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Oceanography News Headlines from External Websites Marine News at The Thunder Child Blog: Chronology of Marine Exploration since August 19, 2007 The purpose of this database is to have a chronological record of all oceanographic news appearing on the web. All the links are to external websites, and the links may become inactive over time. Please let us know if this is the case.   Web thethunderchild.com Articles are listed chronologically from latest to earliest. Date URL Notes August 15, 2007 Wednesday Headless walruses alarm Alaska officials Jonathan Saul, Reuters, Yahoo News ANCHORAGE, Alaska - An unusually high number of walrus carcasses missing their heads and ivory tusks have washed up on beaches this summer, alarming wildlife officials. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service doesn't know whether the dozens of walrus carcasses counted along a 40-mile stretch in Norton Sound are part of a crime or whether sloppy hunters are responsible. Pacific walruses are not considered endangered but can be hunted only by Alaska Natives, who are required to use a certain amount of the animal or face fines for being wasteful. The tusks are often carved or used in native arts and crafts. walruses, native traditions, wasteful take, ivoryctments . . . . August 14, 2007 Tuesday Viking ship lands in Ireland after nearly 1,000 yrs Jonathan Saul, Reuters, Yahoo News DUBLIN (Reuters) - A reconstructed Viking ship pulled into Dublin on Tuesday nearly 1,000 years after the original sank off Denmark's coast, with its crew retracing the gruelling voyages made by marauding Nordic raiders to Ireland. The Sea Stallion's weather-beaten, 65-member team set sail from Roskilde in Denmark on July 1 using oar and sail power, journeying over 1,000 nautical miles and aiming to address unanswered questions about Viking ship-building and travel. Vikings, ship construction, reenactments . . . . July 31, 2007 Wednesday Shark Blood Constantly Shifting Jennifer Vargas, Discovery News The amount of blood in a shark depends upon the saltiness of the water in which the shark is immersed, according to research that found many sharks must continuously regulate their blood and other bodily fluid volumes, since water salinity may change. The paper, which has been accepted for publication in the journal Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, provides one of the most extensive looks at this phenomenon, and points out how massive ice melt triggered by warming could spell trouble for the animals. sharks. . . . July 30, 2007 Wednesday The Real 'Jaws' Now in 3-D Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News With his head inside the mouth of a great white shark this week, biologist Daniel Huber is conducting the most thorough analysis ever attempted of the great white's bite, along with studies on feeding performance in tiger and bull sharks. The nearly 8-foot-long great white died last September after becoming entangled in nets at Lakes Beach along Australia's Central Coast. Huber, a shark expert at the University of Tampa, and his colleagues are now dissecting the shark's jaws while simultaneously collecting data on the placement and strength of related muscles. sharks, Australia. . . . July 29, 2007 Wednesday 'Dead zone' in Gulf of Mexico among top 3 ever mapped CNN Technology NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (AP) -- The oxygen-poor "dead zone" off the Louisiana and Texas coasts isn't quite as big as predicted this year, but it is still the third-largest ever mapped, a scientist said Saturday. Crabs, eels and other creatures are being forced by lack of oxygen to swim on the surface. Crabs, eels and other creatures usually found on the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico are swimming in crowds on the surface because there is too little oxygen in their usual habitat, said Nancy Rabalais, chief scientist for northern Gulf hypoxia studies. dead zone, Gulf of Mexico. . . . July 28, 2007 Wednesday Truth Found in Tales of Monster Fish David Mosher, LiveScience Staff Writer, LiveScience.com, YahooNews Anglers all have tales about the one that got away, the fish of legendary size that stripped the line from the reel. A new study suggests why that there might indeed be giants and offers an explanation for how they grow so huge. Turns out fishermen themselves can be responsible for the monsters. fish farming. . . . July 27, 2007 Wednesday Turtles Go Wireless to Survive Tracy Staedter, Discovery News Computer-toting turtles seem like something out of a Disney movie. But two groups of researchers are working together to equip snapping turtles with lightweight, solar-powered devices that record, store and transmit information wirelessly. Data gathered from the TurtleNet project will be used to map where and how the turtles move, to help protect their habitats. sea turtles. July 27, 2007 Wednesday Hundreds of Oil-Covered Penguins Surface in South America Robin Lloyd, LiveScience Senior Editor, LiveScience.com, YahooNews Hundreds of oil-covered Magellanic penguins have surfaced off the Atlantic coast of South America in the past few weeks, according to an animal welfare organization. Magellanic penguins are medium-sized South American penguins. The species is classified as "near threatened" because of its vulnerability to oil spills, which kill tens of thousands of the animals yearly off the coast of Argentina. Oil spills harm numerous types of marine life, including seabirds. Oil interferes with their waterproofing abilities. This forces penguins, which are birds, out of the frigid waters in a state