Faster than Predicted

The world's oceans are becoming more acidic, and it is even worse than we first thought. New studies show that the prediction models relating to ocean acidification are off, and not just by a little bit but by a lot. Since the year 2000, scientists have been measuring the acidity of the waters around Tatoosh Island off the coast of Washington state. The results have been generating some concern. They show that the acidity increased ten times faster than the prediction models suggested. This result was the prediction for a time period of 100 years, not 8. You can read more about the study and the effects here.

Bizarre Squid Caught on Film

Two and half kilometers underwater, a remote control sub's camera recorded "an alien-like, long-armed, and—strangest of all—"elbowed" Magnapinna squid." The video is from a Shell oil company ROV. You can watch the whole video (totaling 25 seconds) and read more about this crazy looking creature of the deep on National Geographic.

Thirty-one Years on the Job.

A female flatback turtle that was tagged in 1977, is still giving scientists information. One researcher indicates that "the turtle is helping them uncover mysteries about the ancient Australian species." To make things even more amazing is the fact that this turtle has survived a shark attack and two run-ins with vessels. To read more click here.

Forensics for the Fishes

Did you know that there is a forensics team that deals specifically with marine life? The NOS Marine Forensics Program analyzes evidence in up to 85 % of "NOAA Fisheries cases that require scientific analysis." You can read about them, and their latest case here.

Ten Percent by 2012

According to a survey done by The Nature Conservancy (TNC), only 1% of the world's oceans have a protected status. Four years ago signatories of the UN's biodiversity convention pledged to "protect at least 10% of the oceans in a way that makes sense ecologically." Now governments are committing to a target of protecting 10% of the earth's oceans by the year 2012, a pledge that many say is not going to be met. I personally think that this goal is achievable. New Zealand "has almost 70% of its coastline under some form of protection." To find this BBC News article, click here.

Great White Shark Sets New World Record

Here is an article about the migratory patterns of great white sharks that had been tagged. One of them dove to a depth of 1000m. Another interesting fact that was noted was that, these great whites in particular, had to swim 4000km from their normal living space, to Queensland's Great Barrier Reef and they swam in a surprisingly straight line. They travelled roughly 120 km a day. the article is a really interesting one. Picture was found here.

Keeping the Blue Whales Safe

Did you know that between 1980 and the beginning of 2007, five blue whales were killed off the California coast after being struck by vessels. That doesn't sound that bad? Well, here's another statistic for you; in the fall of 2007 four blue whales were killed in the Santa Barbara Channel off the coast of California, after being struck be by vessels. The Santa Barbara Channel is a busy shipping lane so you can't just close it down. NOAA is now doing something to prevent anymore of this kind of death among the blue whales. For more information just click. By the way, can you see the blue whale in the photo?

Here's an Ocean Animal That I had Never Heard of Before

This unusual looking animal is a Dugong. It may look like a manatee, and is related to it (just to point out that both the dugong and the manatee are related to elephants, which I thought was pretty interesting) but apparently its tail is fluked like a whale's. Dugongs live in the "warm coastal waters from East Africa to Australia, including the Red Sea, Indian Ocean, and Pacific." They are threatened animals because are easy targerts for coastal hunters, who want them for their "meat, oil, skin, bones, and teeth." Dugongs are vegetarians, chowing down on underwater grasses. They can hold their breath for up to 6 minutes and are said to be the inspiration for the stories of mermaids and sirens.

Here Fishy, Fishy, Fishy.

So here is an interesting article. Killer Whales not only have a favourite fish but they also have a method of finding them when they're scarce. Killer whales off the coast of BC and Washington state apparently prefer chinook salmon since they have a higher concentration of fat then other salmon species. But how do they find this particular salmon amongst all the other fish in the region? Well they use their own knid of natural sonar device, echolocation, yes, like a bat. But instead of size being the determinent factor in selecting prey, it's the swim bladder that influences the decision. The researchers found that "each salmon species has a unique echo pattern based on the different sizes and shapes of their swim bladders." So that is how the killer whale can distinguish its favourite food. The theory is still in the testing stages but, the researchers are optimistic that it will be proven true.

A True Coastal Country

The Philippines is a country that truly depends on the ocean for its survival, mostly due to the fact that the Philippines is made up of "7,107 islands lying between the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean." Click if you want to learn more about this coastal nation.

Just For General Knowledge...

