Latest news with #GulfOfGuinea
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Experts issue warning on ocean phenomenon that could impact hurricane season: 'It's been notable over the month'
Despite rising sea surface temperatures across the globe, the emergence of an Atlantic Niña has brought cooler waters to portions of the Atlantic. However, experts believe that its potential effects may be short-lived. What's happening? An Atlantic Niña, characterized by persistent cool surface temperatures in the tropical Atlantic, typically lasts for at least two consecutive three-month periods. An Atlantic Niña can cool the eastern equatorial Atlantic Ocean by over one degree Fahrenheit below normal. In August 2024, a report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration first made note of the potential for the development of an Atlantic Niña. Unlike El Niño and La Niña, which are based in the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Niñas are often considered to have less impact on overall weather patterns. However, the cooler surface temperatures in the Atlantic can play a large role in determining the viability of tropical waves coming off the coast of West Africa. Carl Schreck, a senior research scholar with the North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies at North Carolina State University, explained the inner workings of the weather phenomenon. "An Atlantic Niña is cooler than normal sea surface temperatures in the Gulf of Guinea, which tends to weaken the monsoon and easterly waves over West Africa," Schreck told the Cayman Compass. "The strength of that monsoon is a key predictor of hurricane activity, so an Atlantic Niña could reduce activity." Why is an Atlantic Niña important? Although an Atlantic Niña may seem to be good news for the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, it appears that the effects will soon dissipate. "It's been notable over the month," said Ryan Truchelut, president of Weather Tiger. "But I don't think it will continue very long. It just doesn't have the kind of persistence that the Pacific events do." According to Truchelut, the writing is already on the wall. "We're already seeing weaker trade winds, and those waters are warming up very quickly. Also, if you go down 25 or 50 metres, it's still warmer than normal." "If the Atlantic Niña was going to persist longer, the cold water would likely go down a lot further. So, I think that this will turn around probably within the next month," Truchelut added. With the Atlantic Niña likely on its way out the door, the waters will eventually warm back up, providing fuel for tropical systems to develop. As warm ocean water evaporates, it creates moisture in the air. As this moist air rises and cools, water vapor condenses into clouds and potentially storms. What's being done about the upcoming hurricane season? Because of the potential for such warm ocean waters, many tropical waves that develop into storms have a higher probability of bringing stronger winds and heavier rainfall. This is why, despite the slow start to the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, many experts are still forecasting a highly active summer. Do you think your city has good air quality? Definitely Somewhat Depends on the time of year Not at all Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. The NOAA is predicting that at least 17 named storms will develop throughout the hurricane season, with up to five of those storms becoming major hurricanes. It's not too late to help reverse the rising global temperatures and the wide array of climate issues that come with them. By reducing our reliance on fossil fuel consumption and turning to renewable energy sources, we may be able to lower our rate of carbon pollution and work toward a cooler and calmer future. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Telegraph
22-06-2025
- Telegraph
The wildlife secrets of Africa's ‘Galápagos Islands'
Our tender vessel bobbed gently towards the docking spot, and an unexpected frisson of excitement ran through the group as we noticed a group of TV cameramen, journalists and photographers assembled on the quayside. On an island which, with its dual-nation counterpart, has only around 35,000 visitors annually, there was rising speculation that the media welcoming committee might be for us. Fleeting red carpet thoughts were quickly, but charmingly, dashed as our waiting guide Paulo helped us up the stone steps to São Tomé harbour. 'Actually, they're waiting for the prime minister who is coming to look at a building project in the port,' he admitted. 'But I'm really looking forward to spending the day with you.' As the booted and suited premier swept by, followed by his entourage, we walked in the opposite direction and boarded waiting minibuses. The amusing misunderstanding was among many memorable cameos from our time on this tiny island in the Gulf of Guinea, 155 miles off the west coast of Africa. São Tomé and Príncipe, 93 miles apart, make up the second-smallest and second-least populated African country after Seychelles; but it's likely everyone's heard of the latter. Our minibus set off up the steep road towards the verdant cloak of tropical forests which cover a third of the island, while out at sea, our ship, Crystal Symphony, receded into the background. With no direct flights from the UK, São Tomé is most easily reached via a cruise – yet only three or four small ships dock there each month. Eleven days earlier, my multi-stop voyage had begun in Cape Town, pausing on the coasts of Angola, Benin and Ghana, with São Tomé marking the penultimate port of call. While these islands had admittedly never been on my radar, I was pleased to be able to tick off four new countries on a single cruise – a first for me. Crystal is now owned by travel company Abercrombie Kent, and the two have combined their seafaring and land-based clout to offer thought-provoking, culture-rich sailings to destinations off the mainstream cruise charts. The