smh.com.au: Disgust at 'abhorrent' New Zealand seal slaughter
The slaughter of 23 seals could hit Kaikoura's international reputation as a wildlife destination, tourism operators fear.
Condemnation of the massacre of seals in the north-east of New Zealand's south island, thought to have been carried out over several days with a bat or similar weapon, has come from the government, police, conservation groups, tourists and Kaikoura residents.
The slaughter happened 22 kilometres north of Kaikoura between the Waterfall Stream car park and the Ohau Point seal colony, which attracts thousands of wildlife-loving tourists each year.
Advertisement: Story continues below Department of Conservation (DOC) staff and researchers found the dead seals last Wednesday, but the attack happened days earlier.
"They've walked into a seal colony which has got adult seals – very large wild animals – that would have been defending their young, so they would have been disturbed and they would have been aggressive," DOC South Marlborough area manager Dave Hayes said.
"It defies reasoning. This has been, in my opinion, quite premeditated."
He said the culprits would have carried weapons from their car, possibly late at night.
Some of the pups killed were just days old. Two bulls, many times heavier than a human, were among the dead. Other seals were injured.
Yesterday, squealing seals guarded the bodies on blood-spattered rocks.
Whale Watch chief operating officer Kauahi Ngapora said wildlife was the "backbone" of tourism in Kaikoura.
"It is a shocking and despicable act. I would like to think it will not [harm Kaikoura's reputation], but it is a bit of a high-profile event if you have 23 seals slaughtered," he said.
"Kaikoura has established a name as a leading eco-tourism destination, so headlines like these are not a good look. I am not sure if it will affect our product ...
"Anything like this is devastating for the community ... This isn't the sort of thing we want splashed across television and online."
Fish Kaikoura owner-operator Jonny Willis said the slaughter was "disgusting".
"I think it is a disgusting and inhumane act. In my eyes for someone to do that they would have to be borderline psychotic. It actually makes me sick," he said.
"I hope it doesn't impact on Kaikoura. This is still a beautiful place, and for one or two people to ruin that is not on. We are hoping it was out-of-towners."
English tourist Melody Ambrose visited Kaikoura to kayak with seals, which she did yesterday.
"It's horrible," she said of the slaughter. "You don't expect it to happen in New Zealand, especially not here [Kaikoura], because all the advertising is so big on the seals.
"So you assume the community like their seals and that's where they make a lot of money - from tourism.
"I guess it's worrying because back in England we have lots of problems with youths and things, and then you have this idyllic picture of New Zealand not having the problems we have at home."
Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson said she was "beyond appalled" at the "abhorrent" attack.
Kaikoura mayor Winston Gray said it was a shocking act that was "not a good look for Kaikoura or for New Zealand".
Kaikoura acting Sergeant Dean Schroder described the bashings as a random act of stupidity against defenceless wildlife.
The upsetting part, he said, was that wildlife tourism was so important.
"People have different views on seals, but whether they think they're good or bad, they're certainly attracting a lot of people to the district," he said.
Wildlife management expert Bruce Robertson, of Otago University, said most female seals were likely to have a pup at this time of year.
"While 23 seals were killed, the real number of deaths is likely to be greater."
The case has been passed to police, but DOC could also prosecute under the Marine Mammals Act. The penalties are a fine up to $NZ250,000 or up to six months' jail, plus fines for each animal killed.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Scientists Measure Air-Sea Exchange Of Carbon Dioxide In The Open Ocean; 'Bubbles In Whitecaps Play A Significant Role'
Underwater Time: Scientists Measure Air-Sea Exchange Of Carbon Dioxide In The Open Ocean; 'Bubbles In Whitecaps Play A Significant Role'
SOUTHAMPTON, Hampshire -- A team led by scientists at the United Kingdom's National Oceanography Centre have measured the air-sea exchange of carbon dioxide in the open ocean at higher wind speed then anyone else has ever managed. Their findings are important for understanding how interactions between the oceans and the atmosphere influence climate.
"Evaluating the factors influencing the transfer of gases such as carbon dioxide between the atmosphere and the ocean is needed for a full understanding of Earth's climate system," explained researcher John Prytherch of the National Oceanography Center.
The transfer of carbon dioxide across the sea surface depends on many factors and has been difficult to study over extended periods at sea. Understandably, therefore, there has been a lot of uncertainty about actual oceanic carbon dioxide fluxes, especially at high wind speeds.
To address this issue, Prytherch and his collaborators measured carbon dioxide fluxes in the North Atlantic during the High Wind Air-Sea Exchanges (HiWASE) experiment (September 2006–December 2009).
Using an autonomous system called 'Autoflux' installed on the Norwegian weather ship Polarfront, they made nearly 4,000 flux measurements, each one lasting 20 minutes. They also recorded wind speed and other variables such as seawater salinity.
"Our results include measurements made at higher mean wind speeds than previously published for the open ocean," said Prytherch: "Filling this knowledge gap is important because high wind speeds such as those experienced by the North Atlantic are expected to have a large effect on the global air-sea flux of carbon dioxide."
Despite finding high variability between individual measurements, the researchers' analyses suggest that formation of bubbles in breaking waves – whitecaps – may increase gas transfer at high wind speeds.
"Our results support the hypothesis that bubbles in whitecaps play a significant role in the global exchange of carbon dioxide and other climatically important gases between the oceans and the atmosphere," said Prytherch.
SOUTHAMPTON, Hampshire -- A team led by scientists at the United Kingdom's National Oceanography Centre have measured the air-sea exchange of carbon dioxide in the open ocean at higher wind speed then anyone else has ever managed. Their findings are important for understanding how interactions between the oceans and the atmosphere influence climate.
"Evaluating the factors influencing the transfer of gases such as carbon dioxide between the atmosphere and the ocean is needed for a full understanding of Earth's climate system," explained researcher John Prytherch of the National Oceanography Center.
