Even the World's Deepest Trench Is Full of Garbage Now

What is Ocean Etiquette?

Radioactive cesium from Fukushima on tour of Pacific Ocean

I wonder how long before it reaches here.....

Amplify’d from www.telegraph.co.uk

Radioactive cesium from the crippled Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant is circulating with the currents in the Pacific Ocean and will wash up on Japan's shores again in between 20 and 30 years.

A TEPCO worker checks radiation levels around piping at the Fukushima nuclear power plant Photo: AFP/GETTY

Scientists from the government's Meteorological Research Institute and the Central Research Institute of the Electric Power Industry announced their findings at a meeting of the Geochemical Society of Japan this week, adding that some of the cesium will also flow into the Indian Ocean and, eventually, reach the Atlantic.

The scientists estimated that some 3,500 terabecquerels of cesium-137 was released into the sea directly from the plant between March 11, when the earthquake and tsunami struck, and the end of May. Another 10,000 terabecquerels of cesium fell into the ocean after escaping from the reactors in the form of steam.

One terabecquerel is a trillion becquerels, the standard measure of radiation, and the Japanese government has set the permissible level of iodine-131 for vegetables and fish at 2,000 becquerels per kilogram (2.2lbs).

Cesium is considered a more serious threat, however, because of its relatively long half-life. Cesium has a half-life of around 30 years, can accumulate in muscles and is a known cause of cancer.

The researchers believe that the cesium has initially dispersed into the Pacific from the coast of Fukushima Prefecture but will be taken to the southwest by the prevailing currents at a depth of around 1,300 feet. Just short of the International Date Line, the shifting currents will take the cesium close to the Philippines before it again turns north on the Japan Current. Read more at www.telegraph.co.uk

 See this Amp at http://tgr.ph/qPR1Os

Song for the Ocean

The Internet's Undersea World

From Site:
"You would think that the Internet would be mobile now. That all connections travel from east to west, and back, via satellites and radio waves. That isn’t how it works. The Internet is visible, tangible, breakable, and wet.

As you can see in this beautiful illustration (click it for a larger image!) the main continents are connected by less than 10cm thick Fiber Optic cables.

Those cables are generally 69 mm in diameter and weigh over 10.000 kilograms a kilometer. In deeper waters, lighter and less insulated cables are used. The capacity for these combined cables is more than 7 million bits per second.

That capacity is rarely used though. In general only 29% is in use. Of that 29% more than 70% is for Internet Traffic.

So, feel free to download more and bigger files from those transatlantic servers. The capacity is there so why not use it?"

[via: http://thenextweb.com]

-How undersea cables are repaired

*Kewl stuff!

Breath The Earth

Wonder how this wil go...

Nations forging plan to protect Coral Triangle

WWF warns tuna fleets might venture there after depleting Mediterranean

The Philippines has proposed adding a premium to the price of fish from the Coral Triangle, as six Asian countries discussed Thursday how to protect one of the world's richest marine areas from pollution.

The countries that bound the Coral Triangle — Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and East Timor — are meeting in Manila to prepare a draft plan of action to safeguard the 2.2 million-square-mile ocean expanse with 75 percent of all known coral species and more than 3,000 fish species. It will be submitted to heads of state at the World Oceans Conference in Indonesia next year.
[via: http://www.msnbc.msn.com]

How Deep Can You Go?

3 Deepest Ocean Trenches
Mariana Trench, Pacific Ocean, 35760 - 36090 ft., 6.77 - 6.84 miles
The Challenger Deep is the deepest surveyed point in the oceans, with a depth of about 36,000 feet. The exact depth is unknown. The United States Navy bathyscaphe Trieste reached the bottom at 1:06 p.m. on January 23, 1960

Tonga Trench, Pacific Ocean, 35,702 ft., 6.76 miles. is located in the Pacific Ocean and is 10,882 meters (35,702 ft) deep at its deepest point, known as the Horizon Deep. The convergence is taking place at a rate estimated at approximately 15 centimeters (6 in) per year (by Lonsdale, 1986); however, recent Global Positioning Satellite measurements indicate in places a convergence of 24 centimeters (10 in) per year across the northern Tonga Trench, which is the fastest plate velocity recorded on the planet (Bevis et al., 1995).

