This is an excellent series on the worlds oceans. Or what is left of them. They are in bad shape. Really bad shape. Do read this. The home page of the series is confusing. Lots of Flash, so I have a link to the home page and links to the individual articles.

Altered Oceans

  thanks to The Agonist

A Primeval Tide of Toxins
Runoff from modern life is feeding an explosion of primitive organisms. This 'rise of slime,' as one scientist calls it, is killing larger species and sickening people.

Sentinels Under Attack
Toxic algae that poison the brain have caused strandings and mass die-offs of marine mammals — barometers of the sea's health.

Dark Tides, Ill Winds
With sickening regularity, toxic algae blooms are invading coastal waters. They kill sea life and send poisons ashore on the breeze, forcing residents to flee.

Plague of Plastic Chokes the Seas
On Midway Atoll, 40% of albatross chicks die, their bellies full of trash. Swirling masses of drifting debris pollute remote beaches and snare wildlife.

A Chemical Imbalance
Growing seawater acidity threatens to wipe out coral, fish and other crucial species worldwide.