It’s time to zone the seas

From NJToday by Amy Mathews Amos

With the Deepwater Horizon oil spill doing long-term damage to commercial fishing, wildlife, and tourism, perhaps the bubble of our ocean fantasies has finally burst.

We’ve always thought of the seas as free, wild, and infinite.
A place we go to get away from rush hour traffic and office cubicles.
We picture waves rolling under the bow of a boat, sails full, sun bright.
Or white breakers crashing on lonely stretches of beach.
To most of us, the ocean seems unimaginably big. Vast. Endless.

But it’s not.

The tar balls washing up on Gulf of Mexico beaches remind us that it’s getting pretty crowded out there.
And not just with oil rigs.
Walking the shore, we can’t readily see the fierce competition underway for pipeline routes, mining sites, sewage lines, communication cables, fishing fleets, and more.
But in reality, things are bumping into each other much more often at sea, whether it’s oil and water, cables and corals, or ships and whales.

Often literally colliding: A 90,000-ton container ship can kill a 100-ton right whale when it hits it. Ship collisions are the biggest source of human-caused death for these endangered cetaceans. The second biggest is entanglement in fishing gear.

To bring order to the seas, it’s time to take our cue from the land.

For decades communities have used zoning to reduce land-use conflicts and protect property values.
In 2008, Massachusetts became the first state to apply this idea to the ocean.
With 400 years of seafaring behind it, Massachusetts entered the 21st century struggling to balance modern demands like fish farms, sand mining, and wind farms with declining fisheries and thriving tourism.
With the state’s passage of a comprehensive ocean “zoning” law, it now has a framework to identify which offshore areas are appropriate for which uses, and to flag potential conflicts in advance.
The Obama Administration wants to do the same thing in U.S. ocean waters and the Great Lakes.

Called “marine spatial planning,” this concept is rooted in conservation.
Australia pioneered it in the 1980s to protect valuable coral reefs, seagrass beds, and mangroves in its world-renowned Great Barrier Reef National Park.

Protecting special places in U.S. waters isn’t new either.
Just as our national parks preserve special areas on land, national marine sanctuaries protect resources like the sunken wreck of the Civil War ship USS Monitor off the North Carolina coast, and the country’s northernmost coral reefs in the Flower Garden Banks of the Gulf of Mexico.

But the idea of ocean zoning goes far beyond conservation.
The Obama Administration sees it as a way to promote economic development too.
Identifying areas suitable for various economic, industrial, or conservation uses in advance can help reduce conflicts and facilitate compatible uses.

This includes energy development, which increasingly drives how we use the ocean.
In Massachusetts, conflicts over the location of liquefied natural gas terminals, tidally-driven energy facilities, and wind farms fueled change.
At the national level, intense pressure for offshore oil and gas drilling leases adds to the urgency.

The catastrophic BP spill in the Gulf forces the question: what areas should be off limits to oil and gas drilling, and where can we develop more sustainable, renewable energy sources so these disasters don’t happen in the future?

Not surprisingly, the idea of flagging parts of the ocean for specific uses raises hackles.
To many, this simply doesn’t fit the romantic image of a free ocean.
Recreational fishing interests in particular are opposed to anything that might restrict fishing access.

Dr. Elliott Norse, president of the nonprofit Marine Conservation Biology Institute and a leading thinker and supporter of marine spatial planning, likens the idea of a free and open ocean to a “sacred value.”
According to psychologists, sacred values are concepts that defy rational decision-making, based solely on strong emotion.
No promise of practical benefits can easily sway someone away from a sacred value.

But clinging to outdated notions of what we want the oceans to be could do irreversible harm. We’re placing tremendous new demands on the seas and need a more thoughtful approach to managing them.

The time for marine spatial planning has come.
If there was any doubt before, surely those doubts should have sunk with the Deepwater Horizon.

