To gather information from some of the harshest waters on the planet,
scientists turned to an unlikely source: An army of massive seals
equipped with special sensors.
Southern seal tagged with a CTD-SRDL on South Georgia. (University of St. Andrew)
photo : Iain Field
Since 2004, more than 1,000
southern elephant seals sporting non-invasive sensors have traversed the
world and sent data back to researchers via satellite.
A CTD-SRDL tag, featuring a miniaturized CTD on top of the core unit, with the microcontroller below, the wet/dry sensor on the frontside, the battery on the rear, and the Argos antenna pointing
All that
information from the seals' travels produced about 400,000 environmental
profiles, making up one of the largest databases of polar oceans, according to University of St. Andrews, whose Sea Mammal Research Unit helped design the sensors.
Schematic overview of the methodology used to produce oceanographic data using instrumented marine mammals. Adapated from Roquet et al. (2014)
"The information sent back to us gives us details about the seal’s
immediate physical environment," Lars Boehme, a lecturer at the
University of Andrews, said in a statement.
"It’s like tweeting."
The online portal storing the data, Marine Mammals Exploring the Oceans Pole to Pole, launched Monday.
photo : Clive McMahon
Southern elephant seals,
massive creatures measuring more than 20 feet long and weighing up to
8,800 pounds, live in sub-Antarctic and Antarctic waters.
For this
project, researchers caught and measured seals, then attached the
sensors to their heads.
The devices fall off when the animals molt.
The battery-powered monitors, called CTD-SRDL, last up to a year and measure
salinity and temperature.
Seal dives, which can go as deep as 6,000
feet, feed information to the environmental profiles, AFP reported.
Aside from the novelty of getting a bunch of giant seals to collect
data from the ocean, "of more general importance is that data from these
remote and inaccessible places now gives us a much clearer picture of
the state of the world’s oceans," Mike Fedak, a University of St Andrews
biology professor, said in a statement.
"We have since shown that data from these far-flung locations is
critical to understanding the broader state of the Global Ocean."
Fedak
told AFP that the data can be used for things such as tracking the
movement of glaciers.
"They are taking data from places where there has
been virtually no data before," he said.
Corresponding seal track.
Kuerguelen Islands can be seen on the upper left corner,
as well as the Heard Islands just below.
Researchers involved in the project said that "sustained observations" are required to closely monitoring polar oceans.
"Changes
in the polar oceans have global ramifications and a significant
influence on weather and climate," Boehme said in a statement.
MEOP
is a consortium of 11 countries and some scientists have already had
access to the data for research on the temperature and salinity of
oceans.
Some of the information collected by the seals has been used in
weather forecasting and by scientists studying how animals respond to changes in ocean conditions.
Dozens of expert fishermen trap, impale and slaughter the fish in Sardinia
Bloody practice has been banned everywhere else in the Mediterranean
But locals and fisherman in Carloforte consider Girotonno festival sacred
They claim it is 'privileged death' for fish which sell for $500 per kilogram
In the picturesque seaside village of Carloforte in Sardinia today fishermen will stage the same brutal ritual they have for 600 years - when rare bluefin tuna are guided and trapped in a complex corridor of giant nets and slaughtered.
The tuna are directed by fishermen through three miles of nets in the controversial Girotonno festival which climaxes in a frenzied act of violence known as 'mattanza' - or the killing.
They wait for 30kg fish to naturally swim into a complex system of underwater nets anchored near the shore, arranged into smaller and smaller rooms until the fish reach the 'death chamber'.
Ritual: A team of expert fisherman descend on the town of Carloforte in
Sardinia every year for the bloody festival of Girotonno, where tuna
fish are trapped and killed
Trapped: Fishermen use the huge nets to pull the 30kg fish out of the water before impaling them on spikes
There the fish thrash about in the water before they are pulled from the water on the end of huge hooks and slit open with knives and allowed to bleed to death.
The disturbing spectacle brings loud cheers from the spectators and triumphant fishermen - as the water turns red.
Gruesome: The climax of the festival is known as 'mattanza' - or the
'killing' - where the fish are caught and killed by skilled fisherman as
spectators cheer
Fatal: The massive fish swim naturally into a complex series of underwater nets carefully placed in the town's tuna factory
La Mattanza, as it is known, has become an a sacred annual ceremony for the people here in Carloforte dating back to the 15th century and tuna fishing is the bedrock of the local economy.