So the USA has a "Geography Awareness Week" that takes place from Nov 16-22, 2008. If anyone is interested in checking it out just click here. Human Geography/ Cultures will be celebrated today (Monday), Physical Geography/Environments on Tuesday, Geotechnologies on Wednesday, Global Hotspots on Thursday, and Careers on Friday. Maybe Canada should look into something like this.

Studying the Healthy to Protect the Dying.

In February and March of the coming year, an expedition entitled "Southern Line Islands Expedition" will embark on a mission to save the endangered coral reefs. They will "travel to the remote central-Pacific islands of Flint, Vostok, Millennium, Starbuck, Malden, and Jarvis to continue reef studies done in the Northern Line Islands in 2005 and 2007." The participants will study the ecology of healthy reefs in hopes to be able to learn how they can preserve the endangered habitats. They will "study the intricate structures of healthy reef ecosystems and cataloguing the wide array of species it takes to sustain a reef." This expedition is the first of its kind and hopefully the data will be able to be used to "establish a baseline model for healthy coral reefs, to quantify the effects of human activity on these ecosystems, and to devise a blueprint for the conservation of degraded reefs." For more information on this project click here.

Marine Census Reveals New Deep-Sea Species

The Census of Marine Life is a "ten-year effort among marine biologists around the world to catalog and understand ocean life." It involves scientists from about 80 countries. Their final report is due in 2010. This means that they have 2 more years to "examine and document the 95 percent of Earth's oceans that remain relatively unexplored." The accompanying picture is that of a potential new species of jellyfish that was found near the Ryukyu Trench close to Japan. It was found at a depth of 7,217 meters, a depth which was previously thought to be unable to support such life. For more pictures and information regarding this census click here.

Tsunami Hitting Thailand Video

Here is the address to a video showing the December 2004 tsunami approaching the coast of Thailand. The video is 29 seconds long but it shows the force of the tsunami hitting the coast.

Forget "Free Willy", It's Now Free Sammy

Sammy is a 4 metre long whale shark that was caught off the coast of Dubai in late August and is now on public display at Lost Chambers aquarium in the United Arab Emirates. Since Sammy has been on display, there has been a public outcry for her release, "a social movement uncommon to this small Middle Eastern nation." There have been things like "Free Sammy" badges and bumper stickers, a "Free Sammy" song and a whole bunch of commmunity groups formed. There is even a "Free Sammy" facebook page. It is believed that the hotel in which the aquarium is located, will have to let the whale shark go. For the complete article from the Globe and Mail, click here. The photo is of Sammy in her tank at the aquarium.

Mystery Wave Hits Boothbay Harbor, Maine

This article reports mysterious waves, that scientists still don't have a name for, occuring in a Maine harbor last week. The last time a rogue wave like this hit Maine was in 1926. There have also been waves like this that have hit the Florida coast over 15 years ago. Overall it was an interessting article, especially since we're talking about waves in class.

You Have To Admit, It's A Pretty Neat Shot !!

Here is the winning picture of National Geographic's 2008 Best Wild Animal Photo, "Underwater World" category. The photo was taken by Brian Skerry, who was on assignment for National Geographic magazine off of New Zealand's Auckland Islands. To view all the winning photographs, just click here.

You Might Not Know This...

So here are some facts that I found while looking up information on sharks. I didn't know some of these and thought I would pass along the knowledge.

• Over 375 shark species have been identified, but only about a dozen are considered particularly dangerous.
  
• Three species are responsible for most human attacks: great white, tiger, and bull sharks.
• The largest shark is the whale shark, which can grow to 60 feet (20 meters) long.
• Among the smallest shark species is the deep water dogfish shark which measures less than 8 inches (20 centimeters) in length.
• Sharks do not sleep. Rather, they experience alternating periods of activity and rest.
• Some sharks must swim constantly to "breathe" oxygen from water passing through their gills. Other species can achieve this while stationary.
• Sharks are among Earth's most ancient animals. The fossil record dates ancestors of modern sharks to as far back as 400 million years ago.
• Sharks can replace lost teeth in as little as 24 hours and may use thousands of teeth over the course of a lifetime.

For these and other shark facts, click here.

Graveyard of Ancient Shipwrecks Found in the Black Sea

"In the depths of the Black Sea lies a landscape of eternal darkness. With no light and no oxygen in the sea's anoxic layer, no life can survive, except perhaps the ghosts of ancient mariners whose ships foundered thousands of years ago."

This article talks about two shipwrecks that have been found, and preserved, in the Black Sea. It is an interesting article, especially for anyone interested in archaeology.

