Oh no! The waves washed up the mysterious "dough pimple"丨Environmental Trumpet

Hello everyone, this is the 25th issue of the Environmental Trumpet column. In this issue, we have collected the following environmental research and news worth reading:

1) What are these mysterious “lumps of dough” washed up by the waves?

2) Building breakwaters with oysters

3) 45℃! The Amazon rainforest becomes a sauna

4) High-end watch straps may contain more harmful substances

5) Reduce food waste and bring back ugly vegetables

The "dough lumps" washed up by the waves

For several months, many white balls shaped like "pimples" have been washed up on the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.

The vomit-like "dough pimples"｜Philip Grace

What exactly is this "dough lump"? Some people think it is fungus, while others think it is wax. Recently, after analyzing it using infrared spectroscopy and other methods, Chris Kozak, a chemistry professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland, gave the answer - this "dough lump" is actually a kind of artificial rubber .

This rubber is called polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), a high molecular polymer composed of vinyl acetate, and is often used in adhesives and protective coatings (such as nail polish coatings).

Researchers try to light white balls on fire to see if they are flammable | Jeremy Eaton/CBC

In theory, this rubber is denser than water and should sink to the bottom of the sea more easily. However, they have been frequently washed up on the coast recently, indicating that a large amount of PVA material may have accumulated in the waters near Newfoundland. Kozak speculates that these rubbers may have been discharged into the sea by industry .

Although the "noodle lumps" smell strange, they are not toxic after testing and will not have much impact on the health of local residents. However, these rubbers are very likely to be eaten by marine life and then enter human mouths through the food chain.

Building breakwaters with oysters

In New York, a shoreline protection project called Living Breakwaters is working to build breakwaters south of Staten Island that will be filled with oysters.

Oyster Breakwaters｜SCAPE and Ty Cole

Oysters are natural breakwaters. When oysters gather together, they form oyster reefs. Oyster reefs can disrupt the direction of the waves , breaking up large waves into smaller ones, thereby reducing the intensity of the waves. What's more, oyster reefs can continue to grow upward as the sea level rises, constantly rising and strengthening, and fighting against the waves.

As oyster reefs grow in size, they can reduce the energy of waves when they hit, thus reducing their intensity. | Clay Bolt

Oyster reefs around the world have been decimated by overfishing and pollution, with 85% of natural oyster reefs having been degraded over the past century, and people have lost their natural seawalls.

The Living Breakwaters conservation project is rebuilding oyster reefs and returning their original home to oysters and other marine life. Currently, the construction of the breakwater has been completed and project personnel will gradually place oysters on its surface.

45℃! The Amazon rainforest turns into a sauna

Recently, a paper published in Global Change Biology monitored the temperature of a river in the Amazon rainforest and found that the highest temperature along the river reached a full 45°C .

This river is called the Boiling River (Shanay Timpishka or La Bomba) as its name suggests. It is hidden in the Amazon rainforest of Peru and is about 6.5 kilometers long.

Boiling River｜Riley Fortier

Researchers investigated the temperature conditions near the Boiling River over the year and found that the average annual temperature in the coolest place was 24-25°C , the hottest place was 28-29°C, and the hottest place in some places even reached 45°C. You should know that the average temperature in Guangzhou, China in 2024 was only about 22.3°C .

There are more shrubs near the Boiling River, and fewer tall trees | Riley Fortier

The "heat" of the Boiling River is caused by geothermal sources deep underground . The high-temperature water stored underground gushes out of the ground through cracks in the rock formation, heating the entire river.

In such a hot and humid environment, plants can't stand the heat either. Researchers found that in the hotter parts of the Boiling River, the density of plants has obviously decreased , and some plants have even disappeared. The ones left behind are often plants that can tolerate high temperatures. This also reflects to some extent the impact that global warming may have on the rainforest ecology.

High-end watch straps may contain more harmful substances

Spend more money and suffer more? Recently, an article published in Environmental Science & Technology Letters found that some more expensive smart watch straps may contain more harmful substances.

In the experiment, the researchers compared and analyzed 22 watch straps, covering many common brands and price ranges, and in varying degrees of age.

The results showed that fluorine was detected in 13 of the straps, which means that harmful substances containing fluorine may be present. Further testing found that 9 of the 22 straps were confirmed to contain per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). This substance is harmful to human health and is difficult to degrade.

As watch strap materials, fluororubber is not only more expensive than silicone, but also contains more PFAS substances | ebay

The researchers also found that watch straps priced over $30 contain more fluorine than those priced under $15 . The reason is that these watch straps are often made of fluorine-containing rubber , which makes them better at resisting water, sweat and oil. However, as a component that is in close contact with human skin, harmful substances in the watch strap may also enter the human body through the skin, posing a risk to human health.

Reduce food waste, ugly vegetables have their day

Recently, the results of the "Excellent Cases of Social Responsibility and Social Welfare" selection initiated by the Shanghai Internet Industry Association were released, and Hema won the Excellent Case Award with its "Ugly Vegetables" project.

In this age of appearance, buying vegetables also emphasizes "appearance justice": good appearance = good quality. However, many vegetables may have some defects during the growth process, becoming "ugly vegetables". When they are put on the shelf, they may end up in the trash can where they are unsalable.

Ugly vegetables are harmless and worth your love | Hema Intelligence Bureau

The Food Waste Index Report released by the United Nations Environment Program points out that 17% of the world's food is wasted in the retail and consumption links . It is a pity that vegetables are wasted because of their appearance. Hema has launched a series of "ugly and cute" vegetables, focusing on the selling point of "ugly but delicious", and selling them on various platforms in the form of price reduction promotions.

In order to make people better accept "ugly vegetables", Hema also designed a series of cute poster images for them to attract customers to buy them.

Promotional poster for "deformed" yam | The Paper

Judging from the sales results, since the price is cheaper than ordinary vegetables, these "ugly vegetables" are still popular. According to statistics, more than 50,000 users have placed orders for the four "ugly vegetables" within two months of their launch.

References

[1]https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c079py32x3mo

[2]https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/mystery-blobs-newfoundland-chris-kozak-1.7372871

[3]https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/how-millions-of-oysters-could-protect-coastlines-against-climate-change-1.7345920

[4]https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20241210-how-the-amazons-boiling-river-foreshadows-climate-change

[5]https://phys.org/news/2024-12-elevated-chemicals-smartwatch-wrist-bands.html

[6]https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_29738961

Author: Xiao Xiaoze

Edited by: Yellowtail Pollock

Image credit: Philip Grace

This article comes from GuokrNature (ID: GuokrNature)

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