The transfer of carbon dioxide across the sea surface depends on many factors and has been difficult to study over extended periods at sea. Understandably, therefore, there has been a lot of uncertainty about actual oceanic carbon dioxide fluxes, especially at high wind speeds.
To address this issue, Prytherch and his collaborators measured carbon dioxide fluxes in the North Atlantic during the High Wind Air-Sea Exchanges (HiWASE) experiment (September 2006–December 2009).
Using an autonomous system called 'Autoflux' installed on the Norwegian weather ship Polarfront, they made nearly 4,000 flux measurements, each one lasting 20 minutes. They also recorded wind speed and other variables such as seawater salinity.
"Our results include measurements made at higher mean wind speeds than previously published for the open ocean," said Prytherch: "Filling this knowledge gap is important because high wind speeds such as those experienced by the North Atlantic are expected to have a large effect on the global air-sea flux of carbon dioxide."
Despite finding high variability between individual measurements, the researchers' analyses suggest that formation of bubbles in breaking waves – whitecaps – may increase gas transfer at high wind speeds.
"Our results support the hypothesis that bubbles in whitecaps play a significant role in the global exchange of carbon dioxide and other climatically important gases between the oceans and the atmosphere," said Prytherch.
Monday, December 6, 2010
The Uncertainties of Global Warming
Der Spiegel Online: The Uncertainties of Global WarmingSea Level Could Rise in South, Fall in North
Climate change is expected to cause sea levels to rise -- at least in some parts of the world. Elsewhere, the level of the ocean will actually fall. Scientists are trying to get a better picture of the complex phenomenon, which also depends on a host of natural factors.
When presented as a globe, the Earth looks as round and smooth as a billiard ball. To anyone standing on a beach, the ocean looks as flat as a pancake.
But perception is deceptive. "In reality, the water in the oceans wobbles all over the place," says oceanographer Detlef Stammer. He isn't talking about waves, but large-scale bulges and bumps in the sea level.
Stammer, who is the director of the Center for Marine and Climate Research at the University of Hamburg, is familiar with the incorrect notions that lay people have, which is why he likes to present them with two numbers to shatter their illusions. "In the Indian Ocean, the sea level is about 100 meters (330 feet) below the average, while the waters around Iceland are 60 meters above the average."
The incorrect belief that ocean water is evenly distributed lives on in the debate over climate change, says Stammer. The rising sea level is widely viewed as the most threatening consequence of global warming. Images of Bangladeshis wading through floodwaters are a favorite horror scenario used by some environmentalists. "But people act as if the water from melting glaciers were distributed as uniformly in the oceans as the water in our bathtubs at home," says Stammer.
But the reality is counter-intuitive. According to the most recent estimates, the sea level is expected to rise by about 1 meter (3.28 feet) -- on average -- in the next 100 years. This is the number that will be mentioned again and again during negotiations at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Cancun, Mexico over the next two weeks. "But this average value doesn't really help coastal planners," says Stammer.
It is certainly correct that the total amount of liquid in the oceans is increasing. But the way water expands in ocean basins differs widely. There will be regions of the world where nothing much will change, while the sea level will rise by well over the 1-meter average in others. "The sea level could even fall along some coasts," says Stammer.
Winners and Losers
Scientists still don't know exactly the degree to which glaciers will melt as a result of rising temperatures. The most important factor in this equation will be the rate at which the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets shrink. At the moment, it appears that the net amount of melt water is still rising in Greenland. It is currently at 237 cubic kilometers (57 cubic miles) per year. But the volume of ice at the South Pole seems to be generally stable. "The ice is melting in western Antarctica, but in the larger eastern part, snow is actually building up," says Stammer.
The sea level currently rises by about 3 millimeters (0.1 inches) a year on average. A number of factors contribute to this rise, including water from melting glaciers and the constant increase in the amount of ground water used in agriculture. It is also partly due to a simple thermal effect: Because water expands as it gets warmer, rising temperatures cause the sea level to rise. All of this will accelerate even further by the end of the century, leading to a total increase of 1 meter, according to the current consensus among oceanographers.
In reality, the simple message of rising waters is greatly oversimplified. The process behind it is highly complex, and one that will produce winners and losers. Scientists are only gradually beginning to understand the phenomenon and its processes, some of which work in opposing directions. "It's just in the last few years that science has taken a more in-depth look at regional prognoses for rising sea levels," Stammer says.
This is partly due to the complexity of the material itself. Average values can be computed relatively easily. Regional effects, on the other hand, are partly influenced by winds and currents, with gravity and the laws of thermodynamics also playing an important role. Making sense of how all of these factors are interrelated requires a relatively solid understanding of the individual processes -- and massive computing power to perform the calculations.
Surprises for Scientists
For a long time, scientists didn't even have precise data on specific water levels in individual locations around the planet. That changed in late December 1992, when a satellite was placed into service that uses a radar altimeter to measure the sea level, to within a few centimeters, anywhere in the oceans. "In the past, we had to travel around the ocean and painstakingly take measurements," says Stammer. "Today I can go on the Internet and download the satellite data from space onto my computer."
The flood of data from the orbiting satellite has produced all kinds of surprises for scientists in recent years. For instance, while seas have risen by about 15 centimeters in the tropical Western Pacific, the ocean near San Francisco has fallen by about the same amount. "On the German coast, on the other hand, the sea level today is a few centimeters higher than it was 15 years ago," says Claus Böning of the Kiel-based excellence cluster "The Future Ocean."
Such effects are the result of natural fluctuations that unfold over decades. The currents in the world's oceans are constantly shifting. This applies to the Gulf Stream, which provides Europe with warm water, just as it does to the Pacific circulation system, which reacts to the moods of El Niño.
But what role do anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions play in terms of the planet's rising sea levels? Newton's law of gravity provides the scientists with an initial answer.
