Ancient voyages to America - Who were the first explorers?

Who were the first people to discover America?

Historical evidence uncovers the myth of Christopher Columbus being the first to America.

This documentary explores the evidence of Ancient Civilizations visiting North America long before Columbus. Chinese, Egyptian, Viking explorers all traveled to the New World.

Amazing map shows the past 170 years of hurricanes to hit Earth - and how the Northwestern Atlantic has been ravaged by some of the world's most vicious cyclones

It may look like a work of art at first glance, but this is the amazing image that reveals the past 170 of hurricanes around the globe.
Produced by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, it reveals exactly where in the world is worst hit.
The image charts 11,967 tropical cyclones that have occurred on Earth since the NOAA began keeping a record in 1842, when data was supplied by ships and lighthouses rather than today’s advanced satellite detection systems.
Interactive map: Using the map on the right hand-side, zoom in on a particular location or zoom out to see a global view.
You can then click on the 'Hurricanes' or 'Country Strikes' tabs on the top right to view the frequency and path of all hurricanes in that particular area.
The key on the top right corresponds to hurricane strength and the number of hits in that area since 1842.
The frequency of track overlaps is much lower in the Western Hemisphere than in the Eastern Hemisphere
In contrast, an intensity map shows the Northwestern Atlantic has had a much greater spread of strong storms

From DailyMail

‘Before the advent of the satellite era, hurricane tracks were constructed from ship reports – and although reliable, some storms were probably missed, the NOAA admits.
‘Geostationary satellites, such as NOAA’s GOES, revolutionised the ability of meteorologists to track cyclones,’ the map-makers explain.
Not a single storm is missed as these eyes in the sky provide consistent scans of the globe every few minutes.’
The group has also released an interactive map that allows you to zoom in on specific areas in the world and view hurricanes based on their frequency and path in the area.
The team used colours to make patterns in the storms more obvious.
By colouring how many times any storm track overlapped another, patterns arose in the density of storms affecting a given area, the team found.

By colouring how many times any storm track overlapped another, certain patterns arise in the density of storms affecting a given area.
Cyclone tracks overlapped the most in the western Pacific and Bay of Bengal (India), where typhoon season never ends since waters are always warm enough to sustain cyclone formation.
The frequency of track overlaps is much lower in the Western Hemisphere

Cyclone tracks overlapped the most in the western Pacific and Bay of Bengal (India), where typhoon season never ends since waters are always warm enough to sustain cyclone formation.
The frequency of track overlaps is much lower in the Western Hemisphere than in the Eastern Hemisphere.
They also produced a second map showing storm intensity.
In contrast to the first image of frequency, the Northwestern Atlantic shows a much greater spread of strong storms, whereas in the Pacific the strongest cyclones seem to group near the Philippines.

This map shows storm intensity, providing an interesting contrast to storm frequency.

Here, the Northwestern Atlantic shows a much greater spread of strong storms, whereas in the Pacific the strongest cyclones seem to group near the Philippines 

Links :

• Wired : 170 Years of the World’s Hurricane Tracks on One Dark and Stormy Map
• NOAA : revisits historic hurricanes (IBTrACS)
• AmetSoc : The International best track archive for climate stewardship (IBTrACS): Unifying Tropical Cyclone Data

New York at risk from combination of rising seas and stronger hurricanes, experts warn

The NOAA agency's larger map indicates that sea levels
near New Orleans increased at a rate of 9.24 millimeters a year between 1947 and 2006 — three feet over the course of a century. 

From NYDailyNews

Projections by the National Weather Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers show that much of the five boroughs will be submerged if another strong hurricane hits New York in the year 2100.

 In its forthcoming report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that sea level could rise by as much as six feet by the end of the century.

photo : Stephen Wilkes (National Geographic)

Thanks to rising seas brought on by global warming, New Yorkers can count on a very wet, deadly, and expensive future.
Based on projections from the National Weather Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, if a storm equivalent in strength to Hurricane Sandy were to hit the five boroughs in the year 2100, vastly larger swaths of the city would be submerged.
The reason is simple.

Sea levels are forecast to rise by as much as six feet before the end of the century, making low lying cities like New York all but defenseless to the wrath of powerful storms.

 Given the dire predictions on how fast sea level is rising, New York could face annual flood costs of $2 billion per year.

In its September issue, National Geographic spoke with several experts who proposed ways to try and protect the city.

Unfortunately, over the past decade, scientific projections on sea level rise have grown rapidly as more data on climate change has continued to be analyzed.
Six years ago. the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimate that by 2100 sea level would rise by a maximum of 23 inches. In a draft of this year’s report, the final version of which is to be released this fall, the IPCC revised that outlook to a maximum of six feet.
“In the last several years we’ve observed accelerated melting of the ice sheets in Greenland and West Antarctica,” Radley Horton, a research scientist at Columbia University’s Earth Institute in New York City, told National Geographic in its September issue. “The concern is that if the acceleration continues, by the time we get to the end of the 21st century, we could see sea-level rise of as much as six feet globally instead of two to three feet.”

 Hurricane Sandy, which killed 43 people, caused an estimated $19 billion in damages in New York.
photo : Iwan Baan (National Geographic)

Mayor Michael Bloomberg has proposed that the city spend $19.5 billion to mount a defense against rising seas, roughly the same amount New York faced in losses as a result of Hurricane Sandy (43 people died in the city because of the storm).
Whether the mayor’s plan will be embraced before he leaves office, or will be championed by his successor, remains to be seen.
“Eventually the city will have to face up to this, because the problem is going to get worse,” Malcolm Bowman, a physical oceanographer at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, told National Geographic. 

