Giant squid filmed in Pacific depths, Japan scientists report

 A giant squid is capturing the imaginations of scientists in Japan. Squids are one of the ocean's most mysterious creatures.
Little is known about how they live but these still photos taken from the world's first moving images of a giant squid show the creature in its natural habitat hundreds of meters under the ocean.
The video was shot last July near Japan's Ogasawara islands, 620 miles south of Tokyo.
It shows a three-meter-long cephalopod. Zoologist at Japan's National Museum of Nature and Science Tsunemi Kubodera led the 40-day expedition.

From Phys

Scientists and broadcasters said Monday they have captured footage of an elusive giant squid roaming the depths of the Pacific Ocean, showing it in its natural habitat for the first time ever.

Screen grab from footage captured by NHK and Discovery Channel taken in July 2012 shows a giant squid in the sea near Chichi island.

The squid was spotted at a depth of 630 meters using a submersible in July, some 15 km east of Chichi island in the north Pacific Ocean.

Japan's National Science Museum succeeded in filming the deep-sea creature at a depth of more than half a kilometre (a third of a mile) after teaming up with Japanese public broadcaster NHK and the US Discovery Channel.

 A giant squid has been videotaped in its deep-ocean habitat for the first time.
This is an excerpt from Discovery Channel's Monster squid: the giant is real, which premieres on January 27, 2013 at 8PM ET/PT as the season finale of Curiosity.
The scientists and filmmakers undertook 55 submersible dives, totaling 285 hours, some at depths greater than 3,000 feet, to capture this encounter with a giant squid, estimated to weigh 600 pounds.

The massive invertebrate is the stuff of legend, with sightings of a huge ocean-dwelling beast reported by sailors for centuries.

The creature is thought to be the genesis of the Nordic legend of Kraken, a sea monster believed to have attacked ships in waters off Scandinavia over the last millennium.

 A Zoologist at the Smithsonian Institution shares the history of the Kraken.
(other video)

 

Modern-day scientists on their own Moby Dick-style search used a submersible to descend to the dark and cold depths of the northern Pacific Ocean, where at around 630 metres (2,066 feet) they managed to film a three-metre specimen.

After around 100 missions, during which they spent 400 hours in the cramped submarine, the three-man crew tracked the creature from a spot some 15 kilometres (nine miles) east of Chichi island in the north Pacific. 

Graphic fact file on the giant squid.

Scientists say they have succeeded in filming the elusive deep-sea creature in its habitat for the first time.
(Architeuthis show to approximate scale next to the Shinkai 6500, a famous 31-feet-long Japanese manned research submersible : image)

NHK showed footage of the silver-coloured creature, which had huge black eyes, as it swam against the current, holding a bait squid in its arms.

For Kubodera it was the culmination of a lengthy quest for the beast.

"It was shining and so beautiful," Kubodera told AFP.

"I was so thrilled when I saw it first hand, but I was confident we would because we rigorously researched the areas we might find it, based on past data."

Kubodera said the creature had its two longest arms missing, and estimated it would have been eight metres long if it had been whole.

He gave no explanation for its missing arms.

He said it was the first video footage of a live giant squid in its natural habitat—the depths of the sea where there is little oxygen and the weight of the water above exerts enormous pressure.

Screen grab from footage captured by NHK and Discovery Channel in July 2012 shows a giant squid holding a bait squid in its arms in the sea near Chichi island.

Scientists used a submersible to get them into the depths of the Pacific Ocean, where at around 630 metres they managed to film the giant squid.

Kubodera, a squid specialist, also filmed what he says was the first live video footage of a giant squid in 2006, but only from his boat after it was hooked and brought up to the surface.

"Researchers around the world have tried to film giant squid in their natural habitats, but all attempts were in vain before," Kubodera said.

"With this footage we hope to discover more about the life of the species," he said, adding that he planned to publish his findings soon.

Kubodera said the two successful sightings of the squid—in 2012 and 2006—were both in the same area, some 1,000 kilometres south of Tokyo, suggesting it could be a major habitat for the species.

