World's deepest under-ocean sinkhole found by researchers

Dive into the depths of the Taam ja’ Blue Hole (‘deep water’ in Mayan), located in Chetumal Bay, Mexico! Recent research findings expose the impressive nature of this karst structure, plunging to depths exceeding 420 meters below sea level, surpassing any other known blue hole in depth worldwide. Resembling a cenote, this captivating fully submerged structure features multiple layers of water, each with unique characteristics.

Notably, fluctuations in salinity suggest yet unexplored connections between Chetumal Bay and the Caribbean Sea.

Join us on this exciting underwater scientific expedition as we explore the enigmatic shapes of this natural wonder.

Discover the equipment utilized in these investigations, aimed at unraveling the secrets hidden within the blue hole system southeast of the Yucatan Peninsula.

 

From Hydro

Researchers have discovered the deepest sinkhole known on Earth, located underwater near the border of Mexico and Belize.

 

The Taam Ja' Blue Hole sits underwater in Chetumal Bay, Mexico.
When discovered, TJBH was believed to be only 30 meters deep in 2021, due to limitations in the echo-sounder technology.

However, in reality, it is deeper than the deepest blue holes on Earth.

(Image credit: Joan A. Sánchez-Sánchez)

Previously believed to be the second-deepest of its kind, the Taam Ja’ Blue Hole (TJBH) is now recognized as the deepest known blue hole, with its bottom still uncharted.
A recent paper published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science suggests that the TJBH plunges to at least 420 metres below sea level.

 

Localization with the GeoGarage platform (SEMAR nautical raster chart)

 

Named ‘Taam Ja’’ in Yucatec Maya, which translates to ‘deep water’, the blue hole has proven to be a challenging depth to measure precisely for the research team.
Scientists have been studying coastal karst formations in Chetumal Bay, Mexico, south-east of the Yucatan Peninsula, focusing on these remarkable structures known as blue holes.
One of these, the TJBH, was initially measured at approximately 274 metres deep using echosounder mapping, establishing it as the second-deepest blue hole in the world at the time.
However, the use of echosounders in complex environments such as blue holes presents challenges due to factors such as varying water density and cave shapes.
Initial attempts to explore the TJBH’s depth did not reach the bottom, necessitating further investigation.

 

 

Location of the TJBH in the western Caribbean inside Chetumal Bay: (A) Surrounding sinkholes or cenotes along Laguna Bacalar and the reported locations for the blue holes Poza A and Poza B within Chetumal Bay (Carrillo et al., 2009b), near the Mexico and Belize border (UTM 16Q), and (B) contour levels overlapped over underwater imagery of the blue hole obtained from georeferenced raster images taken by sidescan sonar recordings. 

 
Further exploring the blue hole

Recent measurements employing a CTD (conductivity, temperature, depth) profiler found depths exceeding 420 metres, confirming TJBH as the world’s deepest known blue hole.
The research also revealed different layers of water within the TJBH, indicating connections to other water bodies such as the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System.

Location of the Taam ja’ Blue Hole (TJBH) in Chetumal Bay, Mexico, is presented alongside the CC and CSW data regions for further comparison of water temperature and salinity conditions.

Regional fracture zones and geological faults in the Yucatán Peninsula are indicated (INEGI, 2002), along with the locations of documented blue holes within Chetumal Bay.

CB data was measured at sampling stations positioned at cardinal positions ~500 m apart of the TJBH (TJBHN, TJBHS, TJBHE and TJBHW).

Images from scuba explorations of the TJBH at depths (B) 5.0 mbsl, (C) 20 mbsl, and (D) 30 mbsl are also presented.

 

As described in the Frontiers in Marine Science paper by Alcérreca-Huerta et al. (2023), new CTD profiles were conducted within the TJBH.
Using a SWiFT CTD profiler from Valeport, a UK-based manufacturer of oceanographic instrumentation, single profiles were taken at each campaign with simultaneous measurements of water pressure, temperature and conductivity throughout the water column.
Featuring survey-grade sensor technology, the SWiFT CTD profiler offers the convenience of Bluetooth wireless technology, a rechargeable battery and an integrated GNSS module for accurate profile geolocation.
The coordinates for the CTD profiles were 378830.7m E and 2059383.6m N (UTM 16Q), based on preliminary echosounding measurements indicating water depths exceeding 250 metres below sea level.
The vessel was anchored to prevent drifting caused by waves and currents.
In this specific location, the CTD instrument was lowered, utilizing approximately 500 metres of cable down to the bottom, adhering to the maximum depth supported by the instrument.

 

3D morphological map of the TJBH (UTM 16Q) starting at the seabed of Chetumal Bay (~5.0 mbsl) and descending to a depth of 274.4 m depth. 

(B) Aerial drone image of the blue hole, seabed features surrounding the entrance of the blue hole and size comparison with a boat (8.5 m length). 

(C) Subaquatic view of the mouth of the hole from 20 mbsl oriented along the southern wall (location c pointed out in panel A).

 

Insights into the morphological and biological features at the TJBH. 

(A, B) Entrance border at the southern wall of the blue hole surrounded by a flat limestone platform, which is part of the Chetumal Bay seabed. 

(C, D) Exposed white patches of limestone from rockslides are intercalated with biofilms and (E) limestone rocky ledges of 2-3 m. 

(D, F) Detail of mucoid filaments floating in the waters of the blue hole and attached to its walls, and 

(G) worms of ~0.01-0.02 m and biofilms covering exposed limestone over which dead barnacles were observed.

The research team now plans to further explore the TJBH using robots and unmanned submarines to map its depths accurately.
Advanced underwater navigation technologies will be used in conjunction with CTD profilers to provide a detailed three-dimensional spatial representation of the TJBH and its geomorphological features and water depths.

Links :

• First scientific documentation and records of the Taam ja' Blue Hole / Morphological characteristics and temporal variability of water in the Taam ja' Blue Hole
• Explorer Web :  World’s Deepest Blue Hole Discovered
• LiveSciences : Deepest blue hole in the world discovered, with hidden caves and tunnels believed to be inside
• BBC : Scientists can't find bottom of deepest hole in ocean
• Phys : Taam Ja' Blue Hole in Mexico's Chetumal Bay found to be deepest in the world 
• ZMEScience : Nobody knows what’s at the bottom of Taam Ja’, the world’s deepest blue hole
• GeoGarage blog : Giant 'Blue Hole' found in Great Barrier Reef by marine biologist / Expedition into Belize Blue Hole could unlock ancient ... / Researchers just discovered the world's deepest ... / Image of the week : Great Blue Hole in the Belize Barrier ...

Spice and vice

1590 Orbis Terrarum Plancius

From Maritime Executive by Erik Kravets

 
Europe’s Age of Discovery had a little bit of everything – and something for us, too.

Gather ‘round for a story about German bankers, Dutch rebels, Spanish and Portuguese royals, Asian sultanates and English pirates.