“It might take five years of study and another ten years to get the political will to do it. By then there might have been another disaster. We need to start planning immediately. Otherwise we’re mortgaging the future and leaving the next generation to cope as best it can.”
In the absence of bold new measures, including the construction of massive storm surge barriers, the financial toll the city faces from rising sea levels in the not too distant future is more than a little daunting.
A new study by Nature Climate Change estimates that New York City faces about $2 billion in annual losses from flooding in 2050.

Links :

• Sea Level Rise Tool for Sandy recovery

Brazil DHN update in the Marine GeoGarage

1701 Porto de Santos

 

19 charts have been updated since the last update  :

(DHN update August 19, 2013)

• 701   PORTO DE MUCURIPE (Fortaleza)
• 705   TERMINAL PORTUARIO DO PECÉM
• 710   PROXIMIDADES DO TERMINAL DO PECÉM E DO PORTO DE MUCURIPE
• 1000   DE MACEIÓ AO RIO ITARIRI
• 1201   PORTO DE ILHÉUS
• 1210   PROXIMIDADE DO PORTO DE ILHÉUS
• 1410   PROXIMIDADES DOS PORTOS DE VITORIA E TUBARÃO
• 1607   BAÍAS DA ILHA GRANDE E DE SEPETIBA
• 1621   BAÍA DA ILHA GRANDE - PARTE LESTE (TERMINAL DA ILHA GUAÍBA)
• 1623   PORTO DE ITAGUAÍ
• 1636   PORTO DE ANGRA DOS REIS E PROXIMIDADES
• 1701   PORTO DE SANTOS
• 1803   BAÍA DE GUARATUBA
• 1822   PORTOS DE PARANAGUÁ E ANTONINA
• 1830   PROXIMIDADES DO PORTO DE SÃO FRANCISCO DO SUL
• 21060   DO ARQUIPÉLAGO DOS ABROLHOS AO CABO FRIO
• 22100   DO CABO CALCANHAR A CABEDELO
• 22200   DE CABEDELO A MACEIÓ
• 2111   DE ITAPUÃ A PORTO ALEGRE

Today 424 charts (467 including sub-charts) from DHN are displayed in the Marine GeoGarage
Don't forget to visit the NtM Notices to Mariners (Avisos aos Navegantes)

Can technology end pirate fishing?

Windward’s maritime surveillance system (MarInt) shows a Japanese fishing boat that entered the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Angola, allegedly without permission.

From NationalGeographic

Last week, a 60-meter Japanese fishing vessel following the Benguela Current northward along the southwest coast of Africa entered Angolan waters, where it remained for some five days before returning to international waters to meet side-by-side with a Japanese reefer vessel.

That activity is more than suspicious.
Ships don’t just accidentally drift into the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) of other countries and stay there for the good part of a week.
This was almost certainly a textbook case of pirate fishing: one boat without proper permits or quota heads out onto the high seas to fish, and then later transfers that catch to a legal vessel while at sea.
Similar illicit activity was observed by passengers aboard the National Geographic Explorer last April.

Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, also known as pirate fishing, is a massive problem across the globe.
It is estimated that IUU fishing costs the industry as much as $23.5 billion per year and accounts for up to 20% of global wild marine catch, though the extent of the problem is impossible to determine.

From an environmental perspective, illegal fishers are often overfishing already depleted fish stocks, using destructive gear, and sabotaging responsible fisheries management efforts.
From a health and community perspective, pirate fishers are robbing subsistence harvesters and other waterfront dwellers of their livelihoods.
Over one billion people, most of whom are in developing countries, rely on seafood as their primary source of protein.

The word “pirate” can evoke some pretty whimsical imagery, but the reality is that pirate fishing is so convoluted and multifaceted that it defies any simple description.
Activities that fall into the category of IUU fishing range from fishing above the set quota for a certain species (and failing to report it), to fishing within the EEZ of another country without permission, to violating regulations on a specific fishery, such as equipment standards, maximum trip time in a designated area, or maximum by-catch thresholds.

Some pirate ships hide their identities and origins by flying a different flag or painting a fake and unregistered name on their hull.
According to Greenpeace, “With the click of a computer mouse, for as little as US$500, flags can be bought over the internet from countries like Malta, Panama, Belize, Honduras, and St Vincent and the Grenadines.”

Policing the Open Seas

At the crux of the issue is a lack of enforcement.
Beyond the inherent difficulty of policing the open ocean, an absence of global coordination perpetuates this problem.
Along with weak international governance, which comprises a patchwork of authorities and regulations, there are issues of poor cooperation, whether due to limited resources or interest, in getting individual nation-states to enforce IUU regulations at their ports.
This is especially the case in certain regions, such as along the west coast of Africa and around the Pacific Islands, where fish habitats are lush and the enforcement capacity of sovereign authorities is minimal or nonexistent.

A few recent enforcement successes have been heartening, however.
Last spring, a major tuna-fishing vessel that was suspected of illegal fishing in Liberian waters was denied access to ports in Seychelles and Mauritius, thanks in large part to a regional partnership called FISH-i: Africa.
NOAA has pledged to work with ten nations with historically weak enforcement of IUU fishing, and six of these have already begun to take strong corrective actions against vessels suspected of illicit activities.
Many other governmental and non-governmental entities have begun to make combating illegal fishing a priority, as global fish stocks decline and profits to be made by illegal fishers grow.

Some of the remaining difficulty comes down to a lack of surveillance capacity, which is where new technology solutions could prove to be game-changers in combating IUU fishing.
One such technology called MarInt, created by an Israel-based company named Windward, was initially developed for enforcement and security-related maritime concerns, but is now also being used to identify suspicious behavior on the high seas.

A Technological Solution

MarInt uses commercial satellites to continuously monitor the movements of all seagoing vessels all over the world at all times—an ability that has never before been possible on a commercial level.
More important, using algorithms, MarInt can analyze the behavior of those vessels in real time, and pinpoint the ones that behave suspiciously.

