“The progress made in mapping U.S. waters through 2019 represents the
cumulative work of federal and state agencies, nongovernmental
organizations, private contracting partners, and crowdsourced
contributions,” said Rear Adm. Shep Smith, director of NOAA’s Office of
Coast Survey. “Partnerships and advances in technology are key to making
significant progress toward our common goal of completely mapping U.S.
waters.”
Pulling from an analysis of publicly available bathymetry,
the report presents the percentage of unmapped U.S. waters by region
and shows our progress towards filling these basic bathymetry data gaps
with each passing year.
At the end of 2019, the latest analysis yielded
the following results:
Percent of U.S. waters that remain unmapped in 2019:
U.S. total – 54% of 3,592,000 square nautical miles (snm)
Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico – 43% of 472,200 snm
Great Lakes – 95% of 46,600 snm
Caribbean – 42% of 61,600 snm
Alaska – 72% of 1,080,200 snm
Pacific (California, Oregon, Washington) – 24% of 239,700 snm
Pacific Remote Islands and Hawaii – 50% of 1,691,700 snm
Multibeam and lidar
surveys are the two primary sources of bathymetry needed to fill these
gaps.
In support of the integrated ocean and coastal mapping goal to
“map once, use many times,” all of the data collected in this effort are
publicly available to benefit numerous user communities.
For the
latest status on these efforts and how you can contribute, visit : http://iocm.noaa.gov/seabed-2030.html.
Researchers needed to drill through nearly 2,000 feet of ice to measure
water temperatures where the Thwaites Glacier first connects with the
ocean. (Jeremy Harbeck/NASA/OIB)
Warm ocean water has been discovered underneath a massive glacier in West Antarctica, a troubling finding that could speed its melt in a region with the potential to eventually unleash more than 10 feet of sea-level rise.
The unprecedented research, part of a multimillion-dollar British and U.S. initiative to study the remote Thwaites Glacier, involved drilling through nearly 2,000 feet of ice to measure water temperatures in a narrow cavity where the glacier first connects with the ocean.
This is one of the most difficult-to-reach locations on Earth.
At a region known as the “grounding line,” where the ice transitions between resting on bedrock and floating on the ocean, scientists measured water temperatures of about 0 degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit).
That is more than 2 degrees warmer than the freezing point in that location, said David Holland, a New York University glaciologist.
He performed the research with Keith Nicholls of the British Antarctic Survey.
“That is really, really bad,” said Holland.
“That’s not a sustainable situation for that glacier.”
Scientists already knew that Thwaites was losing massive amounts of ice — more than 600 billion tons over the past several decades, and most recently as much as 50 billion tons per year.
And it was widely believed that this was occurring because a layer of relatively warmer ocean water, which circles Antarctica below the colder surface layer, had moved closer to shore and begun to eat away at the glaciers themselves, affecting West Antarctica in particular.
But that had not been directly confirmed because Thwaites is gigantic (larger than the state of Pennsylvania) and exceedingly difficult to reach.
“The biggest thing to say at the moment is, indeed, there is very warm water there, and clearly, it could not have been there forever, or the glacier could not be there,” Holland said.
A joint U.S.-British research team has discovered warm ocean water beneath the Thwaites Glacier in remote West Antarctica.
(David Vaughan, British Antarctic Survey)
Thwaites is the most worrying glacier in Antarctica because of its size — it is unusually wide, presenting a 75-mile front of ice to the ocean, without any rocks or mountains to hem it in.
This means very large volumes of ice could break off and flow uninhibited through this region into the sea.
Even worse, Thwaites gets deeper and thicker from its oceanfront region back into its interior in the heart of West Antarctica.
This is known to be an unstable configuration for a glacier, because as the ocean continues to eat away at its base, the glacier becomes thicker, so more ice is exposed to the ocean.
In turn, that ice flows outward faster.
Scientists call this “marine ice sheet instability.”
Researchers believe that as recently as some 100,000 years ago, West Antarctica was not a sheet of ice at all — but rather, an open ocean that later converted to glacier.
The fear is that the melting now taking place could lead to a return to open ocean.
Granted, it would still take a very long time to melt all of that ice, but there’s a fear that it could begin in a substantial way in our lifetimes, worsening sea level rise.
Because Thwaites is so vast, the measurements were confined to a region known as its eastern ice shelf, where a floating part of the glacier is 600 meters (nearly 2,000 feet thick) and underlain by just 40 meters (about 130 feet) of water.
Scientists drilled through the ice using a technique known as hot-water drilling, and then extended an instrumented cable to take measurements in the ocean cavity.
Scientists used hot water drills to reach ocean water beneath the Thwaites Glacier.