Such a cast of actors was surely destined for leading roles in one of the most exciting episodes in the history of shipping: the Age of Discovery.

First, what was being discovered?

Eratosthenes had already proved Earth was a sphere in 240 BCE.

He had even fixed its diameter by calculating from the shadow of a stick in the ground at noon.

Moreover, territories “found” or “claimed” by explorers were already merrily lived in by locals.

What of the Fountain of Youth or El Dorado?

Well, we’re all still trying to find those two.

What was discovered, then?

It distills down to two pillars of civilization: money and law.

From the European perspective, thanks to a few reckless sailors, both took a leap into the unknown.

source : theeastindiancompany.com

Spice Routes

The ancient Silk Road had, for hundreds of years, been Europe’s way to import Asian spices.

The Roman capital, Constantinople, was in the middle of a winding caravan route that led to China through the sands of the Middle East and the mountains of Afghanistan.

With the capture of Constantinople in 1453 by Ottomans, the Silk Road had a new gatekeeper.

Some suggest Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror’s taxes were so high that it led to ocean shipping doing what it does best: finding a workaround.

Others thought it was just easier to go by water than to walk.

Pindar once sang, “Mortals love potent gold more than all the names of wealth,” and thus the royals of Europe and their hirelings set out to reforge the world’s commercial map.

Portugal had negotiated exclusive right to the eastbound ocean routes to Asia in the Treaty of Tordesillas (1494), and that right became valuable when Vasco da Gama bypassed the Silk Road by navigating around the African Cape in 1497.

The Moluccas, located in distant southeast Asia and known simply as the Spice Islands, were transformed into a Portuguese trading post.

All this was made possible by the caravel, the lateen sail, the compass and advanced cartography.

Meanwhile, Spanish treasure fleets had siphoned off Aztec and Incan loot from South America.
Eager to acquire new sources of funding, Spain looked west

 In 1520, on a royal commission, Ferdinand Magellan sailed around South America – and the world! – and returned to Europe with 26 tons of cloves and cinnamon in his hold.

Even that was enough to turn a profit!

In the following decades, Spain carried spices from Asia to Europe through Mexico.

The competition irritated the Portuguese, but what could they do?

Portugal was up against a European superpower.

The Spanish Hapsburgs encompassed Germany, Austria and Hungary along with parts of Italy and France.

They had also inherited the Netherlands in 1482.

Trade Wars

But for all of Spain’s dominance and success, the sea dogs were nipping at her heels.

The Protestant Dutch, who resented the Catholic Spanish, rebelled in 1566.

And England’s Queen Elizabeth began issuing letters of marque to privateers like John Hawkins and Francis Drake, who slaved and bartered their way along the West African coast and raided the Spanish Main.

Soon, struggling Spain defaulted on its debts and abandoned its army in the field without pay.

The Dutch seized their opportunity and declared the Republic of the Netherlands in 1579.

The economic hopes of this new country were pinned on its capital, Antwerp.
Goods from around the world were cleared through Antwerp, but the Portuguese role was especially significant.

Since 1501, Antwerp had been Portugal’s clearinghouse for Northern European spice sales.

The Dutch Republic was victorious in battle but could be hurt economically.

Specifically, Spain was maneuvering to absorb its chief rival, Portugal.
Enough Portuguese nobles were frustrated by a succession crisis, in which three grandchildren of King Manuel I had all laid claim to the throne, that they were willing to trade sovereignty for stability.

The last forces loyal to the Portuguese monarchy were crushed at the Battle of Alcantara near Lisbon.
Dom Antonio, who had been made king of Portugal just 33 days earlier, fled with his crown jewels into French exile.

For the Dutch, this turn meant all sea spice routes into Europe were under the control of the Hapsburgs, with whom they were at war.

Having neutralized Portugal, and having recovered its finances, Spain resumed hostilities in the Netherlands.
1584 saw Antwerp under siege.

The city was sacked and reduced in population by over half.

In 1591, the Portuguese redirected their custom to the Fuggers, a German family banking syndicate, and to “in-house” Spanish and Italian firms operating out of Hamburg to distribute spices throughout Central Europe.

To the delight of the Hanseatic merchants on the Elbe River, the Dutch had been shut out.

Just as Spain and Portugal reacted to the fall of Constantinople, the Dutch looked for an alternative when their old suppliers came under strain.

They sent Frederik de Houtman to Java in 1595 to make a bargain with the Bantamese locals, who were persuaded by local Portuguese agents to jack up their prices so high that the Dutch opted to raid Portuguese ships instead.

De Houtman returned to the Netherlands with stolen spices and a big profit, but not until after skirmishing with locals, bombarding the city of Banten and killing a Maduran prince.

Did this chaos hurt? 

He proved the Dutch could do damage and still finish off their annual books in black ink.

The English, sensing an opportunity, formed the East India Company on December 31, 1600 under the auspices of a royal charter granted by Queen Elizabeth.

The Netherlands wasted little time, birthing the United East India Company (VOC), better known as the Dutch East India Company, in 1602. 

The game was afoot.

 

A map illustrating the markets and goods traded by the East India Company (EIC) with East and Southeast Asia and India around 1800.

Incorporated on December 31, 1600, by Queen Elizabeth I's Royal Charter, it was given an initial 15-year monopoly on English trade from the Cape of Good Hope eastward to the Straits of Magellan.

By 1620 the Company had twelve trade outposts (factories) and by 1700, was making close to thirty annual sailings to the Far East, had its shipbuilding yard, a fleet of 10,000 tons, more than 2,500 seamen, and, by 1803, a private military force of 260,000 men and was responsible for almost half of all of Britain's trade.

source : Simeon Netchev

Modern Innovations

Imagine a simpler world – without stock exchanges, corporate governance or angry shareholders.

Many of these innovations originate with the Dutch East India Company.

Famously, it held the world’s first initial public offering.

The VOC charter stated in Article 10 that all “residents of these lands may buy shares in this Company,” with no minimum or maximum.

These were held in a registry and could be bought or sold by the shareholders in a stock market.

What’s more, shareholders’ liability was limited to the capital they had committed to the VOC.

For all its innovations in company law, the VOC also made a contribution to maritime law that is broadly valid to this very day: Without fast communications, decentralization was necessary to sustain operations straddling far-away continents.

Ship captains were deemed “agents” of the VOC, which is a legal fiction still found in many Continental statutes.

For example, the German Commercial Code states that the captain is an “agent of the owner” and the Dutch Civil Code includes numerous provisions affording the captain a similar authority.

The English East India Company, though it relied heavily its royal charter, also made contributions to the understanding of legal personhood – meaning a corporation should be treated as a self-sufficient, self-contained entity with its own rights and duties.

And by its operations in multiple countries and its exercise of quasi-sovereign powers, e.g., by instigating its own military conflicts with local powers or by minting its own coinage, it afforded the English legal system its first stress test against the kaleidoscopic problems posed by multinational corporations.

