SEA Blog

India plans Asian tidal power first

SEA blog - FYI check out a planned new largescale tidal power development in India:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12215065

India plans Asian tidal power first

By Richard Black Environment correspondent, BBC News

The Indian state of Gujarat is planning to host Asia's first commercial-scale tidal power station.

The company Atlantis Resources is to install a 50MW tidal farm in the Gulf of Kutch on India's west coast, with construction starting early in 2012.

The facility could be expanded to deliver more than 200MW.

The biggest operating tidal station in the world, La Rance in France, generates 240MW, while South Korea is planning several large facilities.

To claim the title of "Asia's first", the Indian project will have to outrun developments at Sihwa Lake, a South Korean tidal barrage under construction on the country's west coast.

Atlantis's recent feasibility study in Gujarat concluded that the state had good potential for tidal exploitation.

"About two and a half years ago we ran a global study of tidal power resources and came up with some hotspots where resource seemed pretty well matched to load," said Atlantis CEO Tim Cornelius.

"One of them was the Gulf of Kutch - and since then we've had wonderful support from the government, culminating in the announcement that the project was going ahead," he told BBC News.

Projections indicate that the cost of the initial 50MW farm - to consist of 50 1MW turbines - will come in at about $150m.

As much of the manufacturing as possible will take place in Gujarat, taking advantage of the skills base in India's booming wind turbine industry.

More...

Green California Summit (19-20 April)

The Green California Summit will be held 19-20 April 2011 in Sacramento.  An overview of the summit is below, and you can find more information about the summit and registration at:

http://www.green-technology.org/gcsummit/

Green Paths to Economic Recovery

From the implementation of the California’s ground-breaking new green building code and new goals for water efficiency to increasingly determined efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, things are changing in communities throughout the state.

From building programs to workforce development, “green” is now a given. The focus now is on identifying strategies – and technologies – that offer both economic and environmental benefits.

The Green California Summit has emerged as the state’s most important annual forum for innovations in policy, technology and practice – a chance to be educated and inspired by programs and initiatives that are keeping the Golden State at the leading edge of environmental preservation.

 

SOCAL-10 presentation at Smithsonian available online

Just an FYI that the SOCAL-10 talk I gave at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C. is now available online at:

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/11956611

Please see previous postings on this subject for more information, or go to:

www.sea-inc.net/SOCAL10

SOCAL-10 presentation tomorrow at the Smithsonian

Just thought I would post a recent announcement (see below) for the SOCAL-10 lecture I will be giving at the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History tomorrow afternoon in Washington, D.C. and a link to a guest blog on the presentation I wrote for their Ocean's Portal <http://ocean.si.edu/blog/listening-clues-about-sonar%E2%80%99s-effects-marine-mammals>.

"The NOAA/NMFS Office of Protected Resources and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History (Department of Vertebrate Zoology in conjunction with the Office of Education and National Outreach Program) are pleased to announce that Dr. Brandon Southall (SEA, Inc., and UC-Santa Cruz) will be giving a lecture this week in Washington, DC on the research he and colleagues conducted last year for the "SOCAL-10" project to evaluate the behavioral responses of cetaceans to underwater human sounds.  The lecture at the Smithsonian will be available to the public in real-time via live video stream on the Web, and will be archived for future viewing as well.  Following, below, are the details about Dr. Southall’s presentation and how to access it online.   We hope you can join us and Dr. Southall via the Web!

Trevor Spradlin and Amy Scholik-Schlomer                        Charles Potter
Office of Protected Resources                                          Collection Manager, Marine Mammals
National Marine Fisheries Service                                     National Museum of Natural History
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration             Smithsonian Institution

**********************************

New Findings on the Effects of Noise on the Behavior of Whales and Dolphins

Brandon Southall, Ph.D.
President and Senior Scientist for Southall Environmental Associates, Inc., and Research Associate with the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC)

Date:  Thursday, January 6, 2011
Time:  2 pm ET
Location: Live video stream from the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History at:

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/smithsonian-national-museum-of-natural-history#events

Abstract
SOCAL-10 was a scientific research project conducted in Aug-Sept 2010 in important biological areas near southern California.  It extended previous studies in the Bahamas (2007-08) and Mediterranean Sea (2009) of whether and how marine mammals change their behavior when they hear different sounds.  Each of these efforts has integrated behavioral response studies to controlled sound exposures with ongoing research on diving, foraging, and social behavior.  The overall objective was to provide a better basic understanding of marine mammal behavior, while providing direct scientific information for the Navy and regulatory agencies to estimate risk and minimize the impact of human sounds, particularly military sonar.  SOCAL-10 was the first in a five-year dedicated effort to study a variety of marine mammal species in areas around the southern California coast and Channel Islands.