Demo of MarInt- illustrating its key analytical capabilities implemented in a real environment in the South China Sea.

The demo showcases MarInt’s key abilities: open source intelligence conflicts, behavior analysis, discrepancy analysis and SAR to SAR contextual analysis.

The system not only monitors a vessel’s location, but it can also show all of its identifying information, the path it’s traveled since leaving port, and other vessels in its fleet.
It can even predict where the vessel will go next, based on historical data and ocean currents.
And it does that not only for fishing vessels, but also for the reefers and gas tankers that enable their activities.
That information allows MarInt users to see the exact origins of the fish carried by fishing vessels and reefers into ports all over the world, bringing new levels of clarity and traceability to the fishing industry.

Regardless of how it’s accomplished, increased clarity and traceability will yield benefits to everyone in the supply chain, from fisher to consumer.
By being able to verify when, where, how, and by whom fish are caught, port authorities can deny entry to pirate fishing ships; suppliers can ensure there are no illegal fish in their inventories; consumers can be confident in the health, safety, and legality of the fish they’re purchasing; fishers and waterfront economies in developing countries can gain stability; and depleted fisheries can begin to rebuild.

Russia's Arctic: mission to protect wildlife

From BBC

Russia is planning huge oil and gas developments in the Arctic Ocean off its northern coast - drilling that could threaten pristine wildlife habitats.
Large-scale production could begin in the next two decades, if the price of oil rises high enough.
Preliminary exploration has already begun, including in the Laptev Sea.

>>> geolocalization with the Marine GeoGarage <<<

But scientists say the region is home to important, thriving populations of walrus and polar bears, which could be put at risk.
Biologists on the 2013 Laptev Expedition this summer have been trying to establish if the walruses and polar bears there are a unique group, in need of special protection.
BBC journalists went with them to investigate the issue.

Face to face with walruses on the Laptev Linkages expedition in August 2013

We flew to Khatanga, one of the most northerly towns in Siberia, and there we boarded a small boat, the Taimyr.
From Khatanga it was a two-day, 500km (310-mile) journey almost due north. Polar bears
After the first day it became clear we had entered the domain of the polar bear.
First we saw a mother with two five-month-old cubs on Maliy Begichev Island.
Then we saw a big "haul-out" of walrus at Cape Tsvetkov - perhaps 400-600 there, resting on the beach. Towering above them on the last large lump of ice was a large polar bear.
But our destination was Maria Pronchishcheva Bay, half-way up the Taimyr Peninsula.
It is the most northerly bit of land in the world still attached to a continent.

"The oil companies are coming here with exploration projects already, and there are ongoing seismic explorations," said Igor Chestin, chief executive of the environmental group WWF Russia.
"So before the real oil and gas projects develop in the area we need to know that there is sufficient knowledge of the conservation needs here, which would allow us to put in the necessary protection if this development ever happens."

From satellite photographs taken a week earlier, the scientists on the expedition knew there had also been a large walrus "haul-out" there previously.
By the time we sailed into the bay the number had dropped to around 60.
But it was still enough for the crucial scientific work of the expedition - collecting DNA from the Laptev walrus.

 The early retreat of ice makes life harder for the polar bear and walrus

Collecting samples

Walrus expert Anatoly Kochnev of ChukotTINRO, a marine biology group, was despatched to the pebbly spit where the animals were resting.

We watched as he fired crossbow darts into the sides of the walrus, which he then retrieved with a thin piece of line attached to each dart.
At the head of each dart was a biopsy punch, which pulled out a piece of walrus skin and fat as it was retrieved.

The samples will be sent to labs in Moscow and Denmark for DNA analysis.
The plan is to end a long scientific dispute over whether the Laptev walrus is a unique sub-species in need of special protection, genetically different from the Pacific walrus and the Atlantic walrus.

Just one hour after Anatoly Kochnev's third trip out to the spit, a huge male polar bear appeared in the exact spot where he had been kneeling to fire the crossbow.
The bear tried to kill one of the walrus, but was unsuccessful - this time.

Polar bear expert Geoff York of WWF's Global Arctic Programme is collecting samples - faeces and hair - which will also be sent for DNA analysis.
Again there is a concern that the polar bears of the Laptev Sea may be unique and in need of special protection.
"If that is true then in most countries you would need to identify the habitat being used by bears," Geoff York said.
"Are they making dens onshore? How are they using the land in summer? Then you would protect those habitats at least in the relevant seasons. If you do indeed have two unique sub-populations of marine mammals here you might consider that this should be a Marine Protected Area, and you might exclude any industrial development."

 Researchers want to find out more about the Laptev walrus

Ice retreating

The concern about the large marine mammals of the Laptev Sea has increased in the last decade for two reasons.

Firstly, climate change has led to a dramatic shrinking of the Arctic ice cap in recent summers.
This has meant that in order to stay close to their feeding grounds the walruses have had to come ashore in much larger numbers, instead of staying on the ice where they feel more comfortable.

Polar bears are also being forced ashore, where they find it much harder to feed.
Their preferred meal, the ringed seal, is not available onshore and they often are reduced to going after the much more dangerous walrus.

Secondly, there are plans to develop the Laptev Sea for oil and gas production.
The water here is shallow, which makes it easier to drill, and there are believed to be large deposits of hydrocarbons.
This exploration work may frighten the nervous bear and walruses, and could disrupt their food supply.

Conservationists think the arrival of much greater numbers of humans could also increase hunting, further disrupting the delicate balance of nature here.
They say that nobody has yet worked out how to control an oil spill in seas that are close to freezing.