The giant squid, "Architeuthis" to scientists, is sometimes described as one of the last mysteries of the ocean, being part of a world so hostile to humans that it has been little explored.

Researchers say Architeuthis eats other types of squid and grenadier, a species of fish that lives in the deep ocean.

They say it can grow to be longer than 10 metres.

NHK said it and the Discovery Channel are scheduled to air special documentaries on the find later this month.

Links :

• Discovery : Giant squid filmed in the Pacific / Giant Squid: Caught on Camera part I / part II
• NYTimes (2006) : Giant squid captured live on video, then dead on hook (NationalGeographic)

Unreasonable at sea to set sail on 100-day accelerator cruise

From TheNextWeb

A first of its kind type of accelerator is preparing to hoist anchor and set off on a unbelievable journey.

Unreasonable at Sea, the startup accelerator taking place entirely on a boat, has announced it would be setting sail around the world starting on January 9.

On board are 11 entrepreneurial teams, selected through the Unreasonable Institute and the non-profit Institute for Shipboard Education, that have a desire to advance their companies internationally.

http://www.semesteratsea.org/discover-sas/signature-programs/unreasonable-at-sea/

Entrepreneurs and mentors stuck together on a ship

During the startup group’s 100-day journey around the world, they will be joined by 20 mentors who have exceptional experience in the ways of the world and can offer insights into helping a team’s product succeed.
Among the notables are Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Google’s VP of New Business Development Megan Smith, Stanford’s d.school’s co-founder George Kembel, co-founder and Executive Producer of the hit TV show ER and co-founder of Law & Order: SVU Neal Baer, and IBM’s VP of Global Business Development Cathy Rodgers.

As we reported last year, Unreasonable at Sea is the brainchild of Luke Jones, the Chief of Staff of Semester at Sea, and Daniel Epstein, the founder of the Boulder, Colorado-based accelerator Unreasonable Institute. The participants will set sail on a journey that will have them sailing 25,000 nautical miles and porting in 10 countries such as Japan, China, Vietnam, Singapore, Burma, India, Ghana, Morocco, Spain, and others.
Meet the companies that want to change the world

So just who are the lucky participants taking part in this grand adventure?
More than 400 applications were received from over 80 countries, but 11 teams were selected with 25 total members going on board.
The ages range between 22 to 48.
A few of the companies have already been established and profitable, but are seeking ways to scale globally:

• Aquaphytex: Goal is to provide clean water to 300,000 people without chemicals or energy, but through plants
• Damascus Fortune: Focus is to develop nanotechnology that transforms carbon emissions into material for spaceships
• Innoz: A highly-popular mobile application in India that is designed to leapfrog the Internet — it currently has over 120 million users
• Prakti Design: It aims to help feed 250,000 people daily with “ultra-affordable and fuel efficient stoves”
• Solar Ear: It claims to be the world’s first digitally programmable and rechargeable hearing aid

The Unreasonable Institute says that the remaining companies have a globally-relevant technology and are eager to launch on the international stage:

• Artificial Vision for the Blind: This company focuses on leveraging artificial intelligence to be a non-invasive cure for blindness
• Evolving Technologies: It plans to help make medical devices for maternal care “radically affordable” in emerging markets
• Protei: Wind-powered, shape-shifting, open source sailing drones that clean oceans is this company’s product
• Sasa: An SMS-based e-commerce service that connects offline artisans to consumers directly
• The IOU Project: A company looking to shift the dynamics of supply chains in apparel
• Vita Beans Neural Solutions: Looks to educate and empower teachers through what it calls a “gamified platform” 

 An accelerator on a boat

An unusual accelerator

When most people think about technology accelerators, they often cite Y Combinator, TechStars, 500 Startups, or similar programs.
In this case, the Unreasonable at Sea program is one where teams are still getting mentorship and advice on how to build out their business, but at the same time, are on a rather lengthy field trip going about trying to really change the world.
You’ll notice that none of these participating companies are involved in social media — you don’t really see anyone trying to build the next Facebook, competing against Zynga, or even creating a mobile photo-sharing app.

