petnoyer | January 25, 2007Tomorrow (Jan 26) will see the public release of Charting the Course for Ocean Science in the United States for the Next Decade: An Ocean Research Priorities Plan and Implementation Strategy which outlines the national ocean research priorities for the United States for the next ten years. The public event will be held at 1pm at the National Academy of Sciences building in Washington, DC.
From the press release:
This document takes a fresh approach in considering the ocean as a dynamic system rather than attempting to identify research needs based on historical academic disciplines or…
cmcclain | January 25, 2007Elpidia glacialis. Credit: Julian Gutt/Alfred Wegener Institute
Unless you live in a hole you know that the Larsen Ice Shelf collapsed a few years ago. A current expedition on the Polarstern to Antarctica is investigating marine ecosystems under the former Larsen ice shelf.This "white spot" with regard to biodiversity research gave rise to the following questions: What kind of life actually existed under the former floating ice shelf which was up to several hundreds of meters thick? What are the prospects for the future after the collapse of the ice shelf?
Compared to the surrounding…
cmcclain | January 24, 2007So the date and time are set for the Alvin to ISS chat. The pre-recorded conversation will air between 2:45 and 3:30 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on Friday, January 26. It will be played immediately following the "ISS Expedition 14 Spacewalk Preview Briefing" scheduled for 2 p.m. ET, so the 2:45 to 3:30 p.m. air-time is approximate. The spot will be aired on NASA TV and on the web.
cmcclain | January 24, 2007The recent post over at Dynamics of Cats, Pensive on Penzim, discusses the hype about a new cod-based cure for avian flu.
So, what is the big deal? Well, probably nothing, there are no clinical trials or safety studies yet, but since the stakes are high, it is worth contemplating.
I should point out another issue about Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua, they're tasty overfished in the Atlantic. Extremely overfished. From the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch.
Avoid Atlantic cod; it has been fished heavily for the past 50 years, resulting in massive population declines. Scientists agree that we…
cmcclain | January 24, 2007
Workers from the Japanese Aquarium captured video of deep-sea shark lurking about the shallows of Awashima Port. The species, Chlamydoselachus anguineus or frilled shark, is not unknown from shallow water but rare. The frilled shark as a global distribution as is found from 0-1570m (5151ft). It can reach 2m (6.5ft) in length and feeds on other sharks, squid and bony fish. Currently it is listed by IUCN as Near-Threatened. More here at fishbase.
cmcclain | January 24, 2007"Industrialized fishing is the driving force in the depletion of biodiversity in our oceans...Oceans have been exempt from rules that are so natural to us on land." Because of the relative invisibility of life below the surface, most people never get to see it first hand, such as managers "who sit behind desks in Ottawa."
Powerful words from Boris Worm, from one of the co-authors of a controversial report that projected the collapse of all of the world's commercially fished stocks within 50 years. From November from the old DSN...
In case you didn't know or needed more concrete evidence, fish…
cmcclain | January 22, 2007Since this won a Fuzzy Yeti Crab (The Fuzzy) for 2006, I thought a repost was in order.
There is a great article at the San Francisco Chronicle on cosmeuceuticals and the extent people are distributing snake oil including this beauty...At the highest end of the skin-care spectrum, Saks Fifth Avenue on Union Square sells Estee Lauder's Re-Creation daytime and nighttime cream set (a store exclusive), which contains "deep sea water" for minerals and sells for $900.
So what are the purported effects of deep-sea water? I collected some claims from around the internet which range from plain…
cmcclain | January 22, 2007In the last 10 years, the average temperature of the earth as increased by 0.75 degrees Celsius. In less you have not read a newspaper or watched the news in the last 15 years, you would know that a majority of scientists have linked this to increasing C02 emissions from the burning of fossil fuels. Currently those levels are about 7 gigatons of carbon per year (GtC y-1) are expected to reach double that by 2050.
So what do we do with all this extra carbon dioxide?
One phenomenally poor thought out plan is ocean seeding. Another, the superseafloor injection, is direct injection of CO2…
cmcclain | January 20, 2007Urged by a reader for a more "dampened" shot, I have changed my profile picture to a recent photography taken by a colloborator and friend. There were also some comments about our disgruntled mug shots. You guys are relentless! This picture may qualify me for the sexiest Sb blogger! I just have to figure how to get Peter out of the running.
Off topic, but I am trying to convince this friend, a terrestrial ecologist, to write up his experiences for DSN about a ROV dive I took him on last year.
cmcclain | January 19, 2007From the dark abyss to the darkness of Space. On Jan. 26th* Deep-Sea Scientist Tim Shank in the Alvin and Astronaut Sunita "Suni" Williams at the International Space Station will have a conversation about exploration and science. If that is not cool enough you can listen, or watch on the NASA channel, and even ask a question! This is way to cool and I am soo jealous of Shank!
