What is the Gulf Stream?

From LiveSciences

The Gulf Stream is a powerful current in the Atlantic Ocean.
It starts in the Gulf of Mexico and flows into the Atlantic at the tip of Florida, accelerating along the eastern coastlines of the United States and Newfoundland.
It is part of the North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre, one of the five major oceanic gyres, which are large systems of circular currents and powerful winds.

 The Gulf Stream, in red, is easily visible as the warmest water in this image from Modis satellite

The Gulf Stream is a western boundary current; its behavior is determined by the North American coastline.
Trade winds from Africa drive water in the Atlantic westward until it hits the coastline and gets pushed northward.
In turn, the Gulf Stream affects the climate of the areas closest to the current by transferring tropical heat toward the northern latitudes.
There is a consensus among scientists that the climate of Western and Northern Europe is warmer than it would be otherwise because of the North Atlantic Current, one of the branches of the Gulf Stream.

 extract from Ocean currents 1943
(with North Atlantic Gyre)

Early discoveries

The first mention of the Gulf Stream can be traced to the 1513 expedition of Juan Ponce de León.
On April 22, 1513, he wrote in his voyage log: "A current such that, although they had great wind, they could not proceed forward, but backward and it seems that they were proceeding well; at the end it was known that the current was more powerful than the wind."

Explorers Peter Martyr d'Anghiera, and Sir Humphrey Gilbert also made note of the powerful Gulf Stream, and it became widely used by Spanish ships sailing from the Caribbean to Spain.

Six years after Ponce de León's notation, Anton de Alaminos set sail for Spain from Vera Cruz, Mexico, using the Gulf Stream, following the Florida coastline northward before turning eastward to Europe.
He had served as the chief pilot aboard Ponce de Leon's ship on his earlier trip and had also sailed with Columbus on his last voyage.
Some historians credit Alaminos with the discovery of the Gulf Stream because he was the first to take advantage of it.

Hernando Cortez was perhaps the first to send large numbers of ships from Mexico northward through the Florida Straits, then eastward following the clockwise motion of the Gulf Stream to return to Spain.

Streamlining colonization

Because it altered sailing patterns and shaved time off a typically long and treacherous trip, the Gulf Stream was instrumental in the colonization of the Americas.
Most voyages to Virginia southward chose the southern route across the Atlantic even though it was 2,000 miles to 3,000 miles out of the way.
Most return voyages to Europe took advantage of at least part of the Gulf Stream to speed their journey.

In his role as deputy postmaster of the British American colonies, Benjamin Franklin had a keen interest in the North Atlantic Ocean circulation patterns as a way to streamline communication between the colonies and England.
During a 1768 visit to England, Franklin discovered that it took British packets several weeks longer to reach New York from England than it took an average American merchant ship to reach Newport, Rhode Island.

Ben Franklin and The Gulf Stream

Franklin’s cousin Timothy Folger, a Nantucket whaling captain, explained that merchant ships routinely crossed the then-unnamed Gulf Stream while the mail packet captains ran against it.
The merchant ships tracked whale behavior, measurement of the water's temperature and the speed of bubbles on its surface and changes in the water's color to follow the speedier route.
Franklin worked with Folger and other experienced ship captains to chart the Gulf Stream and giving it the name by which it is still known today.

Benjamin Franklin published the first map of the Gulf Stream in 1768.

(Library of Congress, Geography and Map division)

Franklin's Gulf Stream chart was published in 1770 in England — where it was ignored — and subsequent versions were printed in France in 1778 and the United States in 1786.
It was years before the British finally took Franklin's advice on navigating the current but once they did, they were able to shave two weeks off the sailing time between Europe and the United States.

 Gulf Stream Sea Surface Currents and Temperatures :

This visualization of the Gulf Stream was produced using NASA/JPL's computational model called Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean, Phase II or ECCO2.

Climate change concerns

Like many aspects of the environment, the Gulf Stream has been affected by global warming, and research indicates that the core of the Gulf Stream moved 125 miles north in 2011.