Philippine Trench, Pacific Ocean, 34,580 ft., 6.55 miles. The Philippine Trench or Philippine Deep or Mindanao Trench or Mindanao Deep is a submarine trench to the east of the Philippine Islands. Its deepest point, the Galathea Depth, has a depth of 10,540 meters (5,763 fathoms or 34,580 feet). Until 1970 the Philippine Trench was regarded as the deepest point of the earth.
[via: http://literary-bridge-philippines.de]
[via: http://en.wikipedia.org]
[via: http://dusk2.geo.orst.edu]

Climate change could devastate Philippines: NASA scientist

From Site:

Floodwaters submerge a street in Makati city in suburban Manila following heavy rain as tropical storm approaches northern Philippines, September 8.

Climate change could have a devastating impact on the Philippines, leading to widespread destruction of the country's flora and fauna and flooding the capital Manila, a NASA scientist warned here Friday.

The continued melting of Arctic ice caps, brought on by climate change, could cause sea levels to rise by seven metres (23 feet), said National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) physicist Josefino Comiso.

He said the country's fish stocks would be depleted and many species of plant and animal life would die because of the change in ocean temperatures caused by climate change.

Comiso said the slow melting of the ice caps should be more than "just an item of curiosity" for Filipinos.

"The Philippines is a country that is among the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change," Comiso said.
[via: http://news.yahoo.com]

The Rise Of Slime

Oceans Dead Zones Double To More Than 400 Worldwide
From Site:
"According to the research published last Friday in Science, there are now more than 400 dead zones worldwide, double the number reported by the United Nations just two years ago. Ugh."

"I also really like Jackson's assignment/presentation of the status of marine ecosystems given principal symptoms and drivers of degradation:"


[via: http://scienceblogs.com/shiftingbaselines]
[via: http://scrippsnews.ucsd.edu]
[via: http://www.latimes.com]

Actually Not Just...

The Most Dangerous Species In The Mediterranean

[via: http://scienceblogs.com/deepseanews]
[via: http://klasherbert.com]

Oh sooo... HOT!

Found: The hottest water on Earth
From Site:
Even Jules Verne did not foresee this one. Deep down at the very bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, geochemist Andrea Koschinsky has found something truly extraordinary: "It's water," she says, "but not as we know it."

At over 3 kilometres beneath the surface, sitting atop what could be a huge bubble of magma, it's the hottest water ever found on Earth. The fluid is in a "supercritical" state that has never before been seen in nature.

The fluid spews out of two black smokers called Two Boats and Sisters Peak.[via: http://environment.newscientist.com]

Rip Currents: The Ocean's Deadliest Trick

Live Sceince
Year after year, the ocean's most successful killer is not the great white shark. It's not the deadly jellyfish. Not even monster waves or hurricane-force winds. Your worst ocean nightmare during a day at the beach is more likely to be a rip current, experts say.

Every year more than 100 beachgoers drown in these strong rushes of water that pull swimmers away from the shore. And that's just in the United States. Nearly half of all rescues made by lifeguards at ocean beaches are related to rip currents, according to the United States Lifesaving Association. Sharks typically kill about 6 people a year globally.
[via: http://www.livescience.com]

Sylvia Earle Speaks For The Sea

Earth & Sky

(Credit: San Antonio Public Libray)
From Site:
Sylvia Earle: This is the time, as never before, that the systems that do safeguard and give us life are in trouble. And that means we’re in trouble.

Earle calls human beings Earth’s most relentless predator for the ocean’s large fish. And yet – while time is running out for many fish species – she’s still hopeful.

Sylvia Earle: The good news is that we now know this, and we have a chance. And we should take heart in that. We should be excited that of all the people who have ever lived on the planet, we have an unprecedented chance to make a difference, to turn things around.
[via:http://www.earthsky.org]

Our Ocean World

Our Ocean World

A daily radio feature that brings listeners around the world news and information about issues related to the ocean. The show presents solutions to shared problems and suggestions on how listeners can help preserve our most vital natural resource.

