• [New] Red Sea Disruptions and Their Geopolitical Impact The Red Sea has always been one of the world's most strategic maritime corridors, linking Asia and Europe through the Suez Canal. Global Trade Magazine
• [New] The repercussions of the joint military operation by the US and Israel against Iran and subsequent retaliatory action will see the further weaponization of trade and shatter hopes of a large-scale return of container shipping to the Red Sea in 2026. WorldCargo News
• [New] Following US-Israeli military operations against Iran, sources indicated that Yemen's Houthi movement had threatened to launch new attacks against Israeli and US-linked vessels, as well as commercial shipping, in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. WorldCargo News
• [New] Any disruption in Red Sea operations, even temporary, could ripple through Ethiopian supply chains, affecting manufacturing, exports, and import costs, given Maersk's position as a major carrier for containerised cargo. Birr Metrics
• [New] Strongly affiliated shipping assessed to be at heightened risk is advised to shelter in territorial seas and avoid transits through the Persian / Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, southern Red Sea, and Gulf of Aden. gCaptain
• [New] War-risk insurance premiums in the Russian Black Sea have more than doubled over the past year, reaching 1% of the value of a ship's hull in January. Acled
• [New] China recently unveiled a new deep-sea cable cutting submersible, a vessel with no purpose other than to threaten seabed infrastructure. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
• [New] Much of trafficked waste around the world ends up in illegal landfills or the ocean, or it is burnt in the open - endangering human health, ecosystems, and livelihoods. Thailand
• [New] Under the highest emissions scenario, sea ice coverage could fall by 20%, devastating species that rely on it - such as krill, an important prey for whales and penguins - and amplifying ocean warming worldwide. Mirage News
• [New] Antarctica is warming faster than anywhere else on Earth, which could destroy its ecosystems and put other parts of the planet at risk by driving sea level rise and damaging food chains. Mirage News
• [New] Ocean acidification and hypoxia pose major risks to BC's seafood industries, with projected losses in the hundreds of millions by 2050. Canadian OA CoP
• [New] Arctic summer sea ice is a critical foundation of the global ocean and climate system, and its rapid loss is creating a series of severe risks to nature and people across the planet. Ocean Visions
• [New] Arctic summer sea ice is critical to global climate regulation and regional climate stability, but it is projected to disappear by 2050. Ocean Visions
• [New] Arctic sea ice, which serves an important role in global climate stability through its high albedo, is a system at high risk. Ocean Visions
• [New] Arctic sea ice, which facilitates global climate stability through its high albedo, is a system at high risk. Ocean Visions
• [New] The loss of summer sea ice estimated to occur in the coming decades will worsen impacts to ecosystems, Arctic people, and global climate. Ocean Visions
• [New] Sea-level rise does not stop at political borders, and so countries in the Global North - including Germany - are also increasingly threatened. Robert Bosch Stiftung
• [New] The number of people exposed to flood risk will rise by 25% on China's Pearl River delta by 2035, even if carbon emissions start to be cut: that region, which includes Hong Kong, is home to 86 million people. The Guardian

Last updated: 09 March 2026