1 in 10 at risk of rising seas & storms

A recent international study to be published in the April edition of the journal Environment and Urbanization has shown that 1 in 10 people in the world (mostly in Asia) living in coastal areas are at risk from rising seas and more powerful storms that may be a result of global warming.
The researchers urged governments to make billion-dollar policy shifts to encourage more settlements inland rather than in coastal regions from China to Florida that may suffer even more storm surges and erosion.
The study states that a zone less than 10 meters (33 ft) above sea level has about 2 percent of the world's land and 10 percent of its population.

Based on new computer population models and NASA satellite data, it is estimated that 634 million people lived in the coastal zone in 2000- including 360 million in towns and cities, with more than 75% in Asia.
Globalization fosters world trade largely reliant on shipping in countries like China and India and this promotes a shift towards the coasts. Climate experts projected last month that sea levels could rise by 18 to 59 cms (7.1 to 23.2 inches) by 2100, and keep rising for centuries. They also forecasts more powerful storms, droughts and heatwaves resulting from enhanced greenhouse gas emissions, mainly from burning fossil fuels.

Ranked by population, China is most at risk with 143 million people living by the coast, followed by India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Indonesia, Japan, Egypt and the United States.
By another measure, small island states will be hardest hit. More than 90 percent of the Maldives, the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, the Cayman Islands and the Turk and Caicos Islands are less than 10 meters above sea level.
Many countries cannot afford Dutch-style dykes to keep out rising seas but the researchers said governments could do a lot with better long-term planning and incentives for settling on higher ground.

Read more @: http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSL2714227620070328?pageNumber=2

The Antarctic ice sheet is thinning

Scientist have said that a Texas-sized piece of the Antarctic ice sheet is thinning, possibly due to global warming. According to polar ice experts this could cause a significant rise in the level of the world's oceans.

They said "surprisingly rapid changes" were occurring in Antarctica's Amundsen Sea Embayment, which faces the southern Pacific Ocean, but that more study was needed to know how fast it was melting and how much it could cause the sea level to rise.
The warning came in a joint statement issued at the end of a conference of U.S. and European polar ice experts at the University of Texas in Austin.
The scientists blamed the melting ice on changing winds around Antarctica that they said were causing warmer waters to flow beneath ice shelves.

According to them, the wind change, appeared to be a result of several factors, which include global warming, atmospheric ozone depletion and natural variability.
The thinning in the two-mile-(3.2-km)- thick ice shelf is being observed mostly from satellites. Scientist do not know exactly how much ice has been lost, due to the fact that data is difficult to obtain on the remote ice shelves.
There is a study focusing on the Amundsen Sea Embayment because it has been melting quickly and scientist believe this area holds enough water to raise the world's sea level by some six meters, or close to 20 feet.
Taken from: http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSN2834740720070329?pageNumber=2

Marine Scientist Myers Dies

I was reading the morning paper (The Daily News) and came across this article.
Ransom Myers, a 54 year old, Canadian scientist renowned for groundbreaking research and his blunt warnings about the extinction of marine species around the world is dead. He died Tuesday in Halifax after a brief illness linked to an inoperable brain tumour. He was a marine biologist who held the first Killam chair of ocean studies at Dalhousie University, he found out that global industrial fishing had cut populations of large fish, such as tuna, swordfish and marlin, to a mere 10% of the 1950 levels.
He has been described by his colleague, Boris Worm as being "an honest person who, informed the world about the dire state of the marine environment".
Taken from: The Daily News, Thursday March 29,2007 (pg 7).

More Amazing Sea Creatures

Here are some more of the world's strangest Sea Creatures:

NAME: The long-nosed Chimaera.

This is an ancient, deep-ocean relative of sharks and rays. The spine on its back is highly toxic.
Long-nosed chimaeras are rare, deep water fishes found in temperate and tropical seas, living to depths of 2000m. They are larger and have more elongated bodies than the other chimaerids and have snouts elongated into cylindrical or flattened points. They have long tails.

The chimaera is usually between 1 and 1.5m long (including its long tapering snout and fins), with hard and resilient snouts rich in sensory organs, used to dig in soft muddy bottoms in search of shellfish and crustaceans that make up the bulk of its diet. Their skin is orange-brown in colour, paler beneath, and has some irregular darker markings.

NAME: Shapeshifter (Mimic Octopus)

The Shapeshifter (Mimic Octopus) in the guise of a sea snake (left) and flounder (right)

The colorful and graceful mimic octopus boasts some of the most elaborate defensive maneuvers in nature. To confuse both predator and prey alike, it actually twists its semifluid form into the shapes of other sea creatures, changing its color and behavior accordingly. They have been observed copying seahorses, stingrays, flatfish, sea snakes, jellyfish, squid, starfish, crabs, lionfish, and more. There may yet be unknown transformations as well.

