The War with Iran Endangers Marine Life

The Persian Gulf is rich in marine biodiversity including coral reefs, sea turtles, mangroves, and more than 700 species of fish, as well as dugongs (Dugong dugon), a marine mammal related to manatees. Even before the war, the gulf’s ecology was threatened by climate change, overexploitation, and pollution. 

The gulf has many islands, and a European Space Agency satellite photo taken earlier this month showed an oil spill spanning more than five miles in the Strait of Hormuz near one of them called Qeshm. An air strike on another, Lavan, has led to a major environmental emergency, according to Wim Zwijnenburg of the Dutch organization PAX, who spoke with CNN. That spill was heading toward Shidvar Island, which is a protected wildlife refuge and is known as “Iran’s Maldives.”

Another satellite image shows a trail of oil from a Kuwaiti port after Iran claimed it had hit petrochemical plants, Live Science reports. The oil pollution also threatens the livelihoods of thousands of people who rely on marine resources for income and food, as well as filtration systems that desalinate water for millions.

Despite a ceasefire that appears to be extended, it’s not likely that clean-up of any spills will occur soon despite conditions for ecosystems worsening. Over a month ago, Greenpeace Germany reported there were as many as 85 large oil tankers trapped in the gulf, which it described as an “environmental disaster waiting to happen.”

A study from the nonprofit Environmental Working Group (EWG) showed that, between 2021 and 2023, 62 million Americans were exposed to the pollutant, likely from fertilizers in agricultural runoff, manure from feeding operations, and wastewater discharge. Nitrates are invisible and odorless and have also been associated with thyroid disease and preterm births.

The report showed that almost two-thirds of water systems with nitrate levels at or above the legal standard were in California, Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma, which have large agricultural industries. The report also says that drinking water across the U.S. contains hundreds of chemicals, heavy metals, and radioactive substances, often at levels higher than what scientists consider safe, even if it’s in compliance with federal standards.

The group says that people can protect their drinking water and reduce risks by using a carbon filter or a reverse osmosis system.  Also, people can contact their local water supplier to learn about treatment methods and whether there are violations of standards.

We know that plants respond to stimuli—some recoil when touched, while others fold inward when exposed to heat or toxins. And of course, most plants respond to light, reaching toward the sun to help them grow. Plants also understand gravity—knowing to send roots down and to send shoots up. They do this through their “statoliths”—envelopes of starch at the bottom of certain cells. When statoliths are jostled, sprouting kicks into gear.

To test whether rain could be enough to affect the statolith, the team experimented with rice seeds, which grow in shallow watery fields. Previous studies had found that sound waves are stronger in water than air because it’s denser. 

The team exposed the seeds to water droplet sounds that would occur in light, moderate, or heavy storms. They found that those seeds germinated 30 to 40 percent faster than ones in quiet conditions. They also found that seeds that were closer to the surface could better sense the rain and grow faster, compared to more submerged ones. 

“Hearing” rain can be a biological advantage for seeds, establishing a “Goldilocks Zone” that’s close enough to the surface to feel raindrops but deep enough to soak up the moisture.

The study was published in the journal Scientific Reports.

Currently, the word natsubi describes a typical summer day around 25 C, manatsubi for a midsummer day around 30 C, and mōshobi, introduced in 2007, for an extremely hot day over 35 Celsius or 95 degrees Fahrenheit. With recent heat waves, however, it became clear that a new term was needed. 

On April 17, the agency introduced Kokushobi for days surpassing 40 Celsius or around 104 Fahrenheit. The word koku means cruel or harsh and was chosen following a government survey of nearly half a million respondents to help raise awareness about keeping safe in extreme heat. 

Kokushobi might come in handy this summer. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) just announced that El Niño conditions could return as early as May, causing above-normal temperatures nearly everywhere on the planet. And, models suggest it might be a whopper.

El Niño refers to above-average sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, and the phenomenon often brings a range of impacts from drought, wildfires, and floods. Extreme weather events and heat waves are becoming more common and intense with climate change, as we burn fossil fuels—creating conditions for which there may one day be no words to describe.