La Mattanza in the movie
Stromboli - Roberto Rossellini (1950)
Although the practice has been criticized by animal rights charities and has been banned in other fishing ports in the Med.
Lethal: The unfortunate ones swim into an area known as the 'death
chamber' - the only place where the net is below the fish, allowing the
fisherman to yank them above the surface
Bloody: The practice is considered so brutal, it has been banned everywhere else in the Mediterranean
A prayer is chanted at the beginning and end of the ritual to thank the Lord for the fishing.
The tuna meat is then cleaned and either canned straight away or sold fresh.
The Girotonno - or Tuna Go Round festival - begins today and attracts hundreds of amateur foodies and professional chefs from all over the world.
Tradition: Even though the ritual has been banned everywhere else, the locals and fishermen consider it sacred
Renowned: The Girotonno - or Tuna Go Round festival - attracts hundreds
of amateur foodies and professional chefs from all over the world
Slaughter: Crowds cheer as dozens of fishermen pull the fish out of the
water (pictured) - killing them before they are either canned or sold
fresh
Over 50 Michelin-starred chefs from six different countries compete to create the best traditional signature dishes and innovative twists of the red tuna delicacy.
'It can be quite gruesome, it's not for everyone,' admits the manager of the Carloforte diving centre which organises guided boat tours for the bloody ritual.
Ceremonial: Before the hunt begins and after it is over, a prayer is chanted to thank the Lord for the fishing
Killing: Once they pull the fish out of the water, they pierce a spike
through their heads and slice them open while they still twitch
Dangerous: On ordinary days, spectators can safely dive inside the 'death
chamber' to witness the whirling tuna fish but doing it during
'mattanza' (pictured) risks being severely injured
Girogio Siotto adds: 'You need a strong stomach but it's great as the festival is the only moment you can experience the trapping.'
On ordinary days, spectators can safely dive inside the 'death chamber' to witness the whirling tuna fish but doing it during 'mattanza' risks being severely injured.
The 'gore' is what makes Carloforte's red tuna so special, according to the owner of the tuna factory where the killing takes place.
Guiliano Greco is the descendant of the rich Genoese merchants who colonised the isles in the 1750s.
He says: 'The tuna's flesh must be cut to make bleed immediately, as soon as the fish is out of the water.
'The bleeding preserves the meat and it's the best way to have a top quality gourmet product on the shelves.
Our tuna was once "poor" fishermen food.
Today it's exported fresh worldwide as a very expensive product, mainly in Japan'.
The town's Mayor said he is proud of his fish and of the way it is canned, claiming it makes Carloforte's tuna 'unique', which is why it is exported to Japan and the rest of the world in enormous quantities as sushi or sashimi.
Marco Simeone added: 'It's killed before it even mates, so it's particularly fat due to the untouched sperm and eggs.
'That's why the Japanese are our biggest clients. They buy tuna here and re-sell it at home as sashimi and sushi at $500 per kilo.'
Grim: The manager of a diving centre which arranges boat tours of the
killing says 'it can be quite gruesome, it's not for everyone'
Delicacy: But the town's Mayor says he is proud of the ritual, the fish
and of the way they are canned - claiming it makes Carloforte's tuna
'unique
Sardinians are renowned for eating 'porcheddu' - or roasted piglets and people in Carloforte are no exception - and not just because they slaughter the tuna like pigs.
Simeone adds: 'Tuna is our sea pig. We keep every single part of it, nothing is wasted, even the bones are used to make fertiliser.'
Animal welfare experts have criticised the festival.
Katherine van Ekert, president of Sentient, the Australian institute for animal ethics, said the tuna could feel pain when they are killed in this way.
'The suspension of the tuna's body weight is expected to cause pain and stress to the animals, as too would the tearing of their tissues as a result of gravity working against the hook.'
But to islanders, La Mattanza is a sort of 'privileged death' for the fish.
Greco believes the practice to be a respectful way of killing tuna and that it's less cruel than in the past, when the fish was snagged by dozens of hooks.
'First, we only end up fishing ten per cent of the tuna. Second: tuna dies quickly, it's less stressful for the fish as it suffers less.
'All other ways of fishing slaughter more fish and damage the sea environment, we should be given permission to do more mattanze and Europe should increase our share of fishing quota.'