Jaques Piccard Dies At Age 86.

On Saturday, November 1st, Jaques Piccard past away. He was a scientist and an underwater explorer. He, along with U.S. Navy Lt. Don Walsh, holds the record for the deepest dive ever carried out. On January 23, 1960, Piccard and Walsh went 35,800 feet (nearly 11 km) into the Mariana Trench. For more information about Piccard and his other achievements, click here.

Anyone Short On Cash?

If you're short on cash and have some spare time, here's a way that you could earn $20 million (US). Scotland announced, in April of this year, the Saltire Prize. What you have to do is come up with "spurring advances in marine renewable energy." As far as I've been able to tell, no one has won yet, but here's a chance to put your education to some use. For the full story from National Geographic, click here. For the story from Scotland's government, click here.

The T-rex of the Oceans

This creature, dubbed "the Monster", was dug up off of the Island of Spitsbergen, in Norway. It was first discovered in 2006. It is 150 million years old and measures roughly 15 meters in length. It's "A massive prehistoric sea reptile that was longer than a humpbakc whale and had teeth the size of cucumbers." It represents one of the largest marine reptiles ever known. For the full story, click here.

Hurricanes Help The Ants

Here is an interesting article that talks about how ants, and other certain insects and animals, crave salt and, since most of them live inland, they live in "salt stressed environments." Hurricanes bring the salt from the sea with them as they move inland, therefore, satisfying the craving of the ants. It also mentions that " if you increase the salt content, that could change competitive interactions among species."

Take a look at the article.

Tsunami Facts

Here are some facts about Tsunamis:

• Tsunami waves can be very long (as much as 60 miles, or 100 kilometers) and be as far as one hour apart. They are able to cross entire oceans without great loss of energy. The Indian Ocean tsunami traveled as much as 3,000 miles (nearly 5,000 kilometers) to Africa, arriving with sufficient force to kill people and destroy property.


• When the ocean is deep tsunamis can travel unnoticed on the surface at speeds up to 500 miles per hour (800 kilometers per hour), crossing the entire ocean in a day or less.


• The most damaging tsunami on record before 2004 was the one that killed an estimated 40,000 people in 1782 following an earthquake in the South China Sea.


• A tsunami may be less than a foot (30 centimeters) in height on the surface of the open ocean, which is why they are not noticed by sailors. But the powerful shock wave of energy travels rapidly through the ocean as fast as a commercial jet. Once a tsunami reaches shallow water near the coast it is slowed down. The top of the wave moves faster than the bottom, causing the sea to rise dramatically.

These, plus other tsunami facts can be found here.

The picture is of "Churning waters retreat from the battered coast of Kalutara, Sri Lanka, after the December 2004 tsunami drove the ocean more than half a mile (1 kilometer) inland."

"Loving Our Coasts To Death."

Here is an article from a July 2006 issue of National Geographic. It goes along with the post entitled "Do We Love The Coast Too Much?" It is a really good article! The picture is of the Huntington Beach oil spill.

Do We Love The Coast Too Much?

More than half of all the residents of U.S. currently live in coastal counties. It doesn't sound that bad except for the fact that coastal counties only account for 17 % of the country's land area. The number of people living in U.S. coastal counties is also supposed to go up over the next 15 years. Think about how many people and buildings are being crammed into that small amount of land and what is happening to the oceans because of that. Here's a view of South Beach, Florida to give you an idea of what is going on.

A Fact For The Day

We all know that the ocean is deep but here are some numbers to put it into perspective. If Mount Everest were placed in the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the summit would be under nearly 7,000 feet (2,100 meters) of water. These numbers can be found here. The accompanying picture is of a Sherpa village that rests at the base of Mt Everest.

Where to Start?

This link takes you to a list of the sections of the Sant Ocean Hall that we will be visiting in November. Take and look and decide where you're going to visit first.

Ocean "Dead Zones" Are Taking Over

On the map shown above, the black dots represent "dead zones." These are places in the ocean where there isn't enough oxygen in the coastal waters to sustain life. As of August 2008, there were 400 dead zones. In the 1990's there were just over 300. To read more about dead zones, click here.