As excellent as the VOC’s legal innovations were, its commercial legacy is mixed and its reputation deeply marbled by behavior that today would be considered totally wrong.

Further, as awestruck as Europeans were by the profits from trading with Asia, from the Asian perspective trade with Europe was only a small fraction of their overall commerce.

The markets of China, Japan, Arabia, India, Java and Malaysia were already part of a vast network to which Portugal and Spain and then, subsequently, the Netherlands and England had just gained access.
What made this moment different from before was that the middlemen had been cut out.

Despite its flaws, the VOC’s legacy has endured.

In 2006, Dutch Prime Minister Jan Balkenende, advocated for a revival of the “VOC mentality” – a mentality that would, presumably, at this point be more than four centuries old and which he associated with optimism, resilience and risk-taking.

The comment drew its share of criticism, of course.

The English East India Company, meanwhile, has found its own weird afterlife as a London-based luxury goods brand.

From the Age of Discovery to Self-Discovery

Wrestling with these contradictions and curiosities will keep historians busy.

Anything as complex as the Age of Discovery will inevitably undergo its own process of exploration – with moral questions, facts and interpretations always emerging.

It’s up to each of us to decide whether to remain open to the many inspirations history can offer or simply accept that the East India Company should maybe be just a cute place on New Bond Street where we can buy that fancy new purse.

Who knows?

Perhaps what you just read will launch your own Age of Discovery.
“Be what you are, once you have learned what that is,” to quote Pindar again.

Links :

• Pulse : The (VOC) or the Dutch East India had grown to become one of the most powerful organisations in world history
• PBS : Dutch East India Company: The World's First Multinational
• ISSU : Maps of the Honourable East India Company 

Weather4D & SailGrib renews its GRIB model offering

From NavigationMac & Android-Marine by Francis Fustier

Latest Releases Weather 4D Routing, Routing & Navigation iOS & SailGrib Android mobile apps (compatible with the GeoGarage nautical chart platform) arrive with a completely revised list of weather and ocean models in order to allow users to benefit from the evolution of the offer of international forecasting models. 

 

At the same time, all GRIB files switch to the GRIB-2 format, 

This allows for a reduction in their size and a better compression ratio.

W4D Routing & Navigation is the first version available, Routing and Lite will follow quickly. 

The SailGrib version beta is already online.

The number of models has been increased from 42 up to 54 (from 44 up to 65 taking into account the new resolutions available for some models).

Some evolve, others are added, and some are withdrawn due to less relevance or redundancy. 

Evolving Global Weather models

 

 

• GFS adds a 1 -hour step to the four time steps yet available (3, 6, 9, 12 hours steps).

 

 

• ECMWF IFS now offers three 0.25° resolutions, 0,4° and 1°, four time steps (3, 6, 9, 12 hours steps) and four data : mean wind, pressure, precipitation and air temperature.

 

 

• ECMWF AIFS, European experimental model based on Machine Learning (AI), arrives in all three applications with two resolutions 0.25° and 1°, and three time steps (6, 9, 12 hours steps). Same data as IFS.

 

 

• ICON GLOBAL now proposes four resolutions : 0,125°, 0,25°, 0,5° and 1°, with the same five time steps as the GFS.

 

 

• GDPS (ex GEM) : the Canadian model increases its resolution from 0.24° up to 0.15° and its timespan 6 up to 10 days with four time steps (3, 6, 9, 12 hours steps).

 

 

• ARPEGE Monde increase from 0.5° to 0.25° with four time steps (3, 6, 9, 12 hours steps). 

 

Evolving Regional Weather models

 

 

• ARPEGE Europe now offers five time steps (1, 3, 6, 9, 12 hours steps).

 

 

• ICON Europe now offers five time steps (1, 3, 6, 9, 12 hours steps). 

 

New Regional Weather models

 

 

• HRRR CONUS covers the U.S. as the NAM, but with a very high resolution of 0.025° (1,5NM). Updated every hour, with 1 -hour steps range up to 18 hours steps.

 

 

• ICON D2 covers part of Western Europe with a very high resolution of 0.02° (1,2NM) updated every three hours with range up to 48 hours steps. It is the most accurate of the DWD models.

 

 

• UKV : UK MetOffice model (UKHO) at a very high resolution of 0.05° covering the southern coasts of the British Isles with range up to 5 days with 1, 3, 6, 9, 12 hours steps, updated twice a day, with wind at 10 meters and gusts.

Evolving Ocean models 

 
Waves

 

 

• GFS WAVE : the former WW3 model by FNMOC is now assimilated to the GFS weather model (¹), with same characteristics (resolutions, timespan, steps, updates).

 

 

• MFWAM Global adds several time steps like the ARPEGE Monde model 

Currents

 

 

• COPERNICUS : the name "MyOcean" of current models disappears. Coverages and features remain the same : Global, IBI, ENWS, Baltic, MED. 

New Ocean models 

• HYCOM (Worldwide) : High-resolution ocean currents 0.08°, and low resolutions 0.25° and 0.5°, with 3 -hour steps range up to 7 days.

 

• COPERNICUS SMOC : New Global Model of Combined Tidal and Ocean Currents, with a high resolution of 0.083°(5NM), 0,25°(15 NM) and 0.5°(30 NM) in 1-hour steps. range up to 120 hours steps.

 

 

• WCPS Saint Lawrence River, Canadian MSC model, covers the St. Lawrence with a 0.5NM grid, with 1 -hour steps range up to 84 hours steps. Data provided : mean wind at 10 meters and currents.

 

• IFREMER : very high resolution currents, with grids up to 250 metres on the west and north coasts of France. By 1 -hour steps range up to 100 hours steps.
 

• IFREMER WW3 : combination of wave and current data for the west and north coasts of France, at very high resolutions. By 1 -hour steps range up to 100 hours steps.
Removed models

Withdrawn models: COAMPS, GEM and WRF. 

The back office

A new server infrastructure is implemented, in partnership with SailGrib, to support this change. 

They are calibrated for a significant increase in downloads, increase in resolutions, and the integration of very high resolution current files. 

These high-availability servers are spread over three locations, an automatic failover process to ensure continuity of service. 

Improved procedures for uploading and checking input files should ensure the quality of GRIB output to users..

The User Manuals French and English have been updated with these developments, and are yet available to download.

 (¹) New major evolution of the GFS model

How rising ocean temperatures are influencing our weather

From Hydro by Joel Hirschi

Deciphering global heat patterns

Globally, surface air and ocean temperatures have warmed by about 1°C since 1900.
More than 90% of the additional heat contained in the climate system (atmosphere, ocean, land) due to global warming is stored in the ocean, so what do these increased ocean temperatures mean for our weather?

The ocean stores significantly more heat than the atmosphere: the top few metres of the ocean contain more thermal energy than the entire atmosphere.
There is a continuous exchange of heat between the ocean and atmosphere and the weather we experience is intrinsically linked to the heat contained in the ocean.