(Courtesy of David Holland, NYU’s Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences)
They also detected turbulent water in the area, suggesting that saltwater and freshwater are swirling together as the ice melts.
This process may draw the warm water in toward the glacier and speed the losses.
“The key here is that they drilled very close to the grounding line,” said Eric Rignot, a researcher with NASA and the University of California who also studies Thwaites closely and commented on the findings.
“We do not know much about ocean-ice interaction in that narrow part of the cavity, yet this is the crucial part for ice dynamics, glacier stability, fast retreat."
“Is the water moving around and releasing heat to the ice efficiently, is it stagnant instead?” Rignot continued.
“Our sense from remote sensing is that it is not stagnant but very actively melting ice.
So having temperature measurements in that narrow part is essential.”
Rignot said the water is probably even warmer in other regions of Thwaites, which could retreat even faster than the spot where the measurements were taken.
Nicholls of the British Antarctic Survey said in an email from Antarctica that the relatively warm water they discovered was actually “associated with low (for the area) melt rates because of the low currents.” Still, he too affirmed the water was more than warm enough to melt ice.
Climate change is believed to be shifting winds around Antarctica, which in turn are connected to a warming of the tropics and shifting patterns of atmospheric circulation.
The winds drive ocean currents, and the change has meant that the warm offshore layer, called circumpolar deep water, has been pushing in closer to shore, where it can melt ice.
Scientists say there is much more to learn about this process, but the most important fact is clear — warm water is causing Thwaites to melt and retreat.
“This is the first verification ever of warm water at a grounding zone on the Thwaites Glacier, arguably the most important one in West Antarctica,” said Holland.
“So the pieces fit.”
Diving to Challenger Deep: Three travelers now have a rare opportunity to take part in an expedition to the deepest point in the oceans -- Challenger Deep.
They'll ride in the 11.5 tonne DSV "Limiting Factor," which is the only certified vehicle in the world that can repeatedly dive to any depth in the world's oceans. Reeve Jolliffe/EYOS Expeditions
Once upon a time, reaching the highest peak on Earth was considered a feat achievable only by a select few.
Fast forward to today.
Though it remains a costly endeavor -- and sometimes deadly -- it's logistically easy enough to arrange.
Over 4,000 adventurers have climbed to the top of Mount Everest, according to the British Mountaineering Council.
So what's an intrepid amateur explorer with a thirst for all things rare and superlative to do?
Travel in the opposite direction, of course, to Challenger Deep.
The mothership: The rare experience is being offeered by EYOS Expeditions.
The DSSV Pressure Drop serves as the expedition's purpose-built 'mothership' and primary operations platform.
Sitting at a depth of 10,928 meters (35,853 feet), it's widely believed to be the deepest point in the world's oceans.
In a world-first, travel company EYOS Expeditions has teamed with private undersea diving company Caladan Oceanic to offer general members of the public an opportunity to join an upcoming expedition and dive to the bottom of the Marianas Trench in the western Pacific Ocean.
Science landers: Prior to each dive, this lander is launched.
It sends back detailed reports on ocean conditions at depth, and acts as a communication and navigation aid.
How rare is this experience?
According to EYOS, only seven people on earth have visited Challenger Deep.
(Hollywood directorJames Cameron just happens to be one of them.)
Here's the catch: The company is only inviting three people to join the trip.
Staff tell CNN Travel it's being offered on a first-come, first-serve basis, and they aren't releasing any details on the cost.
But it's safe to assume it will be a minimum of $100,000, given dives to the Titanic were expected to cost travelers between $100,000-$200,000 per person.
Post-dive: Expedition leader Rob McCallum departs to recover Limiting
Factor at the end of another successful dive during last year's Five
Deeps Expedition.
Four hours on the sea floor
The three travelers, called "Mission Specialists," will spend approximately eight days with the Ring of Fire Expedition, which is operated by EYOS and Caladan Oceanic.
Each submarine dive will take up to 14 hours.
The descent, which is over seven miles, takes over four hours.
The divers will spend up to four hours on the seafloor, where they will get to explore and potentially film their surroundings.
Total focus: A recovery in oceanic conditions requires both dexterity and concentration.
"This is the most exclusive destination on Earth," says Rob McCallum, founding partner of EYOS Expeditions, in a statement.
"Currently, only three manned expeditions have ever been made to the bottom of Challenger Deep and more people have been to the moon than to the bottom of the ocean."
The Mission Specialists will board the hadal exploration vessel, DSSV Pressure Drop, in June 2020 -- EYOS says the exact date is to be confirmed -- in Agat, Guam.
It then takes a day at sea to reach the Marianas Trench.
DSSV Pressure Drop: The three lucky "Mission Specialists" will board the
hadal exploration vessel, DSSV Pressure Drop, in June 2020 in Agat,
Guam.
