"To The Arctic 3D" tells the ultimate tale of survival. Narrated by Meryl Streep, the film takes you on a never-before-experienced journey into the lives of a mother polar bear and her seven-month-old cubs as they navigate the changing Arctic wilderness they call home.
Captivating, adventurous and intimate footage brings you up close and personal with this family's struggle to survive in a frigid environment of melting ice, immense glaciers, spectacular waterfalls, and majestic snow-bound peaks.
Warner Bros. Pictures and IMAX Filmed Entertainment present a MacGillivray Freeman Film, "To The Arctic," a One World One Ocean presentation, directed by two-time Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Greg MacGillivray ("The Living Sea," "Dolphins").
Filmed in 15/70mm IMAX® 3D. Songs by Paul McCartney.
According to Britannia, such risks can disrupt all equipment reliant on GPS PNT data. According to the US Coast Guard ‘Navigation Center’ (NAVCEN), recent reports show marine GPS signal disruptions in regions such as the eastern Mediterranean, Black Sea, Red Sea, coastal waters of China, and the Persian Gulf—many of which are near areas of geopolitical conflict.
What is jamming?
Jamming is the intentional Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) with GNSS signals.
It occurs when interference disrupts the signals at GNSS frequencies, preventing the GNSS receiver from detecting and processing the authentic signal.
This happens because the strength of the jamming device exceeds that of the weaker GNSS signals received.
What is spoofing?
Spoofing involves transmitting a fake GNSS signal to deceive receivers, causing them to compute incorrect PNT data.
This should not be confused with Automatic Identification System (AIS) spoofing, where altered or fabricated AIS data is transmitted to deceive AIS tracking systems regarding a ship’s identity, position, and other information.
How to detect GNSS jamming or spoofing
A position loss alarm on the GPS receiver or other navigation and communication systems that depend on PNT data
Unexpected deviations in the vessel’s track displayed on the Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) when compared to RADAR
Sudden jumps in the vessel’s position or unexpected increases in speed on ECDIS, even when the GPS receiver’s horizontal dilution of precision (HDOP) is below 2
Inconsistencies between RADAR overlay and the ECDIS when the vessel is near land
Discrepancies in the plotted ship’s position when cross-referencing GNSS data with RADAR or visual verification at regular intervals
Differences between the echosounder depth and the expected depth according to contour lines when passing a depth contour
Safety implications of GNSS disruptions
In open sea navigation, where GNSS positioning is the only available method, ships will need to rely on dead reckoning (DR) positions or celestial navigation techniques
A sudden GNSS loss will trigger alarms on all navigational and communication systems relying on GNSS PNT data, which can be distracting for the bridge team, especially in high traffic areas or confined waters
AIS positions of other vessels may become inaccurate, and your own ship’s AIS position could mislead nearby vessels
If crew members are not properly trained to handle such situations, the safety of the ship’s navigation could be seriously compromised
A map of global GNSS interference on Nov. 20, 2024 based on Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) data.
Credit: Flightradar24
Actions to take once GNSS outage/disruption is detected
Change the ECDIS position (both primary and secondary) and speed input to DR position and log speed
Identify RADAR-conspicuous objects in the passage plan
Begin manually plotting the vessel’s position using visual or RADAR means if near land
Use tools such as RADAR parallel indexing and RADAR overlay on ECDIS to monitor the vessel’s position near land
Confirm that the RADAR speed input is log speed, if not already set
Other ships in the vicinity may also be affected by GNSS disruption; navigate cautiously and rely less on AIS information from other vessels
Turn off AIS overlay on ECDIS if anomalies are observed in the AIS information of target vessels
Advise the master of the situation. An extra deck officer may be required on the bridge for assistance
Give wide room to any encountered traffic
Consider arriving during daylight hours when approaching a port or area known for GPS disruptions
The Club recommends that shipowners and operators develop a response plan for GNSS disruption as part of their Safety Management System.
Crew responsible for safe navigation should be trained to recognize GNSS disruptions and identify the systems and equipment affected on board.
GNSS failure drills should be conducted to familiarize the crew with the necessary steps, including adjusting equipment settings during such disruptions. Links :
China is building at least five new special purpose barges which appear
tailor made for amphibious assault. The barges may provide the PRC
(People's Republic of China) with a unique way to offload large numbers
of tanks directly onto Taiwanese roads.
