By Marlowe Hood
They are known as rogue or freak waves, though some people simply call them monsters of the sea.
By any name, the outsized swells that can appear suddenly in open waters are big enough to swamp the largest of ships, experts say.
While it has yet to be confirmed that the trio of eight-meter (26-feet) waves that smashed into a cruise ship Wednesday off the Mediterranean coast of Spain were rogues, some of the right conditions were present.
Two passengers were killed, and a third seriously injured in the incident, which shattered plate-glass windows at the bow of the vessel.
Rogues come about in different ways, but are almost always generated by storm-related winds, whether near or far.
"The winds transfer energy into the waves," said Peter Challenor, an oceanographer at the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton in Britain.
"Then you get interactions among the waves, with the large ones taking energy from the smaller ones, getting bigger and bigger in the process," he said by phone.
The highest wave ever recorded on the high seas is a 34-meter (112-foot) monster spotted in the Pacific by a U.S. Navy-chartered tanker in the 1920s.
On January 1, 1995, a 25.6-metre (84-feet) wall of water -- famous among oceanographers as the "new year wave" -- slammed into a oil rig off the Norwegian coast in the North Sea.
It was two-and-a-half times larger than those coming before and after, proving for the first time that such an aberration was possible.
"Not so long ago, when sailors described such waves, people assumed that they had had too much to drink. Today, with our observational tools, we know they are real," said Christian Kharif, a scientist in Marseille and co-author of "Rogue Waves in the Ocean".
Between 1985 and 2005, over 200 supertankers and container ships longer than 200 meters have sunk in severe weather, with extreme waves certainly being "a main suspect", according to University of Hawaii oceanographer Peter Muller.
"These giant waves can be produced by different mechanisms," said Kharif.
One is through amplification, whereby two or more waves moving in the same direction overlap.
"As wind increases in intensity, it is first going to create small waves, and then bigger ones, which travel faster. Eventually the big ones will catch up, and the energy is concentrated as the waves pile up," he said by phone.
The net effect is greater than the sum of its parts.
"The interaction is non-linear, so when you add the waves together you actually generate more energy and you get a really big one," said Challenor.
Another scenario that can give rise to rogues fits some of the conditions leading to the incident Wednesday.
"There is a mechanism where crisscrossing swells meet, creating a sudden upsurge," Kharif explained.
Two dominant wave patterns affected the region where the Louis Majesty was hit, one pushed by a northeasterly wind and another -- created by a distant weather depression -- at right angles from the first, said an official from the French national weather bureau.
The same official, however, cited data that could cast doubt on the rogue wave hypothesis.
"The waves in the area measured about five meters on average," according to data collected by a Spanish weather buoy just before the accident, Jean-Michel Lefevre said by phone.
"Under those conditions we would expect eight-meter waves every 15 minutes."
Besides the regularity, the size of the waves reported would appear to fall short for a rogue, which is defined as a wave at least twice as high as the so-called significant wave height, an average of the largest third of waves over a given period.
Scientists disagree on just how frequently freak waves occur.
Some studies suggest that approximately one in 3,000 swells fit the profile, while others argue they are in fact far rarer.
But all agree that they often come in sets of three, a phenomenon long known -- and dreaded -- by sailors as "the three sisters," said Kharif.
In contrast, the tsunami waves generated by earthquakes, while devastating to coastal areas, are "barely perceptible" in open waters, he said.
Labels: freak waves, oceanography, rogue waves, tsunami
© 2009, Pacific Spirit Marine Institute.
www.pacificspirit.org
Rogue waves, towering terror on the high seas
Source: Mesquitelocalnews.com
The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that the bi-state population of greater sage-grouse meets the necessary criteria for recognition as a Distinct Population Segment under the Endangered Species Act, and that adding this population to the federal list of threatened and endangered species is warranted.
However, listing the bi-state DPS of the greater sage-grouse at this time is precluded by the need for listing actions on other species that have a higher priority need for protection under the Act.
As a result, the bi-state DPS of the greater sage-grouse will be placed on the list of species that are candidates for Endangered Species Act protection. The Service will review the status of the bi-state DPS annually, as it does with all candidates for listing, and will propose it for listing when funding and workload permit.
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has announced that the federal government will expand its efforts to protect open lands that are important to the survival of the bi-state population and the greater sage-grouse range-wide.
In collaboration with local, state, and tribal partners, Interior will use new science and mapping technologies to improve land-use planning and to ensure that energy production, recreational access and other uses of federal lands will continue where appropriate, while additional measures are taken to protect the bi-state population and the greater sage-grouse across its range.