The Russian government says the country's future wealth depends on exploiting the deposits here and in other parts of the Arctic.
The deposits will not be easy to extract, but they are almost certainly there.
"Most of the estimates give more than 20% of global undiscovered oil deposits to Russian Arctic seas," said Alexev Piskarev, author of Energy Potential of the Russian Arctic Seas. Shipping route

The melting sea ice has also opened up new shipping routes.
Russia is now advertising the Northern Sea Route, which cuts the journey time from China to Europe by up to two weeks.
"You save time and you save fuel. It is much more economical," said Alexander Olshevsky, head of the Northern Sea Route Administration.
"Though you will need to pay for a nuclear-powered icebreaker, and of course you will need a boat that can deal with these conditions."

But again, opening up the Northern Sea Route could disrupt the fragile ecosystem.
More than 400 ships will make the journey this year - yet in 2010 it was only four.

On our brief, two-week trip we have seen extraordinary fire-red Arctic skies, gleaming snowy owls and grumpy musk ox, and an almost untouched landscape of thin yellow tundra covering the permafrost.
The temperature has barely risen above 10C and has often been closer to freezing.

It is one of the last wildernesses of the world, a place few people even know exists, but modern industry is already starting to encroach on it.

Federal agencies remapping coastal areas damaged by Hurricane Sandy

In a Sandy-response project earlier this spring, a NOAA navigation response team — equipped with high-tech surveying equipment — searched for underwater storm debris and mapped the depths surrounding Liberty Island and Ellis Island. (April 2013)

From NOAA

A day after the administration released the Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force progress report, three federal agencies have announced plans for remapping parts of the East Coast, where Hurricane Sandy altered seafloors and shorelines, destroyed buildings, and disrupted millions of lives last year.

NOAA, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are using emergency supplemental funds provided by Congress to survey coastal waters and shorelines, acquiring data that will update East Coast land maps and nautical charts.

Using ships, aircraft, and satellites, the agencies will measure water depths, look for submerged debris, and record altered shorelines in high priority areas from South Carolina to Maine, as stipulated by Congress in the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013.
The areas to be remapped will be based on their relative dangers to navigation, effects from the storm, and discussions with state and local officials as well as the maritime industry.

“Our approach is to map once, then use the data for many purposes,” said NOAA Rear Admiral Gerd Glang, director of NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey.
“Under the Ocean and Coastal Mapping Integration Act, NOAA and its federal partners are taking a 'whole ocean' approach to get as much useful information as possible from every dollar invested to help states build more resilient coastlines.”

 Navigation Response Team 5 prepared this graphic depiction of their surveys of Liberty Island and adjacent areas.

The data, much of which will be stored at NOAA’s National Geophysical Data Center, and through NOAA’s Digital Coast, will be open to local, state, and federal agencies as well as academia and the general public.
The information can be applied to updating nautical charts, removing marine debris, replenishing beaches, making repairs, and planning for future storms and coastal resilience.

As the sun rose over New York on Nov. 1, NOAA Corps Ensign Lindsey Norman retrieved the side scan sonar that NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson used to survey the Hudson River, allowing fuel barge traffic to resume.

The three federal agencies are collaborating for greater topographic and hydrographic coverage and to promote efficiency.
Earlier this year, a NOAA navigation response team surveyed the waters around Liberty Island and Ellis Island in New York harbor, measuring water depths and searching for debris that could cause a danger to navigation.
Also, NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson began surveying the approaches to the Delaware Bay in June.

NOAA plans to contract with commercial firms for additional hydrographic survey projects and high resolution topographic and bathymetric elevation data and imagery in the region.

The U.S. Geological Survey will collect very high-resolution elevation data to support scientific studies related to the hurricane recovery and rebuilding activities, watershed planning and resource management.
USGS will collect data in coastal and inland areas depending on their hurricane damages and the age and quality of existing data.
The elevation data will become part of a new initiative, called the 3D Elevation Program, to systematically acquire improved, high-resolution elevation data across the United States.

Within hours of Sandy's departure, NOAA deployed research vessel Bay Hydro II to survey ship channels in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, speeding the resumption of shipping and naval operations.

“The human deaths and the powerful landscape-altering destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy are a stark reminder that our nation must become more resilient to coastal hazards,” said Kevin Gallagher, associate director for Core Science Systems at USGS. "Sandy's most fundamental lesson is that storm vulnerability is a direct consequence of the elevation of coastal communities in relation to storm waves. Communities will benefit greatly from the higher resolution and accuracy of new elevation information to better prepare for storm impacts, develop response strategies, and design resilient and cost-efficient post-storm redevelopment."

The Army Corps of Engineers and its Joint Airborne Lidar Bathymetry Technical Center of Expertise are covering particular project areas in Massachusetts, Virginia, and New Jersey.
They will coordinate operations, research, and development in airborne lidar bathymetry and complementary technologies for USACE, NOAA, and the U.S. Navy.

Preliminary U.S. damage estimates are near $50 billion, making Sandy the second-costliest cyclone to hit the United States since 1900.
There were at least 147 direct deaths recorded across the Atlantic basin due to Sandy, with 72 of these fatalities occurring in the mid-Atlantic and northeastern United States.
This is the greatest number of U.S. direct fatalities related to a tropical cyclone outside of the southern states since Hurricane Agnes in 1972.

Ocean men : Pipín Ferreras & Umberto Pelizzari

Pipin Ferraras & Umberto Pelizzari,
apnea world legends

Links :

• YouTube : Extreme No Limits: Science of Free Diving - Pipin Ferreras
• YouTube : Shaded Blue - Pipin, The Deepest Man On Earth 
• Vimeo : "No Limits" - The Audrey Mestre Documentary

Official poster of the diving protocol for Audrey's 2nd Memorial Dive

to be performed by Pipin in Cabo San Lucas on November 24th, 2013

Humpback whales startle kayakers

Humpback whales surround two sea kayakers, breaking the surface to feed.

Links :

• YouTube : Whales almost eat divers

Superyacht Cup 2013

Superyacht Cup 2013 from Anchovy Luxury

The Super Yacht Cup was one of the most competitive Superyacht regattas of the year
with a truly world-class fleet including 5 of the famous J Class yachts. 