Fishermen hope to capture some 100 tuna fish during the Girotonno festival, but it depends on weather and sea conditions and on the chance that some fish might escape the net.
Chef Luigi Pomata says tuna is a life tradition, adding: 'It's our culture. We have survived thanks to tuna.'
Geoscience Australia has been applying specialist marine geoscience knowledge and capability to assist in the search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.
This video describes the key processes of bathymetric mapping and side scan sonar, which are used to gather data within the search area for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.
Nearly a year after embarking on a multi-million dollar quest to solve one of aviation's greatest unsolved mysteries, authorities and search teams are being criticized over their approach to finding Flight MH370 in the remote southern Indian Ocean.
The Australian-led search, already the most expensive in aviation history, has found no trace of the Malaysia Airlines jet or its 239 passengers and crew, prompting calls for a rethink into the way the mission is conducted.
Experts involved in past deep water searches say the search to find MH370 could easily miss the plane as Dutch company Fugro, the firm at the forefront of the mission, is using inappropriate technology for some terrain and inexperienced personnel for the highly specialized task of hunting man-made objects.
Heightening concerns, Australian authorities said on Wednesday that another search vessel, the Go Phoenix, which is using the world's best deep sea search equipment and crew provided by U.S. firm Phoenix International Holdings, would pull out within weeks.
No reason was given for withdrawing the vessel from the quest.
"Fugro is a big company but they don't have any experience in this kind of search and it's really a very specialized job," said Paul-Henry Nargeolet, a former French naval officer who was hired by France's air accident investigation agency BEA to co-ordinate the search and recovery of Air France Flight AF447 in 2009.
"This is a big job," Nargeolet told Reuters.
"I'm not an Australian taxpayer, but if I was, I would be very mad to see money being spent like that."
Fugro, which was contracted by the Australian government to operate three ships pulling sonar across the vast 60,000-km search zone, has rejected claims it is using the wrong equipment, saying its gear is rigorously tested.
Still, Nargeolet's concerns are echoed by others in the tightly held deepsea search and rescue industry, who are worried that unless the search ships pass right over any wreckage the sonar scanning either side of the vessels won't pick it up.
Hard yakka ... Crew of the Fugro Discovery at search zone.
Experts also question the lack of data released by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) on the activities of the Fugro ships.
Three of the bidders rejected for the MH370 contract, U.S. firm Williamson & Associates, France's ixBlue SAS and Mauritius-based Deep Ocean Search, have taken the unusual step of detailing their concerns - months down the track - directly to Australian authorities in correspondence viewed by Reuters.
Several other experts are also critical, including some who requested anonymity, citing the close knit nature of the industry which has just a few companies and militaries capable of conducting deepwater searches.
"I have serious concerns that the MH370 search operation may not be able to convincingly demonstrate that 100 percent seafloor coverage is being achieved," Mike Williamson, founder and president of Williamson & Associates told Reuters.
An area the size of the Torres Strait has been scoured by MH370 search vessels.
Pic: News Corp Australia Source: News Limited
Diving into the unknown
Australia took over the search for the missing plane from Malaysia in late March last year, three weeks after MH370 disappeared off the radar during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
The search area was determined by satellite data that revealed the plane turned back sharply over the Malaysian Peninsula and flew undetected for another six hours before crashing into the inhospitable southern Indian Ocean.
The unchartered waters, buffeted by the Roaring Forties winds, stretch as deep as six km, hiding old volcanoes and cliffs in their depths. Australia, Malaysia and China earlier this month agreed to double the search area to 120,000 square kilometers (46,000 square miles).
Whether Phoenix International, which has U.S. navy contracts and found the recorders of AF447, will be part of that extended search area is unclear after the ATSB said that Go Phoenix, owned by Australian firm Go Marine, will cease operating on June 19.
Phoenix International, which was contracted separately by the Malaysian government, did not immediately return calls about its position.
The Malaysian government also did not reply to requests for comment.
Found ... An uncharted shipwreck in the southern Indian Ocean.
Picture: Australian Transport Safety Bureau via Getty Images Source: Getty Images
Previous discovery ... The search has previously detected shipping containers on the ocean floor. Pic: ATSB
Two of the Fugro ships traverse up and down 2.4 km-wide (860 yard) strips of the sea floor, pulling via a cable a towfish that contains sonar equipment, in a technique often called "mowing the lawn".