Links :

• UNESCO : UNESCO initiative on marine spatial planning

Moon image : scenic phenomenon

Full moon at Perigee and Apogee

From Perseus

A common misconception is that the moon is larger when it is near the horizon than when it is high overhead.
However, this optical illusion is not true, for the apparent size of the moon is virtually the same when it is rising or setting near the horizon or when viewed overhead (in fact, it is very slightly smaller when viewed near the horizon due to refraction as well as the greater added distance in observing across the earth's radius).
This illusion has been wrongly attributed to landmarks near the horizon, such as homes and trees, supposedly giving a sense of perspective and whereas the same perspective is lost when looking at the overhead moon bathed in an empty sky.
As noted by Donald E. Simanek and Carl J. Wenning, the real reason behind this trick by our brain is the perception of the moon being against a "close" or "distant" foreground and which is lucidly described by the above two references.

In contrast, it is puzzling that when a physical change in the apparent size of the moon does occur, due to its elliptical orbit around our planet, the change in the apparent diameter which can be up to 14% between apogee and perigee, is not noticed at all.
In fact, the change in the apparent diameter of the moon is a monthly phenomenon and is something that could be discerned quite easily during any given lunation by looking very carefully at the full moon and the waning crescent thirteen days later (or observing a waxing crescent thirteen days earlier)!

At apogee, the moon is approximately 406,500 km away from earth with an apparent diameter of about 29.5' whereas, at perigee, it is approximately 356,500 km away and is characterized with an apparent diameter of about 33.6'.
This difference of 50,000 km between apogee and perigee leads to the dramatic change in the apparent diameter as illustrated by the two full moons below which were strategically selected during 2010 so as to have the full moon as near to its minimum possible perigee and maximum possible apogee as possible when crossing the local meridian.

Furthermore, the apogee full moon below, captured during late summer, was slightly muted in colour when crossing the southern meridian due to its relatively low altitude during each summer and in contrast to the sun when the latter is at its highest during the same season.
These relative positions between the sun and the moon are juxtaposed six months later and during mid-winter with the (perigee) moon at a much higher altitude relative to six months earlier (note the absence of muted colouration due to atmospheric effects and sharper image) as well as relative to the sun.
The sun is now also much lower in the sky as compared to six months earlier (see here).

Note: The change in the apparent diameter of the sun due to perihelion and aphelion is fully documented elsewhere on this website (see here).

Links :

• Wikipedia : Kepler's laws of planetary motion
  

China becomes fifth country to acquire deep-diving technology

China erected a flag on the seabed of the South China Sea at a depth of nearly 4000 meters, although it is not stated where exactly the flag-planting took place

From : China Daily & Shangaiist

A domestic submersible has reached a depth of 3,759 meters, making China the fifth country in the world to acquire deep-diving technology surpassing the 3,500-meter mark, authorities said on Thursday.

The Chinese submersible Jiaolong, which is 8.2 meters long and weighs nearly 22 tons, was designed to reach a depth of 7,000 meters and operate in most of the world's oceans, officials said.

Jiaolong is considered to be the world's only deep-sea vessel that can theoretically reach those depths. Japan's Shinkai 6500 has a depth capability of 6,500 meters. The other three countries with deep-diving technology are the US, France and Russia.

A submersible differs from a submarine as it typically depends on another vessel or facility for support.

Jiaolong, with a crew of three, dived 17 times from May 31 to July 18 in the South China Sea, going below 3,000 meters four times. The deepest it reached was 3,759 meters. It operated at a peak duration of nine hours and three minutes and sent back videos and photos of the seabed.

In an experiment when it landed on the seafloor, it placed the Chinese flag and a sign depicting the legendary dragon's palace onto the seabed with a robotic arm.

"The successful diving trials of Jiaolong marked a milestone in our country's deepwater equipment and technology development," said Wang Weizhong, vice-minister of science and technology.

China started to develop the submersible in 2002. Work on the deep-sea vessel and its mother ship were completed after six years and involved about 100 institutions and companies nationwide.

"During the design and building stage, we overcame many technical difficulties such as pressure resistance, auto-control systems and battery capacity," Wang Fei, deputy chief of the State Oceanic Administration, said while introducing the submersible.

Jiaolong started its diving trials in August last year by going through depth stages.

