World's Largest Known Deep-sea Coral Reef Habitat Found
Covering 6.4 million acres, an area larger than Vermont, an underwater seascape of cold-water coral mounds offshore the southeast United States coast has been deemed the largest deep-sea coral reef habitat discovered to date, according to a paper recently published in the scientific journal Geomatics."This strategic multiyear and multi-agency effort to systematically map and characterize the stunning coral ecosystem right on the doorstep of the U.S. East Coast is a perfect example of what we can accomplish when we pool resources and focus on exploring the approximately 50% of U.S. marine
How Floating Solar Panels Could Power Future Population Hotspots
energy overnight.About 25,000 square km of solar panels would be required to support an affluent Indonesia after full decarbonization of the economy using solar power.Indonesia has the option of floating vast numbers of solar panels on its calm inland seas. The region has about 140,000 square km of seascape that has not experienced waves larger than 4m – nor winds stronger than 10m per second – in the past 40 years.Indonesia’s maritime area of 6.4 million square km is 200 times larger than required if Indonesia’s entire future energy needs were met from offshore floating solar
Floating Offshore Wind: New Seascape, New Challenges
deliver power from the turbines to equipment on shore. Wise said “sector lighting” approaches are under review, which he said could include placing a red light over the dynamic cables.Again, though, he repeated the same concern: as more and more lights are set in more and more places the seascape could get more confusing, not less. He referenced added concern about recreational mariners who don’t have the same level of training and experience as commercial mariners.And he added another note of caution. The references within his presentation were for pilot projects. He said that once
Uncrewed Saildrone to Explore Remote Alaskan Waters
to collect ocean mapping and environmental data in unexplored waters around the Aleutian Islands identified as high priority for NOAA, BOEM, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the broader federal Interagency Working Group on Ocean Exploration and Characterization. All work conducted will contribute to the Seascape Alaska regional mapping campaign.Data will be collected by the innovative Saildrone Surveyor , the world’s largest and most advanced uncrewed surface vessel for ocean exploration. Along with Saildrone , the University of New Hampshire’s Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping and NOAA Ocean
Offshore Wind: California's New Gold Rush
the shore compared to the Atlantic coast, getting deep very quickly.Pacific projects will require wind turbines built within or on floating platforms, cabled to the ocean floor, possibly in waters 800-1000 meters deep. An area with dozens or hundreds of floating platforms becomes a very different seascape, laced with underwater cabling, both for infrastructure stability and power transmission. Some of that submerged cabling infrastructure will extend for miles, from offshore platforms to landside connections.This demands a close look at marine and maritime impacts. The Pacific Merchant
Forum Energy Technologies Adds European Distributor
Forum Energy Technologies said it has appointed a new single distributor for its extensive fleet of subsea vehicles across The Netherlands and Belgium.Seascape Subsea Technology BV will represent Forum Energy Technologies for the sale of the company’s range of remote operated vehicles (ROV) in the two countries, including its recently launched electric ROV, the XLe Spirit.Designed and built in-house at Forum’s Kirkbymoorside facility in Yorkshire, the XLe Spirit is the first offering from the company’s new generation of electric observation class ROVs.“Subsea Technology BV
'Roomba' in the Arctic
of a self-propelled oil skimmer – the Aqua-Guard Triton RotoX – designed and built by Aqua-Guard, based in Vancouver. The Healy team wanted to evaluate the skimmer’s maneuverability, buoyancy and ability to move among broken ice. Ice floes present a fragmented and scattered seascape, adding a dangerous variable to an already challenging environment. In these conditions, oil that could otherwise be recovered may be inaccessible to crews and equipment. “Recovering oil in broken ice is the challenging part,” Chief Petty Officer Angela Vallier, a member of
Sea Habitats Altered by More Invasive Seaweed-Study
of most continents. Kelp provides a long three dimensional structure that offers protection and a source of food for many juvenile species of fish (pollock, cod, and flounder), juvenile and adult shellfish (lobsters and crabs), seals and birds (terns and gulls). “While the changing seascape has dramatically altered and increased the diversity and number of small creatures at the base of the marine food web, we still don’t know how these changes in the ecosystem will propagate through the entire chain. Even though there may be more creatures at the base, it’s not clear what
Aquatec Taps Seascape for Distribution Representation
Seascape Subsea Technology has signed on as a representative for the distribution of Aquatec Group’s underwater instrumentation for oceanographic, environmental and coastal applications in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxemburg. Seascape will provide sales support for Aquatec’s AQUAscat acoustic suspended sediment profilers, AQUAlogger temperature and depth loggers, AQUAlogger 210TY turbidity logger and AQUAmodem Op1L optical modem.
February 2024