Anyone wondering what an invasion of Taiwan might look like now has a fresh visual clue. Defence analysts watching Chinese shipyards have noticed an increase in a particular type of vessel.
A number of special and unusual barges, at least 3 but likely 5 or more, have been observed in Guangzhou Shipyard in southern China. These have unusually long road bridges extending from their bows. This configuration makes them particularly relevant to any future landing of PRC (People’s Republic of China) forces on Taiwanese islands.
Click
to Enlarge: Artist's impression of the special barge being used as a
pier to land tanks and troops across an otherwise unsuitable beach.
The tanks are transported by civilian roll-on roll-off (RORO) ferries.
Naval News has seen multiple sources confirming their construction, and has shared information with naval experts to validate our preliminary analysis. The consensus is that these are most likely for amphibious landings.
Unusual Barges Similar To D-Day Mulberry Harbours
Each barge has a very long road span which is extended out from the front. At over 120 meters (393 ft) this can be used to reach a coastal road or hard surface beyond a beach. At the aft end is an open platform which allows other ships to dock and unload. Some of the barges have ‘jack up’ pillars which can be lowered to provide a stable platform even in poor weather. In operation the barge would act as a pier to allow the unloading of trucks and tanks from cargo ships.
The Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) on Longxue Island has been a key part in China’s naval expansion. It is particularly associated with construction of unusual vessels including a very large uncrewed surface vessel and a light aircraft carrier.
The barges are reminiscent of the Mulberry Harbours built for the allied invasion of Normandy during World War Two. Like those, these have been built extremely quickly and to novel designs. Although there appears to have been a smaller prototype as early as 2022, the batch of these barges have appeared only recently.
A Possible Indication Of Readiness To Invade?
The construction of specialist barges like this is one of the indicators defense analysts watching to provide early warning of a potential invasion. It is possible that these ships can be explained away as having a civilian role. But the construction of so many, much larger than similar civilian vessels seen before, makes this implausible. There are several distinct designs of these barges which also points away from a commercial order. These vessels are only suited to moving large amounts of heavy equipment ashore in a short period of time. They appear greatly over-spec for civilians uses.
Dr Emma Salisbury, Sea Power Research Fellow at the Council on Geostrategy, told Naval News that “Any invasion of Taiwan from the mainland would require a large number of ships to transport personnel and equipment across the Strait quickly, particularly land assets like armoured vehicles”. These mobile piers appear particularly suited to an invasion. Dr Salisbury continues “As preparation for an invasion, or at least to give China the option as leverage, I would expect to see a build-up of construction of ships that could accomplish this transportation”.
Damien Symon, a respected defence analyst who reviewed material shared, noted their suitability for docking with China’s large fleet of civilian ferries. China’s roll-on/roll-off (RORO) ferries are built to carry military vehicles including heavy main battle tanks. They are exercised in this role regularly.
Dr Salisbury agreed: “China is constructing a huge fleet of dual-use ships – commercial vessels that could be easily requisitioned for military use when needed. These include in particular roll-on/roll-off ships that would be perfect for transporting military vehicles – and have indeed been built with military specs in mind.” What This Means For Taiwan
The traditional view is that there are only a small number of beaches on the main island of Taiwan which are suitable for amphibious landings. And these could be heavily defended. The PRC could seize fishing villages or a port for larger scale landings. But the view has been that any attempt to take the islands by force would mean landing in predictable places. These new barges change that.
The extreme reach of the Bailey Bridges means that the PRC could land at sites previously considered unsuitable. They can land across rocky, or soft, beaches, delivering the tanks directly to firmer ground or a coastal road. This allows China to pick new landing sites and complicate attempts to organize defences. Instead of relying on Taiwanese ports, China can now sail its own mobile port across the straits.
Pete Lawrence and Paul Abel reveal their pick of the best things to see in the night sky this month, including: Mars at opposition, Jupiter near Orion, a lunar occultation of Saturn, the Quadrantid meteor shower, the Moon and the Pleiades, and the best deep-sky objects.
Stargazers will be treated to a rare alignment of seven planets on 28 February when Mercury joins six other planets that are already visible in the night sky. Here's why it matters to scientists.
Peer up at the sky on a clear night this January and February and you could be in for a treat. Six planets – Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune – are currently visible in the night sky. During just one night in late February, they will be joined by Mercury, a rare seven-planet alignment visible in the sky.
