Seaweed

WaterIQ First to Market with 4,400 Precise Algae Destroying Ultrasound Frequencies

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, October 3, 2023

In addition, algae and biofilm are impacting the safety, economics, and aesthetics of valuable water resources.

Key Points: 
  • In addition, algae and biofilm are impacting the safety, economics, and aesthetics of valuable water resources.
  • “WaterIQ’s efforts toward preventing and destroying algae beyond traditional ultrasonic methods demonstrates what is achievable with high precision ultrasound targeting,” stated Lawrence Field, CEO and Chairman of WaterIQ Technologies.
  • The more frequencies emitted towards an algae cell the more likely it will resonate and be destroyed.
  • Supports 4,400 precise frequencies targeting green, blue-green, golden algae and dinoflagellates such as Karenia brevis which causes red tide.

Occidental and ADNOC to commence preliminary engineering study of a Direct Air Capture facility in the UAE

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, October 3, 2023

HOUSTON, Oct. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Occidental (NYSE: OXY) today announced that its subsidiary 1PointFive and ADNOC signed an agreement to commence a jointly funded preliminary engineering study for a 1 million tonne-per-year Direct Air Capture (DAC) facility in the United Arab Emirates.

Key Points: 
  • HOUSTON, Oct. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Occidental (NYSE: OXY) today announced that its subsidiary 1PointFive and ADNOC signed an agreement to commence a jointly funded preliminary engineering study for a 1 million tonne-per-year Direct Air Capture (DAC) facility in the United Arab Emirates.
  • 1PointFive is marketing carbon dioxide removal (CDR) credits to assist hard-to-abate industries and other companies achieve their net-zero targets.
  • ADNOC is in the testing phase of the world’s first fully sequestered CO2 injection well in a carbonate saline aquifer in Abu Dhabi.
  • “This agreement demonstrates how Oxy and ADNOC are committed to advancing direct air capture technology in the UAE and underscores the necessary urgency needed to deliver global-scale climate solutions,” said Vicki Hollub, Occidental President and CEO.

Here's how to fix Australia's approach to soil carbon credits so they really count towards our climate goals

Retrieved on: 
Friday, September 29, 2023

Farmers can be awarded credits for increasing soil carbon content.

Key Points: 
  • Farmers can be awarded credits for increasing soil carbon content.
  • As Australian agricultural and soil scientists, we have serious concerns about the way credits are awarded for soil carbon sequestration under the Australian carbon credit unit scheme.
  • Read more:
    US scheme used by Australian farmers reveals the dangers of trading soil carbon to tackle climate change

Understanding the carbon cycle

    • Plants take in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as they grow.
    • When carbon inputs from plants exceed losses from the decomposition of organic matter, the amount of soil carbon increases.

Increases need to be due to management

    • Namely, carbon credits are being awarded for changes associated with seasonal conditions (changes that would have happened anyway) rather than human actions.
    • This is problematic because it can award credits to projects that report increases during relatively wet periods.
    • That means credits were awarded for sequestration that had more to do with the weather than good management.

Soil carbon can be lost

    • Where soil carbon losses are greater than inputs, soil carbon stocks decline and sequestered carbon is released back to the atmosphere.
    • Furthermore, modelling indicates it’s likely soil carbon could be lost under the warmer and drier conditions of future climates.

Overinflated sequestration rates

    • This is not the first time a soil carbon project has made unrealistic claims.
    • This is an issue because published studies show soil carbon changes in deeper soil are relatively small and happen slowly.
    • Read more:
      Chubb review of Australia's carbon credit scheme falls short – and problems will continue to fester

Contributing to our emissions targets?

    • Australia’s emissions are reported annually to the United Nations in the national greenhouse gas inventory.
    • These annual inventories show progress towards our declared emissions reduction targets.
    • This means some soil carbon credits the Australian government purchases do not count toward our emissions targets.

Getting it right

    • For instance, the Verra scheme in the international voluntary carbon market uses a method that minimises crediting for increases associated with rainfall.
    • There also needs to be greater focus on monitoring changes in soil carbon.
    • For a start, Australia’s Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network should be extended to include agricultural land.
    • Aaron has received funding from the Commonwealth and NSW governments for soil carbon research and policy development.
    • He has received funding from the Commonwealth Government and from Grains Research and Development Corporation for research relevant to soil carbon.
    • He receives funding from Meat and Livestock Australia and Department Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries for soil carbon research.

