Shark Bite #12

Welcome to Shark Bite #12.

Sea turtles are BACK

For the first time since 2018, sea turtle eggs have been spotted in Mississippi. It’s still a bit too early to confirm, but researchers believe that the eggs belong to either a loggerhead sea turtle or Kemp’s ridley sea turtle. 

Local populations were destroyed by the BP Oil Spill, several major hurricanes, and commercial developments. Most scientists never thought they were coming back….

We love sea turtles. Who doesn’t? But this isn’t just good news because they’re cute. 

Six of the seven sea turtle species around the world are considered endangered, with three of those being classified as “critically endangered.” In fact, Kemp’s ridley sea turtle is the most endangered. So if these eggs turn out to be one of these, that would be a great sign for the species. 

Hoping to hear more good news from M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I (just wanted to make sure we spelled it correctly).  

Time to prep for the zombie apocalypse

No, seriously. A massive chunk of zombie ice is going to raise the global sea level by 10 inches once it melts. This is over twice the amount originally forecasted. 

First off, what is zombie ice? Zombie ice is a section of ice that is still attached to a larger piece of ice but is no longer being replenished by the parent glacier. Long story short, it’s only a matter of time before it breaks off into the ocean. 

We don’t have time for a full lesson in glaciology (yes, it’s a real thing), but here’s what you need to know:

• Greenland is one of two ice sheets in the world (the other is the Antarctic). 
• Glaciers shaped much of the world’s landscape, including the Great Lakes. 
• These two ice sheets are critical to human survival.

Ten inches might not seem like much. It’s not until you add hurricanes, typhoons, and severe flooding to the mix. If you live in a place that’s at or below sea level, the results will be devastating. Hope you aren’t planning on moving to Miami anytime soon.

Not so fun fact - In college, I built a global sea level rise projection for my senior thesis project. Aside from teaching myself thermodynamics, the worst part was that every series I ran projected a worst-case scenario of 12-14 inches. Hopefully, we never get there.

We promise to have some good news next week, see you then. In the meantime, do your best to limit your carbon footprint. 

Kai

Co-Founder

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