As atmospheric winds flow over the ocean, they typically pick up moisture and either gain or release heat.
At mid-latitudes, and depending on the season, maritime air masses are usually either comparatively mild and humid (winter) or cool and humid (summer).
Regions such as western Europe or the north-western US and western Canada experience maritime climates.
These are characterized by reduced seasonal temperature extremes compared to locations at similar latitudes in the interior and along the east coasts of the continents as the prevalent westerly winds either come from the ocean (west coasts) or the interior of the continents (east coasts).

 

Oceans are heating up

Global sea surface temperatures (SSTs) reached their highest level on record in 2023.
These temperatures made headlines in July and August, when average SSTs reached almost 21°C.
A remarkable feature is that these temperatures were observed in early August, whereas records set in previous years occurred in March, when average SSTs normally reach their highest.

From May 2023 onwards, global SSTs moved into unchartered territory and, compared to 2016 when the last SST record was set, SST values have consistently exceeded anything we previously observed.
Currently, global SSTs continue to be the highest ever recorded for the time of year and are on track for new record highs in February and March 2024.

A defining ocean feature of 2023 was the development of a marked El Niño event as well as a series of ‘marine heatwaves’.
In the North Atlantic, unusually high ocean temperatures developed from April onwards, culminating in the first marine heatwave around the UK and Ireland in June.
Later in the summer, exceptionally warm temperatures occurred in the Mediterranean Sea as well as off Newfoundland off the east coast of Canada.
We also saw abnormally high ocean temperatures developing in the north-west Pacific.

From May/June onwards, El Niño became the dominant feature with a warm SST anomaly developing in the equatorial Pacific.
El Niño events push the global surface ocean temperature and surface atmosphere temperatures (SATs) higher.
For example, this happened in previous El Niño years in 2016 and 1998, which both held the record for highest global SSTs and SATs.
The record temperatures observed in 2023 and now in 2024 should not come as a surprise, in particular on the back of the rapidly warming climate we are witnessing.

 

Sea surface temperature anomalies in degrees Celsius for 2023.
The anomalies are with respect to the 1991 to 2020 period.
(Credit: Huang, B., C. Liu, V. Banzon, E. Freeman, G. Graham, B. Hankins, T. Smith, and H.-M.
Zhang, 2020: Improvements of the Daily Optimum Interpolation Sea Surface Temperature (DOISST) Version 2.1, Journal of Climate, 34, 2923-2939.
doi: 10.1175/JCLI-D-20-0166.1)

Tropics and subtropics

The link between ocean temperatures and weather systems is perhaps most clearly seen in tropical cyclones (TCs).
TCs can develop into the most powerful storms, reaching wind speeds in excess of 300km/h (186mph).
TCs with wind speeds of more than 119km/h (74mph) are called hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones.
TCs are the costliest weather-related disasters.
Since 1980, global TC damage has exceeded one trillion US$.
Damage linked to single storms regularly exceeds US$100bn (£78.6bn) in cost.

A key criterion for TCs to develop into powerful storms is for SSTs to reach at least 26.5°C.
In the global oceans, this temperature threshold is exceeded throughout the year in the equatorial western Pacific, around Indonesia and in the eastern Indian Ocean.
In the Atlantic and eastern Pacific, SSTs of 26.5°C or more are reached or exceeded during parts of the year, from June to October in the northern hemisphere and from December to April in the southern hemisphere.

It is the regions where 26.5°C is only reached during part of the year and/or at new locations where historically this threshold was not reached at all that we expect the largest changes in TC activity in a warming climate.
Higher SSTs could increase the length of the TC season and TCs may start occurring in regions where they usually do not form.
In the north Atlantic, several TCs have been observed in November and December in recent years.
Regions that are not normally prone to major TC damage have increasingly experienced favourable TC conditions south of the equator in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.
This has led to several damaging TCs affecting south-east African nations such as Madagascar and Mozambique in recent years.

Predicting how rising ocean temperatures will affect TCs globally as the climate continues to warm is complex.
The combined changes in the ocean and atmospheric circulation in a warmer climate could be both favourable and unfavourable to the formation of either a higher number of or more powerful TCs.

Very warm SSTs are favourable for TCs, but a windy background in the atmospheric disrupts their formation.
This is especially true when wind speed and direction vary with height in the atmosphere in the TC formation regions.
In a warming climate, higher SSTs are a certainty in most regions; however, our understanding of how atmospheric winds and their vertical shear will change in the future is harder to predict.
The current consensus is that the number of TCs in the west Pacific, the most prolific TC region, will not increase.
An increase in TCs activity is expected in the Atlantic – something which has been observed in recent decades.
It is too early to say whether the increase we observe in the Atlantic is part of a long-term trend or of a longer-term cycle.
However, indications are that a larger fraction of TCs could turn into powerful, destructive storms with increased rainfall intensity as warmer air can hold more humidity than colder air.
Observations also show that, for the Atlantic region, the intensity of TC rainfall has been increasing – most clearly after TCs have made landfall.

Hurricane Idalia approaching the western coast of Florida while Hurricane Franklin churned in the Atlantic Ocean at 5:01 p.m.

EDT on August 29, 2023.
(Credit: NOAA Satellites)

Subtropics to mid-latitudes

The rising ocean temperatures of recent years coincide with TC-like storms developing outside the tropics.
For example, SSTs in the Mediterranean Sea were exceptionally high in 2023, and in the autumn we saw the development of powerful storms referred to as ‘Medicanes’.

In September 2023, Medicane Daniel dumped many inches of rain (locally up to 39 inches) over parts of Greece and then later on over Libya – leading to the catastrophic dam collapse and the tragic consequences of the resulting flood.
At the time when storm Daniel formed, the surface waters of the Mediterranean Sea exceeded 26.5°C and Daniel fed on these high ocean temperatures, gaining power as it moved from Greece to Libya.

How warmer ocean temperatures impact weather systems at mid- to high latitudes is a topic of ongoing research.
As for TCs, a warmer ocean means that there is more energy available for weather systems, with the potential for stronger winds and increased rainfall intensity.
The spatial patterns of SST change are key to understanding how weather responds to a warmer ocean.
In the northern hemisphere, SSTs have increased at most locations – from the tropics to high latitudes.
A notable exception is found in the north-east Atlantic, where a region between Ireland and Greenland has warmed more slowly than the surrounding areas.
Studies have suggested that this ‘warming hole’ in the north Atlantic affects atmospheric circulation patterns over the north Atlantic region, potentially impacting the atmospheric jet stream which is the key driver for mid-latitude weather systems.