Inside the monster : Teahupoo

INSIDE THE MONSTER from gilles HUCAULT

Stunning moonlight time-lapse - The power of darkness - Unexpected wilderness

Robert MacFarlane considers the proliferation of neon light in our cities,
before admiring the moonlight and the coast at Jaywick sands in Essex at night.

Giraglia Rolex Cup: records and reminiscence

The 60th edition of the Giraglia Rolex Cup brought together more than 200 yachts from 10 countries for a week of intense racing in the Mediterranean Sea.

Organized by historic clubs in France and Italy, this timeless classic includes a 241-nautical mile race from Saint-Tropez to Sanremo via the Giraglia, a rocky outcrop off northern Corsica.

The yachts in this visually stunning event include beautiful Swans, modern Maxi Yachts and ultra-competitive one-design boats.

The Last Ocean: Peter Young at TEDxAuckland

Links :

• YouTube : Last Ocean Official Trailer with Reviews

How to feed the world & save the oceans: Andy Sharpless (Oceana) at TEDxSF

Andy Sharpless CEO, Oceana puts forth a compelling story on feeding the exploding planetary population and saving the Oceans, and how we can't bring the same conservation mindset to the sea that we did to the land.

Tracking a super storm

Hurricane Sandy's near-surface winds are visible in this NASA GEOS-5
global atmosphere model computer simulation that runs from Oct. 26 to Oct. 31, 2012.

The model works by dividing Earth's atmosphere into a virtual grid of stacked boxes.

A supercomputer then solves mathematical equations inside each box to create a weather forecast predicting Sandy's structure, path and other traits.

The NASA model not only produced an accurate track of Sandy, but also captured fine-scale details of the storm's changing intensity and winds.

First map of American History

First Map, or, Map of 1578 to Accompany Willard's History of the United States
Emma Willard, “First” Map of American History

see David Rumsey collection

“Willard’s second map in the atlas marked the earliest voyages to America, and took pains to represent change over time. Note the inclusion of failed voyages and settlements.”

Links :

• How maps become modern

Pollution of Indonesian waters on full display in surf photos

 Local Indonesian ripper, Dede Suryana, dodging a hefty lip and the unfortunate byproduct of human beings.

Photo: Noyle

From PSFK

Once known for its pristine beaches, Untung Jawa Island, just an hour ride from Jakarta, is now known as ‘trash island’ with hundreds of tons of plastic, styrofoam, and the occasional dead body washing ashore, according to The Asia Sentinel.
Indonesia is a paradise for surfers that travel to remote islands to surf perfect waves but the idilic scenario you’d expect is ruined here with the repulsive debris floating around like the native fauna.

After flights, layovers, car rides, and boat trips, things got serious somewhere in Indonesia.

Photo: Noyle

Hawaiian based surf photographer Zak Noyle captured in stunning shots of how the ocean swell brought massive surges of trash when he was shooting Indonesian surfer Dede Surinaya in a remote bay near Java.

Bede Durbide, all style in the tube.

Photo: Noyle

Tourism is the country’s fifth-largest foreign currency earner and in danger of being ruined by the polluted ‘Wonderful Indonesia’ image.
This was a dangerous shoot because there were large objects in the water, including tree trunks, Noyle said to Surfer Magazine.
“But it was worthwhile because of the international response generated by the images.”

Explore the ocean floor via live cam, in high definition, right now

Underwater live stream

From io9

Stop what you're doing and watch this.
Below the fold are three high-definition streams of the ocean floor, currently broadcasting LIVE via NOAA's new 6,000-meter remotely operated vehicle (ROV), Deep Discoverer.
It's... well... let's just say you might want to clear your schedule for the day.

The Northeast U.S. Canyons Expedition is one of the first exploration missions that lets onshore audiences tune in live, with access to real-time, high-quality video footage from deepwater areas.

For the last month or so, scientists aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer have been working with onshore technicians to better understand the ecology of one of the most poorly understood locations on Earth: the ocean floor.
The mission's specific goal is to explore deep-sea habitats and marine life along the Northeast U.S. Canyons and at Mytilus Seamount, regions of the seafloor situated a few hundred miles off the coast of New England.
To do it, researchers are using a brand new 6,000-meter ROV named Deep Discovery and a sweet camera setup to bring the community closer to the science than ever.

The exploration area for this community-driven expedition was identified based on the discussions and information stemming from the May 2011 Atlantic Basin Workshop and priority area input received from other NOAA programs and the management community.
Using this input, and data acquired during previous Atlantic Canyon Undersea Mapping Expeditions (ACUMEN Project), NOAA and the broader science community have identified a number of exciting targets to explore during the two cruise legs, commencing the next steps in systematic exploration.
In the coming weeks, we expect to explore cold seeps, deep coral communities, undersea canyons, landslide features, and a seamount.

Featured below is the first of three (!) live feeds, all currently streaming live via Okeanos.
The dives are being narrated by mission scientists and technicians.
I've been watching all morning (several hours at this point) and it has been consistently engaging.
Be warned: these feeds are MAJOR time-sucks.
Tons of deep-sea marine life to be had (a swordfish literally just swam by on feed 1) and giddy scientists to narrate the whole thing.
The excitement is palpable.
You feel like you're on a deep sea dive, trying to get squids like the one up top to chase laser pointers (oh yeah, the ROV is equipped with a laser pointer).
It's genuinely incredible.

Enough talk. Here's the primary feed along with the description for today's dive:

Visit http://www.explorationnow.org for live video streams from ships of research and exploration around the world.

This is an Expedition Summary of the recent work by the E/V Nautilus, presented by Exploration Now.

Read more about the mission and its educational aims over at NOAA,
where you can also watch ALL THREE FEEDS SIMULTANEOUSLY.

