Scientists Replicate Prehistoric Seafaring with Primitive Canoe
to them?Scientists now have undertaken an experimental voyage across a stretch of the East China Sea, paddling from Ushibi in eastern Taiwan to Japan's Yonaguni Island in a dugout canoe to demonstrate how such a trip may have been accomplished some 30,000 years ago as people spread to various Pacific Islands.The researchers simulated methods Paleolithic people would have used and employed replicas of tools from that prehistoric time period such as an axe and a cutting implement called an adze in fashioning the 25-foot-long (7.5-meter) canoe, named Sugime, from a Japanese cedar tree chopped down
NOAA’s PORTS® System Expands Operations to Include Pearl Harbor-Honolulu
System, or PORTS®, at Pearl Harbor-Honolulu, Hawaii, is now operational. Installed by NOAA's National Ocean Service, data from the new publicly available observation system advances NOAA’s ability to better serve Hawaii’s coastal communities and secure maritime safety in the Pacific Islands.Pearl Harbor-Honolulu PORTS is NOAA’s 40th system in this national network of precision marine navigation sensors concentrated in busy U.S. seaports, and is the result of a partnership between NOAA and U.S. Navy Region Hawaii. Data from the system will be used to assist in the Navy&rsquo
Google to Build Subsea Cable for Christmas Island
aircraft.Although 900 km (560 miles) apart, Christmas Island is seen as an Indian Ocean neighbour of Cocos Islands, which the Australian Defence Force has said is key to its maritime surveillance operations in a region where China is increasing submarine activity.The new cables will also link to a Pacific Islands network being built by Google and jointly funded by the United States, connecting the U.S. and Australia through hubs in Fiji and French Polynesia.Vocus said in a statement the two networks will form the world's largest submarine cable system spanning 42,500 km of fibre optic cable running
Pacific Islands in Peril as Sea Level Rises
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Tuesday that ocean temperatures are rising in the Pacific Islands at three times the rate worldwide, and its population was "uniquely exposed" to the impact of rising sea levels.Speaking to reporters in Tonga where the Pacific Islands Forum is being held, Guterres highlighted the findings of a report that showed the South West Pacific was worst hit by sea level rises, in some places by more than double the global average in the past 30 years."I am in Tonga to issue a global SOS – Save Our Seas – on rising sea levels
MTS Names Ostrander Executive Director
administration. Before his time at the University of Utah, Chris served as the assistant dean and director of strategic initiatives for the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. While in Hawaii, he was the co-founder and director of the Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System (PacIOOS). He has launched three companies and helped entrepreneurs and institutions raise more than $450 million in research and philanthropic capital.As a researcher and principal investigator, he has published two dozen book chapters, scientific papers, and technical
NOAA Awards $41 Million for Ocean Observing
Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems will continue to sustain its data buoys, which are the heart of the NERACOOS network, while increasing investment in data delivery systems and modeling efforts. (First year award: $3,442,301)•Guided by stakeholder needs, the Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System’s focus for the upcoming five years will be to sustain existing ocean observations and forecasts, support coastal resiliency and climate adaptation, and strive for a more balanced geographical coverage throughout the entire Pacific Islands region. (First year award:
NOAA Scientists Honored for Innovative Research
, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, for leading innovative research in hydrodynamic forecasting to address many of the Great Lakes’ most pressing issues, including harmful algal blooms, extreme storm conditions, and oil spill response.Michelle Barbieri, a veterinary medical officer at NOAA’s Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, for advancing the field of marine mammal and sea turtle health, conservation, and emergency response.Andrew Hoell, a physical scientist at NOAA’s Earth System Research Laboratory Physical Sciences Division in Boulder, Colorado, for development
Accelerating Antarctic Thaw Speeds Sea Level Rise
An accelerating thaw of Antarctica has pushed up world sea levels by almost a centimeter since the early 1990s in a risk for coasts from Pacific islands to Florida, an international team of scientists said on Thursday.Antarctica has enough ice to raise seas by 58 meters (190 ft) if it ever all melted, dwarfing frozen stores in places from Greenland to the Himalayas and making its future the biggest uncertainty in understanding global warming and ocean levels.The frozen continent lost almost three trillion tonnes of ice between 1992 and 2017, the 84 scientists said in what they called the most complete
Ecosystem based Adaptation to Climate Change
is increasingly being considered in the context of EbA, which concentrates on ecosystem services in adapting to the adverse effects of climate change. This contrasts with the infrastructure or property emphasis of traditional climate change adaptation assessments, and is particularly pertinent to Pacific Islands where communities rely heavily on their local natural resources. By taking into account the ecosystem services on which people depend for their livelihoods as well as social and economic security, EbA integrates sustainable use of biodiversity and ecosystem services in a comprehensive adaptation
February 2026
