A roundup of news items related to climate change and other environmental issues in Florida:
Whales and dolphins in American waters are losing food and habitat to climate change, US study says | Associated Press
Whales, dolphins and seals living in U.S. waters face major threats from warming ocean temperatures, rising sea levels and decreasing sea ice volumes associated with climate change, according to a first-of-its-kind assessment.
Researchers with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration examined more than 100 stocks of American marine mammal species and found more than 70% of those stocks are vulnerable to threats, such as loss of habitat and food, due to the consequences of warming waters. The impacts also include loss of dissolved oxygen and changes to ocean chemistry.
The scientists found large whales such as humpbacks and North Atlantic right whales were among the most vulnerable to climate change, and that other toothed whales and dolphins were also at high risk.
Fort Lauderdale unveils $500M plan aimed at protecting Florida city from flash flooding | Fox Weather
After flash flooding devastated Fort Lauderdale in the spring, city officials decided to accelerate work on critical infrastructure aimed at mitigating the risk of such a disaster in the future.
The Florida city’s infrastructure currently handles 3 inches of rainfall within 24 hours. On April 12, however, 26 inches of rain fell in one day and caused flash flooding across the city.
“It was like a nightmare,” one Fort Lauderdale resident told FOX Weather multimedia journalist Brandy Campbell. “I can see the water going up and up above my knees, and I was like, ‘Okay, what should I do?’”
Burmese pythons: Latest hunt netted over 200 of the invasive species in the Everglades | Palm Beach Post/MediaLab@FAU
Catching pythons is less about skill and more about technique — at least according to Toby Benoit.
The writer, novelist, and python hunter from Inverness set out for this year’s 2023 Florida Python Challenge with a mission.
With a team of first-time python hunters, Benoit led the group through the darkness of the Everglades. For thousands of years, the Everglades have served as a vital ecosystem for many reptiles, amphibians, and mammals. However, since Burmese pythons started showing up, nearly 90% of the mid-sized mammals in the Everglades have been wiped out.
If you have any news items of note that you think we should include in our next roundup, please email The Invading Sea Editor Nathan Crabbe at ncrabbe@fau.edu. Sign up for The Invading Sea newsletter by visiting here.