Virtually Unchanged
If the Greenland ice sheet, which is 3 kilometers (1.88 miles) thick in some places, were to melt completely, sea levels would rise by 7 meters on average. It would take many centuries before the 3 million cubic kilometers of glaciers ended up in the ocean. But people living near Germany's North Sea coast would hardly even notice, because the sea level there would remain virtually unchanged. The water would even subside off the coast of Norway. "And, purely theoretically, the sea level would actually fall by several meters off the coast of Greenland," Stammer explains.
This striking effect is based on the law of gravity, which states that every mass attracts every other mass. Water levels are higher off the coast of Iceland for the same reason. Volcanic activity pushes heavy masses of rock out of the Earth's interior, and those masses attract water like magnets. By contrast, sea levels are lower in the Indian Ocean because, eons ago, a meteorite most probably knocked so much rock out of the Earth's crust there that the gravitational force attracting water was reduced.
If the Greenland ice sheet shrinks, the island will lose mass and, along with it, gravitational force. As a result, much less water will accumulate off the island's shores than today. To a lesser extent, the same effect is present in the oceans of almost the entire northern hemisphere, including the North Sea. New York, to give another example, would also not get the full amount of the 7-meter sea level rise, but only half of it.
Part 2: The Victims of Sea-Level Rise
North of a line that passes from Newfoundland through the Atlantic and the North Sea, the sea level would fall. In return, the nations bordering the entire Indian Ocean and the Pacific, as well as the countries of South America and Africa, would be the true victims of a global rise in sea levels.
In those regions, the oceans would not just rise by the average of 7 meters, but by as much as 8 or even 10 meters. "Of course, this is only a theoretical model," says Stammer, the oceanographer. Conversely, if the Antarctic lost ice mass, the effects would be felt more strongly by coastal residents in the northern hemisphere. To a certain extent, the two effects in the far north and the far south could offset each other. If the Arctic and the Antarctic thawed at the same rate, the region in the middle would be the most severely affected.
Scientists at Princeton University recently published a model-based calculation of rising sea levels in the journal Climate Change. The model also includes effects that result from geophysical force, namely the effect that the Earth's rotation has on sea levels. "In this way, we are incrementally approaching the true distribution of the rise in sea levels," says Stammer, who will be one of the authors of the next global climate report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), to be released in 2014. The report "will contain, for the first time, a separate chapter on this issue," says the scientist.
As if all of this weren't complicated enough, sea levels are also affected by winds and currents, which are themselves changing as a result of anthropogenic climate change. Claus Böning, the Kiel-based oceanographer, sees this as the real challenge for members of his profession.
In Serious Trouble
For the atolls in the tropical Pacific, which are barely a meter above sea level, everything depends on the future development of the El Niño phenomenon, says Böning. Polynesia, for example, had to cope with a sea-level rise of up to 15 centimeters in only four years, from 1996 to 2000. "This exceeds the rise caused by global warming by almost a factor of 10," says Böning. If El Niño gets stronger, the Pacific islands could be in serious trouble.
The critical phenomenon for Western Europe, on the other hand, is the Gulf Stream, which is part of the massive trans-Atlantic circulation system. Like a pump, it pushes masses of water northward, where they sink into the depths of the northern ocean. "This is why the sea level is a meter lower in the northern part of the Gulf Stream than in the south," says Böning.
But this gradient shifts when the Gulf Stream changes its position, which it does as part of a completely natural cycle. This explains why the sea level in the Labrador Sea off the eastern coast of Canada rose by 8 centimeters between 1993 and 1998. Then the rising trend stopped and was reversed. "We have paid little attention so far to this up-and-down, because it was only fluctuating within a manageable range," says Böning.
But the scientist fears that this delicate balance could tip during a warmer future on greenhouse Earth. In addition, the computer models predict that the Gulf Stream will weaken by about 25 percent. Böning warns that this could cause the sea level to rise by about 20 centimeters in the North Sea.
'Fraught with Uncertainty'
Europeans also need to keep an eye on the possibility of a significant shift in the prevailing wind directions. "For us, this could mean low-pressure troughs over the North Atlantic," says Böning.
But this is precisely where the precision of the climate predictions reaches its limits. "Of course," as Böning openly admits, "they are fraught with uncertainty, which also applies to our models for the rise in sea levels."
The oceanographer is well aware that this message is not very satisfactory for politicians who are expected to make decisions in Cancun. That's why he emphasizes the principle of foresight. "We should prepare ourselves for unpleasant surprises," says Böning.
Despite the many unanswered questions, there is one thing scientists know for certain: The land along the German Bight is sinking by a millimeter a year. That effectively means a 1-millimeter increase in sea level along the coast every year.
This phenomenon is also attributable to climate change, but in this case humans are not at fault. Because the massive weight of the Ice Age glaciers is no longer pushing down on Scandinavia, the land there is rising. Farther south -- just like on the opposite end of a child's seesaw -- the land is sinking.
Translated from the German by Christopher Sultan
Climate change is expected to cause sea levels to rise -- at least in some parts of the world. Elsewhere, the level of the ocean will actually fall. Scientists are trying to get a better picture of the complex phenomenon, which also depends on a host of natural factors.
When presented as a globe, the Earth looks as round and smooth as a billiard ball. To anyone standing on a beach, the ocean looks as flat as a pancake.
But perception is deceptive. "In reality, the water in the oceans wobbles all over the place," says oceanographer Detlef Stammer. He isn't talking about waves, but large-scale bulges and bumps in the sea level.
Stammer, who is the director of the Center for Marine and Climate Research at the University of Hamburg, is familiar with the incorrect notions that lay people have, which is why he likes to present them with two numbers to shatter their illusions. "In the Indian Ocean, the sea level is about 100 meters (330 feet) below the average, while the waters around Iceland are 60 meters above the average."
