Global Scans · Life Below Water · Weekly Summary

In September 2015, 193 world leaders agreed to 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development. If these Goals are completed, it would mean an end to extreme poverty, inequality and climate change by 2030.
Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.

• [New] Yemen became a model of peripheral positioning: anticipated Houthi attempts to disrupt Red Sea shipping could be countered through the Somaliland foothold at Berbera, enabling naval interdiction and persistent pressure on supply lines without overextending core forces. HORN REVIEW
• [New] Estimates of total ocean pollution to date typically do not include any contribution from nanoplastic - although as the size of plastic in the ocean skews towards smaller particles over time, we suspect that nanoplastic particles could be a globally important environmental contaminant. Environment
• [New] The Union Budget 2026-27 has announced a comprehensive and far-reaching package of measures to strengthen India's fisheries sector, covering inland and marine fisheries, export competitiveness, coastal livelihoods and value chain integration. Radiance Media
• [New] Some people have implied that the UK could insulate itself from high and volatile international gas prices by extracting more gas from the North Sea. Electricity Info
• [New] A kilometer below the sea bed off the Cumbrian coast, an underground repository the size of Swindon could become the final resting place for Britain's stockpile of nuclear waste. Electricity Info
• [New] Inflows to Lake Powell on the Colorado River are projected to be paltry, adding even more pressure to the high-stakes, logjammed effort to devise new rules for the declining river. snow.news
• [New] Simultaneously, maritime clashes in the South China Sea involving the Philippines - the 2026 ASEAN Chair - and Chinese sovereignty claims have forced the U.S. to stretch its naval assets thin, raising fears of a security vacuum in the Pacific that could disrupt global semiconductor trade. FinancialContent
• [New] Ocean freight spot rates are entering a more volatile phase, as Middle East disruption, port congestion and carrier pricing strategies combine to reshape conditions across the main east-west trade lanes. Metro Global
• [New] Since the outbreak of the Iran war, Tehran has used coercion - be it threats or outright force - to redirect cargo ships attempting to pass through the bottleneck passage connecting the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea into Iranian territorial waters, where Iran can impose its own rules. Euronews
• [New] Rising sea levels are a major threat to coastal communities across the world. UK Health Alliance on Climate Change
• [New] Information from the Golden State Salmon Association and the Pacific Fisheries Management Council forecasts a current adult salmon ocean population of 392,349 in 2026 - more than double last year's ocean abundance estimate. Hanford Sentinel
• [New] Any escalation in logistical or geopolitical risks in the Black Sea could quickly tighten Ukrainian offers and redirect demand back to the Americas. Commodity Board Europe is an independent commodity mark
• [New] Seeding sea salt aerosols over 5% of susceptible ocean areas from 2031 stabilizes global temperatures near 1.5 °C under SSP2 - 4.5. Solar Geoengineering Updates
• [New] As pressure on marine and coastal systems intensifies, converging forces are reshaping ocean governance: accelerating Earth-system change, emerging risks, and rising expectations that decisions be demonstrably fair and inclusive. One Ocean
• [New] The emergence of new polar shipping routes could eventually make the Arctic as valuable to the global economy as the South China Sea or the Strait of Hormuz is today. UnHerd
• [New] Governments have committed to protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030. Ocean Rising
• [New] Protecting just 2.5% of the world's oceans could protect nearly 90% of large whales. Skift
• [New] The Canadian Arctic is warming nearly four times faster than the rest of the globe, with permafrost thaw and sea-level rise posing direct threats to infrastructure. Ainvest
• [New] Many scientists have estimated coastal sea levels - and the risk they pose to nearby communities-based on calculations involving the Earth's gravity and rotation, called geoid models. Smithsonian Magazine
• [New] Now that the negotiations on a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea are entering their final phase with a putative deadline set for the end of 2026, external pressure will mount on both China and the Philippines to act with self-restraint and lower tensions in the South China Sea. UPI
• [New] North Korea could use a green-water fleet to harass shipping lanes and the maritime connections between its adversaries in the East Sea or East China Sea. American Enterprise Institute - AEI
• [New] Kim Jong Un may be aiming to transform the KPA Navy into a green-water navy, which could improve North Korea's sea lines of communication defence and allow it to increase military intimidation against regional rivals. American Enterprise Institute - AEI
• [New] The sea will be moderate to slight in the Arabian Gulf and slight in the Oman Sea. Pakistan Point

Last updated: 22 March 2026