SEA Blog

Oceanography article on International Quiet Ocean Experiment

Last year I was fortunate to be involved in the innaugural meeting centered around the concept of an International Quiet Ocean Experiment in Rhode Island.  We recently published an article in Oceanography regarding the outcomes of this meeting.  You can find this article available on-line at:

http://www.tos.org/oceanography/archive/24-2_boyd_il.pdf

If you are interested in this idea, please note that there is a follow-on meeting in Paris later this year, which you can find more information about at:

http://www.iqoe-2011.org/

 

Recent developments on tidal power -- ORPC deploys new research vessel

FYI -- some recent interesting developments in tidal power, including the deployment of a new research support vessel by Ocean Renewable Power Company.  Please see:

http://social.tidaltoday.com/intelligence-brief/fortnightly-intelligence-brief-9-june-%E2%80%93-22-june-2011

Ocean Renewable Power had a chance to show off its research vessel and beta tidal turbine this month at the Portland Ocean Terminal. The boat and turbine were open to the public to tour, according to Maine news reports. The turbine prototype is less than half the size of the actual turbine that ORPC plans to install by the end of the year on the ocean floor in Cobscook Bay's 100-foot deep waters. Jim Mitchell, ORPC's system operator, says the TidGen Power System, will produce 150 kW for Bangor Hydro Electric Co.'s grid, enough to power 50 to 75 homes. Chris Sauer, president and CEO of ORPC, says the turbine will likely be the first grid-connected tidal energy project in the US.

More info at: www.oceanrenewablepower.com

 

 

 

Recent presentation on vessel-quieting efforts at IMCC2

A cross-disciplinary partnership of several of us working to advance the implementation of vessel-quieting technologies on large commercial ships recently gave an update presentation on progress within the International Maritime Organization at the IMCC2 meeting in Victoria, BC <see: http://www.conbio.org/IMCC2011/>.  The title of the presentation and abstract is given below, as well as the authorship (but note that Michael Jasny actually gave this talk on our behalf).

18:15  Ongoing efforts to reduce underwater noise from large commercial ships. Brandon Southall , SEA, Inc. and University of California, Santa Cruz; Kathy Metcalf Chamber of Shipping of America; Leila Hatch National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Amy Scholik-Schlomer National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Michael Jasny *Natural Resources Defense Council; Lindy Weilgart Okeanos and Dalhousie University; Andrew Wright NERI, Aarhus University; Trisha Bergmann , National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration;

Abstract: There has long been recognition among scientists that vessel noise may restrict sound communication in marine animals, particularly large whales, but broad recognition of this within the shipping industry has been lacking, as have efforts to quiet vessels. However, thanks to international cooperation, there has been substantial recent progress on this issue. Some industry representatives that were previously unaware of the potential environmental impacts associated with underwater noise from large ships have been receptive to considering quieting technologies, largely because incidental noise serves no purpose and is actually wasted energy with regard to transportation. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration hosted two symposia on this issue in 2004 & 2007; follow-on efforts have included a 2008 workshop hosted by a private scientific foundation, Okeanos-Foundation for the Sea, partnerships with environmental groups (notably Natural Resources Defense Council), industry partners (notably the Chamber of Shipping of America), and private and academic scientists. This issue is now progressing within the international arena via the U.N.’s International Maritime Organization, and with recognition by the International Whaling Commission and ACCOBAMS. This talk will consider underlying environmental issues, with particular attention to industrial noise in the changing Arctic, and discuss the collaborations and status of current international efforts.

The presentation received a good amount of attention, including some media coverage on a local radio show the podcast of which you can find at <http://kuow.org/program.php?id=23495>

We continue to make progress on this issue, and are currently in the process of moving the discussion at the IMO into the design and engineering stages for recommending specific quieting measures in the construction of new vessels.  Stay tuned for more on this...

Recent Article on Environmental Impacts of Marine Hydrokinetics

With some of our partners including Ocean Renewable Power Company (ORPC) and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratoy (PNNL), SEA is increasingly working on offshore alternative energy issues including marine hydrokinetic technologies.  These rapidly evolving systems offer the potential (and now the reality) of obtaining clean and renewable energy from the movement of water (both salt and fresh) without the use of dams.  A very interesting and comprehensive recent article on these technologies and the work underway to understand and mitigate their environmental impacts (which features some of the work being done by ORPC and PNNL) is avilable at: 

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2011/05/hydro-fishing-for-evidence-identifying-how-marine-and-hydrokinetic-devices-affect-aquatic-environments

Two recent on-line videos on marine biology

SEA Bloggers,

Two recent multimedia pieces on different marine mammal issues have come out recently I thought I would bring to your attention.  Both of these involved some contribution from our colleagues at Wharton Media, who continue to make fantastic contributions to public awareness and appreciation of natural history and of science.

The first piece is on a species near and dear to my heart, northern elephant seals:

http://www.kqed.org/quest/television/into-the-deep-with-elephant-seals

The second is a CBC documentary on mysteries of the deep, which includes some of the fantastic work by another of our colleagues, Dan Costa at UC Santa Cruz:

http://oneocean.cbc.ca/series/episodes/3-mysteries-of-the-deep

Both of these are very interesting and scientifically acurate yet publically appealing.  Check them out!