The incorrect belief that ocean water is evenly distributed lives on in the debate over climate change, says Stammer. The rising sea level is widely viewed as the most threatening consequence of global warming. Images of Bangladeshis wading through floodwaters are a favorite horror scenario used by some environmentalists. "But people act as if the water from melting glaciers were distributed as uniformly in the oceans as the water in our bathtubs at home," says Stammer.
But the reality is counter-intuitive. According to the most recent estimates, the sea level is expected to rise by about 1 meter (3.28 feet) -- on average -- in the next 100 years. This is the number that will be mentioned again and again during negotiations at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Cancun, Mexico over the next two weeks. "But this average value doesn't really help coastal planners," says Stammer.
It is certainly correct that the total amount of liquid in the oceans is increasing. But the way water expands in ocean basins differs widely. There will be regions of the world where nothing much will change, while the sea level will rise by well over the 1-meter average in others. "The sea level could even fall along some coasts," says Stammer.
Winners and Losers
Scientists still don't know exactly the degree to which glaciers will melt as a result of rising temperatures. The most important factor in this equation will be the rate at which the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets shrink. At the moment, it appears that the net amount of melt water is still rising in Greenland. It is currently at 237 cubic kilometers (57 cubic miles) per year. But the volume of ice at the South Pole seems to be generally stable. "The ice is melting in western Antarctica, but in the larger eastern part, snow is actually building up," says Stammer.
The sea level currently rises by about 3 millimeters (0.1 inches) a year on average. A number of factors contribute to this rise, including water from melting glaciers and the constant increase in the amount of ground water used in agriculture. It is also partly due to a simple thermal effect: Because water expands as it gets warmer, rising temperatures cause the sea level to rise. All of this will accelerate even further by the end of the century, leading to a total increase of 1 meter, according to the current consensus among oceanographers.
In reality, the simple message of rising waters is greatly oversimplified. The process behind it is highly complex, and one that will produce winners and losers. Scientists are only gradually beginning to understand the phenomenon and its processes, some of which work in opposing directions. "It's just in the last few years that science has taken a more in-depth look at regional prognoses for rising sea levels," Stammer says.
This is partly due to the complexity of the material itself. Average values can be computed relatively easily. Regional effects, on the other hand, are partly influenced by winds and currents, with gravity and the laws of thermodynamics also playing an important role. Making sense of how all of these factors are interrelated requires a relatively solid understanding of the individual processes -- and massive computing power to perform the calculations.
Surprises for Scientists
For a long time, scientists didn't even have precise data on specific water levels in individual locations around the planet. That changed in late December 1992, when a satellite was placed into service that uses a radar altimeter to measure the sea level, to within a few centimeters, anywhere in the oceans. "In the past, we had to travel around the ocean and painstakingly take measurements," says Stammer. "Today I can go on the Internet and download the satellite data from space onto my computer."
The flood of data from the orbiting satellite has produced all kinds of surprises for scientists in recent years. For instance, while seas have risen by about 15 centimeters in the tropical Western Pacific, the ocean near San Francisco has fallen by about the same amount. "On the German coast, on the other hand, the sea level today is a few centimeters higher than it was 15 years ago," says Claus Böning of the Kiel-based excellence cluster "The Future Ocean."
Such effects are the result of natural fluctuations that unfold over decades. The currents in the world's oceans are constantly shifting. This applies to the Gulf Stream, which provides Europe with warm water, just as it does to the Pacific circulation system, which reacts to the moods of El Niño.
But what role do anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions play in terms of the planet's rising sea levels? Newton's law of gravity provides the scientists with an initial answer.
Virtually Unchanged
If the Greenland ice sheet, which is 3 kilometers (1.88 miles) thick in some places, were to melt completely, sea levels would rise by 7 meters on average. It would take many centuries before the 3 million cubic kilometers of glaciers ended up in the ocean. But people living near Germany's North Sea coast would hardly even notice, because the sea level there would remain virtually unchanged. The water would even subside off the coast of Norway. "And, purely theoretically, the sea level would actually fall by several meters off the coast of Greenland," Stammer explains.
This striking effect is based on the law of gravity, which states that every mass attracts every other mass. Water levels are higher off the coast of Iceland for the same reason. Volcanic activity pushes heavy masses of rock out of the Earth's interior, and those masses attract water like magnets. By contrast, sea levels are lower in the Indian Ocean because, eons ago, a meteorite most probably knocked so much rock out of the Earth's crust there that the gravitational force attracting water was reduced.
If the Greenland ice sheet shrinks, the island will lose mass and, along with it, gravitational force. As a result, much less water will accumulate off the island's shores than today. To a lesser extent, the same effect is present in the oceans of almost the entire northern hemisphere, including the North Sea. New York, to give another example, would also not get the full amount of the 7-meter sea level rise, but only half of it.
Part 2: The Victims of Sea-Level Rise
North of a line that passes from Newfoundland through the Atlantic and the North Sea, the sea level would fall. In return, the nations bordering the entire Indian Ocean and the Pacific, as well as the countries of South America and Africa, would be the true victims of a global rise in sea levels.
In those regions, the oceans would not just rise by the average of 7 meters, but by as much as 8 or even 10 meters. "Of course, this is only a theoretical model," says Stammer, the oceanographer. Conversely, if the Antarctic lost ice mass, the effects would be felt more strongly by coastal residents in the northern hemisphere. To a certain extent, the two effects in the far north and the far south could offset each other. If the Arctic and the Antarctic thawed at the same rate, the region in the middle would be the most severely affected.
Scientists at Princeton University recently published a model-based calculation of rising sea levels in the journal Climate Change. The model also includes effects that result from geophysical force, namely the effect that the Earth's rotation has on sea levels. "In this way, we are incrementally approaching the true distribution of the rise in sea levels," says Stammer, who will be one of the authors of the next global climate report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), to be released in 2014. The report "will contain, for the first time, a separate chapter on this issue," says the scientist.
As if all of this weren't complicated enough, sea levels are also affected by winds and currents, which are themselves changing as a result of anthropogenic climate change. Claus Böning, the Kiel-based oceanographer, sees this as the real challenge for members of his profession.
