What's new paddleboard? Extreme athlete Tom Jones travels 1,500 Miles to clean up the oceans

From NYDailyNews

He put the paddle to the metal - and finished the journey of a lifetime.

A California man went from Key West, Fla., to Battery Park City on a paddleboard, completing the harrowing 1,500-mile trip in just over 90 days to raise cash for his campaign to rid the ocean of plastic.

"Going out in the ocean and doing this campaign was a way for me to see how bad the situation was out there," said Tom Jones, 48, from Huntington Beach.
"Every day I was in the ocean I would see plastic bottles, food wrappers, all type of trash. It's incredible given the volume of the ocean."

He also saw the refuse during the physically exhausting trip into the city, where he was surrounded by tons of debris floating in the murky waters.

"Coming into New York City, where the waterways are tighter, the plastic is so dense," he said. "There's plastic forks, 5-gallon plastic buckets, bags, cups, all of that."

Jones left Florida on May 12 and hopes to raise half a million dollars for his nonprofit, Plastic Free Ocean.

It's an ambitious target, but he's no stranger to a challenge.
He says he has already paddleboarded 1,240 miles from Oregon to Mexico (video I/II/III) and ran 120 consecutive daily marathons from California to New York.

During this latest adventure, Jones hit an alligator in South Carolina and snagged his paddle on its hind leg.
He spotted a few sharks off New Jersey and was attacked by a horse fly.

A rescue worker traveled alongside him, passing him food, and a crew drove up the coast on land.

But the father of two was largely alone with his paddle and the unforgiving ocean, paddling on a strict schedule of more than 15 miles a day.

"The physical endurance was really tough," he said. "You didn't sleep if you didn't make it."
The toughest part, though, was leaving his children at home.
"I'm just looking forward to getting back home to them," he said.

Links :

• Margo Pellegrino canoes along Pacific coast to raise awareness about ocean problems
• The Rozalia project for a clean ocean : sailors and trash hunters
  

Ocean’s color affects hurricane paths

Animation depicting nearly a decades worth of SeaWiFS ocean chlorophyll concentration
and land Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data

From American Geophysical Union

A change in the color of ocean waters could have a drastic effect on the prevalence of hurricanes, new research indicates.
In a simulation of such a change in one region of the North Pacific, the study finds that hurricane formation decreases by 70 percent.
That would be a big drop for a region that accounts for more than half the world’s reported hurricane-force winds.

It turns out that the formation of typhoons — as hurricanes are known in the region — is heavily mediated by the presence of chlorophyll, a green pigment that helps the tiny single-celled organisms known as phytoplankton convert sunlight into food for the rest of the marine ecosystem.
Chlorophyll contributes to the ocean’s color.

“We think of the oceans as blue, but the oceans aren’t really blue, they’re actually a sort of greenish color,” said Anand Gnanadesikan, a researcher with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory in Princeton, New Jersey.
“The fact that [the oceans] are not blue has a [direct] impact on the distribution of tropical cyclones.”

In the study, to be published in an upcoming issue of Geophysical Research Letters, a journal of the American Geophysical Union, Gnanadesikan’s team describes how a drop in chlorophyll concentration, and the corresponding reduction in ocean color, could cause a decrease in the formation of hurricanes in the color-depleted zone.
Although the study looks at the effects of a simulated drop in the phytoplankton population (and therefore in the ocean’s green tint), recently-published research argued that global phytoplankton populations have been steadily declining over the last century.

Gnanadesikan compared hurricane formation rates in a computer model under two scenarios.
For the first, he modeled real conditions using chlorophyll concentrations in the North Pacific observed by satellites.
He then compared that to a scenario where the chlorophyll concentration in parts of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre — a large, clockwise-circulation pattern encompassing most of the North Pacific — was set to zero.

