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
NOAA Backs Marine Debris Removal/Research
with marine debris as well as the fate and transport of marine debris in nearshore, coastal environments. Arizona State University ($195,837) will use a risk assessment framework to quantify microplastics (plastic pieces <5mm in size) in water, sediment and bivalves at three sites in American Samoa, and assess the types and concentrations of organic contaminants in those microplastics. The University of Connecticut ($257,531) will identify what effects microplastic consumption has on oysters, what types of microplastics are most likely to be consumed by oysters, and increase
Researchers to Explore Subsea Mountains in the Pacific
and videographers at the Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration (GFOE) are used to working in extreme environments. The GFOE has undertaken its first cruise of 2017, which set sail Feb. 16-, and runs through March 2, in support of the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) American Samoa seamounts expedition. This cruise kicks off the third and final year of NOAA’s exploration of U.S. Central Pacific waters. On board the NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer, GFOE’s team of 15 highly talented engineers and videographers are helping to investigate and document the diversity
NOAA's Okeanos Explorer Journeys Into Pacific Deepwater
the expeditions.”This public engagement improves science literacy and fosters an interest in the sciences among young people – perhaps leading to the next generation of ocean explorers.” The 2017 expeditions will take place in and around the National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa, the Rose Atoll Marine National Monument, the Musicians Seamounts, and the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, including the areas of Howland, Baker and Jarvis Islands, Palmyra Atoll and Kingman Reef, and Johnston Atoll. While this year’s dives will focus on waters of the United
Hawaiki Transpacific Cable Route Survey Completed
, cable and repeater manufacturing for the system continues unabated at SubCom’s Newington, N.H. USA facility, while the permitting process for implementation of Hawaiki is progressing as planned. Hawaiki will link Australia and New Zealand to the mainland United States, as well as Hawaii and American Samoa, with options to expand to several other South Pacific islands. Hawaiki Cable Updates SubCom has completed the route survey for the entire Hawaiki system, including the small boat, shallow water work for all landings. Manufacturing continues at SubCom’s facility, with
Hawaiki Cable on Schedule for Mid-2018 Completion
have been completed for sites in Pacific City, Oregon and Kapolei, Hawaii. The Hawaiki marine route survey is ongoing, with highlights including completion of deep sea survey from Oregon to Hawaii; survey has covered all of U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), with the completion of the branch to American Samoa; and progress through the South Pacific Islands continues unabated. Hawaiki has also added three additional branching units to enable the future connection of New Caledonia, Fiji and Tonga. In September 2016, Hawaiki Submarine Cable LP officially submitted for a submarine cable
