Wild Tobago

  As conflicts within and between countries increase, Helen Czerski’s book invites us to look deep into the singular system that shapes our planet. (Pat Ganase introduces Blue Machine How the Ocean Shapes Our World, Penguin paperback 2024)     However far from the sea you live, however near, you can be sure that the ocean has influenced your existence, and guides your being where you are. The ocean is vast and deep and still to be known. It gives weather energy and force. Helen Czerski gives us a snapshot of the complex inner workings of the ocean which she calls the blue machine. Intricacies may include the life cycle of an eel, guano or poo, and in Czerski’s telling become important to know. I retell a couple of her stories here in the hope they give an idea of the range and grand design she presents.   “My route into ocean physics wasn’t planned or expected. I grew up in Manchester in the north of England, where ‘ocean’ was considered a very exotic conce...

Every new technology and sustainable intention will affect the ocean. Dr Anjani Ganase, marine biologist, laments the idea that the ocean seems still ripe for exploitation.   Currently there are three long-standing drivers of change impacting ocean biodiversity – over exploitation, pollution and climate change. Expanding human appetites continue to chip away at natural resources, with no regard for other life and without proper management of waste. In addition to these chronic conditions, a recent study produced a global checklist of emerging issues that are likely to become substantial in the next five to ten years. Several marine scientists, practitioners, policy makers around the world surveyed the likely issues affecting our ocean. The major issues emerge under the themes of ecosystem impacts, resource exploitation and the consequences of new technology and shifting standards. Here we review some of the major impacts on the ocean in the near future.   Ocean world: 70...

Dr Anjani Ganase surveys what the world is losing through human activities, and makes an appeal for living within our means in the natural world.   On May 22, we observe the International Day for Biological Diversity. Biodiversity denotes the variety of living organisms that make up the natural world around us. The world as we know it is the culmination of evolution over billions of years, the result of the slowly ever-changing global environment. Organisms evolve and co-evolve with each other and the environment. The biodiversity of ecosystems is the result of balance between competition for resources and external disturbance events that create opportunities for new life. The diversity of habitats and organisms not only sustain biodiversity but is essential to our survival. Plant stocks don’t just supply the fruits and vegetables we eat today but provide the genetic stock for future supplies in a changing climate. The terrestrial and marine habitats provide ...

Could enthusiasts of sports such as surfing influence the conservation of their favourite beaches? Anjani Ganase makes the case for surfers in Trinidad and Tobago to champion beaches like Toco or Mt Irvine. Coastlines that generate outstanding wave formation and epic surf conditions often coincide with areas rich in biodiversity and marine life. It sometimes happens that marine ecosystems, such as coral reefs that support rich marine life below, also support roaring surfing communities above the water. Photo 1 Surfing at Grange Bay, Tobago. Photo by Nicholas Marsan All coastal areas are heavily influenced by human activities, especially since over 70 % of the world’s populations are found within 50 km of coasts. As a result, there’s hardly a coast or marine ecosystem that’s untouched by human activity. Indeed many have undergone significant degradation. Popular surfing destinations have not been spared from a wide range of human activities such as coastal development, seabed dredging a...

There are many exciting explorations to enjoy from your computer or smartphone as we spend the next few weeks “sheltering indoors.” Dr Anjani Ganase shares some of what’s available on the innovative, constantly evolving Google Earth site.  Click on the collection title to begin your online exploration in Google Chrome! With the advent of satellite and global positioning technology, tech companies, such as Google created online map platforms that allowed user-friendly, bird’s-eye views of our planet along with GPS to show us how to get around. Today, nearly everyone with a smart phone uses GPS to track their location, navigate our cities and roads to avoid traffic or to locate each other in real time. While this is the most recognized purpose of Google Maps, with Google Earth there is hardly a place on earth that cannot easily be viewed from a computer. The primary purpose of Google Earth is to explore. Over the years, as satellite image resolutions improved so too have the ...

Microplastics have been found in the deep ocean, in the arctic, in our food. What we don’t yet know is how they are affecting our health and lifestyle. Dr Anjani Ganase reports. Plastic pollution is a known and observable phenomenon with impacts that include the entanglement, choking, smothering and drowning of marine life – turtles, sea birds and even whales. Yet, there is the unseen equivalent problem of microplastics that have managed to pervade not just the natural ecosystem but human life as well. Microplastics are classified as less than 5 mm in size; most are not visible to the naked eye and therefore require special techniques to see them. Microplastics can be anything from the by-products of plastic pellets used in manufacturing – plastic saw dust, microbeads found in scrubs and toiletries, fibres from synthetic cloths and from the wear and tear of tyres on the road. Other forms of microplastics result from the breakdown of large pieces of plastics ...

Anjani Ganase, Trinbagonian marine biologist, considers the big picture. The air we breathe, the waters that encircle the earth, these connect all living creatures. This week, she looks at the fortunes of big countries, and small-island states, and asks each person to reflect on personal consumption habits and where your waste stream ends up. Follow Anjani Ganase on twitter: @AnjGanase This view of Englishman’s Bay is known around the world as a place of paradise.  Photo by Anjani Ganase Let’s talk about the air There are about 22 million people living in Beijing, China. In this city the air is so polluted that people often wear respiratory masks to breathe as emissions from five million cars and coal fired plants release unhealthy levels of noxious gases. In December 2015, even masks were not enough; the smog of pollution closed down schools and outdoor activity, until the level of toxic particulates dropped. This pollution kills 4000 persons a ...