Extreme weather events such as mid-latitude heatwaves, cold spells and floods are directly linked to the jet stream, a ribbon of fast-flowing air (up to 300 km/h) at an altitude of about 10km in the atmosphere.
The jet stream is typically not a coherent ‘river’ that circumnavigates the globe, but breaks into a series of seemingly disconnected meanders.
These meanders are associated with high- and low-pressure areas.
Sometimes the jet stream can be ‘stuck’ in a given position for days or weeks.
It is then that some of the most extreme weather events occur as the standing atmospheric wave means that high- or low-pressure areas are locked over the same areas for prolonged periods.
This is conducive to the build-up of extreme temperatures and was often the cause of the heatwaves we have experienced in recent years.
A standing atmospheric wave can also continuously steer moisture-laden air towards a particular region, resulting in extreme rainfall and flooding.

Understanding what causes the jet stream to become stuck and how the frequency of such blocking events could change in the coming decades as our climate warms further can only be understood when considering the complex interplay between ocean and atmosphere, while SSTs are central to the communication between the two systems.

Mid- to high latitudes

At high latitudes, warming SSTs go hand in hand with the observed reduction in sea-ice cover.
Arctic sea-ice reduction is probably the most dramatic manifestation of climate change.
The high latitudes are where the effects of global warming are most clearly seen and the warming signal in the Arctic is larger than anywhere else on the planet.

Vast areas that used to be covered by sea-ice for most of the year have now become largely ice-free.
During the winter season, this means that the atmosphere is in contact with open water more often, resulting in a vigorous exchange of heat and moisture.
In winter, over the regions where open water replaced sea-ice, we have observed the strongest warming signals and increases in surface air temperature: as much as 10°C–20°C during the winter months.

 

Advanced sensor and computer technology

How the frequency and strength of extreme weather events will change in response to global warming can only be understood by improving our knowledge about how the components of the climate system such as the atmosphere, the ocean, ice sheets, glaciers and sea-ice and land interact.

The ocean covers 70% of the globe and its surface is by far the largest interface between these systems.
The last few decades saw enormous strides towards simulating the complexity of the climate system on supercomputers.
Climate models are powerful and versatile tools to study climate, climate change and its impacts and to test possible mitigation strategies.
However, despite this progress, key processes are still missing.
Observational data against which models can be benchmarked becomes increasingly sparse as soon as one moves beneath the ocean surface.
This limits our knowledge of the workings of one of the main communication channels – the ocean-atmosphere, within the climate system.

In the rapidly changing environment we are in, it is more important than ever to observe our world and to accurately document its changes in as close to real time as possible.
New sensors, automated observing platforms and other emerging technologies offer the prospect of having a 3D view of the ocean in almost real time.
Advanced computer modelling techniques, machine learning and increasing computing power will provide us with the ability to monitor our oceans, detect early warning signals for major changes, inform solutions and ultimately contribute towards keeping our seas healthy for the benefit of us all.

 

When observed from space, as exemplified by this view from the Moon, the Earth appears predominantly blue.

This enduring azure coloration, consistent for over 4 billion years, is attributable to the vast expanses of liquid

Conclusion

The escalating warmth of our oceans, housing the majority of additional heat within our climate system, signifies a profound shift in environmental dynamics.
This surge in thermal energy amplifies the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events, from the formidable strengthening of tropical cyclones to the unexpected genesis of potent mid-latitude storms.
As we confront the accelerating pace of climate change, understanding the intricate interplay between oceanic heat and atmospheric dynamics becomes paramount.
Leveraging advanced technologies, such as automated observing platforms and cutting-edge computer modelling, offers a beacon of hope in our quest to monitor, predict and mitigate the impacts of these changes, safeguarding the resilience of our planet for generations to come.

Hidden landscapes: the mapping of Ireland’s shelf geomorphology

From Hydro by Riccardo Arosio, Andrew Wheeler, Fabio Sacchetti, Aaron Lim

Mapping the seabed using high-res bathymetry data and semi-automated methods

The Marine Geoscience Research Group at University College Cork, under the aegis of the Irish Marine Institute, has published the first high-resolution geomorphological map of most of the Irish continental shelf: the Irish Shelf Seabed Geomorphology Map (ISSGM v2023).
This colossal mapping exercise took advantage of the vast INFOMAR multibeam echosounder dataset and used a protocol of semi-automated mapping techniques to accurately and rapidly extract seabed features.
The map is an important digital reference for policymakers, marine industries (e.g.
offshore renewables, fisheries and aquaculture) and future marine scientists.

For the past 25 years, Irish government-funded initiatives have carried out extensive seabed mapping campaigns, beginning with the Irish National Seabed Survey (INSS, 1999–2005) and continuing as the Integrated Mapping for the Sustainable Development of Ireland’s Marine Resource (INFOMAR) programme (2006–2026), funded by the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications.
To date, open source multibeam echosounder (MBES) data has been collected in ~91% of Ireland’s territorial waters (~880,000km2).
The INFOMAR datasets have served many purposes, such as UNCLOS claims, compliance with SOLAS regulations, shipwreck investigations and local spatial planning, to name a few.
But as the country increasingly looks towards the sea for its energy and resource needs, a holistic, accurate and detailed geomorphological map of the continental shelf, providing the users with easily accessible and understandable information about the nature and processes acting at the seabed, becomes indispensable.

To meet this challenge, the UCC group spent two years: (1) compiling and critically reviewing the scattered scientific knowledge of the geomorphology of the Irish continental shelf; (2) developing an effective and accurate mapping protocol to delineate and characterize landforms for a very large-scale dataset; (3) generating and adopting an internationally standardized classification system that can be easily compared to other maps; and (4) building an interactive GIS database to disseminate the map and scientific knowledge to stakeholders and the general public.
The final product is the Irish Shelf Seabed Geomorphology Map (ISSGM) version 2023 (Figure 1).

Figure 1: The Irish Shelf Seabed Geomorphological Map (ISSGM) version 2023 as it appears online, in Ireland’s Marine Atlas.

Manual or automated – a balancing act

Manually digitizing thousands of geomorphological features in approximately 110,000km2of up to 5m-resolution digital elevation model (DEM) bathymetry is not something that can be done even in a very long PhD project.
It should not be surprising then that the task of mapping the shelf geomorphology around Ireland made the employment of semi-automated techniques indispensable.
Machine learning (ML) is now commonly adopted in computer vision to rapidly classify images with outstanding results, identifying people or objects as trees, animals and so on.
ML techniques, as convolutional neural networks, have also been trialled on DEMs with the purpose of mapping geomorphology; however, the results are still unsatisfactory (Arosio et al., 2023a) and certainly insufficient for the level of detail that the UCC group and Marine Institute required.

Less sophisticated, but still very efficient, are the mathematical – or better geomorphometrical – operations on DEMs that allow a relatively rapid and consistent extraction of seabed features.
These methodologies cover the bulk of the work undertaken for this project, and they mostly belong to a type of technique called ‘residual relief’ separation.
The separation aims essentially to ‘peel’ away landforms of interest from the bathymetry surface using filtering techniques (Figure 2) similar to those used in image correction and noise removal.
More technically, the regional relief (i.e. the broadscale undulation of the terrain) is first approximated by a modified median filter using a circular focal neighbourhood tailored to the wavelength of the landforms of interest.
The filtered surface thus obtained is then subtracted from the original DEM to leave a ‘residual’ layer containing the landforms.
The residual relief raster can also be locally normalized to allow for amplitude variations in the features across the area.
In this way, provided the right filter thresholds are used, thousands of landforms can be rapidly delineated with minimal manual intervention.

