Science & Nature
July confirmed as hottest month on record
(CNS): Like much of the planet, the Caribbean experienced warmer or much warmer temperatures last month, as July 2019 has been officially confirmed as the hottest month globally across land and sea since records began around 140 years ago. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said Thursday that the average temperature last month was 1.71°F […]
Scientists research sargassum from Cayman to Florida
(CNS): University of Miami researchers are investigating everything about sargassum, from its movement to its chemical composition. They are looking for differences in the seaweed washing up on Florida’s beaches and the samples that washed up here on Grand Cayman. Sargassum has been sent to Miami from all over the Caribbean, where it is being […]
Climate report notes 7th year of sea level rise
(CNS): One of the many alarming points in the latest climate report from the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, scientists found that for the seventh year in a row sea levels rose in 2018 and the greenhouse gases released into the Earth’s atmosphere reached record levels. Also ringing the climate alarm bells in the State […]
Award winning photo taken at dive site under threat
(CNS): A photograph taken at Devil’s Grotto in the George Town Harbour won second prize in the Compact Camera category in Scuba Magazine‘s 2019 underwater photography competition. The picture was taken by Nikki Hazouri, who took advantage of the ambient light available to get the perfect shot of a tarpon after sticking her camera underneath […]
Gov’t to splurge on PR for port
(CNS): The Cayman Islands Government has already spent more than $60,000 promoting the proposed George Town cruise berthing project, according to a response to a recent freedom of information request. But it appears that it plans to spend much more of the public’s cash in future, after an RFP was posted earlier this week. The […]
Climate change threatening food security
(CNS): A new report published by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has found that the rise in global temperatures is already impacting food security. With more than a quarter of the ice-free land we inhabit already degraded, some 820 million people are undernourished, not just because of war, poverty and disease but […]
BT dock open for bids before its impact made public
(CNS): The planning ministry is seeking bidders to construct a 94ft dock at Coewood Beach in Bodden Town, though the findings of the coastal works application have not yet been released. The Public Works Department will be managing the project and general contractors are being asked to submit proposals to build the pier and a […]
Turtle shell found in dumpster
(CNS): The shell of an adult green sea turtle was found in a dumpster at the weekend, which officials said appeared to be the remains from another poaching incident. The shell measured 106cm (41.7in) and likely belonged to a 300-400 pound turtle and a once valuable member of the critically endangered wild population. The discovery […]
Climate pressures increasing
(CNS): More headlines this week point to the increasing pressures of climate change, but the Cayman Islands Government has still not completed its Climate Change Policy, which has been in the works for eight years. The latest cause for alarm is that scientists have found the rate of global sea level rise began accelerating 30 […]
Volunteers say beach trash home-grown
(CNS): Volunteers who joined in Plastic Free Cayman’s monthly beach clean-up this past weekend are warning about an increase in home-grown trash along the shoreline. While beach clean-ups usually involve clearing garbage that has washed up, this month’s clean-up at South Sound beach revealed much more home-generated litter on land here. The 33 volunteers picked […]
DoE starts green iguana count
(CNS): The Terrestrial Resources Unit at the Department of Environment will be starting its annual green iguana count this month. And with more than 830,000 culled over the last nine months, researchers are hoping the population will be much lower than the 1.3 million estimated last August. Cullers made massive strides in denting the population […]
