Black Whale Pictures Takes Innovative Approach to Underwater Cinematography
such as 1Ocean with UNESCO, Barba and Energy Observer, has combined a deep passion for biodiversity and the sea with technical acumen and established Black Whale Pictures in 2017.A pivotal asset in their technological arsenal since 2022 is the Boxfish Luna, an innovative underwater drone by the New Zealand manufacturer of professional ROVs and AUVs, Boxfish Robotics. This drone has transformed how Black Whale Pictures approaches underwater cinematography. With the Luna, filmmakers can dive into the ocean’s depths without leaving the deck, controlling the camera remotely to capture the elusive
MMA Offshore Secures Habitat Enhancement Contract in New Zealand
MMA Offshore has been awarded a $3.7 million supply and installation contract for habitat enhancement in Te Whanganui-a-tara (Wellington Harbor), Aotearoa, offshore New Zealand.Located on the southern tip of New Zealand’s North Island, Te Whanganui-a-tara is home to Te Ara Tupua – a significant infrastructure project being delivered by Te Ara Tupua Alliance in partnership with iwi mana whenua Taranaki Whānui and Ngāti Toa.The project will improve transport resilience between Wellington and Lower Hutt while creating a new walking and cycling link.MMA Offshore has been awarded a contract to
New Wave Data Underpins Ship Structural Integrity
;s MetOceanView interface, and some is shown to provide comparisons with the system’s modelled data, for example wave buoy data is displayed on a graph comparing observed to forecasted wave height.That comparison was pertinent on February 14, 2023, the day that Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle hit New Zealand. Port of Napier’s Wave Rider Buoy measured significant wave heights of up to 6m before waves broke it free from its mooring. The forecast was 5.4m. MetOcean’s subsequent analysis suggested that a sea state with wave heights of 6m would occur on average only once every 3,000 years at
Ocean Engineers and Scientists Share Ideas, Challenges at International Arctic Workshop
who are supporting the International Cooperative Engagement Program for Polar Research, also known as ICE-PPR.ICE-PPR is a multilateral framework Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that enables a 25-year engagement among the governments, academia, and industry of the U.S., Canada, Denmark, Finland, New Zealand, Norway and Sweden. The MOU can be used to address various areas of interest including polar environmental modeling, prediction, and information sharing; polar sensors and remote sensing techniques; polar communications and situational awareness; platform design and performance for polar environments
All American Marine Launches New Research Vessel for NOAA
, Wash. boatbuilder All American Marine (AAM) has launched the newly built research vessel Gannet for NOAA Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary (GRNMS).The newbuild is a 52- by 19-foot semi-displacement aluminum catamaran hull that was developed by Nic de Waal of Teknicraft Design in Auckland, New Zealand. The vessel is based on the proven design elements found in the recently commissioned research vessel Storm Petrel, built for NOAA’s Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary.This versatile research vessel will navigate inland waterways and offshore ocean routes in the southeastern United
All American Marine Delivers Research Vessel for the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa
vessel for the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa on behalf of the Hawai’i Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB).The state-of-the-art research vessel, Imua, is a 68.5’ x 25’ semi-displacement aluminum catamaran hull that was developed by Nic de Waal of Teknicraft Design in Auckland, New Zealand. The vessel contains proven design elements found in the recently commissioned research vessels Blue Manta and Shearwater built for BlueTide Puerto Rico and Duke University, respectively.The vessel was constructed to U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) standards and will operate as a multipurpose research
NZ’s Vital Kelp Forests are in Peril from Ocean Warming
Years of almost non-stop marine heatwaves are stressing New Zealand’s kelp forests. But as we show in our new research, ongoing ocean warming is only one of several threats to these unique and important coastal seaweed ecosystems.Many seaweed species are sensitive to changes in the ocean’s acidity and coastal “darkening” – changes in colour and clarity – is forcing some to retreat to shallower waters. All these stress factors combined place these crucial habitats in peril, with consequences for all species that depend on them.New Zealand has the ninth longest
Happy to be Blue
out of the research voyage. That did it for me—I fell in love with being at sea.”After Dalhousie, Waite completed her PhD in biological oceanography at the University of British Columbia and then held postdoctoral positions at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and Victoria University in New Zealand. She soon took a professorship at the University of Western Australia in Perth, where she taught and led research for 17 years. In 2014, Waite became section head of polar biological oceanography at the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research before returning to Halifax and her
Record Low Antarctic Sea Ice is Another Alarming Sign the Ocean’s Role as Climate Regulator is Changing
has been shown to be even more of a mixing hotspot than previously thought.An ocean turbulence sensor being deployed in rough conditions. Author provided, CC BY-NDA warming PacificDespite the connected ocean, the individual basins have their own characteristics and contributions to climate. Aotearoa New Zealand sits in the southwest corner of the Pacific Ocean, which covers about a third of the globe’s surface.The Pacific is so large it has its own internal cycles, such as the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). We have to disentangle these to understand long-term changes.While El Niñ
February 2024
