AAM Launches 50’ Research Vessel for NOAA
, and we are always excited to work with this essential agency. The Office of Marine Sanctuaries serves as the trustee for a network of marine protected areas encompassing more than 600,000 square miles of marine and Great Lakes waters from Washington state to the Florida Keys, and from Lake Huron to American Samoa.”(Photo: All American Marine)On board the vessel there is approximately 250 square feet of working space on the aft deck, with a complete complement of working gear and an extensive grid of deck sockets. The deck sockets are spaced every two feet and allow equipment and gear to be secured
Record-sized Coral Colony Discovered in American Samoa
A new record size coral colony at Ta’u Island in American Samoa identified by NOAA-funded researchers is said to be even larger than the island’s Big Momma colony, one of the largest in the world.The colony was measured and described during a monitoring survey conducted by a multi-agency team including NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa (NMSAS), American Samoa’s Coral Reef Advisory Group, American Samoa’s Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources, and the National Park of American Samoa, and funded by NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program. The
More Than $5.9 Mln Invested in Marine Debris Cleanup Projects
, Oregon, Puerto Rico and Texas. The grantees will implement locally based, cost-effective activities to remove marine debris, including derelict fishing gear and other medium- and large-scale debris.Approximately $1.4 million will support 13 marine debris prevention projects in Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Rhode Island, Virginia and Washington. These projects will provide the knowledge and resources necessary to change behaviors, raise awareness and promote the long-term prevention of marine debris.Marine debris is not only a threat
New Study Tracks Trash Found at the Ocean's Depths
and Research, Discovering the Deep: Exploring Remote Pacific MPAs)Metal, glass, plastic, rubber, cloth, fishing gear and other debris were encountered during 17.5% of the 188 dives reviewed, at depths between 150 and 6,000 meters. While this percentage may seem low, in some areas such as off American Samoa, the densities of debris were as high as 196-1,961 items per square kilometer. This patchy distribution is likely influenced by depth, geological features such as seamounts, the proximity to areas with dense human populations, and past conflict in the region, with 5.2% of debris observed consisting
NASA Asks Gamers, Citizen Scientists to Help Map World's Corals
originally developed to look at stars, these "fluid-lensing" cameras use complex calculations to undo the optical distortions created by the water over coral reefs.NASA has deployed these instruments – mounted on drones or aircraft – on expeditions to Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, and elsewhere to collect 3D images of the ocean floor, including corals, algae and seagrass. However, the data alone do not tell the whole story of what's happening to the corals beneath the waves, which is why NASA needs help.Enter NeMO-Net, a video game in which players identify and classify
Scientists Study Largest Underwater Volcanic Eruption
;It turned out that each bump was a giant block of pumice, some of them the size of a van. I had never seen anything like it on the seafloor.” Havre is part of the Kermadec Arc, a chain of volcanoes, some of which reach the surface to form the Kermadec Islands, between New Zealand and American Samoa. The volcanoes are formed by conditions at the subduction zone where one of Earth’s largest tectonic plates, the Pacific Plate, dives beneath the Australian Plate. Scientists from New Zealand had previously mapped the Havre volcano, a caldera nearly 4.5 kilometers across on the
Wave Glider to Help Protect Marine Sanctuaries
New solutions to help protect and preserve the Hawaiian and American Samoa marine sanctuaries and monuments will be developed through a multi-year agreement between Liquid Robotics and NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) Pacific Islands Region (PIR). At the core of the long-term environmental monitoring and surveillance of the Pacific’s most diverse and endangered underwater ecosystems will be Liquid Robotics’ Wave Glider, an autonomous surface ocean robot that will be used to help address long-term monitoring and scientific data collection gaps that are not
Energy Industry Says 'No Thanks' to Trump Offer of Marine Sanctuaries
region that would be most affected by the review. Officials for those companies did not respond to requests for comment. Other sanctuaries under review include the Thunder Bay Sanctuary in the Great Lakes, the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts in the Atlantic, and sites off Hawaii, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Government offshore drilling lease data reviewed by Reuters shows the oil industry is bidding on less offshore acreage with less money than it has in years, in part because onshore reserves have become easier to tap with new drilling technology.  
Hawaiki Transpacific Cable Set for Installation
and are in the final stages of being loaded aboard cable laying vessels for deployment to beginning in early October. The Hawaiki submarine cable system, owned and developed Hawaiki Submarine Cable LP, will link Australia and New Zealand to the mainland United States, as well as Hawaii and American Samoa, with options to expand to additional South Pacific islands. The carrier-neutral cable system was co-developed by New Zealand-based entrepreneurs Sir Eion Edgar, Malcolm Dick and Remi Galasso as the highest cross-sectional capacity link between the U.S. and Australia and New Zealand. For