"From last year's 50 meters, 300 meters and 1,000 meters to this year's depth of more than 3,700 meters, it is a great achievement. Such a depth means that Chinese scientists are able to conduct research in the deep. It also marks China becoming one of the few countries that possess manned deep-diving technology," said Liu Feng, chief director of the diving trials.

Lack of experience was the biggest difficulty faced in the trials, Liu said, adding that severe weather such as typhoons and storms also hampered efforts.

"We did pressure tests that simulated the environment at 7,000 meters underwater. That depth is our target. We will keep on trying deeper depths and finally reach the 7,000-meter goal," Liu said.

Ye Cong, one of the hydronauts on board Jiaolong, said he could sit in the vessel while the other two crew members could only stoop in the cabin. "The air pressure in the cabin is the same as it is on the surface. I felt excited and nervous every time I went deep underwater," Ye said. Ye said the team had just successfully completed the diving trials and it still had a long way to go before the submersible was applied to scientific research.

China's submersible development is aimed at scientific research to help with the peaceful exploration and utilization of natural resources, officials said. Jiaolong's main missions include physical, chemical and biological research, as well as exploration and deep-sea salvage, officials said.

It's summertime, and the world's navies have been cruising each other in the warm waters of the world's oceans as if it were some kind of brawny maritime love parade. Indeed, there has been a flurry of naval action in the Asian theatre recently - some of it routine and annual, some related to the Cheonan incident, but also chest thumping and jostling for position in territorial claims all over the place.

If there's any nation that's been "showing some sack" recently, it's China. With rumors swirling about its grandiose naval ambitions - to draw a "string of pearls" across the Indian Ocean, dominate the western Pacific, expand influence across Oceania, just to name a few - China's neighbors have evidently become a bit bothered. However, most contentious of all is China's extraordinary claim to 80% of the South China Sea, a territorial matter which according to some reports, Beijing considers a "core national interest" - on par with Taiwan, Tibet, and Xinjiang.

The escalation of the South China Seas issue was widely reported after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's July 23 remarks at the ASEAN Regional Forum in Hanoi, where she called for a multilateral settlement of the many conflicting claims over control of the South China Sea and its riches in accordance with UNCLOS. Clinton's statement served to bolster the positions of smaller nations and was viewed by Beijing as a "sneak attack" on very this very sensitive area

Now, we all remember when the Russian Federation planted a flag on the bottom of the Arctic Ocean to assert its claim over that territory.

While that is still a matter of dispute, if the Chinese get the South China Sea and the Russians get the Arctic Ocean, does this mean the United States owns the moon?

Links :

• Cam11 : China-made manned submersible reached 3,759 meters beneath waves
  

New microbe discovered eating oil spill in Gulf

Bioremediation: Hope / Hype for Environmental Cleanup

From Randolph E. Schmid, AP Science Writer

A newly discovered type of oil-eating microbe is suddenly flourishing in the Gulf of Mexico.

Scientists discovered the new microbe while studying the underwater dispersion of millions of gallons of oil spilled into the Gulf following the explosion of BP's Deepwater Horizon drilling rig.

And the microbe works without significantly depleting oxygen in the water, researchers led by Terry Hazen at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, Calif., reported Tuesday in the online journal Sciencexpress.

"Our findings, which provide the first data ever on microbial activity from a deepwater dispersed oil plume, suggest" a great potential for bacteria to help dispose of oil plumes in the deep-sea, Hazen said in a statement.

Environmentalists have raised concerns about the giant oil spill and the underwater plume of dispersed oil, particularly its potential effects on sea life.
A report just last week described a 22-mile long underwater mist of tiny oil droplets.
"Our findings show that the influx of oil profoundly altered the microbial community by significantly stimulating deep-sea" cold temperature bacteria that are closely related to known petroleum-degrading microbes, Hazen reported.

Their findings are based on more than 200 samples collected from 17 deepwater sites between May 25 and June 2. They found that the dominant microbe in the oil plume is a new species, closely related to members of Oceanospirillales.