Temporary carbon storage in forests has climate value — but we need to get the accounting right

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, September 28, 2023

This is one reason why offsetting fossil fuel emissions with natural carbon storage is problematic.

Key Points: 
  • This is one reason why offsetting fossil fuel emissions with natural carbon storage is problematic.
  • Current accounting mechanisms for natural carbon storage do not adequately deal with the risk of loss due to disturbances.
  • Read more:
    Climate change: carbon offsetting isn't working – here's how to fix it

    But what if we measured and tracked both the amount and time of carbon storage?

Temporary is not permanent

    • Previous researchers have argued that as few as 30 tonne-years of temporary storage could be seen as equivalent to one tonne of permanent storage.
    • But from a climate perspective, temporary and permanent storage are very different things and are not interchangeable.
    • Moreover, offsetting a permanent emission from fossil fuels with tonne-years of temporary storage is not climate neutral.

Measuring carbon storage time

    • If the carbon is retained in storage for some period of time (by preventing deforestation at that location, for example), the climate benefit of that forest would be retained during the period of storage.
    • If the amount of carbon storage decreases, this will cause tonne-years to increase by a smaller amount each year (slower rate case, representing decreasing climate benefit).
    • If carbon storage increases, either via forest growth of via expansion of protected forest area, this will generate a larger annual increase in tonne-years (faster rate case, representing increasing climate benefit).

Tracking the benefits

    • If the number of tonne-years does not increase with time, this means there is no carbon storage, and therefore no climate benefit.
    • If tonne-years increase at a constant rate, this represents a sustained amount of carbon storage and sustained climate benefit.
    • If this rate of increase of tonne-years slows, it indicates that previous climate benefits are being lost or eroded.
    • But if tonne-years increase at an faster rate, this means that total carbon storage and consequent climate benefit is also increasing with time.

Alnoba Lewis Family Foundation Honors Emerging Environmental Entrepreneur and CEO Environmental Leader

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, September 28, 2023

KENSINGTON, N.H., Sept. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Alnoba Lewis Family Foundation today announced the two final recipients of the 2023 Alnoba Environmental Leadership Awards. The Alnoba Emerging Environmental Entrepreneur Award will be presented to Franziska Trautmann, co-founder and CEO, Glass Half Full. The recipient of the Alnoba CEO Environmental Leadership Award is Briana Warner, CEO, Atlantic Sea Farms.

Key Points: 
  • The Alnoba Lewis Family Foundation today announced the two final recipients of the 2023 Alnoba Environmental Leadership Awards.
  • The Alnoba Emerging Environmental Entrepreneur Award will be presented to Franziska Trautmann, co-founder and CEO, Glass Half Full.
  • KENSINGTON, N.H., Sept. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Alnoba Lewis Family Foundation today announced the two final recipients of the 2023 Alnoba Environmental Leadership Awards .
  • The Alnoba Emerging Environmental Entrepreneur Award will be presented to Franziska Trautmann, co-founder and CEO, Glass Half Full.

Unlock the Secrets of Timeless Beauty and Harness the Power of Icelandic Kelp with TARAMAR's Purification Treatment

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, September 28, 2023

REYKJAVÍK, Iceland, Sept. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- TARAMAR, a pioneering force in skincare innovation, proudly unveils its latest breakthrough: the Purification Treatment.

Key Points: 
  • REYKJAVÍK, Iceland, Sept. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- TARAMAR, a pioneering force in skincare innovation, proudly unveils its latest breakthrough: the Purification Treatment.
  • This revolutionary skincare solution taps into the extraordinary rejuvenating properties of Icelandic kelp, a culmination of years of dedicated research and development by our expert team.
  • At its core, the Purification Treatment relies on NoTox®, an innovative technology devised by TARAMAR that extracts the potent skin rejuvenating properties of this oceanic wonder.
  • By combining these extracts with luxurious organic oils and a powerful skin-conditioning ester, TARAMAR's Purifying Treatment was born.

Unlock the Secrets of Timeless Beauty and Harness the Power of Icelandic Kelp with TARAMAR's Purification Treatment

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, September 28, 2023

REYKJAVÍK, Iceland, Sept. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- TARAMAR, a pioneering force in skincare innovation, proudly unveils its latest breakthrough: the Purification Treatment.