After a day at sea they'll reach the Marianas Trench.
Long way down: The DSV Limiting Factor fills her ballast tanks and prepares to dive to full ocean depth.
The expedition will use Caladan Oceanic's submersible, Limiting Factor, which has been pressure tested in a chamber to 14,000 meters and has already dived five times to the bottom of the Mariana Trench.
EYOS says it's the only vehicle ever constructed that is capable of multiple dives to full ocean depth.
"The occupants of the submersible are completely protected by the 90mm thick titanium sphere and experience no pressure changes or physiological stresses at all," says the statement announcing the trip.
Team shot: The Five Deeps Expedition team made history in 2019 by completing a helical circumnavigation of the globe to dive at the deepest point in each ocean. JamesBlake/EYOSExpeditions
Comfy seats, hi-def cameras
As a result, no formal pre-departure training is required, though Mission Specialists will receive a comprehensive shipboard and sub orientation as part of pre-dive preparations.
"The inside of the sub is quiet, peaceful and very relaxing. The sub has two comfortable seats, three view ports, and high-definition 'surround' cameras," says McCallum.
"Whilst onboard, Mission Specialists will be fully integrated members of the team and free to work alongside our sonar operator/ocean mappers, submersible technicians, film production team, expedition management and ship's officers to gain an insight into the complexities and challenges of hadal exploration," he says.
Pre-dive rehersals: Every new dive is 'rehearsed' at a full team meeting that draws in the collective expertise of the captain, sonar operator, scientist, sub team and expedition leader.
New discoveries: Chief Scientist Alan Jamieson examines samples recovered from many thousands of meters below the sea during the Five Deeps expedition.
Virtually every dive yields new discoveries, say EYOS team members.
Don't worry.
Even intrepid explorers need some down-time, too. McCallum says when not diving, expedition members can relax by taking in a movie, going to the gym, reading, or heading up to the "Sky Bar" for a sundowner.
The dive is part of a much longer six-month Ring of Fire expedition EYOS and Caladan Oceanic are operating, a followup to the Five Deeps Expedition made last year, which visited cavernous chasms in the Pacific, Indian, Southern, Arctic and Atlantic oceans over a period of 10 months.
"Its collective mission is to verify and test the deepest points possible, collect and analyze scientific samples, and extend humankind's knowledge of the most extreme environment on Earth, says Ben Lyons, EYOS Expeditions' CEO.
Interested in joining?
Contact EYOS Expeditions for pricing and further info...
Highly Automated Beach Litter Analysis Using Very High Resolution Satellite Imagery and Machine Learning Traditionally it has been a human user who analyzes satellite imagery for changes, but this process is slow and time-consuming.
Whether detecting trash on beaches or monitoring forest health, there is huge potential for computers, through the use of machine learning, to do the job faster and better than humans.
Tama Group is using The eCognition software along with 30 cm Very High Resolution Satellite Imagery supplied by European Space Imaging to detect trash on beaches and generate a map that can be used by clean-up officials and organisers.
The ocean is a precious resource that all Europeans make use of in one way or another.
Over 200 million of us live near the sea, and even people who dwell inland benefit from using it for transport, food or leisure.
The following article gives an overview of maritime projects that have benefited from the use of very high resolution (VHR) satellite imagery.
Protecting this natural resource is complex and multi-faceted; it must be kept healthy while sustainably supporting the different businesses and individuals who rely on it, and who often have conflicting needs.
Additionally, it is under threat from pollution, climate change, flooding, erosion, sea-level rise, extreme weather events, and overfishing.
There is a growing need for coverage and detection of large maritime areas, mainly in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
Since physically accessing such a large area is practically impossible, satellite-based sensors offer an efficient and cost-effective solution.
By combining these data sources with artificial intelligence and machine learning, further insights can be gained autonomously and in a timelier manner.
For example, radar data of a large ocean area can be obtained from a satellite and run through an AI program to automatically identify potential vessels.
This results in the identification of a specific geolocation of the vessel so that a Very High Resolution (VHR) optical satellite image can be obtained.
The VHR image then provides the level of detail needed to identify the object in the water.
This process is known as tipping and cueing.
Example of SAR imagery combined with VHR imagery.
This story will give a good impression of maritime projects that have benefited from the use of VHR satellite imagery.
Anti-drug Trafficking Operations in the Mediterranean
In May 2017, The Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre – Narcotics (MAOC(N)) believed that a known vessel had been involved in a transshipment of heroin.
The location of the transshipment was not known, but although the vessel was not reporting its position, it was believed that it was somewhere in the Suez Bay.
In support of live operational activity, a request for optical satellite imagery was directed to Copernicus Maritime Surveillance and the order was fulfilled by European Space Imagery.
