Summer the way it was meant to be.
SURF:
Pretty great weather the past few days. Fog has finally cleared out, water has warmed up, and we've had just enough small waves to keep things rideable. For this weekend, things just get better. Friday starts off slow with a little bump from NW windswell to give us waist high waves around town and a touch of old S swell.
FORECAST:
Surf drops slightly on Monday/Tuesday to the chest high range but still looks fun.
WEATHER:
If you liked today's weather, it will only get better. High pressure will strengthen slightly for less low clouds in the AM and warmer temps at the beaches- most likely 80 degrees. There should also be some tropical clouds floating overhead and a stray thunderstorm in the deserts/mountains. That weather pattern lasts through early next week then we cool off slightly through next Friday- but still close to perfect around here.
BEST BET:
Saturday/Sunday looks pretty darn fun with new S & NW swells, warm water, and sunny skies. Next Thursday looks good too with slightly cooler conditions but bigger S swell.
NEWS OF THE WEEK:
With all the bad news coming from the ocean lately (sharks in the OC, rising sea levels, and potential Antarctica ice shelf collapse), I'm glad to hear some good news finally. The open-access journal PLOS ONE from the University of California Santa Barbara reported this week that the global ocean health has remained relatively stable over the past five years.
The Ocean Health Index has been used to assess ocean health on the local and regional scale, measuring factors such as biodiversity, coastal protection, and clean waters to help inform regional policies. In this study, data was analyzed for five years' worth of Ocean Health for 220 countries, seeking potential drivers and implications for the changes that they observed.
As expected, global ocean health has been fairly stable over the past five years, since the health of the world's oceans cannot change rapidly over a relatively short time period. However, there were notable changes in individual countries. For example, the authors found declines in overall ocean health in many Arctic and sub-Arctic countries, possibly because the rapid loss of sea ice has resulted in reduced coastal protection. The researchers suggest that improvements in wild-caught fishery management, the creation of marine protected areas, and decreases in harvesting of fish and other natural products may have stabilized ocean health scores in other regions.
The 2016 study assessed the marine waters under national jurisdiction, the coastlines and oceans (out to 200 nautical miles) of all 220 coastal countries and territories. These regions total 40% of the ocean and provide most benefits to people, but also incur most pressures from human activities. The Antarctica and 15 sectors of the High Seas were assessed in 2014, but not this year.
The overall score, 71 is unchanged from 2015, 2014 and 2012, with a temporary one point rise in 2013. The overall score sends a message that the ocean isn’t ‘dying’ as many people may think. However, the score remains far from a perfect 100, indicating that marine life would fare better and we would gain more benefits if we used the ocean in more sustainable ways.
Regional scores ranged from 44 (Libya and Sierra Leone) to 91 (Howland Island and Baker Island). The USA had an overall score of 70. Five of the highest scoring regions are: Howland Island and Baker Island (91), Jarvis Island (90), South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (88), Palmyra Atoll (85), Germany (85).
In total, twenty-one (21) regions scored 80 or above, many of which are remote islands with few or no human inhabitants showing that despite the Ocean Health Index’s emphasis on benefits to people, relatively pristine locations can still score very high. Germany (85) and Australia (80) were the only regions with populations exceeding one million to score 80 or above. Both of these are countries with stable and effective governance, good environmental management and attention to social well-being.
Five of the lowest scoring regions are: Democratic Republic of the Congo (47); Guinea (45) and Ivory Coast (45); Libya (44) and Sierra Leone (44).
In total, thirteen (13) regions scored 50 or below, and 11 of these are in Africa, one in Central America and one in the Middle East. Regions that are poor and have a recent history of conflict, dictatorship or other challenges generally score poorly.
While the Ocean Health Index was capable of predicting short term changes in global ocean health, the authors suggest that investment in additional resources for measuring changes on a global scale would greatly help with management and protection of ocean health now and in the future.
"One of the things that's so powerful about the Ocean Health Index is that it allows you to compare the health of oceans any place on the planet, over time, with a directly comparable measure," says author Benjamin Halpern. "You can ask some of the most basic yet most important questions about the state of our planet: how are the oceans doing, and what factors are driving changes in ocean health. We can finally start answering those questions."
For the complete report, visit here.
PIC OF THE WEEK:
Iceberg doomed the Titanic? Fake news. This is the real reason the world's most luxurious liner went down. That fishing boat is next.
Keep Surfing,
Michael W. Glenn
Gung Ho
Hanging With Robin Leach This Weekend
Last Person To Surf Killer Dana