USGS maps California seafloor in unprecedented detail

Hueneme Canyon and Vicinity, California

>>> geolocalization with the Marine GeoGarage <<<

From RedOrbit (Peter Suciu)

While California offers an impressive shoreline, new research has been able to look beyond just the surface and has been used to reveal the hidden seafloor in unprecedented detail.

Three new products in an ongoing series were released last week by the US Geological Survey (USGS), and include a map set for the area offshore of Carpinteria, a catalog of data layers for geographic information systems and even a collection of videos and photos of the seafloor along the entire Golden State.

This data is available now as part of the California Seafloor Mapping Program from the Pacific Coastal & Marine Science Center.
These map sheets display seafloor morphology and character and further identify potential marine habitats. The maps also illustrate both surficial seafloor geology and shallow subsurface geology.

These three new USGS products were released on August 9, 2013.
The CSMP is a cooperative program to create a comprehensive coastal/marine geologic and habitat base map series for all of California’s State waters.

Offshore of Ventura

>>> geolocalization with the Marine GeoGarage <<<

The CSMP was originally developed to support the design and monitoring of marine reserves, through the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA), but the accurate statewide mapping of the seafloor will also be used to improve climate change and ocean circulation models, and help evaluate the potential for ocean energy.
Moreover, it will be used to improve the understanding of the ecosystem dynamics, identify submerged faults and improve the understanding of tsunami potential.

It will further help improve the understanding of sediment transport and sand delivery, and could be used to enable more effective regulation of offshore development, while helping improve maritime safety.

The USGS is just one key partner in the CSMP, which has been a historically ambitious collaboration between state and federal agencies, academia, as well as the private sector.

“A program of this vast scope can’t be accomplished by any one organization.
By working with other government agencies, universities, and private industry the USGS could fully leverage all its resources,” said USGS Pacific Region Director Mark Sogge in a statement.
“Each organization brings to the table a unique and complementary set of resources, skills, and know-how.”

Offshore of Carpinteria

>>> geolocalization with the Marine GeoGarage <<<

The programs include the USGS California Seafloor Mapping Program Map Series, the USGS California Seafloor Mapping Program Data Catalog and the USGS California Seafloor Mapping Program Video & Photo Portal.

These include three map sets that were created through the collection, integration, interpretation, and visualization of swath sonar data, acoustic backscatter, seafloor video, seafloor photography, high-resolution seismic-reflection profiles, and bottom-sediment sampling data.
The Offshore of Carpinteria map area lies within the central Santa Barbara Channel region of the Southern California Bight.

An additional 14 other map sets are being formatted for publication; the full California State Waters Map Series will comprise 83 such seafloor maps that span the state’s entire coast.

The data catalog further includes large geospatial digital files including bathymetry, acoustic backscatter, offshore geology and geomorphology, faults, folds, potential marine habitats, seafloor character, sediment thickness, as well as visual observations of bottom habitat from video.
This catalog (USGS Data Series 781) provides all GIS data layers with the map sets published by the California Seafloor Mapping Program.

The Video and Photo Portal now provides video and photographs of seafloor segments off California, from the US-Mexico border to the Oregon State line.
The images presented in this micro-site were taken by video and still cameras that were towed approximately three feet above the seafloor.
More than 340 miles of trackline video and 87,000 photographs have been taken to date.

Part of the USGS’s goal of this project is to ensure that the coastline is protected for years to come.

“The Ocean Protection Council recognized early on that seafloor habitats and geology were a fundamental data gap in ocean management,” added California’s Secretary for Natural Resources and Ocean Protection Council Chair John Laird.
“After an impressive effort by many partners to collect and interpret the data, the maps being produced now are providing pioneering science that’s changing the way we manage our oceans.”

Gibraltar serves as reminder of headaches of empire

The chart above shows in exact detail the layout of Gibraltar’s new artificial reef off Western beach


Gibraltar port maps
  

From FT (Kiran Stacey)

To many Europeans, this week’s tensions between the UK and Spain over Gibraltar must have been baffling – an argument over 2.6-square miles of Iberian rock. (see YouTube)

from Gibraltar port NtM

A map attached to a Notice to Mariners issued by the Gibraltar Port Authority last week alerting vessels to its presence.

It provides coordinates for each of the 70 concrete blocks used to create the reef.

Curiously, the Spanish pier in the upper half of the chart appears to be inside British waters

Workers throw concrete blocks from a Gibraltar tug into the sea in an area where Spanish fishing boats usually sail around, off Gibraltar's coast, on July 25, 2013 (see YouTube)
photo : A. Carrasco Ragel / EPA

 >>>geolocalization with the Marine GeoGarage <<<

 

But the row was a reminder of how Britain’s remaining colonial outposts can cause friction with allies and headaches in Whitehall.
Gibraltar – controlled by the UK since 1713 but claimed by Spain – is one of 14 British Overseas Territories, ranging from prosperous Bermuda in the north Atlantic to the tiny Pitcairn Islands in the Pacific and the vast wilderness of the British Antarctic Territory.

While the poisonous relationship with Argentina over the Falkland Islands is the most obvious source of trouble from these remnants of empire, Gibraltar is unique in its potential to cause strife with an EU ally.
Mariano Rajoy, Spain’s prime minister, said on Friday his country would take “all legal measures” to protect its interests in the territory after days of bickering with London over fishing rights and border controls.
His UK counterpart, David Cameron, had earlier in the week voiced “serious concern” about long delays facing people trying to enter Gibraltar from Spain and a threat by Madrid to impose a border fee.
“The big worry with Gibraltar is that it will turn into the next Falklands,” said one Foreign Office official. “Not in terms of starting a war but getting to such a stage that it infects all other parts of the bilateral relationship.
“We don’t want to end up in a situation like we have with Argentina, where every time we try to discuss any piece of government business, whether the economy or wider regional affairs, discussions are hijacked by diplomats wanting to argue about the Falklands.”

