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Oyster reefs that once protected coastlines have been 85% destroyed over the past two centuries due to overfishing and pollution. The Billion Oyster Project is initiating the seeding of oyster colonies in 18 locations in hopes of encouraging natural reproduction of the mollusks.
Studies show that reefs increase biodiversity and improve water quality.
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As it is specified, this happened due to algae blooms, caused, according to scientists, by the shallowing of the reservoir, which, in turn, was provoked by severe drought and abnormal heat. The fact that the water has changed, visitors began to notice in recent days.
According to photographer S. Cardoso, he has never seen anything like it. The city government plans to clean the pond of algae, although it admits that due to the lowered water level it is quite difficult to use pumps.
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Spanish photographer Jaime Rojo has been following the life of the monarch butterfly for more than 20 years after witnessing the dramatic decline of this colorful species. Monarchs are threatened by habitat destruction, climate change and pesticide use.
As a result, butterfly populations have declined by 90% since the 1990s. Rojo will receive the prestigious award for his work in photojournalism at the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition in London.
“When I first visited the Monarch Reserve in Mexico, the forest was dotted with butterflies,” he recalls. Now, however, they have become extremely scarce.
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Rivers are not only the source of life, but also hold many fascinating secrets. For example, the Finke River in Australia, known to the indigenous people as the Larapinta, is considered the oldest river on the planet.
Experts estimate it to be 350-400 million years old. It flows only after heavy precipitation and its source is in the McDonnell Mountains. Indigenous Australian legends tell of the creation of the river by the Rainbow Serpent.
In North America, the oldest river on record is the New River. Its length is about 550 km, and its age, according to some experts, reaches 360 million years.
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During excavations in Denmark archaeologists managed to find 50 perfectly preserved skeletons of Vikings, which can significantly change our understanding of the life of the peoples who once inhabited Scandinavia.
According to Michael Borre Lundo, the work leader from the Odense Museum, the unique soil conditions and the high water table have contributed to the preservation of the remains.
“Usually we only find a few teeth, but here we find whole skeletons,” Lundo emphasized. Among the artifacts found in the graves are knives, beads and glass brooches dating from 850-970.
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