In the latter scenario, the absence of chlorophyll in the subtropical gyre affected hurricane formation by modifying air circulation and heat distribution patterns both within and beyond the gyre.
In fact, along the equator, those new patterns outside the gyre led to an increase in hurricane formation of about 20 percent.
Yet, this rise was more than made up for by the 70 percent decrease in storms further north, over and near the gyre.
The model showed that more hurricanes would hit the Philippines and Vietnam, but fewer would make landfall in South China and Japan.

In the no-chlorophyll scenario, sunlight is able to penetrate deeper into the ocean, leaving the surface water cooler.
The drop in the surface temperature in the model affects hurricane formation in three main ways: cold water provides less energy; air circulation patterns change, leading to more dry air aloft which makes it hard for hurricanes to grow.
The changes in air circulation trigger strong winds aloft, which tend to prevent thunderstorms from developing the necessary superstructure that allows them to grow into hurricanes.

A decrease in hurricanes in the North Pacific is just one example of how changing chlorophyll concentrations can have far-reaching, previously unconsidered, effects.
The specific outcomes over different patches of the ocean will vary based on local currents and ocean conditions, said Gnanadesikan.

A complete absence of chlorophyll in parts of the ocean would be a drastic change, Gnanadesikan admits.
Yet, its potential impact is still important to consider, he maintains.
The northern Pacific gyre that he studied is already the “biological desert of the ocean,” he said.
So the surprise, then, is that “even in this region that is apparently clear, biologically-mediated heating is important.”

This research was primarily supported by NOAA, with additional support from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Californian surfer Chuck Patterson films great white sharks circling his board

From DailyTelegraph

The professional surfer had spotted two sharks while out stand-up paddling surfing with a couple of friends at San Onofre beach, California.
But undeterred by their presence, the 41-year-old waterman returned the following day with a waterproof camera and stroked out to see if they would show up again.

Within a matter of minutes, the Californian found himself surrounded by a pair of Great White Sharks and caught them on video swimming just feet away from him.
At one point during his 15-minute encounter, the bigger of the two creatures – a 9ft shark – even slapped his tail on Mr Patterson’s surfboard.

Chuck Patterson, from Dana Point, California, said: “The day before I shot this video, I was stand-up paddling surfing with a couple friends and two sharks circled us for about 15 minutes.
“The next day, I decided to go back out at around the same time and take my camera mounted on a 10ft pole and do some exploring.
“Sure enough within five minutes a 9ft shark came out of nowhere and circled twice and slapped his tail on my board before disappearing.
“Then a minute later a 7ft young juvenile Great White swam circles around me for 12 minutes.”
Some of the footage shows the predators’ dorsal fins breaking the water next to him, while more menacing underwater shots see the pair swimming just feet away.

The video is likely to alarm many local surfers at San Onofre as it is not regarded as a particularly sharky spot.
The break, known for its mellow waves popular with longboarders, lies adjacent to the world-class Trestles pointbreak, on which the world’s best surfers will descend next month for the sixth contest of the ASP World Tour.

The video has become an internet hit after married Mr Patterson, a champion stand-up paddle surfer and renowned big wave rider, posted it on Vimeo, the video sharing website.
Commenting on Mr Patterson’s bravery in capturing the footage, one viewer wrote on the site: “Great big white cojones you got there Chuck.”

Google Earth for sailors and travelers

All NOAA charts seamless displayed via a GE network link

From Franck Taylor, Google Earth blog

A big part of the experience of sailing around the world is meeting up with other sailors doing similar routes.
In French Polynesia, we have had numerous opportunities to meet up with the crews of boats we have met along the way, and many new boats as well.
As a big fan of Google Earth, I have been making sure to share tips on some of the ways I am making use of Google Earth as we sail.
Many of these tips apply equally to many other forms of travel.
One thing is apparent, few people realize some of the less-known, but best features of Google Earth for travel.