But such events are not just a spectacle for stargazers – they can also have a real impact on our Solar System and offer the potential to gain new insights into our place within it.
The eight major planets of our Solar System orbit the Sun in the same flat plane, and all at different speeds. Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun, completes an orbit – a year for the planet – in 88 days. Earth's year, of course, is 365 days, while at the upper end, Neptune takes a whopping 60,190 days, or about 165 Earth years, to complete a single revolution of our star.
The different speeds of the planets mean that, on occasion, several of them can be roughly lined up on the same side of the Sun. From Earth, if the orbits line up just right, we can see multiple planets in our night sky at the same time. In rare events, all the planets will line up such that they all appear in our night sky together along the ecliptic, the path traced by the Sun.
Simulated view of the night sky on 21 January 2025 at 19:00 UTC.
Mars, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn are visible in a 'planetary alignment', with Uranus and Neptune also visible through a telescope.
Credit: Stellarium
Chart showing the location of Mars during January 2025.
Credit: Pete Lawrence
Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are all bright enough to be visible to the naked eye, while Uranus and Neptune require binoculars or a telescope to spot.
In January and February, we can witness this event taking place. The planets are not exactly lined up, so they will appear in an arc across the sky due to their orbital plane in the Solar System. During clear nights in January and February, all of the planets except Mercury will be visible – an event sometimes called a planetary parade. On 28 February, though – weather permitting – all seven planets will be visible, a great spectacle for observers on the ground.
"There is something special about looking at the planets with your own eyes," says Jenifer Millard, a science communicator and astronomer at Fifth Star Labs in the UK. "Yes, you can go on Google and get a more spectacular view of all these planets. But when you're looking at these objects, these are photons that have travelled millions or billions of miles through space to hit your retinas."
Stargazers will be able to enjoy the sight of the planets on a clear night through January and February, culminating with seven visible all at once
(Credit: Getty Images)
While fascinating to observe, do such alignments have any impact here on Earth? Or might they have a use for increasing our understanding of our Solar System and beyond?
In fact, says Millard, "it's just happenstance that they happen to be in this position of their orbits". And while there have been suggestions from some scientists that planetary alignments might cause impacts on Earth, the scientific basis for most of these claims is weak or non-existent.
In 2019, however, researchers suggested that planetary alignments could have an impact on solar activity. One of the main outstanding questions about the Sun is what drives its 11-year cycle between periods of peak activity, known as solar maximum (which we are currently in), and periods of weakest activity, solar minimum. Frank Stefani, a physicist at Helmholtz-Zentrum research centre in Dresden-Rossendorf in Germany, believes the combined tidal forces of Venus, Earth and Jupiter could be the answer.
While the tidal pull of each planet on the Sun is extremely small, Stefani says that when two or more of the planets line up with the Sun – known as a syzygy – they might combine to cause small rotations inside the star, called Rossby waves, which can drive weather events.
"On Earth, Rossby waves cause cyclones and anticyclones," says Stefani. "We have the same Rossby waves in the Sun." Stefani's calculations showed that the alignments of Venus, Earth and Jupiter would cause a periodicity to solar activity of 11.07 years, almost exactly matching the length of solar cycles that we see.
Not everyone is so sure about the idea, with some noting that solar activity can already be explained by processes within the Sun alone. "The observational evidence suggests that the planets directly causing the solar cycle just doesn't happen," says Robert Cameron, a solar scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System research in Germany, who published a paper on the subject in 2022. "There's no evidence of any synchronisation."
But there are other, far less contentious, quirks of planetary alignments which certainly do have an impact on us: their usefulness for scientific observations, particularly in terms of exploring the Solar System. Using the gravitational pull of a well-placed planet, such as Jupiter, to slingshot a spacecraft outwards can reduce the travel time dramatically
Reaching the outer planets with a spacecraft is difficult because these worlds are so far away, billions of miles, and would take decades to reach. However, using the gravitational pull of a well-placed planet, such as Jupiter, to slingshot a spacecraft outwards can reduce the travel time dramatically, something no spacecraft has done better than Nasa's Voyager vehicles.
In 1966, a Nasa scientist called Gary Flandro calculated that there would be an alignment of the four outermost planets – Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune – in 1977 that would enable all four to be visited within a span of just 12 years, compared to 30 years if they were not aligned. This fortuitous alignment, which occurs only once every 175 years, led to Nasa launching the twin Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft in 1977 on a "Grand Tour" of the outer Solar System.