In many places, the seabed is too complex for filtering to provide a satisfactory result.
MBES artefacts, palimpsests and heavily altered features hinder the identification of thresholds that can separate the ‘wheat from the chaff’, and in other cases the relevant features are so subtle or fragmented that it is impossible to isolate them using geomorphometry.
As a result, manual delineation or correction was, in many occasions, unavoidable.
Not only semantics: an international classification system

Maps of seabed geomorphology provide foundational information for a broad range of marine applications, and to be most effective, geomorphic characterization of the seabed requires standardized and interjurisdictional terminology that can be understood both regionally and internationally.
For this reason, the creation of the Irish map proceeded alongside an ongoing collaboration between geoscience agencies in the United Kingdom (BGS), Norway (NGU), Ireland (UCC and GSI) and Australia (GA).
The collaboration focused on developing a new standardized approach to meet this need, leading to the creation of the ‘MIM-GA two-steps classification system’ (Nanson et al., 2023).

Following this concept, seafloor geomorphology in the ISSGM is considered in two parts: (1) the shape (or morphology) of the seafloor and (2) the geomorphology of those shapes.
The first classification covers basic morphological definitions that describe seabed features by their shape (e.g. ridges, mounds, depressions, etc.).
Seabed morphology is used as the baseline for benthic habitat mapping and monitoring, linking seabed morphological classes with substrate composition to benthic and pelagic species distribution, and is an essential asset for marine spatial planning.
The second classification covers morphogenetic definitions that provide a geological interpretation of the features identified (e.g. drumlins, coral mounds, pockmarks, etc.).
Alternative interpretations of seafloor geomorphology can have considerable impacts on marine industries.
It is very important then to separate geometric classification of seafloor morphology from subsurface interpretations that can involve significantly more uncertainty.

The MIM-GA classification has attracted the attention of many institutions around the world and the GEBCO Sub-Committee on Undersea Feature Names (SCUFN).
More information can be found in Nanson et al. (2023).

Figure 2: An example of bedrock outcrops (in colour) ‘filtered out’ of a DEM (black and white bottom layer).

 

A map and a database

In its complete form, the ISSGM (v2023) includes 35 different landform units and four substrate types generally mapped at 20m/pixel resolution, with a few exceptions where a higher resolution (10m or 5m) was utilized if geological interest counterbalanced time, effort and hindrance caused by artefacts.
Together with the contents of the paper published with the ISSGM (Arosio et al., 2023b), the map illustrates the variety of landforms and processes active on the Irish continental shelf, including new and all previously mapped units.
Additionally, this work has revealed places where ground-truthing is lacking or completely absent but of potential geological interest, and identified landforms whose interpretation remains ambiguous, indicating avenues for potential future work.

Old questions and new mysteries

A description of all the findings would be too long for this article, but a quick ‘tour’ can give an idea of the breadth of information contained in the map.
The shelf can be nominally separated into four regions which, while they share a common shallow marine nature, show unique traits and geomorphological characteristics.
Starting from the north-west Irish shelf, we find a diverse association of glacial landforms including large recessional moraines (Figure 3A), iceberg plough marks and drumlins.
This is the Irish seabed region where glacigenic forms have been best and most extensively preserved, permitting detailed studies on the extent and retreat rate of the last ice sheet in the area.
The western Irish Sea seabed shows the most complex geomorphology, with at least half the area of the central and southern section of the region covered by large units and fields of dunes, mainly transverse and trochoidal (Figure 3B).
These unusually high and still puzzling trochoidal dunes are the features that have received most attention in past studies.
They are associated with linear or channel-like depressions, from which they obtain abundant scoured mobile sediment that permits their subsistence.
In the Celtic Sea, the most striking morphology is the palaeochannels, a dense network of buried to semi-buried fluvioglacial features that may be linked to the demise of the great ice sheet at the end of the last Ice Age (Figure 3C).
Further investigations in the shallow seismic stratigraphy are required to confirm the interpretations, which would improve the understanding of the distribution and structural control of Pleistocene palaeodrainage in the region.
Reaching finally the southwest, about 30% of the mapped seabed is covered either by bedrock outcrops or by bedrock only thinly covered by superficial sediment, making it the rockiest seabed region around the coast of Ireland.
The most extensive outcrop is the Waulsortian platform offshore north Kerry, whose massive limestone beds appear to be affected by relict karstic processes.
However, the most stunning bedrock structures crop out south of the mouth of the Shannon and north of Loop Head (Figure 3D).

Figure 3: Examples of landforms from the four nominal regions on the Irish shelf.
A) Recessional moraines forming a retreating pattern offshore Donegal.
B) Trochoidal dunes in the Irish Sea.
C) Sinuous palaeochannels winding on bedrock.
D) ‘Eye-shaped’ fold structures in bedrock offshore Loop Head.
Conclusion

As Ireland enters a new era of development for blue growth, offshore renewable energy and climate action, the Irish Shelf Seabed Geomorphological Map (ISSGM) version 2023 will hopefully be instrumental to many, providing a lucid and complete geomorphological database including a systematic review of previous research findings, easily accessible and ready to use.
The ISSGM is available online on the Irish Marine Atlas (https://atlas.marine.ie) under the Geology Theme.

The tide in Hangzhou Bay

Traditional fishing method in Hangzhou Bay. You must run faster than the high tide

📹 mychinatrip pic.twitter.com/QSRCcM0bxk

— Wolf of X (@tradingMaxiSL) April 29, 2024

Tidal bore at the Qiantang River (Hangzhou Bay)
The Bay is known for hosting the world's largest tidal bore, up to 9 meters (30 feet) high, and traveling up to 40 km (25 mi) per hour.
The oldest known tide table (AD 1056)is for the Qiantang River and may have aided ancient travelers wishing to see the famous tidal bore.

The tide rushing into the river mouth from the bay causes a bore which can reach up to 9 meters (30 ft) in height, and travel at up to 40 km per hour (25 miles an hour). 

Known locally as the Silver (or Black) Dragon, the wave sweeps past Hangzhou, menacing shipping in the harbor.

The tidal bore draws in tourists where in the middle of the 8th month of the lunar calendar, there would be crowds celebrating the wave in the "festival of the Silver Dragon" and thousands would line the streets and watch the tidal wave roll in from the sea.

In August 2013, the tidal bore turned out stronger than expected due to Typhoon Trami, reaching more than twice its usual height as it broke on the flood barrier, sweeping it and injuring numerous spectators.

