Oceanic contamination

Plastic pollution in the ocean. Illustration: depositphotos.com

The Mediterranean Sea floor off Israel is littered with plastic bags – some of the highest in the world

A new study reveals a worrying picture: Israel's maritime territory has one of the highest levels of plastic bags in the world. What is the solution?
Seabed pollution. Illustration: depositphotos.com

The silent pollution of the deep: What sinks to the seabed doesn't disappear and it harms for years

A new Israeli study simulates oil spill scenarios and shows: In the deep sea, the damage to bottom creatures is more severe and the recovery time is longer – up to three to five years even at low pollutant concentrations. While the headlines focus on what
Small snails and sea urchins come to the boards in droves and destroy everything growing on them. Photo: Maxim Rubin-Blum and Yitzhak Makowsky

Palmachim Disorder: What is hiding hundreds of meters below the surface of the Mediterranean Sea?

Animal habitats have been placed deep in the sea off the coast of Israel. They reveal unique living conditions that have been almost unexplored.
Brown sea turtle. "The average mercury concentration in brown sea turtle eggs is higher than the average concentration we found in green sea turtle eggs." Photo: Reut Alon

Not just in thermometers: Mercury found in sea turtle eggs

Heavy metals were found in sea turtle eggs in record-breaking concentrations – according to a new Israeli study that may provide us with a broader picture of heavy metal pollution in the Mediterranean Sea.
The "ZIM" company announced that due to the threats of the Houthis, it will route at least part of its cargo ships that arrive from the Eastern countries through a longer route around Africa. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Thus the Houthi threat may increase the pollution of cargo ships

Beyond the security and economic implications, the Houthi threat to the Red Sea may also have significant environmental consequences, which will further increase the polluting footprint of the maritime transport industry