Some scientists are concerned that melting glaciers will send cold water into the current and disrupt the Gulf Stream's flow.
There is a possibility that without the warmth delivered by the Gulf Stream, Northern Europe could enter a new ice age.

Time running out for USS Guardian in Tubbataha as Amihan winds intensify

The USS Guardian remains trapped on the Tubbataha Reef
in a photo taken on Jan. 19, 2013 and released on Jan. 20.

Wescom via AFP - Getty Images

From GMA News

The window of opportunity to safely remove the USS Guardian from the delicate Tubbataha Reef is closing fast, as weather conditions associated with the Amihan northeastern monsoon are expected to worsen over the next few days.

"The strong northeasterly wind and the associated big waves could affect any operation to rescue the US vessel.
One thing to consider is there is another surge of the northeast monsoon this week, so expect stronger winds and heavier seas," GMA News' resident meteorologist Nathaniel "Mang Tani" Cruz said.

 A photo released on Jan. 20, 2013 by the Armed Forces of the Philippines Western Command (AFP-WESCOM) shows the US Navy ship USS Guardian remaining stuck in the vicinity of the Tubbataha Reef, western Philippines, on Jan. 19.

One method for extricating the ship being discussed by the US Navy is lifting the stuck 68-meter-long minesweeper from the reef and placing it on a larger ship.

"One-meter wave heights may not be that high considering the size of the vessel.
(But) if they will do something, the window of opportunity is now as the northeast monsoon is still weak," Mang Tani explained.

Position of the USS Guardian on Tubbataha Reef,
(in the North of the South Islet)
based on the January 18 incident report of the Tubbataha Protected Area Management Board.

Also shown are the inner and outer boundaries of the Reef, as defined by Republic Act 10067.

Based on Weather Central data, the northeast monsoon or "Amihan" is the prevalent weather system affecting the area of Tubbataha reef, bringing cold winds from the direction of northeastern Luzon.

But Mang Tani warned that the monsoon is likely to gain in strength in two to three days, before the weekend.

Weather Central data shows that, as of Tuesday morning, wave heights in the area of Tubbataha Reef are expected to reach one meter in the next 24 hours.
However, PAGASA forecaster Jori Lois told GMA News Online that the agency's data indicates that waves in the area may reach as high as two meters.

24-hour wave height forecast ending 8 a.m. Wednesday, January 23

On the other hand, no rains are expected within the area, so rescuers can expect generally clear skies for at least the next 24 hours.

Weather Central's rainfall forecast for the 24 hours ending 9 a.m. Wednesday shows generally clear weather in the Tubbataha area, with possible light rainshowers west of the reef on Tuesday afternoon. 

Why Arctic sea ice melts so quickly

A melt pond in the Arctic ice.
Credit : Stefan Hendricks, Alfred Wegener Institute.

From OurAmazingPlanet

During the Arctic spring and summer, ponds of freshwater appear on the melting ice, dotting the landscape with a dazzling range of blues.

 Melt pond on Arctic sea ice,

Photo: Stefan Hendricks, Alfred Wegener Institute

Despite their beauty, these melt ponds are a harbinger of climate change in the Arctic, according to a new study by researchers at the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany.
The pools form more easily on young ice, and young ice now accounts for more than 50 percent of the Arctic sea ice cover.
The ponds also absorb more of the sun's heat, helping ice melt faster, the study finds.

Graphic depiction of the amount of sunlight above and underneath the Arctic sea ice.

The growing coverage of the ice by darker meltponds increases the share of sunlight, which passes the sea ice.

That means, the space underneath the ice becomes brighter and warmer.

Furthermore less sunlight is refleced back into the atmosphere.

Graphic: Marcel Nicolaus/Yves Nowak, Alfred Wegener Institute

To test the effect of the melt ponds on sea ice, scientists from the institute traveled to the Arctic aboard the research ice breaker RV Polarstern during the summer of 2011.