Interesting Ocean Facts

Here are some facts about the ocean that you might not have heard before:

• An estimated 80 percent of all life on Earth is found under the oceans’ surface, and the oceans contain 99 percent of the living space on the planet. Less than 10 percent of that space has been explored by humans.
• At the deepest point in the ocean, the pressure is more than 8 tons per square inch, or the equivalent of one person trying to support 50 jumbo jets.
• El Niño, a periodic shift of warm waters from the western to the eastern Pacific Ocean, has dramatic effects on climate worldwide. In 1982-83, the most severe El Niño of the century created droughts, crop failures, fires, torrential rains, floods and landslides.

More facts, along with those previously mentioned, can be found here.

Using Coral To Treat Cancer?

Coral reefs are becoming more and more important, and not just because they look pretty or are home to hundreds of different species. Coral reef plants and animals are now considered to be important sources for new medicines that are being used to treat things like cancer, arthritis, human bacterial infections, Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, and viruses, along with a variety of other dieseases. In fact, coral reefs are now sometimes referred to as the medicine cabinets of the 21st century. Research is being conducted to understand the chemical defences that the stationary animals and plants of coral reefs developed to protect themselves from predators, and how we can use them for multiple purposes, like treating cancer.

Ocean Quiz From National Geographic: See How Much You Know

Here is the quiz.

First Underwater Colour Photograph

Thought that this was an interesting fact in the history of understanding the oceans.This photograph of a hog fish was taken in 1926 off the Florida Keys in the Gulf of Mexico by Dr. William Longley and National Geographic staff photographer Charles Martin. It was the first underwater coloured photograph. These two pioneered underwater photography.

Random Piece of Information for the Day

Observations since 1961 show that the ocean has been absorbing more than 80% of the heat added to the climate system. Such warming causes seawater to expand, contributing to sea level rise.
From http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/habitats/ocean-profile.html

Boulder-Moving Tsunami

We all know that a tsunami is a powerful thing, but did you know that there are boulders in Tonga that could have been thrown inland by an "ancient wave"?

The accompanying photo is the largest of the group of 7 huge coral boulders that were moved uphill by a volcano-triggered tsunami within the last 7,000 years.

"The largest of the seven boulders is 50 feet (15 meters) wide and estimated to weigh 1,600 tons. It currently sits more than 300 feet (100 meters) from the sea and 30 feet (10 meters) above sea level, an anomaly on the South Pacific island's flat landscape. "

The whole article can be found at:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/09/080930-tsunami-boulder.html?source=rss

Fish Consumptioin

Although this table has more to do with my other oceans class, I thought that it was interesting to note the amount of fish that people consume. It is just one way that we depend on the oceans. You can get all the info relating to this table at the following website :http://www.iom.edu/Object.File/Master/37/683/11762_Seafood%20Choices%20Report%20Brief.pdf

How Much Do You Know Part 2

Here is the second quiz related to the "oceans, envrionment and you." They say that you learn one new thing everyday, see if you can learn more!
http://www.thegreenguide.com/quizzes/oceans_the_environment_and_you_part_2

How Much Do You Know?

Test yourself by following this link (http://www.thegreenguide.com/quizzes/oceans_the_environment_and_you) to a four question quiz. See if you learn something new!

President Bush Talks About The New Ocean Hall At The Smithsonian

So here is what President Bush had to say abou the exhibit that we are going to see in November. He spoke there on September 26, 2008, the day before it opened to the public.

"These exhibits in this hall will remind people that our oceans are vital for our planet -- this is
going to heighten awareness of how important our oceans are and that we have a
solemn duty to protect them."
-President Bush
To read the rest of what he had to say, click on the link:
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2008/images/president_oceanhallspeech.pdf

Noisy Oceans

Found this article from the national geographic. It about how ocean acidification could not only physically harm the animals who live in our oceans but, also disrupt their communications.

"As the world's oceans become more acidic, the underwater sounds that whales and other marine mammals depend on for survival may turn into a confusing racket, a new study says."

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/10/081002-noisy-oceans.html

Useful Site

I found this site (ocean-sci.net)really useful. It gives you access to journal articles from the European Geosciences Union. Thought that it might be a good resource for research projects. You will be able to find it in my links.

Who Is Up For A Trip To Washington, D.C.?

This site ( www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2008/20080925_oceanhall.html ) is a description of an exhibition that opened today in Washington, D.C.. It is a joint effort between NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association) and the Smithsonian Institution to provide a way for people to "explore" the oceans.

“For thousands of years people looked across the ocean and asked, ‘What lies beyond?’ Today we ask, ‘What lies below?’ and ocean explorers with new technologies are finding answers to those deep mysteries...”
-retired Navy Vice Adm. Conrad Lautenbacher Jr.