Weekly Ocean News

DATASTREME OCEAN WEEK TEN: 6-10 April 2009

Ocean in the News:

Eye on the Tropics --- In western South Pacific, Tropical Cyclone Lin developed on Saturday to the east-southeast of Fiji. This cyclone, with winds of tropical-storm strength, was traveling to the south-southeast on Sunday.
In South Indian Ocean Tropical Cyclone Jade formed to the northeast of Madagascar on Saturday. This system was traveling to the southwest toward Madagascar late Sunday (local time).
Hispaniola was a hurricane target last year -- A climatologist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center using data collected from NASA satellites including: Aqua, CloudSat, Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites, Landsat, QuikScat, Terra and the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission reports that Hispaniola was hit by five hurricane-force tropical cyclones (Fay, Gustav, Hanna, Ike and Kyle) in 2008 resulting in over 800 deaths and inflicting major damage on this tropical island locate in what he calls "hurricane alley." [NASA GSFC]
Ecosystems in Hawaiian marine monument listed in good condition -- A report released recently by NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries claims the marine life and habitats to be in good overall condition in NOAA's Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument located in the waters to the northwest of the main Hawaiian Islands. However, the report warns that the monument's ecosystems could face emerging threats. [NOAA News]
Flame retardants raise concern for nation's coastal ecosystems -- Using data from a variety of sources including NOAA’s Mussel Watch Program, a group of scientists from NOAA's National Ocean Service and colleagues recently warned that their nationwide survey indicates levels of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs), toxic chemicals used as flame retardants, have increased in the nation's coastal waters and the Great Lakes, thereby representing a major threat to the marine and freshwater ecosystems. [NOAA News]
Ice-free Arctic summers could appear all too soon -- An oceanographer at NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory and a colleague from the University of Washington warn that their research, which involves use of six sophisticated computer models, indicates that the summer ice cover across much of the Arctic Ocean could disappear within 30 years, much sooner than the end of this century as previously expected. [NOAA News]
Space agency continues to support polar research -- Although the International Polar Year has officially concluded, NASA continues to support polar research on several fronts. This past week, the first of two airborne field campaigns to the Greenland and Iceland ice sheets commenced, while later in 2009, NASA scientists will drill Antarctica's massive Pine Island Glacier . NASA's Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) is completing a seasonal survey of the world's ice sheets. [NASA JPL]
Mysterious green glow in seawater studied -- Researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography claim that they may have found the source of the mysterious green glow that has been seen by many sailors for centuries in the near surface waters of the tropical oceans. Apparently, marine fireworms emit a chemical that contains a green bioluminescence as part of an undersea mating ritual. [Scripps News]
Feature in a Caribbean coral atoll detected from space -- An image recently made by the Advanced Land Imager (ALI) on NASA’s Earth Observing-1 satellite shows he Lighthouse Reef Atoll and the Great Blue Hole in the Caribbean waters off the Central American nation of Belize. [NASA Earth Observatory]
Study focuses on marine microbes that fix carbon and nitrogen -- A microbiologist at the University of Southern California and colleagues used advanced imaging technology in their study of a marine microbe called Trichodesmium that concurrently absorbs both carbon dioxide and nitrogen from the atmosphere and fixes these gases as free oxygen, carbon-based food and nitrogen-based fertilizers. [EurekAlert!]
New theory presented for greatest mass extinction in earth's history -- Researchers at Germany's Helmholtz-Center for Environmental Research and their colleagues from Russia, Austria and South Africa have proposed a new theory to explain the largest mass extinction in the history of the earth at end of the Permian Age (250 million years ago), which involves the release of sufficient quantities of volatile halogenated gases from giant salt lakes to change the atmospheric composition to irretrievably damage vegetation. This theory differs from those that have considered volcanic eruptions, asteroid impacts or the release of methane hydrate as being the cause. [Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research]
Antarctic marine biodiversity data placed online -- As a consequence of data collection during the recently concluded International Polar Year, a web portal called SCAR-MarBIN (SCAR Marine Biodiversity Information Network) has been unveiled by SCAR (Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research) that provides any user with free access to information on Antarctic marine biodiversity. [EurekAlert!]
Mantle plumes may bend beneath Earth's crust -- A geophysicist at the University of Rochester and colleagues at Stanford University and in Germany report that their research using computer simulations and ancient magnetism indicates deep mantle plumes of hot magma that created such geologic features as the Hawaiian Islands and Yellowstone National Park appear to be bent, suggesting movement of these plumes. [University of Rochester]
An All-Hazards Monitor -- This Web portal provides the user information from NOAA on current environmental events that may pose as hazards such as tropical weather, marine weather, tsunamis, rip currents, Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) and coral bleaching. [NOAAWatch]
Global and US Hazards/Climate Extremes -- A review and analysis of the global impacts of various weather-related events, including drought, floods, and storms during the current month. [NCDC]
Earthweek -- Diary of the Planet [earthweek.com] Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Concept of the Week: Solving the Mystery of Seamount Ecosystems

The United States Commission on Ocean Policy reports that less than 5% of the ocean floor has been explored. This is beginning to change as scientists and engineers develop and apply new technologies to investigate deep ocean waters and the sea bottom (refer to Chapter 13 in your DataStreme Ocean textbook). Consider, for example, the effort to obtain a better understanding of seamount ecosystems.