 The German research ice breaker RV Polarstern next to a typical sea ice melt pond.
Credit : Stefan Hendricks, Alfred Wegener Institute

They analyzed how far the sun's rays penetrated the ice with a remotely operated underwater vehicle equipped with radiation sensors and cameras.

 Photo, taken by the ROV during its dive through deformed sea ice.
The marker bars are one meter long.
In the background one can see that more sunlight passes the sea ice, because the ice is covered by meltponds.
The numbers and symbols, which are faded in, tell the direction and position of the ROV.
They are needed by the pilot to steer the underwater roboter.
Photo: Alfred Wegener Institute

Thinner ice, more melt ponds

Arctic sea ice has become distinctly thinner and younger in the past decade, the researchers said in a statement.
The amount of 3-foot-thick (1 meter), multiyear ice, which lasts through seasonal melts, is declining.

This older ice has a rough surface, created by the constant motion from currents and collisions.
Far fewer and smaller ponds appear on this uneven surface, though they were considerably deeper than the flat ponds on the younger ice, the researchers found.

 Aerial photo of polar researchers working on sea ice.

Some of them belong to the AWI sea ice physics group.

They have ericted a tent, in which the steering console of the ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) "Alfred" is stored.

Photo: Stefan Hendricks, Alfred Wegener Institute

But almost half of the thin, year-old ice floes are extensively covered with melt ponds, the researchers discovered.

 AWI sea ice physicist Dr. Marcel Nicolaus is measuring the depth of a meltwater pond during an Arctic expedition of the research vessel POLARSTERN (expedition ARK XXVII-3).

Photo: Alfred Wegener Institute

"The decisive aspect here is the smoother surface of this young ice, permitting the melt water to spread over large areas and form a network of many individual melt ponds," Marcel Nicolaus, a sea ice physicist and melt pond expert at the Alfred Wegener Institute, said in the statement.
Young, thin ice with many melt ponds allowed three times as much light to pass through than older ice, Nicolaus said.
It also absorbed 50 percent more solar radiation, which causes more melting and means the thin ice reflected less of the sun's rays than thick ice.
"The ice melts from inside out to a certain extent," Nicolaus said in the statement.

Harbinger of future changes

The research team is now investigating how additional sunlight will affect organisms that live on and beneath the Arctic ice, such as algae that clings to the ice floes.

"We assume that in the future, climate change will permit more sunlight to reach the Arctic Ocean — and particularly also that part of the ocean which is still covered by sea ice in summer," Nicolaus said.
"The sea ice will become more porous, more sunlight will penetrate the ice floes and more heat will be absorbed by the ice. This is a development which will further accelerate the melting of the entire sea ice area," Nicolaus said.

The study appeared online Dec. 29 in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

Links :

• AWI : Melt ponds cause the Artic sea ice to melt more rapidly

Mariner's code: computer hackers conquering the high seas

Hackerfleet is a Berlin-based collective of volunteer computer hackers, software developers and programmers crafting a new generation of ultra-smart sailing software on their own sailing yacht out in the middle of the ocean.

(photo : ijon-hackerfleet)

From CNN

• A group of German computer hackers is developing sailing software out at sea 
• So far the group has produced an android app and computer programs that manage on-board heating systems 
• Their ultimate aim is to create a type of software that connects all boats at sea

Resting on the icy cool surface of the Baltic Sea, a rickety old boat of hardy sailors works long into the night.
Eyes strained, minds stretched, many have gone days without sleep.
But this is no ordinary vessel of sea-faring adventurers battening down the hatches as they get set to navigate stormy waters.
This is Hackerfleet -- a Berlin-based collective of volunteer software developers and programmers burning the midnight oil as they craft a new generation of ultra-smart sailing software.
"We work on a ship because it's fun and everybody likes that," said "Ijon" (an online pseudonym) the organization's co-founder.
"You can't leave ... [and] everyone is very focused. It's intense and we get very little sleep but the method is overwhelmingly beneficial as a source of ideas," he added.