Here are some important tips on Google Earth's lesser-known features that every sailor (and many other travelers) should know:

1) Google Earth can be used without an Internet connection
As we are traveling, I actually use Google Earth more without an Internet connection than with.
Many people aren't aware that Google caches the last 2 GBytes (if your cache is set to the maximum) of imagery/layers you last loaded.
What I do is visit the places I'm about to travel to (in particular the anchorages) and make sure to load the imagery of those places most important to me.
It's important not to load too large an area or the cache will start forgetting the older stuff.
Once we are on a passage (with no easy way to be on the Internet) we can still load Google Earth and view those last places loaded.
I can view what the approach to an anchorage is like, and the places we plan to visit while reading other guide materials or charts we have.
Read more about using Google Earth off the Internet / GE Help

2) The Ruler
I frequently make use of the Google Earth ruler to measure distances between places we are going, or the places we have already traveled.
You can change the units (I frequently use the "nautical miles" units) to help convert to local measures.
Also, you can trace out paths, not just single measurements (look for the tabs at the top of the window that pops up to find the "Paths" tab). This is very handy for measuring routes.
As a sailor, I often use this feature to check distances on passages, determine the best places to anchor, estimate dinghy runs, and distances we'll have to walk to grocery stores and customs offices.

3) GPS Tracks
If you have a GPS, you can take your saved GPS tracks and use many free programs to convert your track to GPX.
Some GPS programs will even output your GPS tracks directly to Google Earth's KML.
But, Google Earth will read GPX files as well. Simply open your KML or GPX file of your track.
The new Google Earth 5.2 presents you with a new option to save your file as a "track".
This lets you play back the track with some new features like the time slider.
I also recommend a free online program called "GPSVisualizer" to generate highly customized GPS tracks for use with Google Earth.

4) GPS in Real-time
Google Earth can connect directly to many GPSes.
Look for the option under "Tools->GPS".
If you have a Garmin with a USB connection, it is very simple.
You can also use the NMEA option to connect.
Read more about that in the Google Earth user guide.
Once you have your GPS connected, Google Earth can show your position in real-time.
It makes Google Earth into something like a 3D "chart plotter".
Google Earth is not to be used for navigation purposes.
The data is not intended for that, so it is not guaranteed to be accurate enough to sail by. However, using it as an additional reference has proven to be very effective.
The satellite is often (but, not always) good enough to see underwater obstructions (such as coral heads, rocks, and even sunken ships).
It has also been handy for seeing the best route through passes.
In fact, I have often found GE imagery is more accurately placed than my electronic charts.
You need to remember some of the imagery can be several years old though. The imagery is definitely not real-time (read about Google Earth imagery).

5) Many other uses
I also share our position reports, GPS tracks, and photography using Google Earth.
You can share your photos for free with Google's Panoramio - which lets you map the positions of each photo when you upload them (or you can do the geotagging with another program).
The photos will later appear on Google Earth and Google Maps for everyone to see as icons when the Panoramio/Photos layer is turned on.
I also take 360 Panoramas and upload them to 360cities.net, which are also viewable on Google Earth, or you can put them on your web site (see example).
Most importantly, I often use Google Earth while on the Internet to do research on the places we are going to find information and pictures about popular places to visit.
Turning on the Panoramio layer is a fast way to find popular places (more photos in the most interesting spots).
I also showed a bunch of sailors how to use Google Earth to show the best place to watch the solar eclipse that occurred over the central Pacific waters on July 11th.

These are just a few of the many ways I use Google Earth while sailing/traveling.
They are all free, and easily available to anyone.
All you have to know is that they exist, and how to use them.

Links :

• Marine GeoGarage blog : NOAA nautical charts in Google Earth
• 'Google Ocean' : marine mashups for Google Earth
  
• SFGate : Google Earth creates boat racing replays
  
• GPSBabel lists the devices officially supported by the GE GPS import feature
  

Artificial ocean dead zones help predict real thing

Hypoxic zones are areas in the ocean of such low oxygen concentration that animal life suffocates and dies, and as a result are sometimes called "dead zones."
This data visualization discusses the causes of hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico

From LiveScience

Predicting the spread of dead zones on the seafloor could get easier if scientists know what to look for in marine life behavior.
Their solution: create a tiny, artificial dead zone that simulates how bottom dwellers fight for survival in an oxygen-deprived environment.