Voyager 1 flew past Jupiter in 1979 and Saturn in 1980, eschewing Uranus and Neptune because scientists wanted to fly past Titan, Saturn's fascinating moon, and could not do so without ruining the slingshot effect.
But Voyager 2 used the alignment to visit all four planets, becoming the only spacecraft in history to visit Uranus and Neptune, in 1986 and 1989 respectively.
"That worked out fantastic," says Fran Bagenal, an astrophysicist at the University of Colorado, Boulder in the US and a member of the Voyager science team. "If Voyager 2 had left in 1980, it would have taken until 2010 to get to Neptune. I don't think it would have won support. Who's going to fund such a thing?"Getty Images In 2024 it was possible to see Mars and Jupiter in conjunction with the naked eye but Venus, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune will also be visible in January 2025 (Credit: Getty Images)
It is not just within our Solar System that planet alignments are useful. Astronomers use alignments to probe many different aspects of the Universe, and none more so than in the discovery and study of exoplanets, worlds that orbit stars other than the Sun.
The dominant way of finding such worlds is known as the transit method: when an exoplanet passes in front of a star from our point of view it dims the star's light, allowing its size and orbit to be discerned.
Thanks to this method, we have discovered many planets in orbit around certain stars. Trappist-1, a red dwarf star located 40 light-years from Earth, has seven Earth-sized planets that all transit the star from our point of view. The planets in that system are actually in resonance with each other – meaning the outermost planet completes two orbits for every three orbits of the next planet inwards, then four, six, and so on. This means there are periods where multiple planets in the system align in a straight line, something that doesn't happen in our Solar System.
Using transits, we can study the existence of atmospheres on planets like these. "If a planet with an atmosphere goes in front of a star, that alignment means the starlight goes through the planet, and the molecules and atoms in the planet's atmosphere absorb light at certain wavelengths," says Jessie Christiansen, an astronomer at the Nasa Exoplanet Science Institute at the California Institute of Technology.
This allows different gases such as carbon dioxide and oxygen to be identified. "The vast majority of our atmospheric composition analysis is due to alignments," she says.
Much grander alignments can let us probe the distant Universe, namely the alignments of galaxies. Observing galaxies in the very early universe is difficult because they are so faint and far away. However, if a large galaxy or cluster of galaxies passes between our line of sight with a much more distant early galaxy, its large gravitational pull can magnify the light of the more distant object, allowing us to observe and study it, a process called gravitational lensing.
"These are huge alignments across the scale of the universe," says Christiansen. They are used by telescopes such as the James Webb Space Telescope to observe remote stars and galaxies such as Earendel, the most distant known star from Earth. The light viewed by the telescope from the star came from the first billion years of the 13.7-billion-year-history of the Universe and was visible only because of gravitational lensing.
The different orbital speeds of the planets in our Solar System means several of them can occasionally line up in the same part of the sky at the same time
(Credit: Getty Images)
And then there are some more novel uses of alignments, such as probing the existence of extraterrestrial life, in solar systems where the exoplanets pass in front of each other from our point of view.
In 2024, graduate student Nick Tusay at Pennsylvania State University in the US used these alignments to look for any spillover communications being sent between worlds of the Trappist-1 system, such as how on Earth we send signals to planets like Mars in our solar system to talk to rovers and spacecraft. "Any time that two planets are aligned might be interesting," says Tusay.
On this occasion the searches turned up short. But an alien civilisation looking towards our own Solar System might use similar alignments for the same purpose. While the planetary parade this month depends on your point of view – any two planets in our system can be aligned if you are positioned at the right angle – it's not impossible to imagine someone else on the other end, watching on. "Perhaps another alien civilisation might see this as an opportunity to conduct their own investigations," says Tusay.
Lakebed 2030 initiative aims to fully map the bottom of the Great Lakes
For Jennifer Boehme, the Great Lakes floor holds a variety of treasures waiting to be rediscovered, from sinkholes to shipwrecks.
But coastal safety is the primary factor driving her work with the Great Lakes Observing System, a Michigan nonprofit working to fully map the bottom of the Great Lakes. The lakes span 94,250 square miles or nearly the size of the state of Oregon.
Despite humans’ long history of using the lakes for water, transportation and sport, scientists say little is known about what lies deep below the surface.
Boehme said the mapping initiative, which has been dubbed Lakebed 2030, supports ongoing efforts to make the region more resilient to climate change.