Founded by the covertly named Ijon and Riot, the group set sail to carry out their work at sea when they can.

Most cruises last between three and five days and can be attended by as many as 15 to 20 people depending on the scale of the work expected to be done.

(photo : ijon-hackerfleet)

Founded in the summer of 2011 by Ijon and his business partner "Riot", Hackerfleet offers a mariner's twist on the long-popular hackathon concept.
Groups of programmers and engineers gather to share skills, knowledge and embark on intense code writing sessions, casting off from shore when they can to carry out their work.
Most "Hacker Cruises" last between three and five days and can be attended by as many as 15 to 20 carefully selected people, Ijon said.
Each crew-member generally has a specialist skill or area of technical expertise.
This means they offer something unique and worthwhile to the project.
"It's an unusual workspace," said "Keyboardsurfer", a volunteer computer hacker and expert in android platforms. "(But) we're pushing each other to create something that amazes everyone."
"The possibility to communicate with every participant whenever it's needed makes the work on sea very effective," he added.
So far Hackerfleet's voyages have produced an android app that charts the location of buoys and sea-signs as well a "virtual helmsman" that can autonomously hold the course of any ship.
The group's ultimate aim, though, is to create a completely new type of sailing software that will connect all boats at sea -- essentially transforming them into floating data-collection devices.
This mass connectivity will enable Hackerfleet to gather, store and ultimately transmit back out to sea vast amounts of important marine information.

Some of the most detailed depth charts, maps, weather measurements, ocean safety warnings and wildlife monitors ever created are all within the realm of possibility should the plan come to fruition, Ijon claims.
"We want to develop the biggest database on oceans and sea information that is imaginable and theoretically possible," he said.
"If every ship (both commercial and recreational) shares what it knows then we can centralise this data at one point in the database allowing us to calculate things much more accurately.
"We can then send out this information to all ships that have our systems installed."

The group's ultimate aim is to popularize its Mastbox technology -- a completely new type of sailing software that will connect all boats at sea, essentially transforming them into floating data-collection devices.

(photo : ijon-hackerfleet)

Ijon says he expects the first consumer-ready prototype version of this "Mastbox and Shipbox" technology to be available by early 2014.
Commercial deployment is then expected to follow in either 2015 or 2016.
Popularizing the software once complete however will likely provide a whole new set of challenges, each requiring more than just a clever code or hack to address.
The user-generated nature of the technology means it will have to be adopted by vast numbers of boats to fulfil its full potential -- although a chunk of data the system relies on is already publicly available and used by other on-board computer systems.

The MS 0x00 is our first autonomous ship.

Currently very limited in its engine power, it serves us as testing and benchmarking platform for hardware and software. 
A member of Hackerfleet follows the MS0X00 as it makes its maiden voyage, ensuring no mishaps occur.

Ultimately though, Ijon maintains that commercial success is not a primary concern of the Hackerfleet.
The organization remains an operation run by friends with a mutual passion for the seas and technology.
As such, all software is currently given away for free and any code developed remains open-sourced.
"Essentially, it's less about earning money and more about getting the seafarer and his ship on the next technological level in the 21st century," Ijon said.
"We expect to be paid for our work at some point but we want to do this in the right way, the morally correct way," he explained.
"This (technology) could potentially give us the best information stock for crews and captains to decide on ... and for us that is what's most important for now."

The best wave of Shane Dorian's life

In this clip, Dorian gives us the play-by-play of a 50-foot barrel he rode at Jaws a few months ago.

The situation: just trying to get a small one in.
The drop: perfectly clean — until the giant boil.
The claim: not even halfway through.

It was a perfect wave that only he could have surfed so perfectly, claimed by Shane Dorian as the greatest wave he's ever caught in his life.

Links :

• YouTube : Shane Dorian at Nazare, Portugal - January 11, 2013