Key Points: 
  • REYKJAVÍK, Iceland, Sept. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- TARAMAR, a pioneering force in skincare innovation, proudly unveils its latest breakthrough: the Purification Treatment.
  • This revolutionary skincare solution taps into the extraordinary rejuvenating properties of Icelandic kelp, a culmination of years of dedicated research and development by our expert team.
  • At its core, the Purification Treatment relies on NoTox®, an innovative technology devised by TARAMAR that extracts the potent skin rejuvenating properties of this oceanic wonder.
  • By combining these extracts with luxurious organic oils and a powerful skin-conditioning ester, TARAMAR's Purifying Treatment was born.

Women Front and Center at High-Level UNGA and Climate Week Events

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, September 27, 2023

NEW YORK, Sept. 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Women-led discussions and research on climate change were more prominent than ever during the 78th UN General Assembly and Climate Week NYC, as the impact becomes even more apparent. Key events and opportunities during the world's largest gathering of global leaders showcased the growing noteworthy female experts and scientists in climate thought leadership and action.

Key Points: 
  • NEW YORK, Sept. 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Women-led discussions and research on climate change were more prominent than ever during the 78th UN General Assembly and Climate Week NYC, as the impact becomes even more apparent.
  • Key events and opportunities during the world's largest gathering of global leaders showcased the growing noteworthy female experts and scientists in climate thought leadership and action.
  • Ms. Al Hameli also spoke on the main stage at Climate Week as part of a panel on biodiversity.
  • All three panels featured women leaders in sustainability sharing critical perspectives on climate and the importance of cooperative cross-sector action.

Playful whales can use seaweed as a hat – or exfoliant. This "kelping" behaviour is more common than we realised

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, September 26, 2023

Perhaps that’s why so many whales get playful with kelp and other seaweed.

Key Points: 
  • Perhaps that’s why so many whales get playful with kelp and other seaweed.
  • But we’ve collected over 100 examples on social media of whales playing with seaweed, known as “kelping”.
  • It’s not just one species –  gray whales, southern and northern right whales, and humpback whales all do it.

How do whales find kelp – and what do they do with it?

    • Kelp is a very strong seaweed and can take the punishment a whale can dish out.
    • Most videos and photos capturing this behaviour are of humpback whales as they migrate.
    • And they do more activities at the surface compared to other baleen whales, which is why beach goers and whale-watching boats most often see humpback whales.
    • These interactions aren’t just fleeting – whales can play with it or use it for up to an hour.
    • Balancing seaweed may also be stimulating for the whales, as their rostrums have fine hair follicles.

Kelping might be more than just play

    • As more of us use drones and better cameras, we’re likely to see more whale kelping caught on camera and shared in the coming years.
    • Kelping shows us how much we still have to learn even about well-studied whale species such as the humpback whale.
    • The gentle and inquisitive nature of these whales shines through when we see them play or use seaweed.
    • Read more:
      Humpback whales have been spotted 'bubble-net feeding' for the first time in Australia (and we have it on camera)

What's the carbon footprint of owning pet fish? An expert explains

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, September 26, 2023

But there had never been a study examining the carbon footprint of pet fish, despite 4 million households owning them in the UK alone – 70% of which are tropical freshwater fish.

Key Points: 
  • But there had never been a study examining the carbon footprint of pet fish, despite 4 million households owning them in the UK alone – 70% of which are tropical freshwater fish.
  • However, the precise carbon footprint of an aquarium varies depending on its location.
  • For example, tropical fish kept in France have a much smaller carbon footprint than those kept in the UK, because the French electricity grid is more decarbonised.
  • This also means that as electricity grids continue to decarbonise globally, and especially in Europe, the carbon footprint of keeping tropical fish will decrease.

Water consumption

    • So, fishkeepers must perform regular water changes – which means replacing the aquarium water with treated tap water or, for marine fish, water that has been purified using reverse osmosis (whereby water is pushed under pressure through a semi-permeable membrane).
    • However, reverse osmosis is not efficient and produces five litres of reject water for every one litre of purified water.
    • Estimates of water consumption for tropical aquariums vary depending on aquarium size, use of reverse osmosis, frequency of water changes and amount of water replaced.
    • Clearly, these examples represent two extremes of water consumption, equivalent to between 0.2% and 30.1% of the average UK household’s annual water use.

Ways to reduce environmental impact of pet fish


    My estimates provide the first insights into the environmental impact of a popular hobby. They show that keeping tropical fish is generally a more environmentally friendly option than keeping a dog or even a cat. They can also inform our decisions on how to reduce the environmental impact of keeping fish, such as:
    • Keeping tropical fish is a great way to enjoy beautiful ecosystems in your home.
    • Done correctly, it can also help prevent the world from becoming a little bit more tropical.