The Living Ocean: Collapsing Seas

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Collapsing Seas – An Infographic

The oceans make up about 70% of the Earth and support all life on the planet. There are so many issues of concern with the oceans today – overfishing, pollution, sea level rise – it’s hard to keep it all straight. This infographic packages all that into bite-size pieces.

By Heather Carr@Blue Living Ideas

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TED.com

TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) is a prominent global set of conferences owned by the private non-profit Sapling Foundation, formed to disseminate "ideas worth spreading." TED was founded in 1984 as a one-off event and the conference was held annually from 1990 in Monterey, California. TED's early emphasis was largely technology and design, consistent with a Silicon Valley center of gravity. The events are now held in Long Beach and Palm Springs in the U.S. And in Europe and Asia, offering live streaming of the talks. They address an increasingly wide range of topics within the research and practice of science and culture. The speakers are given a maximum of 18 minutes to present their ideas in the most innovative and engaging ways they can.

Ever wonder what types of seafood are sustainable? Here’s a quick reference chart

Wave Energy

The world's ocean may eventually provide us with energy to power our homes and businesses. Right now, there are very few ocean energy power plants and most are fairly small. But how can we get energy from the ocean?Kinetic energy (movement) exists in the moving waves of the ocean. That energy can be used to power a turbine. In this simple example, to the right, the wave rises into a chamber. The rising water forces the air out of the chamber. The moving air spins a turbine which can turn a generator. When the wave goes down, air flows through the turbine and back into the chamber through doors that are normally closed. This is only one type of wave-energy system. Others actually use the up and down motion of the wave to power a piston that moves up and down inside a cylinder. That piston can also turn a generator.

Census of Marine Life

2,700 Scientists- 80+ Nations- 540 Expeditions- US$ 650 million- 2,600+ Scientific Publications- 6,000+ Potential New Species- 30 Million Distribution Records and Counting- These numbers only begin to describe the scope of the Census of Marine Life, a 10-year international effort undertaken in to assess the diversity (how many different kinds), distribution (where they live), and abundance (how many) of marine life—a task never before attempted on this scale. The Census stimulated the discipline of marine science by tackling these issues globally, and engaging some 2,700 scientists from around the globe, who participated in 540 expeditions and countless hours of land-based research. The scientific results were reported on October 4, 2010 at the Royal Institution in London.

James Cameron's Successful Dive To The Challenger Deep (link)

The Challenger Deep is the lowest point in the Mariana Trench, a gap between tectonic plates that stretches 1,500 miles along the western Pacific, and is thought to be the deepest chasm in all the world's oceans. At the bottom the pressure reaches over 15,000 pounds per square inch. By comparison, everyday pressure levels hover around 15 pounds per square inch. How do we know that Challenger Deep is the deepest point on Earth. Can we be sure that there isn't a deeper spot somewhere? We can't. Not absolutely. The Challenger Deep was first measured by the HMS Challenger expedition in 1875, a nearly 70,000-mile scientific voyage around the globe that laid the foundations for the modern science of oceanography. To probe the ocean's depths, the Challenger's crew used simple lead weights tethered by long ropes. For this purpose, the vessel carried 144 miles of rope. The first reported depth was 26,850 feet. In 1951, that figure increased to 35,761 feet when another royal vessel, also named the HMS Challenger, remeasured the depth using a primitive form of sonar: A pulse of sound sent deep to bounce off the abyss, then back topside to the researchers awaiting its return. The official depth would change a few more times after, most recently set on 36,070 feet, a figure confirmed with modern sonar techniques. This number has a margin of error of about 100 feet, so it's possible that the measured depth of the Challenger Deep could change in the future, or that some other deeper point will be discovered somewhere else. After all, it was only in 1997 that researchers discovered the Sirena Deep, which is also located in the Mariana Trench, which they measured at 35,210 feet, less than a thousand feet shallower than the Challenger Deep. But it's probably unlikely that we'll find a new deepest point in an entirely different part of the world. Bathymetry, the science of underwater topography, has long been using sophisticated sonar equipment to create digital maps of underwater terrain. Sonar beams sent to the ocean floor are updated many times per second, and verified by Global Positioning Satellites. These maps clearly indicate the Mariana Trench as the deepest of its kind, and so far the Challenger Deep is its lowest measured point. Chances are, if the depth or the location of the world's deepest point ever does change, it won't be by much.