Companies on board will have a whole new situation in front of them.
The group won’t be on the ship by themselves.
It is operating in conjunction with the Semester at Sea college program, where students from around the world apply to continue their education.
Les McCabe, President of the global shipboard study abroad program, says that it believes entrepreneurship will solve the world’s grand challenges and “we pride ourselves on offering students eye-opening learning experiences that will help them function as global citizens and become tomorrow’s entrepreneurs.”

Students onboard will have the ability to interact with the entrepreneurs while also learning more about starting their own business.
Hopefully they’ll be able to witness the challenges faced by early-stage startups and how that plays out globally.

Each company will have a unique experience at port cities

Semester at Sea’s Chief of Staff Luke Jones tells us that at each port call, the entrepreneurs will have between three to six days to meet the community and learn about the culture.
The hope is that the experience will be translated into helping shape the startup so that it can succeed internationally.
Each port is for different companies and the Unreasonable Institute has done its research into bringing together experts, influencers, and leaders to help answer questions that an entrepreneur might have.

In one way, you might think about this accelerator almost like the “Geeks on a Plane” program run by 500 Startups’ Dave McClure, except you’re on a ship and the journey is much longer.

Next week will be the accelerator’s first cruise — nothing like this has ever been done before. Although, it’s not that difficult to believe this is happening.
We asked Jones whether any of the alumni in the Semester at Sea’s 50-year history has gone on to help change the world and he said yes: Jessica Flannery, the co-founder of the non-profit micro-lending service Kiva.org.

Links :

• DigitalTrends :  Maybe an accelerator at sea isn’t so ‘Unreasonable’ after all

The blue ocean

The Blue Ocean in RED from Howard Hall

Locations include the Maldives, Alaska, California, Cocos Island Costa Rica, and Mexico.

Timelapse of swarming monster worms and sea stars

YouTube

Three-foot nemertean worms and carnivorous sea stars prowl the Antarctic in search of flesh.
Finding a dead seal, the sea stars inject it with digestive juices ... then suck it up like soup.

Rig runs aground in Alaska, reviving fears about Arctic drilling

Coast Guard overflight of Kulluk aground

From NYT

One of Shell Oil’s two Arctic drilling rigs is beached on an island in the Gulf of Alaska, threatening environmental damage from a fuel spill and calling into question Shell’s plans to resume drilling in the treacherous waters north of Alaska in the summer.

The rig, the Kulluk, broke free from a tow ship in stormy seas and ran aground Monday night.

site where oil rig ran aground on Sitkalidak island, close to Kodiak island in the Gulf of Alaska

 >>> geolocalization with the Marine GeoGarage <<<

The Coast Guard was leading an effort to keep its more than 150,000 gallons of diesel fuel and lubricants from spilling onto the rocky shoreline.

At a news conference in Anchorage on Tuesday afternoon, Capt. Paul Mehler III, the federal on-scene coordinator, said that a reconnaissance flight showed the Kulluk was upright and stable, with no significant motion.
“The results are showing us that the Kulluk is sound,” Captain Mehler said.
“No sign of breach of hull, no sign of release of any product.”
He said the response team hoped to get salvage experts aboard the ship to get a better picture of damage.

 https://twitter.com/KullukResponse

Steven Russell of the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation said that, so far, there was no sign of harm to the environment or wildlife.
The Kulluk’s 18 crew members had been evacuated by Coast Guard helicopters on Saturday after the rig first went adrift in high winds and rough seas.

The grounding was the latest in a series of mishaps to befall Shell’s ambitious plans to prospect for oil in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas off the North Slope of Alaska.
Shell halted drilling for oil in September after equipment failures, unexpected ice floes, operational missteps and regulatory delays forced the company to scale back its plans.

Its drilling rigs completed two shallow pilot holes and left the Arctic in late fall to return to Seattle for maintenance work but have encountered problems in transit.

If the Kulluk, which Shell upgraded in recent years at a cost of nearly $300 million, is wrecked or substantially damaged, it will be hard for the company to find a replacement and receive the numerous government permits needed to resume drilling in July, as planned.