The bi-state area population of greater sage-grouse, previously referred to as the Mono Basin population of sage-grouse, occurs in portions of Carson City, Lyon, Mineral, Esmeralda, and Douglas Counties in Nevada, and of Alpine, Inyo, and Mono Counties in California.
The State wildlife agencies in Nevada and California have jointly identified six bi-state area Population Management Units (PMUs): Pine Nut, DesertCreek–Fales, Mount Grant, Bodie, South Mono, and White Mountains.
The current analysis of available information suggests only Bodie and South Mono PMUs are likely to persist over the next 30 years, and may also contract in size without increased conservation efforts or implementation of recovery actions.
Threats to the species include destruction, modification, and fragmentation of habitats in the bi-state area caused by urbanization, infrastructure development (e.g. powerlines and roads), mining, energy development, grazing, invasive and exotic species, pinyon–juniper encroachment, wildfire, and the likely effects of climate change.
Current regulatory mechanisms are not adequate to address these habitat-based threats or other threats such as disease and predation, or impacts from recreational activities.
In addition, the relatively few local populations of the bi-state DPS, as well as their small size and relative isolation, contribute to the risk of extinction.
The Service based its final determination on the accumulated scientific data provided by state and federal agencies and tribes, as well as data and information provided through non-governmental, commercial and public comments. The review of relevant materials included 25 chapters of new information and or analyses contained in the peer-reviewed monograph entitled: Ecology and Conservation of Greater Sage-Grouse: A Landscape Species and Its Habitats which was edited by the U.S Geological Survey for publication in the near future by the Cooper Ornithological Society in their Studies in Avian Biology Series. Thirty-eight scientists from federal, state, and nongovernmental organizations collaborated to produce the analyses, synthesis and findings presented in the chapters of this monograph.
The Service assigns a listing priority number to each candidate species based on the magnitude and immediacy of the threats they face. This ranking system is used to determine which candidate species should be more immediately proposed for addition to the list of threatened and endangered species. Because it faces more immediate and severe threats, the Bi-State DPS of the greater sage-grouse has been assigned a listing priority number higher than that for the range-wide greater sage-grouse, which will also be added to the candidate list.
The Service received two petitions to list the bi-state population, one from the Institute for Wildlife Protection (dated December 28, 2001), and the other from the Stanford Law School Environmental Law Clinic (dated November 10, 2005) on behalf of the Sagebrush Sea Campaign, Western Watersheds Project, Center for Biological Diversity, and Christians Caring for Creation.
A series of actions by the Service was taken in response to the petitions, which included publication (in 2006) of a 90-day finding that these petitions did not present substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that the petitioned actions were warranted.
In response to legal challenges, the Service agreed to reconsider this decision. The Service has also announced a finding regarding a petition to list the western subspecies of the greater sage-grouse under the Endangered Species Act.
A western and an eastern subspecies of the greater sage-grouse were described in the 1940’s based on comparisons of a limited number of specimens, and many scientists subsequently questioned the validity of these subspecies designations.
Based on a thorough evaluation of the best scientific information available, including new genetic analyses, the Service found no evidence to support recognition of either subspecies.
As a result, the Service announced today it has made a finding that listing the western subspecies is not warranted, as it is not a valid taxonomic entity eligible for listing under the Act. The greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) is a large, ground-dwelling bird, measuring up to 30 inches in length, is two feet tall and weighs between two to seven pounds.
It has a long, pointed tail with legs feathered to the base of the toes and fleshy yellow combs over the eyes. In addition to the mottled brown, black and white plumage typical of the species, males sport a white ruff around their necks.
The sage-grouse is found from 4,000 to over 9,000 feet in elevation. It is an omnivore, eating soft plants (primarily sagebrush) and insects.
Labels: Endangered species act, mesquite, sage-grouse, wildlife
© 2009, Pacific Spirit Marine Institute.
www.pacificspirit.org
Sage-Grouse Takes Next Step Toward Endangered Status
Source: IUNC.org
A team of the world’s leading marine experts, paired with scientists from the Indian Ocean region, have just returned from a six-week research expedition above seamounts in the high seas of the Indian Ocean with a whole new understanding of seamount ecosystems. They gathered a very rich collection of data and specimens, including some strange-looking marine creatures.
The scientific survey was organized by IUCN and its partners to improve knowledge of seamounts across the southwest Indian Ocean ridge. Seamounts, underwater mountains of volcanic and tectonic origin, are known to be hotpots of biodiversity and attract a range of oceanic predators, including seabirds, whales and sharks. They also attract deepwater fisheries, as they host many species of commercial interest, most of which are very vulnerable to over-exploitation. The results of the research do not only have a scientific interest, but will help improve conservation and management of Indian Ocean marine resources.