In Serious Trouble
For the atolls in the tropical Pacific, which are barely a meter above sea level, everything depends on the future development of the El Niño phenomenon, says Böning. Polynesia, for example, had to cope with a sea-level rise of up to 15 centimeters in only four years, from 1996 to 2000. "This exceeds the rise caused by global warming by almost a factor of 10," says Böning. If El Niño gets stronger, the Pacific islands could be in serious trouble.
The critical phenomenon for Western Europe, on the other hand, is the Gulf Stream, which is part of the massive trans-Atlantic circulation system. Like a pump, it pushes masses of water northward, where they sink into the depths of the northern ocean. "This is why the sea level is a meter lower in the northern part of the Gulf Stream than in the south," says Böning.
But this gradient shifts when the Gulf Stream changes its position, which it does as part of a completely natural cycle. This explains why the sea level in the Labrador Sea off the eastern coast of Canada rose by 8 centimeters between 1993 and 1998. Then the rising trend stopped and was reversed. "We have paid little attention so far to this up-and-down, because it was only fluctuating within a manageable range," says Böning.
But the scientist fears that this delicate balance could tip during a warmer future on greenhouse Earth. In addition, the computer models predict that the Gulf Stream will weaken by about 25 percent. Böning warns that this could cause the sea level to rise by about 20 centimeters in the North Sea.
'Fraught with Uncertainty'
Europeans also need to keep an eye on the possibility of a significant shift in the prevailing wind directions. "For us, this could mean low-pressure troughs over the North Atlantic," says Böning.
But this is precisely where the precision of the climate predictions reaches its limits. "Of course," as Böning openly admits, "they are fraught with uncertainty, which also applies to our models for the rise in sea levels."
The oceanographer is well aware that this message is not very satisfactory for politicians who are expected to make decisions in Cancun. That's why he emphasizes the principle of foresight. "We should prepare ourselves for unpleasant surprises," says Böning.
Despite the many unanswered questions, there is one thing scientists know for certain: The land along the German Bight is sinking by a millimeter a year. That effectively means a 1-millimeter increase in sea level along the coast every year.
This phenomenon is also attributable to climate change, but in this case humans are not at fault. Because the massive weight of the Ice Age glaciers is no longer pushing down on Scandinavia, the land there is rising. Farther south -- just like on the opposite end of a child's seesaw -- the land is sinking.
Translated from the German by Christopher Sultan
Friday, December 3, 2010
Experts To Assess Richness Of Malaysian Coral Reefs, Take A 'Snapshot' Of Coral Health
Underwater Times.com: Experts To Assess Richness Of Malaysian Coral Reefs, Take A 'Snapshot' Of Coral Health
Kota Kinabalu -- Starting this week, an international team of marine biologists from Malaysia, the Netherlands and the USA will be on an 20-day expedition organized by the WWF-Malaysia, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), Universiti Malaya (UM) and the Netherlands Centre for Biodiversity (NCB) Naturalis.
This Semporna Marine Ecological Expedition (SMEE) will assess marine biodiversity and coral reef health in Semporna Priority Conservation Area, recognized as a Globally Outstanding Priority Conservation Area within the Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion, at the apex of the Coral Triangle – the world's centre of marine biodiversity.
Semporna is unusual because of its rich mix of reef types, representing 5 major geomorphological reef types. Such areas usually have high levels of biodiversity because of the mix of habitat types and ecosystems. There are also strong indications that that the Malaysian Semporna area, together with the Indonesian Berau region, share some rare and unique species.
The survey is based on comparable methodologies that have been used in many areas of Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Solomon Islands since 1998. There are only very few examples of similar studies being done previously in Malaysia. There is a need to document the coral and fish richness of all of Malaysia's reefs to clarify the relationship with the existing definition of the Coral Triangle.
The overall objectives of the expedition are threefold: First, to assess the coral reef biodiversity; second, to assess the coral reef status and reef population health; and, third, to enhance conservation and outreach efforts through better understanding of the marine ecosystems of Semporna. A modified Reef Check methodology and reef profiling will be used at each site for two depths, in order to take a "snapshot" of the reef health.
Jointly leading the expedition are Dr. Bert Hoeksema of NCB Naturalis, Leader of the Biodiversity Team, and Affendi Yang Amri of UM, Leader of the Coral Reef Status Team. Other expedition participants include marine scientists from USA, UMS, and other researchers from the Netherlands, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) and Sabah Parks.
Follow the expedition blog, where the expedition members will update their daily work and share new findings, as well as their stunning images and short videos. Visit: www.ncbnaturalis.nl
The preliminary results of the expedition will be announced at a press conference in Kota Kinabalu on 20 December 2010.
The Semporna Marine Ecological Expedition is made possible in part by funding from Adessium Foundation.
Kota Kinabalu -- Starting this week, an international team of marine biologists from Malaysia, the Netherlands and the USA will be on an 20-day expedition organized by the WWF-Malaysia, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), Universiti Malaya (UM) and the Netherlands Centre for Biodiversity (NCB) Naturalis.
This Semporna Marine Ecological Expedition (SMEE) will assess marine biodiversity and coral reef health in Semporna Priority Conservation Area, recognized as a Globally Outstanding Priority Conservation Area within the Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion, at the apex of the Coral Triangle – the world's centre of marine biodiversity.
Semporna is unusual because of its rich mix of reef types, representing 5 major geomorphological reef types. Such areas usually have high levels of biodiversity because of the mix of habitat types and ecosystems. There are also strong indications that that the Malaysian Semporna area, together with the Indonesian Berau region, share some rare and unique species.
The survey is based on comparable methodologies that have been used in many areas of Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Solomon Islands since 1998. There are only very few examples of similar studies being done previously in Malaysia. There is a need to document the coral and fish richness of all of Malaysia's reefs to clarify the relationship with the existing definition of the Coral Triangle.
