U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Dozens of false killer whales stranded on remote Australian beach

More than 150 false killer whales have been stranded on an isolated beach in the Australian state of Tasmania, with rescue crews trying to save the majority of the large dolphins that survived the ordeal, authorities said on Wednesday. Initial checks showed 136 animals were still alive, Tasmania's environment department said in a statement. Reasons for the beachings are unclear. The endangered dolphins, which can grow up to 20 feet (6.1 m) long and weigh up to 3,000 lbs (1,361 kg), resemble ki...

May 17, 2024 3:56 PM

More than 60% of world’s coral reefs may have bleached in past year, NOAA says

Nearly two-thirds of the world's coral reefs have been subjected to heat stress bad enough to trigger bleaching over the past year, the leading agency monitoring coral reefs said on Thursday. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced last month that the world's coral reefs were in the throes of a fourth mass bleaching event, as climate change combined with an El Nino climate pattern has pushed ocean temperatures to record highs. Now, the agency reports some 60.5...