“I am extremely pleased with the data that we have collected and the number of species that we have encountered”, says Dr Alex David Rogers, Chief Scientist of the Cruise and Senior Research Fellow at the Zoological Society of London. “The diversity of species that we sampled is higher than what I would have expected. Some species have been recorded for the first time in the region, and we hope to have found some species new to science. It was also very interesting to discover that the six seamounts we surveyed are very different from each other, and I believe our findings will certainly improve our global knowledge of seamount ecosystems”.
The Norwegian research vessel Dr Fridtjof Nansen left on 12 November from Reunion island, and travelled 6,000 miles in 40 days to study five seamounts on the southwest Indian Ocean Ridge, and one seamount further north on Walters Shoal, south of Madagascar, before docking in Port Elisabeth, South Africa, today. All features were located in waters beyond national jurisdictions, at two to three days' sailing from the nearest land. Two of them had been set aside on a voluntary basis as protected areas by the Southern Indian Ocean Deepsea Fishers Association, which would allow comparison between fished and unfished seamounts.
“It is gratifying to know that this work is not an isolated scientific trip, but will directly feed into conservation and management recommendations”, says Sarah Gotheil, Programme Officer with IUCN's Global Marine Programme. “Through our study we hope to confirm the conservation benefits of protecting seamount features on the ridge. This will inform future management of deep-sea ecosystems in the high seas globally”.
In total, nearly 7,000 specimens have been collected and labeled, from two-metre long fish to tiny crustacean larvae. They include an impressive variety of fish, shrimps, squids and gelatinous marine creatures. Many more microscopic species of phytoplankton and zooplankton, representing the base of the food chain in the ocean, have also been collected. The two seabird and marine mammal observers recorded thousands of seabirds from as many as 36 species, and 26 marine mammals. Two of them, majestic humpback whales, even offered the team a wonderful 30-minute show of jumping around at just a few metres from the ship.
A team of the world’s leading marine experts, paired with scientists from the Indian Ocean region, have just returned from a six-week research expedition above seamounts in the high seas of the Indian Ocean with a whole new understanding of seamount ecosystems. They gathered a very rich collection of data and specimens, including some strange-looking marine creatures.
The scientific survey was organized by IUCN and its partners to improve knowledge of seamounts across the southwest Indian Ocean ridge. Seamounts, underwater mountains of volcanic and tectonic origin, are known to be hotpots of biodiversity and attract a range of oceanic predators, including seabirds, whales and sharks. They also attract deepwater fisheries, as they host many species of commercial interest, most of which are very vulnerable to over-exploitation. The results of the research do not only have a scientific interest, but will help improve conservation and management of Indian Ocean marine resources.
“I am extremely pleased with the data that we have collected and the number of species that we have encountered”, says Dr Alex David Rogers, Chief Scientist of the Cruise and Senior Research Fellow at the Zoological Society of London. “The diversity of species that we sampled is higher than what I would have expected. Some species have been recorded for the first time in the region, and we hope to have found some species new to science. It was also very interesting to discover that the six seamounts we surveyed are very different from each other, and I believe our findings will certainly improve our global knowledge of seamount ecosystems”.
The Norwegian research vessel Dr Fridtjof Nansen left on 12 November from Reunion island, and travelled 6,000 miles in 40 days to study five seamounts on the southwest Indian Ocean Ridge, and one seamount further north on Walters Shoal, south of Madagascar, before docking in Port Elisabeth, South Africa, today. All features were located in waters beyond national jurisdictions, at two to three days' sailing from the nearest land. Two of them had been set aside on a voluntary basis as protected areas by the Southern Indian Ocean Deepsea Fishers Association, which would allow comparison between fished and unfished seamounts.
“It is gratifying to know that this work is not an isolated scientific trip, but will directly feed into conservation and management recommendations”, says Sarah Gotheil, Programme Officer with IUCN's Global Marine Programme. “Through our study we hope to confirm the conservation benefits of protecting seamount features on the ridge. This will inform future management of deep-sea ecosystems in the high seas globally”.
In total, nearly 7,000 specimens have been collected and labeled, from two-metre long fish to tiny crustacean larvae. They include an impressive variety of fish, shrimps, squids and gelatinous marine creatures. Many more microscopic species of phytoplankton and zooplankton, representing the base of the food chain in the ocean, have also been collected. The two seabird and marine mammal observers recorded thousands of seabirds from as many as 36 species, and 26 marine mammals. Two of them, majestic humpback whales, even offered the team a wonderful 30-minute show of jumping around at just a few metres from the ship.