Coral reefs report warns of mass loss threat

Three-quarters of the world's coral reefs are at risk from overfishing, pollution and climate change, according to a report. By 2050 virtually all of the world's coral reefs – from the waters of the Indian Ocean to the Caribbean to Australia – will be in danger, the report warns. The consequences – especially for countries such as the Philippines or Haiti which depend on the reefs for food – will be severe. The reefs of south-east Asia are in the most acute peril – with 95% on the danger list; 75% of the reefs in the Caribbean are also threatened, including all those in Florida, Haiti and Jamaica. But even Australia, where reefs are protected, will be in the danger zone by the middle of the century if climate change is left unchecked.

Greenpeace Campaign To Ban Whaling (Sign The Petition)

The statistics say it all. The blue whales of the Antarctic are at less than 1 percent of their original abundance, despite 40 years of complete protection. Some populations of whales are recovering but some are not. Only one population, the East Pacific grey whale, is thought to have recovered to its original abundance, but the closely related West Pacific grey whale population is the most endangered in the world. It hovers on the edge of extinction with just over 100 remaining. Recent DNA evidence shows that the impact of commercial whaling may be even worse than previously thought. Most estimates of historic whale population size have been extrapolated from old whaling figures, but this method is often very inaccurate, according to marine biologist Steve Palumbi of Stanford University's Hopkins Marine Station in California, USA. In 2003 Palumbi and his colleagues used DNA samples to estimate that humpback whales could have numbered 1.5 million prior to the onset of commercial whaling in the 1800s. That number dwarfs the figure of 100,000 previously accepted by the IWC based on 19th century whaling records. Humpback whales currently number only 20,000. Japanese delegates to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) constantly refer to a 1990 estimate of the Antarctic minke population of 760,000. But that figure was withdrawn by the IWC in 2000 because recent surveys found far fewer minkes than the older ones. The new estimates are half the old in every area that has been resurveyed. The IWC's scientists do not understand the reasons for this and so far have not been able to agree a new estimate.

Hurricane: National Hurricane Center (Link)

Hurricanes are giant, spiraling tropical storms that can pack wind speeds of over 160 miles (257 kilometers) an hour and unleash more than 2.4 trillion gallons (9 trillion liters) of rain a day. These same tropical storms are known as cyclones in the northern Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal, and as typhoons in the western Pacific Ocean. The Atlantic Ocean’s hurricane season peaks from mid-August to late October and averages five to six hurricanes per year. Hurricanes begin as tropical disturbances in warm ocean waters with surface temperatures of at least 80 degrees Fahrenheit (26.5 degrees Celsius). These low pressure systems are fed by energy from the warm seas. If a storm achieves wind speeds of 38 miles (61 kilometers) an hour, it becomes known as a tropical depression. A tropical depression becomes a tropical storm, and is given a name, when its sustained wind speeds top 39 miles (63 kilometers) an hour. When a storm’s sustained wind speeds reach 74 miles (119 kilometers) an hour it becomes a hurricane and earns a category rating of 1 to 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Hurricanes are enormous heat engines that generate energy on a staggering scale. They draw heat from warm, moist ocean air and release it through condensation of water vapor in thunderstorms. Hurricanes spin around a low-pressure center known as the “eye.” Sinking air makes this 20- to 30-mile-wide (32- to 48-kilometer-wide) area notoriously calm. But the eye is surrounded by a circular “eye wall” that hosts the storm’s strongest winds and rain. These storms bring destruction ashore in many different ways. When a hurricane makes landfall it often produces a devastating storm surge that can reach 20 feet (6 meters) high and extend nearly 100 miles (161 kilometers). Ninety percent of all hurricane deaths result from storm surges. A hurricane’s high winds are also destructive and may spawn tornadoes. Torrential rains cause further damage by spawning floods and landslides, which may occur many miles inland. The best defense against a hurricane is an accurate forecast that gives people time to get out of its way. The National Hurricane Center issues hurricane watches for storms that may endanger communities, and hurricane warnings for storms that will make landfall within 24 hours.