This microbe thrives in cold water, with temperatures in the deep recorded at 5 degrees Celsius (41 Fahrenheit).
Hazen suggested that the bacteria may have adapted over time due to periodic leaks and natural seeps of oil in the Gulf.

Scientists also had been concerned that oil-eating activity by microbes would consume large amounts of oxygen in the water, creating a "dead zone" dangerous to other life.
But the new study found that oxygen saturation outside the oil plume was 67-percent while within the plume it was 59-percent.

The research was supported by an existing grant with the Energy Biosciences Institute, a partnership led by the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Illinois that is funded by a $500 million, 10-year grant from BP.
Other support came from the U.S. Department of Energy and the University of Oklahoma Research Foundation.

Links :

• Wired : Oil-gobbling bug discovery raises Gulf hopes — for now
• TheBayCitizen: Deepwater Horizon spill detergents could make bad situation worse
  

Sea Shepherd confirms the non-existence of Pingvin Island

Pingvin Island on chart AUS452 Australian Antarctic Territory
Cape Rundingen to Cape Filchner overlayed on satellite imagery

From Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

While the Japanese whaling fleet pretends to be doing research, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society indulged in a little research of our own today.

We noticed that we would be sailing past the position of an island marked on nautical charts with the notation that there was a lack of confirmation on the existence of the island. Coincidently the path the fleeing Japanese whaling ship Nisshin Maru took the Sea Shepherd ships, Steve Irwin and Bob Barker, was a course directly to that position where the island is supposed to exist.
The island would be within Australian Antarctic Territorial waters if confirmed.

Pingvin Island appears on the Australian nautical chart #452 (Cape Rundingen to Cape Filhner). According to the chart, Pingvin Island is three miles long (as measured on the chart) and is situated at 65 Degrees 47 Minutes South and 81 Degrees 55 Minutes East.
The chart depicts the island with an “unconfirmed” status.
We can now say with 100% accuracy that the island depicted on the chart does not exist at the location indicated on the chart.
The Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin passed right over top of the location without any noticeable readings on the depth sounder indicating a sunken island or a seamount.

The British Antarctic pilot book has the island situated in a slightly different location a few miles away at 65 Degrees 45 Minutes South and 81 Degrees and 48 Minutes East.
We can now say with 100% accuracy that Pingvin Island does not exist at the location stated in the Australian Antarctic Pilot book.
The island does not appear on U.S. Nautical charts (NGA).

Pingvin Island is depicted on :

• Australian Chart #452 (Cape Rundinggen to Cape Filhner)
• Australian Chart #4074 (Cape Darnley to Tasmania)
• International Chart #72 (Cape Darnley to Tasmania) --> correction INT#74
  

There are numerous icebergs in the area, and none of which can be mistaken for an island.
The Steve Irwin and the Bob Barker did a radar, depth sounder, and visual survey at 1200 Hours on Sunday, February 21st, 2010.
Photographs were taken with a GPS in the picture of the location indicated on the chart.

Dr. Bonny Schumaker, on the Bob Barker, confirmed the observations of Captain Paul Watson and 1st Officer Lockhart MacLean on the Steve Irwin.

Notes from the Bob Barker from observations by Dr. Bonny Schumaker:

According to our chart on the Bob Barker (AUS452, INT903), Pingvin Island is centered on about 65deg 48'S, 081deg51'E.

--> Position on the Marine GeoGarage (65°47.5'S/81°55'E)

At 1215 (UTC+0800) today, 2010 Feb 21, we passed an iceberg at 65deg 46'S, & 081deg 51.9'E, a position approximately 1.2 nm NW of where the chart indicates Pingvin Island, and at that time we saw nothing else in the vicinity except for this iceberg.

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has informed the Australian Hydrographic Service of the observation.

One explanation could be the Antarctic sea ice has expanded over the past 30 years.
(see Links below)

Links :

• MySailing : All you've ever wanted to ask the Australian Hydrographic Service
• National Geographic : Why Antarctic sea ice is growing in a warmer world
• Wired : Global warming protects Antarctic sea ice — But not for long