rapture

WHOI: 1986: A Former ‘Alvin’ Pilot Recalls His Descent on the ‘Titanic’

0
Posted by Mikey on September 2, 2010 – 1:26 pm
Filed under wreck diving

No Credit Listed

On June 10, I made the third dive down to the Titanic. After a routine pre-dive and launch, by 7:30 a.m. my two observers, Bob Ballard and Martin Bowen, and I were on our way to the bottom.  Heading to the bottom in Alvin is actually pretty relaxing. Well, as relaxing as you can get in a 6-foot sphere. It is still warm inside, not yet cooled off by the cold temperatures of the deep ocean. Once you flood the ballast tanks and sink, you leave behind the motion of the waves and begin the two-and-one-half-hour free fall to the bottom. The Titanic lies at a depth of 3,996 meters, about 2.5 miles down.

See link below for more:

http://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/viewArticle.do?id=80686&sectionid=1000

2010: 11th Annual San Diego UnderSea Film Exhibition

0
Posted by Mikey on September 1, 2010 – 9:52 am
Filed under San Diego Undersea Film Exhibition

What: 11th Annual San Diego UnderSea Film Exhibition

When: Friday and Saturday evenings, September 17 and 18th, 2010 7:00 pm

The judges’ results are in, and 32 underwater videos have been selected to be shown at the 11th Annual San Diego UnderSea Film Exhibition, at the Irwin M. Jacobs Qualcomm Hall on Friday and Saturday evenings, September 17 and 18, 2010. The programs for both nights are now posted on the organization’s website, www.sdufex.com. What makes this exhibition unique is that there are no entry fees and no prizes, except for the prestige of having a film shown.

Fifty five entries from six countries around the world were vying for the honor. A panel of three independent judges picked the winners. This year’s judges were Shannon Hull, Andy Sallmon, and Bonnie Toth, professionals in the fields of scuba diving, photography, and televison.

Among the films that made the cut are two by Howard and Michele Hall, renowned for their IMAX and television productions. Subjects of others include sperm whales, microscopic plankton, sharks, shipwrecks, and manta rays. Locations include Indonesia, the Maldives, the Arctic, the Red Sea, and our own California coast.

A different program will be presented each evening beginning at 7:00 PM. Each show will feature 16 digital films, limited to five minutes each of fast-paced entertainment. They will be shown on Qualcomm’s state of the art high definition digital projection system.

Tickets are available for $15 per evening online at www. sdufex.com. SDUFEX is incorporated as a 501c3 nonprofit organization. A portion of the proceeds will go to Birch Aquarium and San Diego Oceans Foundation. Previous years’ shows have been sellouts, so get your tickets early. Seating is open, and doors open 30 minutes prior to the show. Free Parking is on site at the Qualcomm campus.

Further information is available online at www.sdufex.com.

See teaser below:

2010 San Diego Undersea Film Exhibition – Trailer from Pete Fowler on Vimeo.

The San Diego Undersea Film Exhibition will be held (7PM) September 17 and 18, 2010 at the Irwin M. Jacobs Qualcomm Hall. Qualcomm Hall is located just minutes from the Intersection of I805 and Mira Mesa Blvd in San Diego. In its 11th year, this year film exhibition features a different set of 16 five minute films each night. The Films were selected, by an independent panel of judges, from almost 60 films that were submitted from all over the world.

The San Diego Undersea Film Exhibition is a 501c organization that puts on an annual worldwide film exhibition to educate the public on the importance of protecting our seas and oceans. A portion of the proceeds from the 2010 event will be donated to the San Diego Oceans Society and the Birch Aquarium … two other San Diego organizations dedicated to educating the public on the importance of the oceans.

Johan Rockstrom: Let the environment guide our development

0
Posted by Mikey on August 31, 2010 – 7:08 pm
Filed under Oceans

NASA/NOAA Study Finds El Niños Growing Stronger

0
Posted by Mikey on August 30, 2010 – 2:43 pm
Filed under Oceans

Photo Credit: NOAA

A relatively new type of El Niño, which has its warmest waters in the central-equatorial Pacific Ocean, rather than in the eastern-equatorial Pacific, is becoming more common and progressively stronger, according to a new study by NASA and NOAA. The research may improve our understanding of the relationship between El Niños and climate change, and has potential significant implications for long-term weather forecasting.