Tara Oceans

Tara Expeditions has been organizing missions aboard the research schooner Tara for the past 9 years. Our goal is to learn more about the impact of climate change on ecosystems. Tara Expeditions is a non-profit association based in France that provides samples and data to the scientific community worldwide. One of our main objectives is to increase environmental awareness among the general public, and particularly young people through our Tara Junior outreach program. The Tara Expeditions project is affiliated to the United Nations Programme for the Environment. Through the work of scientists and also artists, we are observing our changing environment, and learning more about the complex and fragile ecosystem called Earth.

List of Public Aquariums by State (Link)

A public aquarium can easily ensnare your interest in the world of fish — oceans, rivers and ponds hold more life than one person could possibly imagine. Aquarists and nonfishkeepers alike can become equally lost in the aquatic kingdom. Reef exhibits displaying vibrant fish and invertebrates tempt aquarists to try replicating the ocean’s perfect ecological habitat — or perhaps to add just one more aquarium to their fish-filled homes. Those who’ve never kept fish encounter images of the deep they have only seen in books previously — in photos seemingly saturated with bright color that could only exist on an artist’s palette — only to come face to face with reef inhabitants and find that such lush-colored creatures truly exist.

the gray whale makes the longest migration of any mammal.

Perhaps the most common cetacean (whale) seen in California is Eschrichtius robustus, usually called the California gray whale (or simply, the gray whale). The genus Eschrichtius is from the Danish whale biologist Eschricht. The species robustus refers to the gray whale's robust size. This species is limited to the North Pacific and is unique in that almost the entire population follows a seasonal migration along the coastline of western North America. Most other whale species have separate populations in different oceans and/or hemispheres; each population has a separate migration with different months of the year and different routes. However, almost all of the gray whales spend the summer months (June, July, and August) in the Bering Sea area between Alaska and Russia. A few even venture north into the Arctic Ocean. In the fall the majority of the population migrates south, along the west coast of Canada and the United States, ending up in the quiet lagoons of Baja California during the winter months (January, February, and March). In the spring the population returns to the Bering Sea area. This 12,000 mile roundtrip may be the longest migration of any mammal on Earth. (Recently there are a few gray whales that have been found to miss the full migration.) Small 'resident' populations of gray whales are showing up in the northwestern United States. These whales generally make the southward migration but drop off on the northward migration to spend the summer in shallow coastal areas. Two such groups are being studied - one near Depoe Bay, Oregon (about 33 whales in 2005) and one in Puget Sound, Washington (about 55 whales in 2005). In 2006 a report of gray whales, seen during July/August, off San Miguel Island (near Santa Barbara) is very interesting and something to watch in case another such 'resident' group is forming in this area. Gray whales should have completed their migration north of San Miguel Island by July. The report was sent to the coordinator for the Santa Barbara 'Gray Whales Count' project that organizes volunteers to count northbound gray whales off Santa Barbara during the winter and spring. There is a small, entirely separate, population of North Pacific gray whales in Korean waters. They are very rare and may be on the way to extinction. These two groups do not appear to interact at all and little is known of the status of the rare Korean stock.

What is climate change?

Climate includes patterns of temperature, precipitation, humidity, wind and seasons. "Climate change" affects more than just a change in the weather, it refers to seasonal changes over a long period of time. These climate patterns play a fundamental role in shaping natural ecosystems, and the human economies and cultures that depend on them. Because so many systems are tied to climate, a change in climate can affect many related aspects of where and how people, plants and animals live, such as food production, availability and use of water, and health risks. For example, a change in the usual timing of rains or temperatures can affect when plants bloom and set fruit, when insects hatch or when streams are their fullest. This can affect historically synchronized pollination of crops, food for migrating birds, spawning of fish, water supplies for drinking and irrigation, forest health, and more. Some short-term climate variation is normal, but longer-term trends now indicate a changing climate. A year or two of an extreme change in temperature or other condition doesn’t mean a climate change trend has been "erased.” Worldwide, people are paying serious attention to climate change. In Washington state, climate change is already disrupting our environment, economy and communities. We can help slow it down, but we must take action now.