The overall objectives of the expedition are threefold: First, to assess the coral reef biodiversity; second, to assess the coral reef status and reef population health; and, third, to enhance conservation and outreach efforts through better understanding of the marine ecosystems of Semporna. A modified Reef Check methodology and reef profiling will be used at each site for two depths, in order to take a "snapshot" of the reef health.
Jointly leading the expedition are Dr. Bert Hoeksema of NCB Naturalis, Leader of the Biodiversity Team, and Affendi Yang Amri of UM, Leader of the Coral Reef Status Team. Other expedition participants include marine scientists from USA, UMS, and other researchers from the Netherlands, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) and Sabah Parks.
Follow the expedition blog, where the expedition members will update their daily work and share new findings, as well as their stunning images and short videos. Visit: www.ncbnaturalis.nl
The preliminary results of the expedition will be announced at a press conference in Kota Kinabalu on 20 December 2010.
The Semporna Marine Ecological Expedition is made possible in part by funding from Adessium Foundation.
Deep-Water Dive Reveals Spilled Oil On Gulf Floor
NPR: Deep-Water Dive Reveals Spilled Oil On Gulf Floor
November 29, 2010
When the BP oil well blew out earlier this year, the 4 million barrels that flowed into the sea didn't simply vanish. There's growing evidence that a good portion of it sunk to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, where some of it remains.
To get to the sea floor a few miles from the blown-out Macondo well, we clamber into a titanium-hulled submarine named Alvin and are gently hoisted off the deck of its mother ship, the Atlantis, into a surprisingly blue and inviting Gulf of Mexico. Mike Skowronski is our pilot.
As we descend, the water turns from bright blue to cobalt, twilight to black. Samantha Joye, a researcher from the University of Georgia, and I press our faces to our tiny windows and watch as glowing animal life streams by.
It's very peaceful.
"That's why I like diving in the submarine," Joye says. "It takes you to another place. It's calm and quiet, and then you hit the bottom and you're like, wow!"
Joye is trying to see what happened to all the oil that spewed from the BP well. As we reach the bottom, my first impression is, well, it's not here. Everything looks pretty normal.
There are tons of fish on the bottom. "I don't see any invertebrates in the sediments," Joye says. "But it's hard to say — sometimes they hide. But there's definitely shrimp and critter crawling around on the sediments."
Some of the clams look happy as clams. But when the Alvin scrapes the bottom, we discover we're not actually sitting on the usual dark gray mud that forms the seafloor.
"There's oil on the bottom," Joye says. "If you look at the camera, you can see the brown coloration."
We see this brown stuff on coral fans, hit like pine trees along a dusty dirt road. More slimy brown stuff hangs over some of the odd formations of frozen natural gas here half a mile below the surface. Crabs here normally pick at worms that actually live in this methane ice.
"The crabs don't look healthy. See all the dark spots and lesion looking things? That's not normal," she says.
It's impossible to say from this single dive how much this ecosystem is hurting. After all, many of these animals have evolved to live in or near natural seeps of oil and gas. And clearly some of the routine commerce of undersea life is still taking place. Joye and other scientists will keep diving until they can flesh out this story.
But as our questions mount, Alvin's batteries run down. It's time to drop our weights and leave this eerie world behind.
Twenty five contemplative minutes later, we are back on the surface.
November 29, 2010
When the BP oil well blew out earlier this year, the 4 million barrels that flowed into the sea didn't simply vanish. There's growing evidence that a good portion of it sunk to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, where some of it remains.
To get to the sea floor a few miles from the blown-out Macondo well, we clamber into a titanium-hulled submarine named Alvin and are gently hoisted off the deck of its mother ship, the Atlantis, into a surprisingly blue and inviting Gulf of Mexico. Mike Skowronski is our pilot.
As we descend, the water turns from bright blue to cobalt, twilight to black. Samantha Joye, a researcher from the University of Georgia, and I press our faces to our tiny windows and watch as glowing animal life streams by.
It's very peaceful.
"That's why I like diving in the submarine," Joye says. "It takes you to another place. It's calm and quiet, and then you hit the bottom and you're like, wow!"
Joye is trying to see what happened to all the oil that spewed from the BP well. As we reach the bottom, my first impression is, well, it's not here. Everything looks pretty normal.
There are tons of fish on the bottom. "I don't see any invertebrates in the sediments," Joye says. "But it's hard to say — sometimes they hide. But there's definitely shrimp and critter crawling around on the sediments."
Some of the clams look happy as clams. But when the Alvin scrapes the bottom, we discover we're not actually sitting on the usual dark gray mud that forms the seafloor.
"There's oil on the bottom," Joye says. "If you look at the camera, you can see the brown coloration."
We see this brown stuff on coral fans, hit like pine trees along a dusty dirt road. More slimy brown stuff hangs over some of the odd formations of frozen natural gas here half a mile below the surface. Crabs here normally pick at worms that actually live in this methane ice.
"The crabs don't look healthy. See all the dark spots and lesion looking things? That's not normal," she says.
It's impossible to say from this single dive how much this ecosystem is hurting. After all, many of these animals have evolved to live in or near natural seeps of oil and gas. And clearly some of the routine commerce of undersea life is still taking place. Joye and other scientists will keep diving until they can flesh out this story.
But as our questions mount, Alvin's batteries run down. It's time to drop our weights and leave this eerie world behind.
Twenty five contemplative minutes later, we are back on the surface.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Greenpeace Genetic Tinned Tuna Tests Reveals Trail Of Fishy Secrets; Industry 'Hoodwinking Both Consumers And Retailers'
Greenpeace Genetic Tinned Tuna Tests Reveals Trail Of Fishy Secrets; Industry 'Hoodwinking Both Consumers And Retailers'
VIENNA, Germany -- The first independent, public genetic tests into the contents of popular tinned tuna brands from twelve countries have uncovered evidence of the tuna industry's complete disregard for both consumers and the future sustainability of tuna stocks said Greenpeace today [1].