NAME: Deep-Sea Anglerfish

The darkest depths of the sea - where the pressure could shatter a human skull - are perpetually black, freezing cold, and absolutely teeming with life. This harsh environment is actually thought to boast a wider range of species than any other ecosystem on earth, including even the rainforest. New animals are discovered there regularly, and the forms taken by creatures at these depths can be baffling.

Probably the largest and most common group of the abyssal fish, deep-ocean anglers boast one of nature's most extreme examples of sexual dimorphism (physical difference between genders). The female angler (three examples shown above) is a large, bloated predator that lures prey directly into her jaws with a luminous "fishing pole". The male, however, is a tiny, eyeless creature with highly developed nostrils and very little else. Once he has sniffed out a female, he locks his jaws onto her flesh and begins to drink her blood. He will remain there for life, losing most of his non-reproductive organs as his skin and circulatory system merges with those of his mate. Some females may carry several parasitic husbands at once. It is not unheard of for a male to attach to a female of the incorrect species.

NAME: Fangtooth or Ogrefish (with an attached male)

The Fangtooth or "ogrefish" is a large abyssal hunter with tough, armored skin and four long, straight teeth that resemble iron nails. These teeth are so long that when the jaw is shut, the lower pair must slide into special sheathes on either side of the fish's brain to avoid impaling it.

Taken from: http://www.bogleech.com/bio-aqua.html & http://www.seafriends.org.nz/enviro/fish/sharkray/chimaeri.htm#chimaera

Reflection....

With less than two weeks to go in the semester, I just wanted to say how happy I am I chose to do this course. I mean school on a whole is a learning experience, but this is one of the few classes I have had the pleasure of being in where i get to learn about so many things that actually genuinely interests me. I have always been a big fan of the oceans and the unique creatures that live there, its many processes, history, formation and generally any and everything relating to it. I have learnt so much in these past months, it is so amazing. Thanks so much Cathy. I had a wonderful last semester, I even enjoyed doing this journal and i am really going to miss it:).

The Blue-Ringed Octopus

This species was mentioned in class, I had never heard of it before and found it quite fascinating. Here is some more on the Blue-Ringed Octopus.

The blue-ringed octopus is from the genus Hapalochlaena. They are actually three or four small octopus species living in tide pools in the Pacific Ocean, from Japan to Australia. The validity of one of the four taxons has been questioned since only a single specimen was found some time ago in the Bay of Bengal. The three are: the Greater and Southern blue-ringed and the Blue-lined octopuses.

The blue-ringed octupus is the size of a golf ball, but has a very powerful venom, one that can kill humans- for which there is no known antidote. The octopus produces venom that contains maculotoxin, 5-hydroxytryptamine, hyaluronidase, tyramine, histamine, tryptamine, octopamine, taurine, acetylchloline and dopamine.

An individual blue-ringed octopus will typically use its dermal chromatophore cells to camouflage itself until provoked. Then it will quickly change color, becoming bright yellow with blue rings or lines.

Their diet typically consists of small crab, and shrimp, but they may also feed on fish if they can catch them. They pounce on their prey, bite them then use their beaks to tear off bits. They then suck out the flesh from the crustacean's exoskeleton. They will hunt small crabs, hermit crabs, and shrimp but will bite an attacker (even humans) if provoked or stepped on.

When mating the male mates with a female by grabbing her mantle, which sometimes completely obscures the female's vision, then transferring sperm packets by inserting his hectocotylus into her mantle cavity over and over again. Mating continues until the female has had enough, and in at least one species has to remove the over-enthusiastic male by force.

Males will attempt copulation with members of their own species regardless of sex or size, however interactions between males are most often shorter in duration and end with the mounting octopus withdrawing the hectocotylus without packet insertion or struggle.
The blue-ringed octopus females will lay only one clutch of about fifty eggs in their lifetime towards the end of Autumn. Eggs are laid then incubated underneath the females arms for approximately six months, and during this process she will not eat. After the eggs hatch the female dies, and the new offspring will reach maturity and be able to mate by the next year.

Some Interesting Sea Dwellers

Name: Mantis Shrimp

The Mantis Shrimp is typically found in from the Gulf of Californai north to Point Conception. They are usually found moving about on the open ocean bottom or hiding in burrows in muddy or sandy bottom.
The adults can grow to be 12 inches long.
Mantis shrimp dig large burrows from 3-6 feet deep and 2-3 inches wide. They feed on clams, mussels and worms, the animals leave their burrows infrequently to feed.

Divers have reported hearing low, "groaning" sounds coming from mantis shrimp burrows. They may produce these sounds to attract a mate. The most amazing feature in the mantis shrimp is the "hammer-like" claw it uses to feed. It is folded back underneath its head, forming a collapsed "Z." It is reported to be one of the fastest movements in the animal kingdom. The strike has been clocked at four milliseconds. In captivity the mantis shrimp can break aquarium glass.