elegant, classic-style Crystal Symphony recently underwent a huge refurbishment, with enlarged suites reducing passenger capacity by almost 300. As a result, the ship never felt crowded, and with restaurants including the only Nobu at sea, free-flowing drinks and incredibly attentive staff we were cosseted in luxury and comfort throughout our off-grid adventure. With as many as eight excursions on offer each day, it was a sailing fraught with decisions. The majority of ports were out of town and primarily catered to muscular workhorse cargo vessels, creating something of a beauty and the beast scenario when the sleek thoroughbred Crystal Symphony glided alongside. Shore tours (ranging from around £44 for a sightseeing drive around the Angolan capital, Luanda, to more than £500 for a small plane flight over the towering red sand dunes of the Namib Desert) are necessary to get the most out of the cruise. All were excellent. There were wildlife encounters, including the incongruous sight of endearing African penguins waddling along the warm sands at Boulders Beach outside Cape Town, followed by hundreds of blubbery Cape fur seals basking on the shore and diving in the waters at Walvis Bay. I was especially captivated by São Tomé, hugging the equator and, with its sister Principe, often described as the African Galapagos. Relative to their size, they have one of the most concentrated biological diversities on earth with hundreds of endemic plants, birds, reptiles, amphibians and butterflies, including the critically endangered grosbeak, the world's largest canary. Five of the seven species of sea turtles breed on the pristine beaches and humpback whales can be spotted from July to October. The impenetrable forests, home to much of the birdlife and flora, mean significant sightings are rare in the space of a few hours. However, there's still much to astonish curious visitors and nature lovers on an island just 30 miles long and 20 miles wide. As our minibus slowed on the long pull up to Saint Nicholas Waterfall, brushing past giant yellow trumpet flowers, giggling youngsters waved and ran alongside. One enterprising lad offered us a handful of jewel-bright freshly picked wild raspberries, while others cooled off in the cascade's crystal-clear waters. A rustling in the trees and flashes of gleaming dark plumage heralded the arrival of bronze-naped pigeons, the island's national bird. Back on the road, multi-tasking Paulo – also a school history teacher and taxi driver – explained how the islands, which gained independence in 1975, were uninhabited until the arrival of 15th century Portuguese navigators. Sugar cane, later replaced by coffee and cacao plantations, flourished in the volcanic soil, although they were bitter harvests built on enslaved and child labour. After sipping strong coffee at a former plantation, now a home-spun museum, we strolled through the charmingly faded colonial town of São Tomé to watch an energetic costumed dance, visit a chocolate shop and tour the squat fort topped by a lighthouse. The rest of the cruise may have involved plenty of big-hitting sights and experiences, but it was the smallest island, which most people have never heard of, that left me with the greatest impression. One day, I hope to return – and perhaps next time, I'll avoid being upstaged by the prime minister. Essentials Jeannine Williamson was a guest of Crystal Cruises, which has the 12-night all-inclusive cruise from Tema to Cape Town from £3,499 per person, including return flights from London, a one-night pre-cruise stay at Labadi Beach Hotel, Tema, airport transfers and gratuities. Departs December 11, 2025. Book through Mundy Cruising (020 7399 7670)
Zawya
04-06-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Why is Africa missing from map of maritime power?
At a recent high-level debate at the United Nations Security Council, global leaders gathered to confront what has become an undeniable truth. The maritime domain is no longer just a space of commerce. It is a theatre of geopolitical competition, digital infrastructure, and hybrid threats. The tone was urgent. The consensus was clear. Freedom of navigation, global supply chain stability, and maritime domain awareness were all underscored as priorities for international peace and economic resilience. Yet as statement after statement filled the chamber, some bold, some tactical, many assertive, one reality became unmistakably clear. Africa was once again peripheral in the very conversation that should have placed it at the centre. This is not a new pattern. It is a familiar and increasingly dangerous blind spot. The oceans surrounding Africa cover approximately 214 million square kilometers, and with 90 percent of our trade flowing through maritime routes, the question is no longer whether the seas matter, but whether we control some of the most strategic maritime corridors in the global order — such as the Bab el-Mandeb, Gulf of Guinea, Mozambique Channel, and Red Sea. These are not peripheral routes. They are critical arteries of global trade, leverage points for security, and gateways to the continent's economic future. The African Union already has a legally binding framework—the Lomé Charter, officially known as the African Charter on Maritime Security and Safety and Development in Africa—designed to safeguard this maritime space. Yet the gap between this framework and actual enforcement remains dangerously wide. Unless Africa moves from ratification to real operational command, the Charter will remain an unfulfilled promise, while foreign actors consolidate control along our coastal zones. In global maritime debates, Africa is still framed not as a sovereign actor, but as a vulnerability to be managed. While other states unveil national maritime strategies, negotiate port access, and expand blue-water naval capacities, Africa is often discussed in terms of donor support, capacity building, and technical cooperation. This framing is no longer acceptable. It is not just inaccurate, it