BREAKING Iran fires air defence batteries in provinces as sound of explosions heard near Isfahan
Iran fired air defence batteries early Friday morning after reports of explosions near the city of Isfahan, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.
Shocking images have emerged from New Zealand showing millions of once-velvety brown sea sponges bleached bone white, the worst mass bleaching event of its type ever recorded, marine scientists say.
The alarming discovery comes amid a continued rise in ocean temperatures, a trend that scientists say is overwhelmingly due to planet-warming fossil fuel emissions.
New Zealand scientists discovered thousands of bleached sea sponges in May of this year, in cold waters off the country's southwestern coast. Further findings showed the damage was far worse, with millions -- possibly tens of millions -- of sea sponges affected throughout the Fiordland region.
"This is one of the most abundant sponges in Fiordland, and so it's a really wide-scale event," said James Bell, a marine biology professor from New Zealand's Victoria University.
Bell, who led the team responsible for spotting the initial bleaching event last month, told CNN that despite the extensive mass bleaching, some sponges were still alive and consuming oxygen.
"This region was so abundant and rich in marine life and it was almost like a white graveyard when we discovered it, it was really devastating and traumatic," he said. "We are able to conduct experiments on board our boat to try and understand how affected the sponges were by warmer temperatures. Unfortunately a lot of them were already very unhealthy and stressed."
Sea sponges come in a variety of sizes, colors and textures and play a crucial role in marine ecosystems, providing food and refuge for other marine animals like crabs, algae and fish.
"They pump out large volumes of water and capture tiny particles, bacteria, plankton and algae and also recycle carbon on the sea floor," Bell said. "They also provide shelter for marine creatures and increase habitat areas of the sea floor. They are very underappreciated creatures."
Last year was the hottest on record for the world's oceans for the third year in a row, placing massive additional stress on marine ecosystems.
This year, Australia's Great Barrier Reef suffered its sixth mass-bleaching event. Studies also confirmed coral bleaching at multiple reef sites.
The Great Barrier Reef is now believed to have lost more than half of its coral population to climate change in the past three decades, according to studies.
Sea sponges, like coral, are also heavily affected by extreme ocean temperatures and turn white as a stress response to temperatures that are too warm.
The sea creatures play an important role in marine ecosystems and scientists say their loss could affect millions of other marine animals.
Warming ocean temperatures are affecting sea sponge populations in other parts of New Zealand too, Bell noted. Swathes of dead sea sponges were discovered in the country's northern coastal areas. Some were found to be "melting" amid a lengthy marine heatwave.
"The mass bleaching event highlights again how dramatically oceans are changing due to global warming and climate change," he said. "It should serve as a wake-up call. We need climate action now, not in 10 or 15 years because by then it would be too late and we'd have lost all ecosystems and species."
Iran fired air defence batteries early Friday morning after reports of explosions near the city of Isfahan, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
Nearly half of China's major cities are suffering 'moderate to severe' levels of subsidence, putting millions at risk of flooding especially as sea levels rise.
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
The judge presiding over the trial of a man accused of fatally running over a Toronto police officer is telling jurors the possible verdicts they may reach based on the evidence in the case.
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
Colin Jost, who co-anchors Saturday Night Live's 'Weekend Update,' revealed who he thinks is one of the best hosts on the show.
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball's highest scorer Caitlin Clark's first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
Sophie Kinsella, the best-selling author behind the 'Shopaholic' book series, has revealed that she is receiving treatment for brain cancer.
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Molly Knight, a grade four student in Nova Scotia, noticed her school library did not have many books on female athletes, so she started her own book drive in hopes of changing that.
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
When Les Robertson was walking home from the gym in North Vancouver's Lower Lonsdale neighbourhood three weeks ago, he did a double take. Standing near a burrow it had dug in a vacant lot near East 1st Street and St. Georges Avenue was a yellow-bellied marmot.
A moulting seal who was relocated after drawing daily crowds of onlookers in Greater Victoria has made a surprise return, after what officials described as an 'astonishing' six-day journey.
Just steps from Parliament Hill is a barber shop that for the last 100 years has catered to everyone from prime ministers to tourists.
A high score on a Foo Fighters pinball machine has Edmonton player Dave Formenti on a high.
A compound used to treat sour gas that's been linked to fertility issues in cattle has been found throughout groundwater in the Prairies, according to a new study.
While many people choose to keep their medical appointments private, four longtime friends decided to undergo vasectomies as a group in B.C.'s Lower Mainland.