Name: Orangethroat Pikeblenny

These are typically found on sand and mud bottoms living in dead worm tubes, from the Gulf of California north to Anacapa Islande

Little is known of the biology of the Orangethroat Pikeblenny.

They are typically seen with just their head extending from the parchment-like tube of marine worms. Extremely territorial, they aggressively defend their worm tube and the immediate area. Adults can grow to be 6 inches long. They feed on small crustaceans.

Name: Whitemargin Stargazers

They are found in Fiji, Samoa, and Indonesia to the Red Sea and are typically found buried in the sand or mud with only their eyes showing.

This bizarre type of fish gaze up at the stars (since their eyes point almost directly upwards), they wait buried under the sand for their prey to swim overhead. This is their classic ambush of predators. The little fleshy bumps around their mouths, called cirri, keep out the sand while they are breathing. Stargazers have a "fishing lure" in their mouths. It looks like a yummy worm and catches the attention of their victim. The stargazer blasts out of the sand, making a meal of small fishes.

Adults can grow to more than a foot long.

Read more at: http://www.pbs.org/oceanrealm/seadwellers/index.html

Divers Thrilled By Huge School Of Giant Sea Bass

Divers are always looking for that one underwater moment they can savor. For the first time in years, at La Jolla Cove, divers spotted large schools of giant sea bass swimming right by them. This is the moment the divers have waited for, for a long time.
A large number of giant sea bass started showing up in the area about two weeks ago.

These great creatures showed up in the underwater reserve in La Jolla. Seeing the bass return to La Jolla Cove, especially in large numbers is an incredible sight.

Some of the giant sea bass seen in the area ranged between 75 and 125 pounds, with the biggest bass well over 150 pounds.These magnificent fish are as gentle as they are big, and will allow an up close look. They were seen close to winter time, so it was a rare chance to get a glimpse of what the waters off the coast may have been like 50 years ago.

Taken from: http://www.kfmb.com/features/special_assignment/story.php?id=63836#

Flame retardant- growing threat to killer whales

I saw this in an article in the Vancouver Sun. A federal scientist warned that the levels of a toxic chemical retardant are growing quickly in coastal marine waters. The levels are expected to surpass PCBs as the leading contaminant in endangered southern resident killer whales.
The rest of the article is: "Peter Ross of the Institute of Ocean Sciences in Sidney near Victoria said in an interview that research shows levels of PBDEs (polybrominated diphenyl ethers) are steadily increasing in harbour seals in southern Puget Sound in Washington state, with levels in seals in B.C.'s Strait of Georgia expected to be similar.
At the current rate of increase, PBDE levels are predicted to exceed those of PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) in killer whales in our shared waters by 2020. That will further confound recovery efforts, Ross said.
PBDEs are the latest emerging threat to a population of killer whales that is already among the most polluted marine mammals in the world and is officially endangered in Canada and the U.S.
Two toxic lighter forms of PBDEs, penta and octa, were voluntarily withdrawn from the Canadian and U.S. marketplaces more than two years ago, Ross said. Environment Canada is re-evaluating a third type, deca, in light of research showing it can break down and resemble the two other forms and "magnify" up the food chain.
"Washington state is also trying to get rid of all three forms," Ross added.
Unlike PCBs, which were used largely as coolants in industrial transformers before being banned 30 years ago, PBDEs are widely used as flame retardants in polymer resins and plastics and found in consumer products such as furniture, TVs, stereos, computers, carpets, and curtains.
PBDEs find their way into the marine environment through the air or through runoff and effluent, and are thought to pose a risk to the endocrine system, reproductive health, the immune system, and development.
Ross said scientists are often asked to prove the threat posed by a chemical before it is removed, but he argued that in this case the "cautionary principle" should apply, given the killer whales' precarious existence.
"Any way you cut that picture, these chemicals are a perplexing conservation threat."
PBDE levels in harbour seals in Puget Sound have increased steadily: 14 parts per billion in 1984, 281 ppb in 1990, 328 ppb in 1993, 644 ppb in 1996, and 1,057 ppb in 2003.
In comparison, PCBs levels have declined: 100,000 ppb in 1972 and 17,000 ppb by 1984.
Killer whales carry 10 times the contaminants of harbour seals, which means an increase in PBDEs in seals is immediately cause for concern. "They might be much more vulnerable to these impacts," Ross said.
He suggested that society use alternative fire retardants that do not threaten both marine life and first nations who are heavy consumers of marine life." Taken from http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=9f50f8cd-d60f-4040-8446-52e8cbd56780&k=72368

Tsunamis

• Tsunami comes from the Japanese word meaning "harbour wave". They are often incorrectly referred to as tidal waves, they are not caused by the tides, as tides are caused by the earth's gravitational pull and regular waves are caused by the wind.