The tests, carried out by Spanish marine research laboratory AZTI Tecnalia [2], analysed canned tuna products from Austria, Australia, Greece, Netherlands, NZ, Canada, Spain, Italy, US, UK, Switzerland and Germany, testing at least five different tuna brands from each country. Numerous notable inconsistencies were discovered [3], including several instances of two different species appearing in the same tin – an illegal practice in the EU [4], erratic inclusion of different species in various tins of the same product, while other tins contained species that differed to what was claimed on the label, including species being overfished such as bigeye and yellowfin tuna.
"The tinned tuna industry is not only hoodwinking both consumers and retailers about the tinned tuna that lands in shopping baskets worldwide, it's making them complicit in a trail of destruction", said Greenpeace International oceans campaigner Nina Thuellen. "Tuna companies are indiscriminately stuffing multiple species of tuna, including juveniles of species in decline, into tins that shoppers rightfully expect to contain a sustainable product. Retailers must act now to immediately shift their business away from cheap tuna caught using FADs with purse seine nets and source from pole and line or FAD-free purse seined tuna instead".
Greenpeace has identified the use of FADs ( fish aggregation devices ), as the main factor for both the mixing of species and the inclusion of juvenile tuna of species being overfished. Employed in combination with purse seine nets, FADs are man-made floating objects that attract not only juvenile tuna, but also turtles and endangered and vulnerable sharks species such as whale and silky sharks, which are regularly netted as bycatch. Once in the freezers, identification and sorting of juveniles is regarded as very difficult, resulting in species being mixed in the tinning process.
"By using fish aggregation devices in purse seining and removing juvenile tuna from the oceans, the tuna industry is driving the future collapse of tuna stocks, along with its own demise," continued Thuellen. "FADs are at the root of an unsustainable industry, driving the overfishing of tuna populations, and hindering the recovery of species like bigeye and yellowfin. Greenpeace is calling on regional tuna management organisations to enact an immediate global ban on fish aggregation devices, if we are to have any hope for the future sustainability of tuna".
Greenpeace is calling on politicians take the opportunity to ban FADs at the West and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission [6] meeting in Hawaii on December 6th, where further measures to rescue the regions' declining bigeye tuna stocks will be discussed.
The full results of the genetic testing into tinned tuna are available for download, as well as a detailed briefing on fish aggregation devices. Greenpeace is campaigning for sustainable fisheries and a global network of marine reserves covering 40% of the world's oceans as necessary steps to restoring the world's oceans to health.
VIENNA, Germany -- The first independent, public genetic tests into the contents of popular tinned tuna brands from twelve countries have uncovered evidence of the tuna industry's complete disregard for both consumers and the future sustainability of tuna stocks said Greenpeace today [1].
The tests, carried out by Spanish marine research laboratory AZTI Tecnalia [2], analysed canned tuna products from Austria, Australia, Greece, Netherlands, NZ, Canada, Spain, Italy, US, UK, Switzerland and Germany, testing at least five different tuna brands from each country. Numerous notable inconsistencies were discovered [3], including several instances of two different species appearing in the same tin – an illegal practice in the EU [4], erratic inclusion of different species in various tins of the same product, while other tins contained species that differed to what was claimed on the label, including species being overfished such as bigeye and yellowfin tuna.
"The tinned tuna industry is not only hoodwinking both consumers and retailers about the tinned tuna that lands in shopping baskets worldwide, it's making them complicit in a trail of destruction", said Greenpeace International oceans campaigner Nina Thuellen. "Tuna companies are indiscriminately stuffing multiple species of tuna, including juveniles of species in decline, into tins that shoppers rightfully expect to contain a sustainable product. Retailers must act now to immediately shift their business away from cheap tuna caught using FADs with purse seine nets and source from pole and line or FAD-free purse seined tuna instead".
Greenpeace has identified the use of FADs ( fish aggregation devices ), as the main factor for both the mixing of species and the inclusion of juvenile tuna of species being overfished. Employed in combination with purse seine nets, FADs are man-made floating objects that attract not only juvenile tuna, but also turtles and endangered and vulnerable sharks species such as whale and silky sharks, which are regularly netted as bycatch. Once in the freezers, identification and sorting of juveniles is regarded as very difficult, resulting in species being mixed in the tinning process.
"By using fish aggregation devices in purse seining and removing juvenile tuna from the oceans, the tuna industry is driving the future collapse of tuna stocks, along with its own demise," continued Thuellen. "FADs are at the root of an unsustainable industry, driving the overfishing of tuna populations, and hindering the recovery of species like bigeye and yellowfin. Greenpeace is calling on regional tuna management organisations to enact an immediate global ban on fish aggregation devices, if we are to have any hope for the future sustainability of tuna".
Greenpeace is calling on politicians take the opportunity to ban FADs at the West and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission [6] meeting in Hawaii on December 6th, where further measures to rescue the regions' declining bigeye tuna stocks will be discussed.
The full results of the genetic testing into tinned tuna are available for download, as well as a detailed briefing on fish aggregation devices. Greenpeace is campaigning for sustainable fisheries and a global network of marine reserves covering 40% of the world's oceans as necessary steps to restoring the world's oceans to health.
The Great Barrier Reef of Norfolk: 20 mile chalk bank found of British coast is world's longest
The Great Barrier Reef of Norfolk: 20 mile chalk bank found of British coast is world's longest
It is a mere stone’s throw from the shore and just 25ft under the sea’s surface.
But for 300 million years, no one realised that the world’s longest chalk reef lay off the coast of Norfolk.
It was only when divers surveyed what they thought was a small rocky plain earlier this year, that they discovered the towering arches of rock and deep chasms actually stretched for more than 20 miles.
The marine haven has so many species, including sponges, sea slugs and fish, that experts are describing it as ‘Britain’s Great Barrier Reef’.