of hypothermia, leading to dehydration and sometimes starvation. South American penguins, oil spills. . . . July 25, 2007 Wednesday Treasure trove 'found by octopus' BBC News An octopus with a porcelain plate stuck to its suckers has led to the discovery of a hoard of ancient pottery, South Korean scientists say. A fisherman caught the octopus off South Korea's west coast in May. He said the animal appeared to be hiding under a plate. Archaeologists searched the area and discovered a 12th Century wooden wreck buried in mudflats. South Korean, octopus, treasure wrecks, underwater archaeology. . . . latest: July 25, 2007 Wednesday Jumbo Squid Invade California Associated Press, Discovery News Jumbo squid that can grow up to 7 feet long and weigh more than 110 pounds is invading central California waters and preying on local anchovy, hake and other commercial fish populations, according to a study published Tuesday. An aggressive predator, the Humboldt squid — or Dosidicus gigas — can change its eating habits to consume the food supply favored by tuna and sharks, its closest competitors, according to an article published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal. Humboldt squid, competition with man. latest: July 25, 2007 July 24, 2007 Wednesday Russian Explorers to Probe North Pole AFP, Discovery News Future entries will not contain the beginning paragraphs. A Russian expedition in which two parliament members will explore the North Pole seabed in a mini-submarine set out from the northern port of Murmansk on Tuesday, an expedition organizer said. The unprecedented expedition is part of Russia's efforts to assert territorial claims well north of its Arctic coast in territory thought to contain significant oil, gas and other reserves. "The Arctic is ours and we should demonstrate our presence," the expedition's 67-year-old leader, the explorer and member of parliament Artur Chilingarov, said on television earlier. Cold War, Russia, Mir submarine, melting Ice caps. . . . July 20, 2007 Wednesday Catch-Release Angling Injures Fish Jennifer Vargas, Discovery News Catch and release fishing seems like a win win-situation, with recreational anglers experiencing the thrill of a catch, while their prey can, in theory, swim safely away. But that's not always the case, according to a new study that found fish, including sharks, may suffer so much trauma during the event that they could die shortly thereafter. The findings, which will be published in next month's Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, primarily apply to hook and line anglers, since the catches of seine net users rarely died upon release. Catch and release, deep-sea angling, trophy fish. . . . July 17, 2007 Tuesday Southern Ocean's climate effects studied Science Daily Florida State University has received a $2.6 million grant through the U.S. National Science Foundation to study the Southern Ocean's climate effects. The project involving the ocean that surrounds Antarctica will include graduate and undergraduate students at FSU and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, located at the University of California-San Diego. university oceanography programs, Woodshole, Antarctica. July 17, 2007 Tuesday Glow-in-the-Dark Sharks at Risk? Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News One of the first ever detailed studies on deep water lantern sharks, so named for their ability to glow in the dark, has found they are in danger of extinction. Recent studies have linked declines in shark populations to the collapse of entire marine ecosystems. The loss of lantern sharks could devastate other ocean life globally, as many lantern sharks have wide ranges. Lantern shark, deep sea fishing, by-catch, marine ecosystems. . . . July 16, 2007 Monday Ibiza marine park 'safe from oil' BBC News Spanish authorities say they have prevented oil from a freighter that ran aground off the holiday island of Ibiza from reaching a nature reserve. Absorbent barriers are now in place to protect the Ses Salines reserve, a sanctuary for migratory birds. oil spills, tanker grounded, beach cleanup. . . . July 13, 2007 Friday Lobsters life work for Maine scientist Clarke Canfield, Associated Press Writer , Yahoo News The tide is dead low as Diane Cowan lifts seaweed-covered rocks at dawn's first light, something she's done for more than a decade as a way to monitor Maine's most valuable fishery. Here at Lowell Cove, the number of juvenile lobsters has increased fourfold in recent years, indicating plentiful crustaceans for years to come. Maine, lobsters. . . . July 13, 2007 Friday Coral "shuffle" helps reefs survive warmer world: study Yahoo News Australia's Great Barrier Reef might be able to survive warming sea temperatures, as a result of global warming, better than first thought because some coral algae are more heat tolerant, Australian scientists said. Coral geneticists from the Australian Institute of Marine Science have found that many corals store several types of algae, which can improve their capacity to cope with warmer water. Global warming, Great barrier reef, coral. . . . latest: July 12, 2007 Spain seizes ship in treasure row BBC News Spain targets US treasure ships BBC News - June 5, 2007 The Spanish Civil Guard has intercepted a boat operated by a US company amid a row over treasure from a shipwreck. The guard had been ordered by a Spanish judge to seize the vessel as soon as it left the British colony of Gibraltar. Gibraltar officials and Odyssey Marine Exploration, which owns the ship, said Spain had boarded the ship illegally as it was in international waters. Marine archeology, underwater