The scientists say the stronger El Niños help explain a steady rise in central Pacific sea surface temperatures observed over the past few decades in previous studies — a trend attributed by some to the effects of global warming. While Lee and McPhaden observed a rise in sea surface temperatures during El Niño years, no significant temperature increases were seen in years when ocean conditions were neutral, or when El Niño’s cool water counterpart, La Niña, was present.

“Our study concludes the long-term warming trend seen in the central Pacific is primarily due to more intense El Niños, rather than a general rise of background temperatures,” said Lee.

http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2010/20100825_elnino.html#

University of Bristol: Plan to ‘FIN-ger-print’ Great White Sharks

0
Posted by Mikey on August 30, 2010 – 9:49 am
Filed under Sharks, Sharks in the media

The scheme involves the equivalent of fingerprinting the animals, storing images of their unique dorsal fins on a database.

Once established tourists and fishermen would be able to access the information online, helping international shark groups to track the animals.

The University of Bristol is developing the software which experts hope will give them a unique insight into the species’ population and one day give them the truth on numbers of the animals and their movements.
It is hoped that the unparalleled record of the sharks and their territories could eventually help lift the lid on key behaviours never before witnessed – like great whites mating or giving birth.
Swiss marine biologist Michael Scholl, founder and director of the White Shark Trust, spent 10 years photographing over 1,500 great white’s using his ‘finprinting’ technique.
His detailed record of white shark observations – paired together with a dorsal fin ID for each animal – is the world’s biggest database ever recorded on great white’s and will be the basis for the new computer system.

See here for more:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/7938316/Plan-to-fingerprint-every-Great-White-Shark.html

Marine Room, La Jolla: Day of the Jelly [My First Video]

0
Posted by Mikey on August 28, 2010 – 3:06 pm
Filed under Jellyfish, Oceans
Tagged as

Date: 8-28-10
Time: 9:03 am
Dive Buddy: Julie Lorenzen
Dive Length: 33 mins
Surf: 1-2 ft, ie: negligible
Viz: not bad: 15-20 ft.
Max Depth: 124 ft.
Underwater Topography: La Jolla Canyon, South Wall
Mix: 32%
Marine Life Seen: several schools of unidentifed fish in the kelp on the bottom, Sand Dabs, a Vermilion Rockfish in a hole and several Fried Egg Jellies ( Phacellophora camtschatica) as well as some Sea Pens, Order: Pennatulacea, sp. unknown
Videos here: Julie and the Jelly, Part II [Part I is above], which I shot with a Go Pro wrist-mounted Hi Def video camera:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSFH4uIyIb8
Julie and I waded through negligible surf this morning for a nice dive where we explored the South Wall of La Jolla Canyon, taking photographs and video of numerous Fried Egg Jellies seen along the way.

Scott Gietler: Angel Shark

0
Posted by Mikey on August 27, 2010 – 8:35 pm
Filed under Sharks
Tagged as

10,000-year-old boy’s bones found in an underwater Mexican cave

0
Posted by Mikey on August 27, 2010 – 1:09 pm
Filed under Underwater Archeology

The remains of a prehistoric child that were found in an underwater cave in Mexico four years ago have now been removed by a team of divers.

The skeletal remains of the boy, dubbed the Young Hol Chan, are more than 10,000 years old and are among the oldest human bones found in the Americas.

Scientists hope that the well-preserved corpse will offers clues to ancient human migration.

See here for pictures: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1305929/Ancient-skeleton-prehistoric-child-removed-Mexican-underwater-cave.html#ixzz0xq3p1vuc

California Diver Magazine: Coming Soon……

1
Posted by Mikey on August 26, 2010 – 1:39 pm
Filed under Oceans

Chad King: Welcome to The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary

0
Posted by Mikey on August 26, 2010 – 11:47 am
Filed under Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, Oceans

A short, acoustic series of images and video representing much of the life and activities you will find within the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary by NOAA  Data Analyses  Specialist, Chad King.

The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS) is a Federally protected marine area offshore of California’s central coast. Stretching from Marin to Cambria, the MBNMS encompasses a shoreline length of 276 miles and 6,094 square miles of ocean. Supporting one of the world’s most diverse marine ecosystems, it is home to numerous mammals, seabirds, fishes, invertebrates and plants in a remarkably productive coastal environment. The MBNMS was established for the purpose of resource protection, research, education, and public use of this national treasure. The MBNMS is part of a system of 13 National Marine Sanctuaries and one marine national monument, administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

For more information, please visit http://montereybay.noaa.gov/

and for more videos and images like these, see: http://www.youtube.com/user/simon299

WP SlimStat