• A tsunami is a series of waves generated by underwater earthquakes, submarine rock slides or a volcanic eruptions and in rare cases a asteroids or meteoroids crashing into in the water from space. An earthquake has to be over magnitude 6.75 to cause a tsunami. They are very destructive and cause loss of life when they strike a coast.


• A tsunami starts when a huge volume of water is quickly shifted. This rapid movement can happen as the result of an underwater earthquake (when the sea floor quickly moves up or down), a rock slide, a volcanic eruption, or another high-energy event.


• After the huge volume of water has moved, the resulting wave is very long (the distance from crest to crest can be hundred of miles long) but not very tall (roughly 3 feet tall). The wave propagates (spreads) across the sea in all directions; it can travel great distances from the source at tremendous speeds.


• Tsunamis can be up to several miles long.


• In the deep sea, a tsunami's height can be only about 1 m (3 feet) tall. Tsunamis are often barely visible when they are in the deep sea. This makes tsunami detection in the deep sea very difficult


• A tsunami can travel at well over 970 kph (600 mph) in the open ocean - as fast as a jet flies. It can take only a few hours for a tsunami to travel across an entire ocean. A regular wave travels at up to about 90 km/hr.


• Tsunamis are very rare. There are roughly six major tsunamis each century.

Atomic Bomb Test

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pMac_pc0Jg

Operation Crossroads- Baker Event 1946 (atomic bomb test)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XbmXXLwAdI

Underwater Worlds

A Look at : Florida's Dry Tortugas

Florida's Dry Tortugas is one of the five unique ecosystems that is a part of the rich diverse ocean life in U.S. waters. The remote waters of the Dry Tortugas is located seventy miles west of Key West. Fishing and coastal development and other human activities have long threatened marine ecosystems in the Gulf Coast. The Dry Tortugas are relatively pristine, but, overfishing has depleted fish stocks and damaged coral habitat with fishing gear and anchors.

In 2001, Florida and the federal government declared 150 square miles of the Tortugas' blue and lime-green waters to be a no-fishing marine reserve. Drilling, dumping and anchoring are also banned in the Tortugas Ecological Reserve. The protected area extends from shallow waters to depths of 1,800 feet -- much of which scientists are only now beginning to explore.

The Dry Tortugas is home to some 250 species of fish, dazzling displays of mushroom-shaped coral reefs and swaying seagrass beds. The waters serve as a marine nursery for grouper, snapper, shrimp and other species important to both commercial and sport fishing. The powerful Gulf Stream current washes eggs, larvae and juvenile fish from the remote Tortuga nurseries out to populate the waters surrounding the Florida Keys and the state's southern tip.

Since the creation of the reserve, the Dry Tortugas have become a refuge for large pink shrimp, lobster and yellowtail snapper, just a few of the species whose size and number are increasing under the new protections.

Read more: http://www.nrdc.org/water/oceans/worlds/page2.asp

The Sargasso Sea

The Sargasso Sea was briefly mentioned in class the other day, I decided to take a closer look at it.

The Sargasso Sea lies between the West Indies and the Azores and is part of the North Atlantic Ocean. It got its name from the sea weed sargassum that lazily floats on its surface. It is the strangest and most notorious sea on the planet, covering the heart of the Bermuda Triangle.

'The Sargasso Sea occupies that part of the Atlantic between 20o to 35o North Latitude and 30o to 70o (the horse latitudes), West Longitude. It is in complete contrast to the ocean around it. Its currents are largely immobile yet surrounded by some of the strongest currents in the world: The Florida, Gulf Stream, Canary, North Equatorial, Antilles, and Caribbean currents. These interlock to separate this sea from the rest of the tempestuous Atlantic, making its indigenous currents largely entropious. Therefore anything that drifts onto any of its surrounding currents eventually ends up in the Sargasso Sea amidst its expansive weed mats of sargassum. Because of the entropious currents, it is unlikely anything would ever drift out. The Sargasso Sea rotates slightly itself and even changes position as its surrounding currents change with weather and temperature patterns during different seasons'.

'The "Seaweed Sea" has a centuries old rep. for mysterious disappearances.An evaluation of ship and aircraft disappearances draws a striking connection with this ancient sea of mystery and the modern Bermuda Triangle: the northern boundary of the Sargasso Sea more correctly represents the northern limits of the area of disappearances, for many aircraft and ships were in this vicinity when they vanished– i.e. a few hundred miles north of Bermuda but just entering the Sargasso Sea. The s.s Poet, 520-feet, bound for Gibraltar in 1980, a SAC B-52 on maneuvers in 1961, KB-50 ariel tanker in 1962, a Super Connie in 1954, a Navy Martin Marlin amphibian in 1956 are but a few examples'. Read more at: http://shs.westport.k12.ct.us/chia/caribbean/sargasso_sea.htm