Prehistoric Explosions Wiped Out Ocean Life-- And Created Petroleum

Prehistoric Explosions Wiped Out Ocean Life And Created Petroleum

From Site:
Much of Earth's oil reserves can be traced to a single volcanic eruption, scientists say
According to Turgeon and Creaser, lava fountains from the ancient eruption changed oceanic chemistry, triggering widespread extinction of marine life. This happened in a two-step process: First, as the volcano erupted, nutrients were released into the ocean, encouraging the growth of vegetation and the feeding and reproduction of marine organisms. As this overgrowth of new plant and animal populations died off, the decomposing organic matter released clouds of carbon dioxide into the ocean and atmosphere, leading to an anoxic, or oxygen-depleted, environment.
Normally, decaying materials are completely broken down in the ocean, but due to the lack of oxygen, the prehistoric organic matter settled at the bottom of the sea bed and became trapped there, forming the petroleum-rich shale deposits which are important sources of oil today.
[via: http://www.popsci.com]

Teach Your Child About Oceans and Ocean Life

From Site:
Teach Kids How
Preparing Your Child for Life Educational articles for parents, giving practical advice on how to give your children the best possible start in life. Topics covered include character building, health awareness, study habits and a series of how to guides for a variety of leisure activities. Teach Kids How offers parenting tips for moms and dads, old or new.

Teach Your Child About Oceans and Ocean Life
Earth’s ocean covers nearly three-quarters of its surface. The average depth is two and one-half miles, or four kilometers. Whether you’re looking at the ocean on a globe or standing on the ocean shore, the vastness of our ocean is its predominant characteristic.

Although there is really only one big ocean, we divide it up into sections and name them for our convenience. They are the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern, and Arctic Oceans, listed in order from largest to smallest in terms of area. The study of our oceans is called oceanography. Each ocean has its own wonders.

All ocean water is salty and filled with an unfathomable variety of plant and animal life, from the largest to the tiniest life forms on Earth. The study of ocean life is called marine biology.

Teaching your child about the ocean and ocean life can be an amazing and highly educational joint venture. There is so much to know!

[via: http://www.teachkidshow.com]

*Very nice site and well worth the read if you have kids!*

Bring on the Tequila!

A dash of lime - a new twist that may cut CO2 levels back to pre-industrial levels
From Site:
Adding lime to seawater to reverse CO2 in the atmosphere

Scientists say they have found a workable way of reducing CO2 levels in the atmosphere by adding lime to seawater. And they think it has the potential to dramatically reverse CO2 accumulation in the atmosphere, reports Cath O'Driscoll in SCI's Chemistry & Industry magazine published today.

Shell is so impressed with the new approach that it is funding an investigation into its economic feasibility. 'We think it's a promising idea,' says Shell's Gilles Bertherin, a coordinator on the project. 'There are potentially huge environmental benefits from addressing climate change – and adding calcium hydroxide to seawater will also mitigate the effects of ocean acidification, so it should have a positive impact on the marine environment.'
[via: http://www.eurekalert.org]

Unexpected New Striations in the Earth s Ocean Currents

Unexpected New Striations in the Earth s Ocean Currents:

From Site:
"Sailors and scientists have been mapping ocean currents for centuries, but it turns out they’ve missed something big. How big? The entire ocean is striped with 100-mile-wide bands of slow-moving water that extend right down to the seafloor, according to a recent study.Source: livescience.com"
[via: http://www.nowpublic.com]

Alarm over acidifying oceans

Alarm over acidifying oceans
From Site:
Climate change may be veering out of control before we understand the consequences, say scientists studying the world's oceans.

If carbon dioxide emissions keep rising, surface waters could become more acidic than they have been for 300 million years - except perhaps during global catastrophes. And this warning follows a report that the biological productivity of the oceans has fallen by six per cent since the 1980s.

"We are changing the chemistry of the ocean and we don't know what it's going to do," says Ken Caldeira, a climate specialist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California.

As the amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere rises, more of the gas reacts with seawater to produce bicarbonate and hydrogen ions, increasing the acidity of the surface layer of water. Ocean pH was 8.3 after the last ice age and 8.2 before CO₂ emissions took off in the industrial era. It is now 8.1.
[via: http://www.newscientist.com]