The Siege of Gibraltar, 1782 by George Carter

It is not just disputes over who should own what that can cause trouble.
The actions of administrations running overseas territories can also create aggravation for London.
In 2009, Whitehall took direct control of the Turks and Caicos islands after the local government there was ensnared in a corruption scandal.
Self-rule was restored last year.
Meanwhile, David Cameron, UK prime minister, faced embarrassment earlier this year when his push for a G8 clampdown on tax avoidance was initially resisted by low-tax UK territories such as Bermuda.
The territories also cost the British taxpayer.
Although they are nominally self-sufficient, with revenues from tax, tourism, international finance and even postage stamps, they are protected by UK forces.
London refuses to disclose how much it spends defending its overseas territories.
The defence ministry says a visit to Gibraltar later this month by four warships and six support vessels is routine and unrelated to recent tensions.
But their arrival, en route to the Middle East, will be seen as a statement of British commitment.
As foreign secretary in 2002, Jack Straw proposed that the UK and Spain should share sovereignty of Gibraltar.
But the idea was quashed by a referendum among its nearly 30,000 residents, who voted 98 per cent against it.

A vote earlier this year on the Falklands saw just three out of 1,516 vote against UK citizenship.
In the words of one Foreign Office official: “Why are [the overseas territories] still British? Because they want to be.”
But there are other reasons.
The first is their military significance.
Many of them provide useful army or navy bases in places the UK otherwise would not be able to reach.
In 1982, the British used one territory, Ascension Island, from which to launch ships to protect another, the Falklands.
Two UK-controlled areas of Cyprus provide a staging post for the RAF in the Mediterranean.
These were important during the conflict in Libya, when Cyprus was used as a base for UK air patrols.
Davis Lewin, political director of the Henry Jackson Society, a foreign policy think-tank, said: “The democratic point is important but there is a much bigger strategic argument [for keeping the overseas territories], which people tend to forget in peacetime.”

It is not only the UK which relies on these areas: they are often important to the US.
The British government forcibly removed native islanders from Diego Garcia – part of the British Indian Ocean Territory – in the 1960s and 70s to allow the US to build a naval base there.
It has since been used as a CIA “black site”, where US aircraft refuelled while transporting prisoners in the war on terror.
But perhaps the main source of support for keeping the territories is domestic.
To many Britons still mourning the decline of UK power abroad, the loss of the final vestiges of empire would be intolerable.
Nearly two-thirds of British voters said in 2012 that the Falkland Islands should be protected “at all costs”.
When Peter Hain, the former Welsh secretary, revived the idea earlier in the week that the UK and Spain should share sovereignty over Gibraltar, he found himself politically isolated.
The predominant view in Westminster is summed up by Andrew Rosindell, the Conservative MP, who makes the case for British sovereignty based on instinct and emotion.
“It is . . . important to defend a member of your own family which may be a long way away but has a cultural and historical link,” he says.
“You don’t give away British people.”

Links :

• The Economist : Why is Gibraltar a British territory?
• The Telegraph : Fisherman at centre of Spain-Gibraltar row: 'I just want to be left alone to fish'
• GeoGarage blog : Online maps switch to 'Algeciras Bay'

Happy Holidays from Wood Sails Dreams

Happy Holidays from Wood Sails Dreams from Dan Driscoll

A breathing Earth

Click here to see the large version (1.4 MB).

Click here to see the bonkers version (3.7 MB).

From IDVsolutions

Here's a view looking at one year of seasonal transformations on Earth.

Made possible by the tremendous folks of the NASA Visible Earth team, I downloaded the twelve cloud-free satellite imagery mosaics of Earth ("Blue Marble Next Generation") at each month of the year. 

I wrapped them into some fun projections then stitched them together into a couple animated gifs...

Click here to see the large version (3 MB).

Click here to see the irrationally large version (8.9 MB).

I of course had some expectation of what I would see as a result of animating these frames.
But I didn't expect to be so mesmerized by them.
I can't look away.

Why?
Having spent much of my life living near the center of that mitten-shaped peninsula in North America, I have had a consistent seasonal metronome through which I track the years of my life.
When I stitch together what can be an impersonal snapshot of an entire planet, all of the sudden I see a thing with a heartbeat.
I can track one location throughout a year to compare the annual push and pull of snow and plant life there, while in my periphery I see the oscillating wave of life advancing and retreating, advancing and retreating.
And I'm reassured by it.

Of course there are the global characteristics of climate and the nature of land to heat and cool more rapidly than water.
The effects of warm currents feeding a surprisingly mild climate in the British Isles.
The snowy head start of winter in high elevations like the Himalayas, Rockies, and Caucuses, that spread downward to join the later snowiness of lower elevations.
The continental wave of growing grasses in African plains.

But, overall, to me it looks like breathing.
And my pixel is right at an interesting intersection of life and ice, where the longest night of the year feels like forever, and the longest day of the year is a like a battery strapped to my back.
My winter was especially dark. And my summer has been full of blessings -but I don't think either extreme would have been as memorable without the helpful (or painful) contrast of its opposite -all made possible by a 23.5° tilt.