* Due to busy and sometimes unpredictable schedules on the space station and on the Alvin sub, the conversation may be rescheduled to January 27 or 28. Please check this page for updates.
cmcclain | January 19, 2007A new series for you Friday Deep-Sea Picture. Feel free to email us great pictures you find about the web or from you personal collection.
Starfish graze on an extensive bed of mussels on the outer flanks of the cone. Image courtesy of New Zealand-American Submarine Ring of Fire 2005 Exploration, NOAA Vents Program.
cmcclain | January 18, 2007In Search of Giant Squid at the Deleware Museum of Natural History. If you are in the neighborhood check it out and pop me an email with some pictures and tales of you encounter.
cmcclain | January 18, 2007Ocean fm (Ireland) reports that...
Fishermen's lives are being put at risk because of the strict rules that apply to when they can fish in Irish waters. That's according to the Chairman of the Killybegs Fishermen's Organisation, Martin Howley. He said that better quota management by the Marine Department would mean that fishermen would not have to take risks such as going out in stormy weather. And he has branded MEP Sean O'Neachtain's calls yesterday for a phasing out of deep-sea fishing because of the dangers a 'knee-jerk reaction'.
I am too dumbfounded to respond...but I will. At least…
petnoyer | January 17, 2007
Our Best of the Abyss awards were conceived to recognize important deep-sea happenings around the world, and intended to pay our humble respects to all the hard working scientists, technicians, and policy makers that make our postings possible here on the blog. If it wasn't for these people, we would have precious few good things to report.
This post, the "Best of Deep Sea News 2006", is a little different because these awards are intended to recognize our best attempts to deliver something fun and interesting. However, rather than turn the contest into a mutual self-admiration society, we…
cmcclain | January 17, 2007And if no one is around will it still make a sound? Crone and cronies et al. on the open access PLoS One explore the Sound Generated by Mid-Ocean Ridge Black Smoker Hydrothermal Vents. Although theory predicted sound from venting smokers, current thinking was that they were actual silent. But they're not! Indeed smokers "radiate significant acoustic energy." And the coolest part (yes I am a biologist), "Vent sounds will provide researchers with new ways to study flow through sulfide structures, and may provide some local organisms with behavioral or navigational cues." You can listen to…
cmcclain | January 17, 2007As followup to this post, I will discuss what biogeography is. Largely, biogeography can be seen as subdisipline of the fields of ecology and evolution. Biogeography has traditionally been the study of the distribution of species across the globe, why a species occurs or does not occur in a given locality. As ranges of organisms overlap, an understanding of distributions then encompasses diversity or the number of organisms in a location. Modern biogeography includes any pattern of any geographic variation, body size, diversity, morphology, gene frequencies, in any ecosystem-such as the…
petnoyer | January 16, 2007
Just when you thought you escaped the onslaught of annual reviews in the media, along comes a slacker post from the Deep Sea News. Craig tasked me with this weeks ago, but I quickly passed the responsibility to a bevy of impartial judges willing to slog through last year's material in search of the year's best stories.
So, welcome to the Best of the Abyss 2006. Five highly qualified judges from federal, non-profit and private sectors with backgrounds and experience in deep sea issues reviewed a list of nominations in categories compiled by Craig and myself, and submitted their votes with…
cmcclain | January 15, 2007The last forum at the International Biogeography Society meeting discussed how biogeographer's might increase public outreach. Unfortunately little attention was given to what I feel is one of the most effective mechanisms, blogging. The forum really discussed more traditional processes such as press releases, museum exhibits, and popular science writing.
So to my other SB'lings and to you, I propose a challenge. First, can you without a
Google search define what the field of biogeography is. Second, as a voice for our audience, what do you think is the most effective mechanism for…
cmcclain | January 14, 2007Peter's post on the Alvin pilots generated an email from Janet Voight, deep-sea cephalopod expert extraordinaire, pointing me to this great video. Enjoy.
cmcclain | January 14, 2007Finally got back from my meeting minus a piece of luggage or two. Unfortunately the trip came with a shocking reality of anthropogenic effects on marine systems. Before I headed to Tenerife in the Canary Islands, I asked around and searched online to find some localities to snorkel while I was there. Myself and two close friends loaded up in a rental car and went off to visit the sites on my list. These sites were 4 years ago the best in snorkeling the island had to offer. Unfortunately today, they are degraded coastal systems dominated by sewer runoff, resorts, industry, and trash…