A small Plexiglass chamber simulated what happens in real dead zones, where dying marine life litters the seafloor after suffering oxygen starvation. Researchers placed the experimental module at the bottom of the Adriatic Sea off the coast of Slovenia.

The team then recorded how marine life struggled with their fate about 79 feet (26 meters) below the ocean surface, and made a catalogue of behaviors that could more easily provide warning signs about future dead zones.

"Our approach would allow any camera system (hand-held or sent down on a cable or attached to a remote-operated-vehicle) or divers to observe the bottom and come to conclusions without expensive sensor technologies," said study researcher Michael Stachowitsch, a marine biologist at the University of Vienna in Austria.

By contrast, expensive electronic sensors typically don't even gauge oxygen levels at the bottom of the sea where much marine life exists, Stachowitsch noted.
He added that deploying oceanographic buoys also represents a cost-intensive effort, which involves technicians, and servicing and satellite fees.

Inside the dead zone

In any case, marine biologists want better monitoring of dead zones, where dissolved oxygen in bottom waters is very low to zero, around the world.
Pollution and warming seas have already led to dead zones covering a combined area about the size of Wyoming.

Such areas often arise because of nutrient runoff from fertilizers that can lead to an explosion of algae blooms. The algae eventually dies and attracts bacteria that end up using most of the oxygen supply, which triggers mass death in the water.

Researchers from the University of Vienna, the University of Angers in France and the University of Ghent in Belgium wanted to study the phenomenon outside of the lab.
They came up with the idea of a deployable experimental module in 2005, and have since successfully used it in their latest research.

The Experimental Anoxia Generating Unit (EAGU) creates oxygen deprivation by sealing off a cubic volume almost 20 inches (50 cm) on each side. Its Plexiglass lid holds a time-lapse digital camera that takes images every six minutes, and also contains sensors that measure oxygen level and pH (the level of acidity of the water) every minute.

Researchers gathered at the Marine Biology Station in Piran, Slovenia, to deploy the boxy device. Two divers set up the EAGU so that it could monitor its artificial dead zone for up to five days at a time.

"In the lab, you can put an animal into a glass jar and record its reactions to dropping oxygen values," Stachowitsch said in an e-mail. "This will tell you very little about what that animal might actually do in the real environment, or what might happen to it in the framework of the surrounding community."

In one case, the team discovered that creatures less sensitive to oxygen deprivation, such as sea anemones, could consume more sensitive creatures such as brittle stars – at least for a time before oxygen levels dropped below what any organism could tolerate.

Under the sea

The early efforts have paid off so far, despite difficulties working underwater with delicate instruments.
"This is not a theoretical approach or a desk job," Stachowitsch said. "The depth is rather deep for regular scuba work, and the visibility is poor at the bottom, and we are at the mercy of winds and waves."

But such work becomes necessary if scientists want to understand how certain ecosystems serve the greater marine ecology, Stachowitsch said.
For instance, the bottom feeders, such as mussels, sponges, brittle stars and anemones, typically filter water and remove particles of food, and their loss can lead to more deaths among marine life.

Humans also need to figure out the value of such ecosystems, and how much it might cost to replace them with technological solutions if the natural system collapses, according to Stachowitsch.
"Today, everyone is talking about bacteria, viruses, genomics, proteomics ... but is knowledge about these things going to save our planet and save us?" Stachowitsch said. "As interesting intellectually as many of these topics are, my answer is an emphatic 'No.'"

Links :

• BBCNews : Jumbo squid survive deep ocean 'dead zones'