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] The High Seas Treaty or Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdictions Agreement, will govern about two-thirds of the planet's oceans including vast areas beyond any country's borders. Australian Broadcasting Corporation
• [New] A deeper understanding of how iron controls photosynthesis at the molecular scale could help researchers better anticipate changes in ocean productivity and shifts in the global carbon cycle. ScienceDaily
• [New] As long as Earth continues to absorb more energy than it releases, ocean heat content will keep rising and new records will continue to be set. ScienceDaily
• [New] More than 190,000 protected areas would need to be established in order to meet the 30 by 30 target to bring 30% of the oceans under formal protection by 2030. gCaptain
• [New] The combination of rising oceans and sinking land means the world's largest cities will face even greater challenges from catastrophic floods in the future. Live Science
• [New] The UK risks being shut out of a historic oceans summit because parliament has failed to ratify the UN's high seas treaty, environmental charities and campaigners have warned. The Guardian
• [New] Platforms like Climawise link global adaptation strategies to local risks, helping cities design tailored responses to flooding, heat, and sea-level rise. Forbes
• [New] There could be a loss of wintering habitat in coming decades because of a warming ocean. Australian Broadcasting Corporation
• [New] Future tiger shark distribution could depend on changes to prey distribution, such as sea turtles, which appear to be moving southwards into NSW. Australian Broadcasting Corporation
• [New] Japan is going to the depths of the ocean to reduce its reliance on China. Australian Broadcasting Corporation
• [New] Rough seas are expected on Sydney's waters ... it could be dangerous coastal conditions. The Sydney Morning Herald
• [New] One of the biggest successful projects is the first phase of Berwick Bank in the North Sea, which could end up as the largest offshore wind farm worldwide. BBC News
• [New] Deltas are facing a double burden of sea-level rise and sinking land that increases the risk of catastrophic flooding and displacement for millions of people in some of the world's biggest cities. Live Science
• [New] An assessment by Shell and Equinor - the big oil companies that co-own the Rosebank licence - indicate that a worst case spill could spread oil across 29 marine protected areas in the North Sea. Oceanographic
• [New] The Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC AR6) states with high confidence that extreme sea level events, which can lead to coastal flooding, will become more intense and frequent over the twenty-first century in almost all regions of the world. Nature
• [New] Gulf of Aden - Somalia/Somaliland Maritime risks across the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea, and Horn of Africa remain elevated due to a combination of piracy, terrorism, regional tensions, and sophisticated threats. All About Shipping
• [New] Rising sea levels will flood facilities handling sewage, toxic waste, oil and gas, and other industrial pollutants if heat-trapping pollution continues unchecked. UCLA
• [New] In 2026, higher baseline sea levels are likely to worsen coastal flooding during storms and high tides, eroding shorelines and threatening homes, infrastructure, and freshwater supplies. Voices.earth
• [New] In 2026, rapidly intensifying hurricanes in the Atlantic and Western Pacific oceans could leave coastal communities with little time to prepare, increasing damage from wind, flooding, and storm surge. Voices.earth
• The IDIQ award makes MDA Space eligible to bid on future tasks and service orders under SHIELD, a US defence effort aimed at strengthening protection against threats across land, sea, air, cyberspace, and space domains. Space War

Last updated: 19 January 2026