 

There have been attempts to surf the tidal bore. 

In ancient China, riding the bore was an important ritual but the practice only existed during the Song dynasty (960–1279) and peaked in the 12th–13th century before becoming banned and lost in time.

Ancient surfers would ride the waves as part of a ritual dedicated to the god of waves or the "Dragon King", and also to help entertain the emperor. 

However the practise later became banned after officials criticised the tattooed surfers or "nongchaoers" as being arrogant people, who neglected their family obligations.

The first person in modern history, documented to ride the bore was Stuart Matthews from England whose 1998 record was riding the bore for 1.9 km.

Then, in October 2007, a group of international surfers brought by Antony Colas did several attempts, one wave being ridden continuously by French Patrick Audoy and Brazilian Eduardo Bagé for 1h10min, for 17 km. 

In September 2008, a group of American surfers convinced the Chinese government to allow them to surf a section of the river. 

In November 2013, Red Bull held the first surf competition on the river, called the "Qiantang Shoot Out". 

It was also the first of its kind surf contest to ride on a tidal bore that was dubbed as the "most unusual wave in the world".

Nautical chart of Boston harbor (1775)

 

Made circa 1775, this nautical chart of Boston Harbor shows coastlines in detail, navigational hazards like sandbanks, & depths by soundings, but almost no place names. 

Can you find your way around?

see LOC

 

The finest 18th-century chart of Boston Harbor, from “The Atlantic Neptune” 

source BostonRareMaps

 

1867 U. S. Coast Survey Nautical Chart or Maritime Map of Boston Harbor 

siource : Geographicus

 

NOAA 1932

 

Visualization of NOAA nautical raster chart with the GeoGarage platform

 

NOAA ENC

 

Imray layers update in the GeoGarage platform

 

see GeoGarage news

Proud seafarers have strong doubts about the safety of autonomy

A survey of Norwegian bridge officers found considerable skepticism about the safety benefits of autonomy

USCG file image

 

 From Maritime Executive by Sølvi Normannsen

 

Despite their great trust in on-board autopilots, bridge officers do not believe that autonomous ships will make shipping safer.
Moreover, the greater the professional commitment and pride of the bridge officers, the less confidence they have in automation increasing safety at sea. 

 

The maritime profession is among the world’s oldest professions, and today’s shipping is based on long and proud traditions.
Professional pride and commitment are often deeply ingrained in seafarers, and for many, the job is more of a way of life.
New technologies will bring about major changes in the work of bridge officers, who have the ultimate responsibility on board Norwegian vessels.

 

Strong doubts about safety

 

“Bridge officers rely on automated systems that are already found on board, such as advanced autopilot systems.
However, there is strong skepticism, almost mistrust, that increased automation and autonomous (meaning self-driving) ships will contribute positively to safety,” says Asbjørn Lein Aalberg, a PhD candidate at NTNU’s Department of Industrial Economics and Technology Management and SINTEF Digital.

 

Aalberg has studied the relationship between maritime officers’ professional commitment and the attitudes they have towards automation and autonomous ships as part of his PhD research.
 The study ‘Pride and mistrust? The association between maritime bridge crew officers’ professional commitment and trust in autonomy’ was recently published in the WMU Journal of Maritime Affairs.
The research was conducted in collaboration with the Norwegian Maritime Authority and Safetec.

 

More than 8,000 Norwegian bridge officers participated in the 2023 survey (in Norwegian).
This is probably the largest survey in this field to date, both nationally and internationally.

 

Looking for the reasons behind the skepticism

 

Sooner or later, society must accept using modes of transport such as passenger ferries that have little or no crew on board.
Aalberg believes that in order for operations to be as safe as possible, employees are needed who know how to control and monitor this automation.

 

“If we are to get there, it is important to understand what is behind the seafarers’ skepticism.
We need their engagement, willingness and interest to ensure that the technology and systems being developed are fit for purpose,” says the researcher.

 

The reason why bridge officers trust autopilots and similar systems is that they themselves are still in control and can choose to turn the systems on and off as and when they see fit.

Few women in the sample 

Aalberg has taken a closer look at the answers given by captains and navigators on board.
Collectively, this group consists of 1789 Norwegian and 227 international bridge officers of all ages, with everything from 0 to more than 26 years of experience.
Women constitute only 11 percent of Norwegian seafarers, and only 2.4 per cent of the participants in this survey. 

“This probably reflects the fact that there are even fewer women among the people working on the ship’s bridge,” says Aalberg. Among other things, the bridge officers were asked about:

• Their thoughts and feelings about the automation of work tasks
• Their confidence in autonomous technology
• Their professional commitment and pride
• Their own management work related to safety

Seafarers with an extreme sense of duty 

Aalberg says that bridge officers are very proud of their work and exhibit what he would call a rather extreme sense of duty to their own profession. 

“This pride may lead to additional mistrust when faced with radical changes.
In fact, we found that those who take the greatest pride in their profession are most sceptical about technological developments,” says the researcher.

 Another finding that he finds quite alarming is this: among the bridge officers who take the greatest pride in their profession, it is the younger ones who have the least faith in autonomy. 

“When envisioning their future career, maybe they feel like they have more to lose,” says Aalberg.  

One of the oldest professions in the world 

 This area has seen little research, and Aalberg says we don’t currently know enough about why seafarers exhibit such strong mistrust.
One reason for this is that there are currently not many autonomous ships, and they are a hot topic of speculation and debate.
It is therefore important to emphasize that different points of view may be based on rumors, vague impressions and unfounded notions of what the changes will entail.

It is also often the case that autonomous vessels are spoken positively about by individuals who are relative newcomers to the maritime industry.
The survey indicates that this could spark uncertainty among seafarers, both in terms of the motives and intentions behind autonomy. 

“Despite the fact that there seems to be a great need for seafarers in the future, some people may be afraid of losing their jobs.
But I think the skepticism is more about the changes being made to the nature of their work.
For example, there would be a great deal of uncertainty among captains if the position were to lose its independence.
We must not forget that the maritime profession has a very long tradition, where a captain’s authority and control have always been strong,” Aalberg says. Researcher Asbjørn Lein Aalberg hopes authorities can use the research results in dialogue with shipping companies and technology providers.
He says that these different groups should include seafarers when developing new concepts and technological solutions.

Professional discretion 

The PhD candidate has also interviewed 31 Norwegian seafarers on board highly automated Norwegian passenger ferries about their confidence in the advanced automated systems that have been installed.
 This study gives some hints about what it takes for bridge officers to trust advanced technology.
Among other things, it relates to their lack of trust in the machines’ ability to demonstrate true ‘seamanship’ and exercise professional discretion in traffic.
In addition, the interviewees did not believe that the machines will manage emergency situations well enough.
All in all, they believe that people are best suited to making decisions in complicated situations. 

 “The reason they still trust autopilots and similar systems is that they themselves have control and the option to turn them on or off as and when they see fit,”  Aalberg says. 