Canada CHS update in the Marine GeoGarage

4437 Pictou harbour

29 charts have been updated (July 26, 2013) :

• 1316 PORT DE QUEBEC
• 1551 CHATS FALLS TO CHENAUX
• 2293 BYNG INLET AND APPROACHES
• 3000 JUAN DE FUCA STRAIT TO DIXON ENTRANCE
• 3001 VANCOUVER ISLAND ILE DE VANCOUVER JUAN DE FUCA STRAIT TO QUEEN CHARLOT
• 3456 HALIBUT BANK TO BALLENAS CHANNEL
• 3459 APPROACHES TO NANOOSE HARBOUR
• 3512 STRAIT OF GEORGIA CENTRAL PORTION
• 3548 QUEEN CHARLOTTE STRAIT (CENTRAL PORTION)
• 3603 UCLUELET INLET TO NOOTKA SOUND
• 3668 ALBERNI INLET
• 3676 ESPERANZA INLET
• 3807 ATLI INLET TO SELWYN INLET
• 4013 HALIFAX TO SYDNEY
• 4023 NORTHUMBERLAND STRAIT
• 4124 LETETE PASSAGE LETANG HARBOUR AND BLACKS HARBOUR
• 4302 STRAIT OF CANSO
• 4328 LUNENBURG BAY
• 4340 GRAND MANAN
• 4342 GRAND HARBOUR
• 4379 LIVERPOOL HARBOUR
• 4403 EAST POINT TO CAPE BEAR
• 4404 CAPE GEORGE TO PICTOU
• 4420 MURRAY HARBOUR
• 4437 PICTOU HARBOUR
• 6021A LAKE MUSKOKA - 1
• 6021B LAKE MUSKOKA - 2
• 6022A LAKE ROSSEAU AND LAKE JOSEPH
• 6022B LAKE ROSSEAU AND LAKE JOSEPH

So 688 charts (1660 including sub-charts) are available in the Canada CHS layer. (see coverage)

Note : don't forget to visit 'Notices to Mariners' published monthly and available from the Canadian Coast Guard both online or through a free hardcopy subscription service.
This essential publication provides the latest information on changes to the aids to navigation system, as well as updates from CHS regarding CHS charts and publications.
See also written Notices to Shipping and Navarea warnings : NOTSHIP

Marine life spawns sooner as our oceans warm

 Are changes in marine life consistent with climate change?

Elvira Poloczanksa

From The Conversation (Anthony Richardson / Elvira Poloczansk)
 
Warming oceans are affecting the breeding patterns and habitat of marine life, according to a three-year international study published today in Nature Climate Change.
This is effectively re-arranging the broader marine landscape as species adjust to a changing climate.

Scientific and public attention to the impacts of climate change has generally focused on how biodiversity and people are being affected on land.

In the last Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report in 2007, less than 1% of the synthesis information on impacts of climate change on natural systems came from the ocean.

Yet marine systems cover 71% of Earth’s surface, and we depend on marine life for food, recreation and half the oxygen we breathe.
A key unanswered question is whether marine life is buffered from climate change because of the much more gradual warming in our surface oceans – about one-third as fast as on land.

 This eastern shovelnose stingaree was once unheard of in northern Tasmania.

Now it is abundant.

Peter Last

What’s happening in our oceans?

An international team of scientists from Australia, USA, Canada, UK, Europe and South Africa, and funded by the US National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, set out to answer this question.
They conducted the first global analysis of climate change impacts on marine life, assembling a large database of 1,735 biological changes from peer-reviewed studies.

ust as the medical profession pools information on the symptoms of individual patients from surgeries and hospitals to reveal patterns of disease outbreaks, we pooled information from many studies to show a global fingerprint of the impact of recent climate change on marine life.
Changes were documented from studies conducted in every ocean, with an average timespan of 40 years.

Although there is a perception in the general public that impacts of climate change are an issue for the future, the pervasive and already observable changes in our oceans are stunning.
Climate change has already had a coherent and significant fingerprint across all ecosystems (coastal to open ocean), latitudes (polar to tropical) and trophic levels (plankton to sharks).

These fingerprints show that warming is causing marine species to shift where they live and alter the timing of nature’s calendar.
In total, 81% of all changes were consistent with the expected impacts of climate change.

 This Giant Rock Barnacle (Austromegabalanus nigrescens) is expanding down the east coast of Tasmania.

Elvira Poloczanska

Moving poleward, breeding earlier

As temperatures warm, marine species are shifting their geographic distribution toward the poles. Most intriguingly, though, they are doing so much faster than their land-based counterparts.
The leading edge or front-line of marine species distributions is moving toward the poles at an average of 72 km per decade — considerably faster than species on land that are moving poleward at an average of 6 km per decade.
Plankton and bony fish, many of which are commercially important, showed the largest shifts.

Warmer temperatures are also changing the timing of breeding, feeding, and migration events.
For marine life, their spring events have advanced by more than four days, nearly twice the figure for land.
The strength of response varied among species, but again, the research showed the greatest response — up to 11 days in advancement — was for plankton and larval bony fish.

Currents clearly play a role in the large distribution movements seen in the ocean, but there is a more-subtle phenomenon is also at work.
Temperature gradients are more gentle in the ocean than over much of the land, and this has important implications for species movement.

Consider the complex topography on land.
Many land plants and animals only need to move short distances up or down mountains to reach different temperature regimes.
As the ocean surface is relatively flat, marine plants and animals must move greater distances to keep up with their preferred environments as oceans warm.

Seasonal cycles are also dampened in the ocean, meaning that for a set amount of warming, marine species need to shift their timing much earlier than on land.

 The Tasman Sea is rapidly warming.

Elvira Poloczanska

Australian effect

Although the study reported global impacts, there is strong evidence of change in the Australian marine environment.
Australia’s south-east tropical and subtropical species of fish, molluscs and plankton are shifting much further south through the Tasman Sea.
In the Indian Ocean, there is a southward distribution of sea birds as well as loss of cool-water seaweeds from regions north of Perth.

Some of the favourite catches of recreational and commercial fishers are likely to decline, while other species, not previously in the area, could provide new fishing opportunities.
Essentially, these findings indicate that changes in life events and distribution of species indicates we are seeing widespread reorganisation of marine ecosystems, with likely significant repercussions for the services these ecosystems provide to humans.

Links :

• ENS-Newswire :  Global scientists shocked by true scale of ocean warming