Under Department of Interior rules governing Arctic drilling, the company must have two rigs on site at all times to provide for a backup vessel to drill a relief well in case of a blowout, an uncontrolled escape of oil or gas.

A separate containment system designed to collect oil in the case of a well accident failed during testing, preventing Shell from drilling into oil-bearing formations during its abbreviated exploration season last summer and fall.
Shell’s Alaska vice president, Pete Slaiby, said he could not discuss the latest accident, saying that company officials were working with a Coast Guard-directed unified command and could not comment separately.

An official involved in the response operation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment, said: “We don’t know about the damage.It’s too dark.The weather is horrendous.” The official said that when a helicopter flew over the rig Monday night: “It looked upright about 1,600 feet off the beach. There was no sign of any spill.”
The official said the fuel tanks on the vessel were well protected inside the hull, making a spill unlikely.

The Kulluk, which does not have a propulsion system of its own, ran into trouble late last week when its tow ship, the Aiviq, lost engine power and the towline separated.
A Coast Guard cutter and other ships arrived, and crews struggled through Monday, in seas up to 35 feet, to reconnect tow lines to the rig, succeeding several times.
But each time the lines separated.

On Monday night, the Kulluk, 266 feet in diameter, broke free from one tow ship and the Coast Guard ordered a second ship to disconnect, fearing for the safety of its crew.

 High-resolution satellite image showing the drill rig Kulluk aground

off the coast of Alaska on January 4, 2013.

Image courtesy DigitalGlobe

The Kulluk is sitting on the southeast coast of Sitkalidak Island, an uninhabited island separated by the Sitkalidak Strait from the far larger Kodiak Island to the west.
The nearest town, Old Harbor, is across the strait on Kodiak Island; it has a population of about 200 people. The strait is home to a threatened species of sea lion.

A spokesman for the Interior Department’s offshore drilling safety office would not say whether the latest problem would cause a re-evaluation of the agency’s approval of Shell’s overall Arctic program.
But the spokesman, Nicholas Pardi of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, said that any equipment Shell proposes to use off the Alaskan coast must meet federal safety and testing standards.
He added that regulations require a federal inspector be present around the clock during drilling operations.

The other ship Shell has used in the Arctic, the Noble Discoverer, has had problems of its own. In July, before sailing to the Arctic, it nearly ran aground after dragging its anchor in the Aleutian Islands.
Then in November it had a small engine fire.

Later that month, during an inspection in the Alaskan port of Seward, the Coast Guard found more than a dozen violations involving safety systems and pollution equipment.
Last week, the Noble Corporation, the Swiss company that owns the 512-foot-long drillship and is leasing it to Shell for $240,000 a day, said that many of the problems had been repaired and that the ship was preparing to sail to Seattle to fix the remainder of them.

Critics said that the accident confirmed their worst fears about Shell’s Arctic project and should force federal regulators to stop it.
“We’re learning that oceans, while beautiful, are dangerous and unforgiving,” said Michael LeVine, senior Pacific counsel for the environmental group Oceana.
“Shell has demonstrated again and again that it’s not prepared to operate in Alaskan waters. Hopefully something good will come out of this latest incident, and the government will take a careful look at whether activities such as this can be conducted safely, and if so, what changes are needed to make that possible.”

Shell was on the verge of drilling in 2011, but delays in getting final approval for an air quality permit forced the company to put off drilling until 2012.
More equipment failures and unpredictable weather continued through the year.
In September, Shell had to abandon preliminary drilling in the Chukchi Sea when sea ice moved toward the drilling area only a day after work began.

And finally, the company was forced to put off completing the two wells it had begun to drill for another year when a barge containing a spill containment dome was badly damaged during a testing accident.
During the testing, a mechanical device malfunctioned as the containment dome was lowered into the water, and a submarine robot became tangled in some of the dome’s anchor lines.

Links :

• TheGuardian : Oil ship runs aground in Alaska
• US Response & Restoration : NOAA Responds to Shell Drilling Rig Kulluk Grounding in Gulf of Alaska / Update on Efforts to Mobilize Grounded Drill Rig Kulluk in Alaska
• YouTube : KullukResponse / Flickr : KullukResponse's photostream