A seamount is a submarine mountain of volcanic origin (now extinct) that rises more than 1000 m (3300 ft) above the ocean floor. Usually a seamount summit is 1000 to 2000 m (3300 to 6600 ft) below sea level. They occur as isolated peaks, chains (e.g., Emperor Seamounts in the North Pacific; New England chain in the North Atlantic), or clusters. The term "seamount" was first applied in 1936 to the Davidson Seamount located off the coast of Southern California. Scientists estimate that perhaps 30,000 dot the ocean floor with as many as two-thirds located on the Pacific Ocean bottom. However, fewer than one thousand seamounts have been named and only a handful of seamounts has received detailed scientific study.

In recent years, discovery of unique life forms on seamounts has spurred scientific interest in seamount ecosystems. Many nations, including the United States, Australia, and New Zealand, are supporting scientific cruises to observe and collect specimens from seamount ecosystems. Seamount ecosystems are unusually productive and are home to unique species. Some seamount surveys have found that certain seamount species are endemic, that is, they live on only one seamount or a few nearby peaks. For example, up to one-third of all species living on some seamounts off New Caledonia are endemic while up to half of the invertebrates and fish on the Nazca seamount off Chile are endemic. In the northeast Pacific, large-scale eddies may transport larval fish from coastal environments to isolated seamounts located out at sea. Furthermore, some scientists argue that seamounts may function as stepping stones that allow for migration of species over lengthy periods--perhaps over millions of years. In addition, some seamounts may serve as aids to navigation for fish that migrate over long distances. For example, hammerhead sharks may use the magnetic field surrounding seamounts to find their way.

The recent effort to survey and explore seamount ecosystems has reached new urgency with the realization of the devastating impact of commercial fish trawlers on those ecosystems. In some cases, trawling has striped off most marine life (e.g., coral gardens) from the surface of seamounts leaving behind mostly bare rock. Typically, trawled seamounts have only half the biomass and considerably fewer species than undisturbed seamounts. Scientists anticipate that a better understanding of seamount ecosystems will help make the case for their conservation and inform the most effective strategies for their protection. Australia is one of the first nations to protect seamount ecosystems, establishing the Tasmanian Seamount Marine Reserve in 1999. The reserve covers 370 square km (140 square mi) and includes more than a dozen seamounts.

Concept of the Week: Questions

Seamounts are extinct submarine volcanoes that occur primarily in the [(Atlantic) (Pacific)(Southern)] Ocean.
Commercial fish trawling has [(little if any)(a devastating)] impact on seamount ecosystems.

Historical Events:

6 April 1894...President Grover Cleveland authorized enforcement of the Paris Award concerning the preservation of fur seals in Alaska. (USCG Historian's Office)
6 April 1909...The American explorer, Commander Robert E. Peary, USN, along with assistant Matthew Henson, and four Eskimos reported reaching the geographic North Pole; however, navigational errors may have meant that they were a few miles away from the exact pole. (Naval Historical Center) (The History Channel)
6 April 1913...USRC Seneca, a derelict destroyer (whose mission was to locate and destroy abandoned wrecks that were still afloat and a menace to navigation), inaugurated the Revenue Cutter Service's participation in the International Ice Patrol. (USCG Historian's Office)
8-10 April 1958...A global 48-hr precipitation record was established at Aurere, La Reunion Island, when 97.1 in. of rain from a tropical cyclone fell on the Indian Ocean island. (The Weather Doctor)
8-14 April 1984...Intense Tropical Cyclone Kaimsy crossed and re-crossed the northern portion of Madagascar. Winds exceeding 112 mph destroyed 80 percent of Antseranana and Mahajanga. Rainfall from this system totaled 27.99 in. Eighty-two people were killed and 100,000 were made homeless. Damage was greater than 150 million US dollars. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar) (The Weather Doctor)
9 April 1770...The English explorer Captain James Cook discovered Botany Bay on the Australian continent.
10 April 1877...The first of two great coastal storms struck the Virginia and North Carolina coasts. The Oregon Inlet was widened by three-quarters of a mile. The "entire topography of country is materially altered," according to a description of the altering of sand dunes at Cape Hatteras, NC. (Intellicast)
10 April 1998...Northeast winds at 40 mph on the 9^th and 10^th combined with high levels of Lake Erie produced waves to 14 ft along the lakeshore in Ottawa and Sandusky Counties in Ohio. Much damage resulted, along with the destruction of 10 houses. Bulldozers were needed to clear the debris from roads. Downtown Port Clinton streets were flooded. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
11 April 1803...A twin-screw propeller steamboat was patented by John Stevens of Hoboken, NJ. (Today in Science History)
11 April 1900...The U.S. Navy acquired its first submarine, a 53-foot craft designed by Irish immigrant John P. Holland that was propelled by gasoline while on the surface and by electricity when submerged. (Today in Science History)