It is one-and-a-half times longer than the Thanet Coast chalk reefs in Kent, the former record holder.
Diver Rob Spray, 43, whose team discovered the reef, said: ‘It was like finding a natural Stonehenge hidden under the water.’
The true scale of the underwater landscape, which is likely to be made a protected reserve, only emerged when Mr Spray, who runs the Marine Conservation Society survey project, and his team of 20 volunteers were granted funding to do a survey of the structure.
He said: ‘We couldn’t believe it when we found it was actually 20 miles long and had this amazing complex of gullies and arches. In some areas it looks like a moonscape.’
Three species never before recorded on the East Anglian coast have already been found there; the leopard spotted goby, the blush-red strawberry anemone and the Atlantic ancula sea slug. It is also home to the rock-loving, ‘smiling’ tompot blenny fish.
The team next plan to find out how wide the reef is. Mr Spray added: ‘Every time we went back we found more. I never expected to find anything on this scale in Norfolk.’
Mr Spray, who has been diving in the North Sea with partner Dawn Watson, 41, for 12 years, knew there was a chalk area off the east coast but had always believed it was fairly small.
'We thought it would be a small project, but on the very first day we started five miles west of where we though the reef was and discovered chalk,' he said.
'So after our first dive we had already doubled the size of the known reef and every time we went back we found more and more.
Kate Risely, a Seasearch volunteer meeting a Common Lobster on the Sheringham reef
'We were also stunned to see it had so many significant features, such as the man high rock arches. I found one then suddenly discovered a whole row.
'It reminds me of reefs I have seen in Malta and I never expected to find anything on this scale in Norfolk.'
Mr Spray added: 'The chalk reefs are fantastic for wildlife and are teaming with shoals of reef-loving fish, coated with anemones and hosting characters such as the tompot blenny.
'Animals and plants can live in sand and gravel but they are hostile environments and rocky reefs are much better as they enable creatures to get up into the water column to feed.'
The divers hope the reef will be made into a protected reserve under European law.
They also plan to continue their survey next year to find out how wide the reef is, so they can work out its total area.
'The white chalk gives this reef a really unique character and we hope people will now come to Norfolk to see it for themselves,' he said.
'Norfolk is an easy place to dive and you can walk just 100 metres out from the coast and be on the reef.
'I think the reef will really benefit tourism in the county and we hope it will officially be made into a reserve as it has no real protection at the moment.'
Although less than one per cent of the UK coastline is chalk, the UK has 75 per cent of the chalk reefs in Europe.
The Great Barrier Reef in Australia is the largest reef in the world stretching over 1800 miles.
There are a handful of cold water coral reefs around Britain, including one off Rockall, an isolated island 200 miles off Scotland.
It is a mere stone’s throw from the shore and just 25ft under the sea’s surface.
But for 300 million years, no one realised that the world’s longest chalk reef lay off the coast of Norfolk.
It was only when divers surveyed what they thought was a small rocky plain earlier this year, that they discovered the towering arches of rock and deep chasms actually stretched for more than 20 miles.
The marine haven has so many species, including sponges, sea slugs and fish, that experts are describing it as ‘Britain’s Great Barrier Reef’.
It is one-and-a-half times longer than the Thanet Coast chalk reefs in Kent, the former record holder.
Diver Rob Spray, 43, whose team discovered the reef, said: ‘It was like finding a natural Stonehenge hidden under the water.’
The true scale of the underwater landscape, which is likely to be made a protected reserve, only emerged when Mr Spray, who runs the Marine Conservation Society survey project, and his team of 20 volunteers were granted funding to do a survey of the structure.
He said: ‘We couldn’t believe it when we found it was actually 20 miles long and had this amazing complex of gullies and arches. In some areas it looks like a moonscape.’
Three species never before recorded on the East Anglian coast have already been found there; the leopard spotted goby, the blush-red strawberry anemone and the Atlantic ancula sea slug. It is also home to the rock-loving, ‘smiling’ tompot blenny fish.
The team next plan to find out how wide the reef is. Mr Spray added: ‘Every time we went back we found more. I never expected to find anything on this scale in Norfolk.’
Mr Spray, who has been diving in the North Sea with partner Dawn Watson, 41, for 12 years, knew there was a chalk area off the east coast but had always believed it was fairly small.
'We thought it would be a small project, but on the very first day we started five miles west of where we though the reef was and discovered chalk,' he said.
'So after our first dive we had already doubled the size of the known reef and every time we went back we found more and more.
Kate Risely, a Seasearch volunteer meeting a Common Lobster on the Sheringham reef
'We were also stunned to see it had so many significant features, such as the man high rock arches. I found one then suddenly discovered a whole row.
'It reminds me of reefs I have seen in Malta and I never expected to find anything on this scale in Norfolk.'
Mr Spray added: 'The chalk reefs are fantastic for wildlife and are teaming with shoals of reef-loving fish, coated with anemones and hosting characters such as the tompot blenny.
'Animals and plants can live in sand and gravel but they are hostile environments and rocky reefs are much better as they enable creatures to get up into the water column to feed.'
The divers hope the reef will be made into a protected reserve under European law.
They also plan to continue their survey next year to find out how wide the reef is, so they can work out its total area.
'The white chalk gives this reef a really unique character and we hope people will now come to Norfolk to see it for themselves,' he said.
'Norfolk is an easy place to dive and you can walk just 100 metres out from the coast and be on the reef.
'I think the reef will really benefit tourism in the county and we hope it will officially be made into a reserve as it has no real protection at the moment.'
Although less than one per cent of the UK coastline is chalk, the UK has 75 per cent of the chalk reefs in Europe.
The Great Barrier Reef in Australia is the largest reef in the world stretching over 1800 miles.
There are a handful of cold water coral reefs around Britain, including one off Rockall, an isolated island 200 miles off Scotland.
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