treasure hunting, sovereign seas. July 12, 2007 Dinos, Sharks Were Predators and Prey Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News Sharks and dinosaurs in prehistoric Europe had a taste for each other, suggests a new review of vertebrate fossils found in the Galve region of Northeast Spain. Diverse findings dating from the late Jurassic to the early Cretaceous reveal that bony fish, salamanders, frogs, 39-foot-long crocodilians, small prehistoric mammals, freshwater turtles, several types of pterosaurs, and various other dinosaurs all once thrived at the Spanish site from around 163 to 145 million years ago. Sharks, dinosaurs, Northeast Spain. July 12, 2007 Gray whales getting thin with warming Zachary Slobig, AFP, Discovery News Scientists on the US Pacific coast are increasingly observing emaciated gray whales in what they fear is a sign that global warming is wreaking havoc in the whales' Bering Sea summer feeding grounds. The scientists fear that the same phenomenon is cutting back reproduction in the Pacific whale population to the point it could be facing a new crisis, after recovering in the mid-1990s and graduating from the endangered species list. gray whales, global warming, endangered species. . . . July 11, 2007 Sharks keep seagrass tidy Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News Australian tiger sharks keep a tidy lawn for their marine neighbors by controlling where local herbivores can nibble, according to a study published in the current issue of Animal Behavior. The discovery adds to the growing list of ways in which sharks benefit ecosystems worldwide. In seagrass communities in particular, countless other creatures depend on the presence of sharks. Tiger sharks, dugongs, Australia. . . . July 10, 2007 Java Landslide Launched 2006 Tsunami Larry O'Hanlon, Discovery News A stealthy tsunami which defied nature's own alert system and killed more than 600 last July may have been caused by an undersea landslide, itself triggered by a large earthquake, say scientists. A team of researchers personally surveyed the devastation on the south shore of Java a week after the July 17, 2006, event. They found that the tsunami hit a relatively narrow 186-mile section of coastline and reached horrific flow depths on land of 20 to 30 feet. Tsunami prediction and warning. . . . July 9, 2007 Penguin Diet Change Caused by People? Jennifer Vegas, Discovery News Around 200 years ago, a group of Antarctic penguins started a dramatic new diet: they switched from eating mostly big fish to a diet of tiny crustaceans. And, new research suggests, humans might have forced the change. Man's impact on his environment. July 9, 2007 Parched Everglades Need More Than Rain Brian Skolkoff, Associated Press One hard rainfall won't even come close to solving the unprecedented drought withering much of Florida. Lake Okeechobee, the heart of the Everglades and a backup drinking water source for millions of South Florida residents, has been hitting a record low almost weekly. Its main artery, the Kissimmee River starting near Orlando, hasn't flowed south in more than 240 days, depriving the lake of 50 percent of its water. Mankind's impact on his environment - the destruction of Florida latest: July 10, 2007 On Leave, Hurricane Center's Director Is in the Eye of the Storm Stephen Barr, Washington Post Chief of Hurricane Center Is Out Mike Nizza, New York Times Hurricane boss goes on leave under a cloud Associated Press, CTV.ca Embattled hurricane director leaves post CNN News Further reports on Proenza will not provide summaries, just URLs. Bill Proenza, the embattled director of the National Hurricane Center, was reassigned today, ending a short insurrection among a large chunk of a staff that he led since December. They called for his ouster in a beef summed up by The Lede on Friday: Evidently, some on the staff think Mr. Proenza grossly exaggerated the importance of a soon-to-die weather-data satellite system called QuikScat as he sought more money for the center in the federal budget, thereby undermining public confidence in its science and perhaps risking cuts to the data-gathering effort the forecasters say is most important, reconnaissance aircraft flights. Politics, cronyism, hurricane and weather forecasting . . . July 9, 2007 Florida raises ill-fated artificial reefs Jim Loney, Yahoo News When people began dumping used tires in the ocean 40 years ago to create artificial reefs, they gave little thought to the potential environmental cost, or to how difficult it would be to pick them up. "It was one of those ideas that seemed good at the time," said Jack Sobel, a senior scientist at The Ocean Conservancy, a Washington-based environmental group. "Now I think it's pretty clear it was a bad idea." . . . December 29, 2006 Right whales may get more protection Mary Pemberton, Associated Press, Discovery News After winning more protection for polar bears, a conservation group is pressuring the U.S. government to keep the North Pacific right whale from going extinct. The whales are the most endangered whale in the world. The administration of President Bush proposed Wednesday that polar bears be listed as "threatened" because of melting Arctic sea ice related to global warming. A threatened listing is one step lower than endangered, meaning the species is likely to face extinction in the future. Man's impact on his environment, endangered species list, gray whales. Warning! Warning! Warning! Danger! You might miss intriguing updates if you do not subscribe to The Thunder Child mailing list! Warning! Warning! Warning!

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