Northwest Tidal Barrages Could Provide 5% of UK's Electricity

"Researchers in collaboration with Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory examined ways to generate electricity from tidal sources of renewable energy in the Eastern Irish Sea." (Science Daily). One way that they are able to do this is to build estuary barrages in the Northwest. A barrage can guide the water flow from an estuary to a turbine as the tide comes in an out. Another use of the barrage is that it is able to protect land from floods by draining the water.

If the UK is successful in utilizing the electricity production, it could help them to "go green" and limit  CO2 emission.It is also a good thing that the UK is able to get the electricity from the water because estuaries are a reliable and long lasting source of energy. The tides are also easier to track and more predictable than winds used by turbines. “The best places to harness tidal power at meaningful scales are areas with a high tidal range such as estuaries. Tidal barrages would alter the natural motion of an estuary’s flow as the sea level changes, usually by holding back the water at high tide and then releasing it when the tide has subsided. This water level difference across the barrage is sufficient to power turbines for up to 11 hours a day, and, in terms of the four North West barrages, the energy extracted could equate to 5% of the UK’s electricity generation needs.”(Science Daily). 

Website:http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090325092203.htm

Picture: http://www.vliz.be/v/images/thumb/6/65/800px-Severn_estuary_barrages.png/350px-800px-Severn_estuary_barrages.png

Freshwater sources found

Just as you thought the earth was running out of freshwater sources, scientists have discovered many fresh water sources on the coasts of Australia, North America, South America, and China. They are found many kilometers off the coasts and deep beneath continental shelves. According to Science Daily.com,  "A new study, published December 5th in the international scientific journal Nature, reveals that an estimated half a million cubic kilometres of low-salinity water are buried beneath the seabed on continental shelves around the world."(Science Daily). 

According to Dr. Vincent Post of the National Center for Groundwater Research, the amount of water scientists have discovered is more than we have ever gotten from below the Earth's surface since 1900. This water is plenty for many regions and can last us decades. Also, the water extracted from the ocean can be purified with a lot less energy than would be needed from salt water by the process of desalinization. 

Website:http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131208085304.html

Picture:http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131208085304.htm

Cold Volcanic Vent Revealed in Arctic Waters

In a remote region in the Southern Ocean, scientists at the National Oceanography Centre in South Hampton have found a shimmering volcanic vent, given away by its shimmering appearance. The scientists used a high resolution camera called SHRIMP. "The study,  funded by the National Environment Research council (NERC) aimed to build on our knowledge of how deep sea creatures associate with hydrothermal activity evolve and migrate to different  regions." (Science Daily).

The vent was thought to be exposed by the process of "chemosynthesis". This is the process of hot water being able to rise to the oceans surface. But in actuality,  the vent was uncovered because of the salinity, or differences in the properties of the water. According to Dr. Aquilina, "Geochemical measurements of the water column provided evidence of slightly reducing, localized plumes close to seafloor at Hook Ridge."

Website:http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130206093900.htm
Picture ;http://marinesciencetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Black-smoker-at-a-mid-ocean-ridge-hydrothermal-vent.-Photo-credit-OARNational-Undersea-Research-Program-NOAA-..jpg

Melting of the Greenland ice sheet

The worlds second largest Ice Sheet, the Greenland ice sheet, is melting. The ice sheet covers approximately 80% of the area of Greenland. Its many kilometers of ancient snow allow scientists to map changes in the earth's climate, they do this by drilling holes through the surface of the sheet and by measuring air content with the help of Oxygen 18 which reveals to scientists the temperature of the air.

Specifically, "scientists have obtained information on temperature, ocean volume, precipitation, chemistry, and gas composition of the lower atmosphere, volcanic eruptions, solar variability, and sea-surface productivity." (Science Daily).

The amount of data to be collected in this area is more than any other location. In recent years, the Ice Sheet has experienced a significant amount of melting. This is most likely due to global warming and changes in ocean circulation. A major concern of the melting is that it could rise ocean levels very much. Overall, the ice sheet is approximately 600 meters lower than it was 3000 years ago.

Website:http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090916133508.htm
Website 2: http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/g/greenland_ice_sheet.htm
Picture:http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121109084055.htm

Feast and Famine on the Abyssal Plain

The primary food source in the abyssal plain (miles below the earths surface) is "marine snow". Marine snow is a slow drift of mucus,  fecal pellets, and body parts. One problem with this  "snow" is that there is too much snow than actual food in the area eaten by animals in the area, researchers have found. "A new paper by MBARI researcher Ken Smith and his colleagues show that the population booms by algae or animals near the sea surface can sometimes result in huge pulses of organic material sinking to the sea floor." (Science Daily.com) Smith, along with other researchers have studied the abyssal plain for over 20 years.

So much Marine Snow falls in that area that in a few weeks that it is equal in normal deep-sea environments. However, the amount of snow that falls in that area is not sufficient enough to provide for all of the organisms in the area.  The Abyssal Plain is located off the coast of Central California and is home to a vast variety of animals such as sea cucumbers and grenadier fish. Researchers note that the area has strong winds which can bring more nutrients to the oceans surface causing algae blooms.

Website: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131111185518.htm
Picture:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131111185518.htm

Tiger Stripes underneath Antarctic glaciers

Provided from the information give by Princeton University, friction zones occurring in wet areas underneath the Antarctic glaciers are slowing the flow of ice, causing a warming climate. Investigating how the friction areas can teach scientists how glaciers respond to a warming  climate. Just like how a speed bump would effect the speed of a car, the "Tiger Stripes" slow down the speed of glaciers.