The towfish coasts around 100 meters (110 yards) above the sea floor, sending out sound waves diagonally across a swath, or broad strip, to produce a flattened image of the seabed.
The Fugro ships are using sonar provided by EdgeTech, the same U.S. company whose sonar was used successfully to find Air France AF447 after it crashed in the Atlantic Ocean.
However, experts say while the type of sonar equipment being used by Fugro gives good results in flat surfaces, it is less well-suited to rugged underwater terrain, a world of confusing shadows.
The ATSB has routinely released detailed data from Go Phoenix, but has not done so for the Fugro ships.
Experts have cobbled together an analysis from glimpses of the sonar use and data in videos and images posted to the ATSB website.
From that, they've gauged the EdgeTech sonars are operating at swathes beyond their optimum capabilities, resulting in poor quality images and leaving side gaps in coverage.
"It makes no sense to be using fine scale tools to cover a massive area; it is like mowing an entire wheat field with a household lawnmower," said Rob McCallum, a vice-president at Williamson & Associates.
Fugro deputy managing director Paul Kennedy said the sonar is running within its capabilities, noting the system identified five "debris-like" objects in 700-meter (765 yards) deep water at a test range off the West Australian coast.
"The test range gives us full confidence the sonars will see the debris field when we cross it," he said.
Stormy weather ... Fugro Discovery experiencing bad weather in the search for MH370.
Picture: ABIS Chris Beerens, RAN Source: Supplied
Wild weather
Fugro is known for its expertise in high-quality low-resolution mapping of sea floors but has far less experience than some of the rejected bidders in deepwater aircraft searches.
It has been involved in 17 search and recovery efforts for aircraft or ships over 15 years, compared with some of the bidders who search for 4-5 aircraft every year.
Kennedy pointed to the find earlier this month of a previously uncharted shipwreck as evidence Fugro was capable of finding the plane.
Concerning experts further is the fact that the third Fugro vessel, which was being used to scan the gaps between the other two ships with an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), was this month taken out of action because of encroaching wild winter weather.
That leaves the daily search without an AUV, a much more nimble piece of equipment that was vital in successful search for AF447.
"We are continuously reviewing the search data as it comes in and we are satisfied that the coverage and detection standards we have specified are being met or exceeded," ATSB Chief Commissioner Martin Dolan said in an email.
The basin is a deep harbour connected to the sea by a narrow strait.
It is bounded by steep cliffs with large expanses of tidal mud flats and mangroves.
Saint George Basin (AHS chart in the GeoGarage platform)
The Prince Regent River flows into the basin from the lower-right corner, and the land north of this river is part of the Prince Regent National Park – a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
The Aboriginal Worora people are the traditional owners of this area, which is one of Australia’s most remote.
It is mainly accessed by air or boat, since there are no roads.
The Japanese Advanced Land Observation Satellite captured this image on 16 June 2009.
ALOS was supported as a Third Party Mission, which means that ESA used its multi-mission ground systems to acquire, process, distribute and archive data from the satellite to its user community.
In April 2011 the satellite abruptly lost power while mapping Japan’s tsunami-hit coastline.
The magnetic poles (indicated by green circles) slowly move with time. The magnetic declination varies with time due to changes of the Earth's magnetic field. Since the 1970's the Magnetic North Pole has accelerated from less than 10 to more than 30 miles per year
Earth is like a giant magnet with a North and South Pole.
However, the magnetic North and South Pole are not aligned with the Geographic North and South Pole.
The Geographic North Pole is defined by the latitude 90° N and is the axis of the Earth's rotation.
The Magnetic North Pole is where the Earth's magnetic field points vertically downward.
The Earth creates its own magnetic field from the electric currents created in the liquid iron-nickel core.
Compass needles point in the direction of the magnetic field lines, which is generally different from the direction to the Geographic North Pole.
The compass pointing direction can also differ from the direction to the Magnetic North Pole since the magnetic field lines are not just circles connecting the magnetic poles.
1700 map of declination (compass variation) maybe first use of isolines ?
This dataset shows lines of equal magnetic declination (isogonic lines) measured in degrees east (positive) or west (negative) of True North.
The green line is where the declination equals zero and the direction of True North and Magnetic North are equal (agonic line).
The Magnetic North and South Poles are indicated by the green circles.
World Showing the Lines of Equal Magnetic Declination (1896)