 The shipping company and technology developers have also had a very long and ultimately successful development process that he believes is needed to satisfy proud seafarers. 

However, all the informants were skeptical about the impending changes and expressed concern that increased automation would compromise safety at sea.  

Autopilot is ok, autonomy is not 

The studies show that bridge officers make a clear distinction between automation and autonomy.
Automation involves machines taking over some of their tasks, while autonomy, taken to its ultimate conclusion, means unmanned ships. 

 Aalberg provides a nuanced perspective on the development. 

“Many researchers argue that humans will play a crucial role in human-automation collaboration, even on autonomous ships.
Previously, there was more talk about removing people altogether, to put it bluntly,” says the researcher. 

 Seafarers must be consulted 

He hopes the authorities can use the results of the research in dialogue with shipping companies and technology providers.
He says they should include seafarers when developing new concepts and technological solutions. “They have to make, and talk about, innovations in such a way that it sparks interest instead of skepticism,” he says. 

 He also believes that projects involving technological development should openly share real results from testing in order to provide a nuanced perspective of what seafarers may see as as being overly idealized. 

“We also know that seafarers gain trust in advanced technology by trying the technology themselves.
Keynote speakers or even colleagues talking about the systems is simply not enough.
They want to try them themselves and see if the automation makes the same choices that they would have made, so perhaps the development process should be structured accordingly,”  Aalberg says.  

Links :

• CNBC :  Crewless cargo? Autonomous shipping aims to overcome safety, trust concerns to reach mainstream
• Science blog : Navigating The Future: Bridge Officers’ Skepticism Towards Autonomous Ships
• Workboat : Can autonomous technology eliminate human error at sea to prevent maritime accidents? 

There’s something very fishy about the global seafood supply

 

In August 2019, The Outlaw Ocean Project team inspects a Chinese fishing vessel off the coast of West Africa.
Fábio Nascimento for The Outlaw Ocean Project

From Time by  Ian Urbina

The past half year has seen a steady stream of disturbing reports about serious human rights abuses tied to industrial fishing.
First came a long expose about forced labor at sea tied to hundreds of Chinese fishing ships that supply many of the biggest restaurant and grocery store chains in the U.S. and Europe.
Then the investigations moved on land, exposing the widespread use by Chinese processing plants of state-sponsored forced labor—specifically North Korean and Uyghur workers, both of which are strictly banned from being tied to any products imported into the U.S.

 

The Whistleblower
This epic investigation that we just published about an unusually brave whistleblower in India & what we found in the massive trove of documents he provided us.

 

Then recently this spotlight shifted to India.
A whistleblower, named Joshua Farinella, leaked thousands of pages of internal documents, invoices, emails, recorded zoom calls, security footage, whats app exchanges tied to a shrimp processing plant where he was the manager.
The story, which was published by Outlaw Ocean Project which I founded, was important for Americans since a third of the shrimp they eat comes from India.
The documents seem to back up the whistleblower’s statements and raise a variety of serious concerns about human rights abuses tied to workers at the Indian plant as well as food safety issues relating to shrimp possibly having been shipped to the US that tested positive for antibiotics.

The whistleblower is an American and a longtime seafood industry executive, and he showed unusual bravery in leaking the documents since he likely just threw his entire career away in doing so.
Aside from talking to reporters, he followed other proper channels, by filing federal whistleblower complaints to law enforcement officials at the State Department, Customs and Border Patrol, the Labor Department and the FDA, who have already spoken with him and begun investigating.

Congress formally wrote the whistleblower to request the documents as they too intend to investigate the plant.
That is often a precursor to hearings.
For the risks taken and bravery shown in leaking the documents, podcasters have dubbed the whistleblower, the “Snowden of Seafood”, and he has also been hailed publicly as a “superhero” by a variety of advocates and others, including the Hulk.
(The actor Mark Ruffalo posted a message saying the whistleblower was a real-life superhero for his actions).
The company at the center of the disclosures takes a different view and has categorically denied that it did anything illegal or unethical.

The story about conditions at the shrimp plant in India come against a broader backdrop.
The same week that the whistleblower documents were published, the Corporate Accountability Lab, which is an advocacy group of lawyers and researchers, released a report detailing severe cases of captive and forced labor as well as environmental concerns often tied to wastewater at a variety of other shrimp plants in India.

Behind the Story: A Whistleblower Investigation From Antarctica to India | The Outlaw Ocean Project

It’s worth remembering the history here.

Labor abuses tied to seafood is not a new problem.
The New York Times and the Associated Press covered the issue extensively a decade ago, especially tied to Thailand.
Even before that, a human rights NGO called the Environmental Justice Foundation revealed in 2013 widespread problems with forced and child labor in Thai shrimp.
The EJF report and subsequent news coverage spurred a series of sweeping reforms by the Thai government to better protect workers from such abuses.
But these reforms came with a price, leading to escalating labor costs in Thailand right when nearly half of the country’s shrimp production was wiped out by a disease.
India emerged to fill the void, with help from its government which bolstered subsidies and loosened laws restricting foreign investment.
By 2021, India was exporting more than $5 billion of shrimp globally, and was responsible for nearly a quarter of the world’s shrimp exports.
And yet, here we are again: the seafood problems previously highlighted in Thailand are now being widely revealed in China and India.

Part of the problem with global seafood is that companies and governments barely know where these ships are working, much less how they are behaving.
A new study published in the journal Nature in January 2024 revealed that 75 percent of the world’s industrial fishing fleet are not publicly tracked.
The study, using machine learning and satellite imagery, detected vessel activity at sea that was previously “dark” in marine protected areas and in countries' waters that previously showed significantly less of a fishing footprint.
If we dont know where the ships are, we surely dont know if the workers on them are trafficked.

Even on land, companies and governments are minimally informed about what is happening at the fish farms and processing plants partly because the audits that are meant to verify ethical and legal conditions tied to worker treatment, food safety, and ocean sustainability are deeply flawed.

An exploration of the motivations and methods behind China’s growth and control over fishing across most of the high seas.

 

Labor researchers, unions, academics and industry consultants have warned that these concerns will keep popping up until major buyers—in particular the restaurant and supermarket companies—decide to fix their supply chains so that they know what is happening at every step along the way, from bait to plate.
These experts also say companies need to stop relying on auditing firms that claim to be checking for things in places (like India and China) where they actually have limited capacity to do so effectively.

Until then, the rotten smell inside this industry is likely going to get worse.

Links :

• Conservation Int : New consortium will support human rights risk assessments within global seafood chains 
• Pulitzer Center : China: The Superpower of Seafood
• YouTube : The North Koreans Behind the World’s Seafood | The Outlaw Ocean Project
• GeoGarage blog : Global Fishing Watch: Raising awareness of the impacts ... / The Outlaw ocean / The origin of North Korea's 'ghost boats' / Stowaways and crimes aboard a scofflaw ship /