The delivered products allowed operators to confirm that the vessel was no longer in the Suez bay and it was heading north.
This information was shared immediately with the Turkish authorities, who intercepted the vessel, arrested nine crew members and seized more than 1 ton of heroin.
Whales Held in Captivity in Russia
In February 2019 it was alleged that Russia had illegally captured eleven killer whales and were holding them in Srednyara Bay along with 87 belugas.
Four Russian companies that supply marine animals to aquariums had caught the whales during Summer 2018.
To verify the existence of the “whale jail” a series of satellite images at 30 cm were captured.
VHR image of whales held in captivity in Russia.
Very High Resolution imagery is being utilized internationally by both maritime surveillance agencies and animal rights groups to shed light on illicit fishing operations and aid in legal proceedings,” said European Space Imaging Managing Director, Adrian Zevenbergen.
“In these images captured by WorldView-3 in late February, a number of whales can be seen inside the pins, which may provide crucial evidence as international criminal investigations move forward.”
In addition to receiving extensive media coverage, a criminal investigation was launched.
In April 2019 the Russian Government in partnership with two American NGO’s announced that all 97 whales would be released back into the wild.
This was completed in November 2019.
Major Oil Spill in the Mediterranean
In October 2018 two cargo ships collided north of the island of Corsica causing upwards of 600 tons of fuel to be leaked into the Sea causing an oil slick 50 m long.
In accordance with emergency management, maritime regulation and environmental protection efforts, detailed maps and models were required immediately to begin the processes of cleaning up the accident.
Emergency orders were placed with European Space Imaging who then scheduled the WorldView-2 satellite to capture images at 50 cm resolution over the site of the accident.
These images were delivered to French and Italian maritime authorities within hours.
From the data, oil drift and fate predictions were able to be simulated and it was determined that the coastlines of Italy, Monaco and France were at risk of oil pollution in the days after the incident.
This allowed officials to preemptively respond in coastal areas and dispatch clean-up vessels ahead of the drifting oil.
The oil was, therefore, able to be controlled and cleaned faster and more comprehensively.
Corsica oil spill overview with close up of the ship and oil spill drift.
"Satellite remote sensing plays a very strategic role in maritime surveillance and supports the entire response process, from providing initial detection and assessment for situational awareness to directing clean-up efforts" said Dr.
Melanie Rankl.
"Very High Resolution satellite imagery is an additional asset to that of traditionally used radar-based oil spill detection technology.
Its ability to provide a detailed overview of the area plays a complimentary role in conducting on-going assessments and monitoring the extent of damage."
Highly Automated Beach Litter Detection
Each year ocean trash kills over one million birds and 100,000 mammals and turtles.
Satellite imagery is already an essential tool in locating objects and debris in large or remote areas however this study aimed to prove that Very High Resolution satellite imagery could be used in combination with artificial intelligence to streamline litter detection processes.
Partnering with Tama Group, European Space Imaging was able to supply 30 cm Very High Resolution WorldView-3 imagery for a proof-of-concept study straight from its archive.
A single pixel in a 30 cm satellite image will depict 30×30 cm of whatever was on the ground when the image was taken.
This means a beach towel is big enough to be seen clearly by the naked eye, but a child’s bucket and spade on the sand is probably not – except perhaps in a slight change of the pixel’s color when compared to its neighbors.
A change that is very difficult to interpret, and to spot.
eCognition overlaid VHR imagery to detect litter on Italian Beach.
“The trash we find on beaches is typically a diameter of 10cm and maybe a pixel size long,” Ralph said.
“And so we had to take a statistical approach – if there are litter candidates in pixels of that size, at a certain amount of trash it starts looking like a signal.
The first part of this exercise was figuring out if it is technically possible to detect this at all.”
Using eCognition, the satellite data was stacked with additional layers containing information gathered from experts on marine litter.
Once the programming of the parameters was complete, the process was designed to be 100% automated.
After the analysis of the first two WorldView-3 images the machine came up with 27 pixels marked as litter candidates, a result that is promising based on a visual inspection of the data.
The future hope of this discovery is the integration of the technology into regular monitoring services for government of tourism organizations.
Example of vessel detection and identification.
Conclusion
European Space Imaging has over 15 years’ experience working closely with a number of maritime authorities and private companies.
Whether it is delivering archive data or planning fresh acquisitions, the team is available to assist a wide range of maritime application projects to ensure total maritime awareness is achieved.
Tommaso Cilli and Bruno Mantero in their work, planning in the breeze, at full speed under spinnaker.
Watch this spectacular footage of the 130ft maxi trimaran Spindrift 2 as
she sails from France on her fourth attempt to break the non-stop round
the world record.
The pace the 11 crew have to better is an incredible
average speed around the world of 22.8 knots!