is strategically reckless. The most recent UNSC debate reflected a growing recognition among powerful states that the maritime space is becoming the next frontier of rivalry and realignment. From illegal fishing and shadow fleets to undersea cables and dual-use ports, the threats and opportunities at sea are multiplying. Notably, there was broad consensus around the principle that maritime security is foundational to global stability. But what went largely unspoken is that much of that stability hinges on African waters, and yet African states are neither setting the agenda nor controlling the frameworks through which their maritime zones are governed. This is not merely a diplomatic oversight. It is a structural vulnerability. Africa's maritime space is becoming a contested zone of influence, infrastructure, surveillance, and sovereignty. Foreign naval exercises are proliferating along our coasts. Deep-water ports are being constructed or retrofitted with limited transparency. Seabed exploration contracts are being signed without robust continental oversight. Intelligence and surveillance capabilities are expanding in ways that often bypass our own regulatory institutions. This is not partnership. It is strategic encroachment, masked in the language of cooperation. If Africa does not establish its own maritime doctrine, if we do not assert control over our sea lanes, ports, and maritime infrastructure, we will find ourselves locked into a future in which our sovereignty is incrementally diluted. That erosion will not come by way of invasion. It will come through quiet contracts, fragmented deals, and the absence of a unified continental response. What is required now is not rhetoric, but a recalibration of posture. The African Union must move beyond symbolic declarations and operationalize the 2050 Africa's Integrated Maritime Strategy. Regional institutions must lead in coordinating legal and security frameworks into a unified continental position on port access, naval cooperation, and maritime law. A permanent continental body, independent, technocratic, and politically anchored, must be established to audit all foreign maritime infrastructure and security arrangements. We need a binding Continental Maritime Sovereignty Protocol, adopted and upheld by member states, that sets clear standards for transparency, strategic alignment, and reciprocity in all maritime engagements with non-African actors. Member states must assert their collective right to shape the rules of maritime governance, not merely comply with frameworks set elsewhere. In this context, the recent article 'From Pirates to Profits: East Africa Must Rule the Indian Ocean' published in The EastAfrican offers a timely and strategic intervention. It rightly reframes the Indian Ocean not merely as a security concern but as a zone of economic command, and calls for East African nations to lead rather than observe. The emphasis on regional naval cooperation, robust port governance, and sovereign control of the Blue Economy resonates strongly with the broader continental imperatives discussed here. These are the types of contributions that must move from editorial pages to policy rooms. Moreover, Africa must invest urgently in coastal surveillance, maritime intelligence fusion centres, and naval command capacity. Maritime security is not simply about defending waters. It is about controlling the flow of goods, data, energy, and influence. In this domain, control is strategy. Africa has every right to be a decisive maritime power. But rights unclaimed become rights unrealised. The tide is shifting in global maritime affairs. Africa can no longer afford to be cast as a passive route of extraction or a problem to be solved. We are a strategic continent. Our waters are not corridors. They are commands. It is time we start governing them as such. Abdisaid M. Ali is the chairperson of Lomé Peace and Security Forum, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Former National Security Advisor, Somalia. © Copyright 2022 Nation Media Group. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
South China Morning Post
31-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
How Ghana is losing its coastline and parts of its slave trade history to climate change
The salty wind blows across the ruins of Ghana's Fort Prinzenstein, where thick walls once held thousands of enslaved Africans before their journey across the Atlantic. Now only a shell remains – a crumbling monument teetering at the edge of the sea. Advertisement For centuries, Ghana's coastline has borne the brunt of history. Today it is being consumed by nature and neglect as climate change, rising sea levels and unchecked human activity eat away at the 550-kilometre (340-mile) shore. Villages are vanishing, and with them, centuries-old heritage. The modern economy is also at risk. A few metres away from the fort, Ernestina Gavor cleans a glass behind a bar. 'I'm hoping it survives a few more years,' she says, noting that the restaurant relies on tourists to keep afloat. Fort Prinzenstein, once a Danish slave fort and now a Unesco World Heritage site, is among the most threatened sites on Ghana's coast. The coastline used to be about 7km away from Ghana's Fort Prinzenstein. Photo: AFP James Ocloo Akorli, its caretaker for 24 years, has watched the Gulf of Guinea claw away at the structure – and his memories.
Bloomberg
19-05-2025
- Bloomberg
Equatorial Guinea Wins Rights to Islands in Dispute With Gabon
A top United Nations court ruled in favor of Equatorial Guinea in a long-running territorial dispute with Gabon, awarding it sovereignty over three small islands located in potentially oil-rich waters in the Gulf of Guinea. The case, brought before the International Court of Justice in 2021, centers on the Mbanie, Cocotiers and Conga islands, largely uninhabited isles just off Gabon's Atlantic Ocean coast. The Hague-based court found that sovereignty over Mbanié and the two other islands lie with Equatorial Guinea.