Labels: ecosystems, Indian Ocean, marine mammals, Octopus, PSMI, Silver spinyfin
© 2009, Pacific Spirit Marine Institute.
www.pacificspirit.org
21st century explorers return with unique data from Indian Ocean
The International Union for Conservation of Nature updated the "Red List" which may be the world's most respected inventory of biodiversity.
On Monday, at the IUCN's World Conservation Congress in Barcelona many experts agreed that the Earth is undergoing the "first wave of mass extinction since the dinosaurs died out 65 million years go."
Aggressive, commercial fishing techniques have more than tripled the amount of fish being harvested from the worlds oceans. Trawlers and factory ships using radar and sonar have been able to find fish with nearly pin point accuracy as they prowl the oceans stalking their prey. Using nets as large as jumbo jets has led to the extinction of some intended catches, and other unintended catches.
Over the past two decades an 89 percent decline in hammerhead sharks in the Northeast Atlantic have been attributed to bycatch. The Caribbean monk seal was officially, albeit woefully late, extinct in June of this year. Though the last reported sighting of this monk seal was reportedly in 1952.
I hope I'm not dead 56 years before anyone notices I'm gone.
The seals demise is also officially attributed directly to man. Will it be too late to save the last two monk seal species? There are now estimated only 1,200 Hawaiian monk seals, and only 500 Mediterranean Monk seals inhabiting the planet.
The photo was taken May 27, 2007 of two Hawaiian monk seals. One died from drowning after being tangled and trapped in fishing lines. The other followed his friend to shore barking at people for assistance at Makua Beach on Oahu.
The IUCN estimates that 25% of the planet's known Mammals are at risk of disappearing forever and in reality that number could be as high as 36%.
Experts say the window of opportunity to save great apes and monkeys appears to be closing far more quickly than Scientists realised.
Can Mankind be far behind?
Ocean-dwelling mammals are reportedly dying at a rate of 1,000 per DAY, victims of mile-wide fishing nets, vessel strikes, toxic waste and sound pollution.
For many decades man's hubris has increased as the quality of life in the world around him has decreased. If mankind has believed the world was his oyster, the Planet is setting out to prove him wrong.
Photo thanks Gordon Olayvar/ Hawaii Dept. of Land and Natural Resources.
Labels: IUNC, marine mammals, Mass extinct, Monk seal, Ocean, Ocean Habitat, Ocean Mammals
© 2009, Pacific Spirit Marine Institute.
www.pacificspirit.org
The Petermann glacier is breaking up. An 11 square mile area of the glacier in northern Greenland broke away after July 10th and before
July 24th. The Petermann Glacier is one of Greenland's largest glaciers.
Petermann has a floating section 10 miles wide and 50 miles long. At 500 square miles it is the longest floating glacier in the Northern Hemisphere.
A 33.5 square mile of the Petermann broke away 2000-2001, but the Byrd Polar Research Center is predicting continued disintegration and more imminent breakup in the coming year.
An already large crack is widening even more while it moves toward the calving front of the glacier. The loss could be as much as an addition 60 square miles of the Massive ice tongue or 1/3rd. "The crack is advancing to a point where a massive breakup seems imminent, in which case, the area of break-up would be 60 square miles.
Greenland's fastest moving glacier, Jakobshavn is suddenly speeding up and has nearly doubled its ice flow from land into the ocean. Its flow has contributed to roughly 4% of the sea level increase of the 20th century.
When every dim-wit at the coffee shop argues that is glass never over-flows when the ice melts in his drink, you can remind him this ice is moving from land into the sea. His glass would overflow if he added ice to it from his refrigerator.
Researchers have found the glacier's speeding up is also coinciding with the very rapid thinning of the ice. It's loosing as much a 49 feet of thickness per year since 1997.
The glaciers ice-tongue, which began to break apart in 2000, had a restraining effect on the ice behind it. As it thins and breaks it opens a path for even yet more ice to pile into the ocean.
Waleed Abdalati, a senior scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center says, "...We think there is a dynamic effect in which the glaciers are accelerating due to warming." They believe the thinning of ice is too much to be attributed to melting alone.
Photo Thanks: Waleed Abdalati, GSFC
NASA MODIS
Byrd Polar Research Center
Labels: Glacier, Greenland, Jakobshavn, NASA, Petermann, Sea level
© 2009, Pacific Spirit Marine Institute.
www.pacificspirit.org
Sea level rise already increasing as glaciers melt faster than