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What is a storm surge and why is it so dangerous?

One of Earth's Most Dangerous Waters: Gulf of Aden - Somali Piracy and Trade's Response.

We do not yet know the final tally in lives and destroyed property from the massive explosion of volatile chemicals in a port warehouse in Tianjin, China ["Cleanup underway after port explosions ," The World, Aug. 17]. This accident highlights the fact that ports in the United States and around the world move and store many potentially dangerous products.

A small, motorised fishing boat heads out to sea from the port of Sinabang, leaving behind the remote island of Simeulue, off the coast of western Sumatra. Noticeable on the deck is a tangle of plastic tubes, linked up to a roaring, spluttering engine. The on-board fishers are going 'compressor fishing', a practice that involves divers searching the seabed for lucrative octopus, grouper and sea cucumber, all the while relying on air supplied by a single plastic lifeline, snaking precariously up to the surface. The rewards can be great - fishers are able to stay deep underwater for long periods, harvesting catches that would be inaccessible to those using other fishing techniques. However, this method is fraught with dangers, as local Simeulue fisher, Anhar, can testify.

Yemen's state weakness due to fragmentation and ongoing conflicts allowed Al Qaeda and affiliates to take and hold territory, possibly enabling them to seize the Port of Aden. If Al Qaeda establishes safe havens in the southern Abyan province, supported by local Yemeni inhabitants, attacks at sea or in near by ports similar to the "USS COLE bombing" in 2000 could become a threat, increasing the danger to Red Sea shipping. Yet Al Qaeda is of secondary concern for the Yemeni government, with secessionist insurgencies in the north and the south threatening the state's unity. Only a stable Yemen can effectively deny Al Qaeda a stable base in the long run.

The push to meet global marine conservation targets has significantly increased the scope and scale of marine protected areas (MPAs) worldwide. While the benefits derived from MPA establishment are often optimistically framed as a "win-win" for both marine biodiversity and for the wellbeing of coastal peoples, this assumption is challenged for several reasons, including the fact that current science and practice frequently fails to account for the full impact of MPAs on human wellbeing. This context poses a danger that the context specific, place based aspects of wellbeing, like relations to others and the marine environment, will not be accounted for, examined, or reported in evaluation and decision-making processes. To address this challenge, this research investigates how MPA implementation can change and challenge the relational wellbeing and relational values of small-scale fishers (SSFs) living in Mnazi Bay-Ruvuma Estuary Marine Park, Tanzania. Fieldwork occurred over 2019-2020 and used qualitative data collection methods, including: 140 semi-structured interviews, document analysis, and observation. Results highlight a dynamic interaction between the MPA and SSFs relational wellbeing, including how relational values inform everyday fishing practices, cultural and place identities, as well as interactions with others and connections to the marine environment. Top-down approaches used in MPA development worked against key relational values, including social cohesion, reciprocity, place, agency and self-determination to dismantle and disrupt the practices SSFs viewed as fundamental to their livelihood and collective wellbeing. Our findings serve as a starting point to better recognize the context specific factors that underlie relational wellbeing and give insight into how relational values shape social-ecological complexity within coastal communities. The paper highlights how the international marine conservation community can better account for and foste

Mangrove forests around the Indo-Pacific region could be submerged by 2070, according to international research published today.

Mangrove forests around the Indo-Pacific region could be submerged by 2070, according to international research published today.

Surfing geologist applies science to shark risk.

Menacée par les touristes, une île thaïlandaise est contrainte de fermer.

With piracy spreading along large swathes of Africa's coast, shipping firms and governments are deploying hi-tech weapons in the fight against the raiders.

With piracy spreading along large swathes of Africa's coast, shipping firms and governments are deploying hi-tech weapons in the fight against the raiders.

Tanzania: Fishing Endangers Sharks Off Mafia.

Arctic ice melt could trigger uncontrollable climate change at global level.

A tiny wasp could save Christmas Island's spectacular red crabs from crazy ants.

On the climate change frontline: the disappearing fishing villages of Bangladesh #GlobalWarning.

Why the World's Biggest Sharks Love Mafia Island.

Seabirds have distinct individual personalities that affect where they feed and how likely they are to prosper, a pair of recent studies suggests.

Cull Kill Includes Small Tiger Sharks along with Intended Victims [Video].

Australian surfers need to rediscover environmentalism, or more sharks will be killed.

Vessels have cut fuel costs by slowing down and taking a more direct route closer to the Somali coast, shows study.

Vessels have cut fuel costs by slowing down and taking a more direct route closer to the Somali coast, shows study.