What is the Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch?

The Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch is an enormous collection of trash that is collected and deposited by ocean currents in the middle of the North Pacific Ocean. The trash mainly comprises of plastic debris and is not only huge but is also scattered along a wide expanse making it difficult to clear up the choked-up water space. How the Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch is formed? The Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch is a phenomenon that occurs due to ocean currents swirling in the North Pacific waters. These ocean currents called the sub-tropical gyre are perpetually present in the North Pacific Ocean waters and they are the main reason behind the accumulated waste. The gyre currents move in a clockwise direction and carry the trash and the waste along in their path from the land right in the middle of the North Pacific Ocean. The entire process of the gyre collecting and depositing trash happens in the East and the West part of the Pacific Ocean, thus making the Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch a convergence of the East garbage patch and the West garbage patch in the North Pacific. The resulting accumulated and huge mass of waste floating in the North Pacific now has ended up as a pathway that comes in the way and which fishermen and ships are forced to avoid. Effects of the Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch But while humans are successful in avoiding the Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch, sea animals and creatures are unable to do so and inadvertently fall prey to the plastic piled up in the Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch. And the debris not only includes plastic, but also toxic substances that are completely non-biodegradable and fishing nets that end up trapping mammals like whales and dolphins which pass through the water. The most unfortunate part however is that, the amount of waste and garbage that has piled over due to the gyre, is difficult to clean up. According to one researcher who has extensively covered the subject of the Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch, the clean-up operation to clear the Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch could end up making several nations bankrupt. The severity of the problem is quite evident from this statement and it is enough to make one wonder as to how to solve the problem. The above statement is not an exaggeration. The Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch extends to several miles right in the deep sea and therefore the threat of destruction of marine life looms even larger. And in modern times, where the ecology is being troubled due to circumstances like global warming and oil spills, it becomes relevant that this unorthodox waste dump is cleared up as soon as possible. How Can We Help? And while it is agreed that it is quite impossible to clean-up the mess created by our oversight in the first place, it is not impossible to rectify the mistake. By using biodegradable items instead of the toxic and non-biodegradable ones, we will be able to minimise the effect of the gyre carrying and depositing the waste and thus adding to the Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch. By making people aware of their mistakes regarding the use of plastics which can prove to be hazardous not just to sea creatures and mammals but also to the birds who get attracted to flashy colours and could thus lose their lives choking up on plastic, change can be brought about. By making use of paper-bags and other alternatives that can successfully replace plastic bags, one can strive to achieve the purpose of tackling the Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch. In view of taking care of the environment and its other creatures, it is crucial that we bring about a positive change in our lifestyle and that too as fast as possible.

Ocean Conservancy

The Ocean Conservancy was founded in 1972, with goals to promote healthy and diverse ocean ecosystems, and to oppose practices that threaten oceanic and human life. The Conservancy's list of priorities include "Restore Sustainable American Fisheries," "Protect Wildlife From Human Impacts," "Conserve Special Ocean Places," and "Reform Government for Better Ocean Stewardship." It started with goals to promote healthy and safe ocean ecosystems and to help prevent things that threaten oceanic and human life. The conservancy's main concern was to restore sustainable American fisheries and protect wildlife from human impact. The group was formerly known as the Center for Marine Conservation, and was one of the few environmental or conservation organizations to take a neutral position on Florida's "Ban the Nets" amendment in 1994 that was passed with 72% of the vote. The Ocean Conservancy is one of the few of the organizations that help protect wildlife in the ocean.

The Living Ocean

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Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Collapsing Seas – An Infographic

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