Abundant Life Found on Seamounts Off Chile’s Coast
aboard research vessel Falkor (too) on February 24. Underwater dives will be livestreamed on Schmidt Ocean Institute's YouTube channel as scientists explore areas deeper than 600 meters for the first time. Schmidt Ocean Institute will be operating in the Southeast Pacific, exploring the waters off Peru and Chile throughout 2024.“Full species identification can take many years, and Dr. Sellanas and his team have an incredible number of samples from this amazingly beautiful and little-known biodiversity hotspot,” said Schmidt Ocean Institute Executive Director Dr. Jyotika Virmani. &ldquo
Subsea Mining Plans Pit Renewable Energy Demand Against Ocean Life
experiment in 2021 in water about 3 miles (5 kilometers) deep off Mexico found that seabed mining equipment created sediment plumes of up to about 6.5 feet (2 meters) high. But the project authors stressed that they didn’t study the ecological impact. A similar earlier experiment was conducted off Peru in 1989. When scientists returned to that site in 2015, they found some species still hadn’t fully recovered.Environmentalists have questioned whether seafloor creatures could be smothered by sediment plumes and whether the sediment in the water column could effect island communities that rely
Tsunami Models Underestimated Shockwave from Tonga Eruption
The volcanic eruption in Tonga this month unleashed an atmospheric shockwave that radiated out at close to the speed of sound, pushing large waves across the Pacific to the shores of Japan and Peru, thousands of kilometers away.Forecasting models and warning systems, designed primarily to assess earthquake-triggered waves, did not account for the boosting effects of the shockwave. It was a critical flaw in these systems, scientists said, leaving them unable to predict exactly when the waves would hit land."The trans-Pacific and global waves arrived earlier than forecast, which (was) terrible for
Peru Oil Spill Declared an Environmental Emergency
Peruvian President Pedro Castillo declared an environmental emergency on Thursday as clean-up teams struggled to contain a huge oil spill at the country's biggest refinery, after rogue waves rocked a ship unloading crude there.The spill, blamed on unusual swells caused by a volcanic eruption thousands of miles away in Tonga on Sunday, has dirtied waters and beaches along Peru's Pacific coast, with dead birds and seals washing up on shore."We are at a critical moment in environmental matters," said Castillo, before signing the emergency decree on one of the beaches hit by the spill.
What is the Value of a Wave?
in a decline in economic activity and the cancellation of the Billabong Pro World Championship in 2005 and 2006.In the Portuguese island of Madeira, the construction of a rock-wall severely disrupted the formation of the Jardim do Mar wave in 2005, and a fall in local economic growth rates followed. In Peru, the extension of a fishing pier negatively impacted Cabo Blanco, one of Peru’s best barreling waves, by shortening its length.Closer to home, the Ocean Reef Marina, currently under construction in Perth’s north, will significantly impact three local surf breaks. About 1.5 kilometers of
Project Uses DNA to Combat Illegal Trade of Aquatic Wildlife
in-port DNA tests to combat illegal wildlife trade, which is one of the most detrimental activities against biodiversity worldwide,” said Dr. Cardeñosa. “The tool is showing that, if it has DNA, we can use it for a number of wildlife trade issues. Our work with authorities in Hong Kong, Peru, and Colombia has been incredibly successful to combat illegal trade in sharks, eels, and turtles. Now we are looking to expand the use of this tool to other key countries and make in-port DNA-testing an everyday practice.”The DNA Toolkit uses toaster-sized, portable units to conduct DNA testing
Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE Winner Annouced
CARIS. A truly international group, the GEBCO-NF Alumni Team includes 16 alumni of The Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Postgraduate Training Program at the University of New Hampshire (UNH), US. They are Dr Evgenia Bazhenova (Russia), Aileen Bohan (Ireland), Dr Mohamed Elsaied (Egypt), Andres Fitzcarrald (Peru), Tomer Ketter (Israel), Christina Lacerda (Brazil), Jaya Roperez (Philippines), Azmi Rosedee (Malaysia), Ivan Ryzhov (Russia), Hadar Sade (Israel), Sattiabaruth Seeboruth (Mauritius), Masano Sumiyoshi (Japan), Neil Tinmouth (South Africa), Dr Rochelle Anne Wigley (US), Dr Yulia Zarayskaya (Russia)
Kongsberg Sells First Sounder USV
Kongsberg Maritime has signed a contract to deliver its newly introduced Sounder unmanned surface vehicle (USV) system to the largest fishing company in Peru, the marine technology company unveiled at Ocean Business this week.Equipped for deployment in fishery applications, the new multipurpose USV system will become a resource in TASA’s plans to overhaul and optimize operations throughout its 48-vessel fleet, Kongsberg said.The fully integrated and calibrated USV solution offers a high definition fishery sonar combined with a wideband echosounder from Simrad, operable from a laptop PC or radio
Naviera Tramarsa Adds Another ROV
operated underwater vehicle (ROV) from manufacturer Saab Seaeye.The 2,000m rated Cougar XT will enter operations in May 2019, joining the company’s Saab Seaeye Falcon ROV, which it has operated for 10 years.Naviera Tramarsa’s main activity is the inspection of oil platforms in the north of Peru for the hydrocarbon exploration and production company Savia Oeru, where the Falcon has undertaken visual inspections and CP measurements.Naviera Tramarsa said the Cougar XT will expand and improve its ability to inspect, clean and perform non-destructive testing.Their Cougar XT comes with a high