“It identifies areas prone to erosion, flooding or damage from shifting lake bed sediments that are caused by extreme weather events. The Great Lakes are experiencing more frequent and more severe storms in recent years and that causes increased erosion,” said Boehme, the group’s chief executive officer. “This is something that can be very damaging to coastal communities, private and business infrastructure, if it’s not understood and managed effectively.”
The amount of rain falling as the heaviest one percent of storms has increased by 35 percent over a 66-year span. The severity of storms is complicated even more by the loss of ice during the winter, which typically serves as a buffer against waves generated by severe storms. Boehme noted Lake Superior is warming the fastest among the Great Lakes.
Amid those changes, the Great Lakes Observing System began the concerted mapping effort in 2019. At the time, only 12 percent had been mapped to modern standards. Since then, the nonprofit has mapped a total of 15 percent working with partners, highlighting the need for further collaboration and funding.
Two researchers look at screens during an underwater scanning mission.
Photo courtesy of Ed Bailey with Northwestern Michigan College
Earlier this year, Michigan Republican U.S. Rep.Lisa McClain introduced the Great Lakes Mapping Act, which received bipartisan support from lawmakers like Wisconsin Democratic U.S.Rep. Mark Pocan. The bill would task the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, with conducting high-resolution mapping of the lakebeds with partners, as well as provide $200 million for the work.
Right now, a patchwork of maps have been created through singlebeam sonar technology that can be found on many fishing boats. Boehme said more modern methods exist, including the laser-based tool known as LiDAR. The technology could be used to create a three-dimensional view of the bottom.
With thousands of shipwrecks in the region, Boehme said the mapping effort also provides an opportunity to rediscover the Great Lakes maritime heritage. The Michigan nonprofit has been working with the Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary to install buoys near shipwrecks along the coast of Lake Michigan.
Russ Green, the marine sanctuary’s superintendent, said most of the sanctuary’s roughly 1,000 square miles have already been mapped. The sanctuary includes 40 nationally significant shipwrecks.
“They’re important historic sites, and they just tell an amazing chapter in our nation’s history,” Green said. “But beyond that, the mapping helps us potentially find these sites, so we can explore and find new shipwrecks and other cultural resources.”
He said the mapping effort revealed dozens of depressions on the lake bottom that extend for about 30 miles. Green said the sanctuary received a $315,000 grant from NOAA to find out more about them, as well as shipwrecks recently discovered but not yet explored.
A shipwreck in the Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary along the coast of Lake Michigan. Photo courtesy of Tamara Thomsen with the Wisconsin Historical Society
Mapping the lakes is also crucial for the region’s environmental stewardship and economic activity, Boehme said. The Great Lakes provide drinking water for nearly 40 million people.
Ed Bailey, director of program and portfolio development for Northwestern Michigan College, said the mapping effort will provide a better understanding of fish habitats and potential hazards.
“From a priority funding perspective, it needs to be elevated,” Bailey said. “The number of people that live around the Great Lakes, number of individuals that use the Great Lakes for their drinking water on a daily basis, and the economic impacts the Great Lakes have on the U.S., it needs to be a priority.”
However, legislation has not advanced in Congress. Rep. McClain plans to reintroduce the bill in the next session if it doesn’t pass.
“The Great Lakes generate [$]6 trillion to America’s GDP and support over 51 million jobs, yet we have barely scratched the surface of understanding the depths of the lakes,” said McClain in a statement. “Investing in comprehensive exploration will offer an enhanced look at the potential these bodies of water offer to bolster our economy and inform efforts to protect one of America’s greatest natural resources.”
A comparison of the Google Maps version of Munising Bay on the west end of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan, and a map created using the bathymetry data collected by the National Park Service (sonar) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (LiDAR). NPS
The bill’s prospects in the upcoming session are unclear under President-elect Donald Trump. While he’s distanced himself from Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation document states the agency tasked with mapping the Great Lakes should be “broken up and downsized.”
While mapping continues, Boehme said more is known about the surface of the moon and Mars than the bottom of the Great Lakes. Partners will seek to raise funding to support the Lakebed 2030 initiative.
“I would love to see folks get excited about the idea that there’s wonderful exploration opportunities right here in the Great Lakes region,” Boehme said. “All of the excitement that we saw when NASA first landed on the moon, I would consider us highly successful if we could generate that kind of excitement here.”