SOCAL-10 involved an interdisciplinary collaboration of experts in marine mammal biology, behavior, and communication, as well as underwater acousticians and specialized field researchers.  During a preliminary scouting phase and two research legs on several different research vessels, SOCAL-10 observed, photographed, and/or tracked in detail, individuals of 21 different marine mammal species.  Sixty-two tags (of six different varieties) were successfully secured on 44 individual animals of nine different marine mammal species, including several which had never been studied using tag technologies previously.  Scientists also conducted 28 controlled sound exposure experiments; in these experiments, animals were monitored with suction cup acoustic sensors, remote listening devices and specialized observers with high-powered binoculars.  Sounds were then played under specific protocols and protective measures (to ensure animals were not harmed) and changes in behavior were recorded.

Preliminary results based primarily on clearly observable behavior in the field and from initial data assessment indicate variable responses, depending on species, type of sound, and behavioral state during the experiments.  Some observations in certain conditions suggest avoidance responses, while in other cases subjects seemed to not respond, at least overtly.   Additional analysis and interpretation is underway of the nearly 400 hours of tag data from the project, as well as thousands of marine mammal observations, photographs, tissue samples, and acoustic measurements.

For additional information, please see:

SOCAL-10 website http://www.sea-inc.net/SOCAL10/
SOCAL-10 blog http://sea.typepad.com/sea-blog/
SOCAL-10 Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Behavioral-Response-Studies-of-Marine-Mammals/153316228012219

"Beneath the Waves" Film Festival

SEA Bloggers,

I thought I would bring to your attention an upcoming science-based film festival called "Beneath the Waves."  It is hosted by the Benthic Ecology meeting, a large scientific conference which takes place in Mobile Alabama this year. The festival brings together scientists and filmmakers and was a huge success last year. It's a great chance to showcase films to a diverse audience. Submitting a film is free and the deadline is February 15th. Instructions can be found at http://beneathwavesff.wordpress.com/

 

http://beneathwavesff.wordpress.com/

SOCAL-10 presentations in Washington DC this week -- Smithsonian one online

This week I will have the privilege of giving two presentations on the SOCAL-10 Behavioral Response Study in the Washington DC area.  Both events are open to the public and the Smithsonian lecture will be available to watch live online.  I have copied an abstract for the talks below the dates and times.

The first presentation will be in Silver Spring, MD on Wednesday, January 5, 2011 at 12 pm ET at the NOAA Central Library, Bldg. 3, 2nd Floor

The second will be Thursday, January 6, 2011 at 2 pm ET at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History – Executive Conference Room.  This event will also available via live video stream at: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/smithsonian-national-museum-of-natural-history#events

Abstract: SOCAL-10 was a scientific research project conducted in Aug-Sept 2010 in important biological areas near southern California. It extended previous studies in the Bahamas (2007-08) and Mediterranean Sea (2009) of whether and how marine mammals change their behavior when they hear different sounds. Each of these studies have integrated behavioral response studies to controlled sound exposures with ongoing research on diving, foraging, and social behavior. The overall objective was to provide a better basic understanding of marine mammal behavior, while providing direct scientific information for the Navy and regulatory agencies to estimate risk and minimize the impact of human sounds, particularly military sonar. SOCAL-10 was the first in a five-year dedicated effort to study a variety of marine mammal species in areas around the southern California coast and Channel Islands.

SOCAL-10 involved an interdisciplinary collaboration of experts in marine mammal biology, behavior, and communication, as well as underwater acousticians and specialized field researchers. During a preliminary scouting phase and two research legs on different research vessels, SOCAL-10 observed, photographed, and/or tracked in detail, individuals of 21 different marine mammal species. Sixty-two tags (of six different varieties) were successfully secured on 44 individual animals of nine different marine mammal species, including several which had never been studied using tag technologies previously. Scientists also conducted 28 controlled sound exposure experiments; in these experiments, animals were monitored with suction cup acoustic sensors, remote listening devices and specialized observers with high-powered binoculars. Sounds were then played to the animals under specific protocols and protective measures (to ensure animals were not harmed) and changes in behavior were measured.

Preliminary results based primarily on clearly observable behavior in the field and from initial data assessment indicate variable responses, depending on species, type of sound, and behavioral state during the experiments. Some observations in certain conditions suggest avoidance responses, while in other cases subjects seemed to not respond, at least overtly. Additional analysis and interpretation is underway of the nearly 400 hours of tag data from the project, as well as thousands of marine mammal observations, photographs, tissue samples, and acoustic measurements.