"The friction at the interface of the bedrock and glacier ice is a major factor in the speed of the glacier." Said Sergianko, an associate research scientist at Princeton. "When friction is high, the glacier moves slowly. When friction is low, as when melting ice provides a liquid layer that allows the ice to slide over the bedrock, the glacier moves more quickly." (Science Daily)


Using mathematic data from the National snow and Ice data center, researcher discovered the locations of these areas. The tiger stripes, also referred to by researchers as "ribs" because of their  curvy form, the stripes decay over 100 by the infiltration of water that goes between the ice sheet and the bedrock.

Website: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131108091341.htm
Picture:http://images.natureworldnews.com/data/images/full/3785/antarctica.jpg?w=600

Algal Bloom

You may often see it as "polluted water" underneath roadways or in canals, but Algal bloom aka marine/water bloom is a major increase in Algae in a system, sometimes in fresh water composed of phytoplankton which produce harmful toxins called HABs.

Also, not very many plankton are involved in the blooms. When there is a high density of colored cells, the general color of the bloom will change allowing for recognition.

The most common colors are green (light or dark), brown, or red. The concentration of algae is very high during a bloom. Sometimes, there are up to 1,000,000 cells of algae per one millimeter. This poses a threat to wildlife because of the negative biological impact.

Some blooms are created by the release of phosphorus and nitrogen into the waters, causing the growth of algae. Because of the rapid growth of Algae, it causes other plants and Algae to die.

Website: http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/a/algal_bloom.htm
Picture: http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/manage/sites/default/files/01_algae_07.jpg

Bottom-feeding behavior of Humpback whales

Known for their interesting ways of capturing prey, the humpback whales have recently been discovered to have found a new method of feeding itself; bottom feeding (specifically in the Southern Gulf).

"Humpbacks have not been known as bottom-feeders, yet this i their dominant feeding mode in this region." Says Colin Ware, a professor at the University of New Hampshire, "You've got this prominent species and until now, nobody knew how they were feeding." Ware and his colleagues have gathered data from 52 humpbacks in the region.

To track the movements of the whales from below the surface, scientists have put recording tags on the whale's backs. Ware also developed a software called "TrackPlot" to translate the tags on the humpbacks. This allowed for Ware and his colleagues to discover three different ways the humpbacks were bottom-feeding: simple side rolls, side roll inversions, and repetitive scooping.

Article:http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/10/131030125324.htm

Picture: http://theterramarproject.org/thedailycatch/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/terra-mar-humpback-under-surface-600x320.jpg

Reading Ancient Climate from Plankton Shells

      Scientists have viewed plankton shells to chart climate changes in sea temperatures. This information could provide the means for scientists to scale temperature from millions of years ago by showing us things like tree rings. Before we used plankton to chart changes, we used ice from the poles, which trap bubbles of ancient air. "The oldest Antarctic ice core records date back to around 800,000 years ago." Says ScienceDaily.com.
   
      Scientists have learned that the plankton that grow in warmer climate have more traces of ancient atoms. Another way we can read ancient climates is by looking at the shells of dead plankton who have fallen to the ocean floor. Scientists can recover ocean floor sediments which are preserved in the shells. Researchers at the University of Cambridge have discovered magnesium in the shells of plankton, which helps us tell how warmer waters could effect the shells.

Article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/release2013/10/131

Picture: http://www.sciencedaily.com/release025123155.htm

Sequence Stratigraphy

10/13/13

Sequence Stratigraphy has recently been added as a branch of geology and its purpose is to connect pre-historic sea level changes to sedimentary deposits. It is called 'sequence' stratigraphy because it mentions cyclic sedimentary deposits.

Sedimentary deposits are significant because they include a lot of important minerals for industries such as petroleum, gas, iron, aluminum and coal. The deposits are also used to get gravel, limestone, chalk, sand, clay, and slate.

'Stratigraphy' literally means the study of rock strata and their relationship to the geological time scale.

It also talks about the transferring and age sediments and gives us a good idea about how we get sediments.

This is important because sea levels constantly changing over time and are rising and if they continue to do so it can be very dangerous to several cities and corporations that depend on the sea.

Article 1: http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/s/sequence_stratigraphy.htm
Article 2: http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Sedimentary+Deposits
Picture 1: http://strata.uga.edu/sequence/type1Shelf.gif
Picture 2: http://www.uib.no/imagearchive/produktbilde_Sequence_strat2.jpg

Warmer Oceans Could Raise Mercury Levels in Fish

10/6/13

Should the temperature of the ocean's surface rise, fish would be accumulating more mercury. This would be horrible for sea food fanatics. Researchers have not known how global warming can effect rising mercury levels in aquatic life until now, nor has there been any experiments on the matter.
The mercury can be released into oceans and streams from industrial pollution. This can be converted into methylmercury in the water.

Scientists have examined killifish in varying temperatures in salt water marshes and in the lab. The fish in the lab ate mercury-enriched food whereas those in the salt water marshes ate natural food sources such as worms and insects.
Results showed that the fish in higher temperature waters consumed more food but grew less and had a higher measure of methylmercury in their tissues.

There is a major concern of eating seafood while pregnant but studies actually show that children of the 90's whose parents have eaten seafood while pregnant have higher IQ's and better eyesight.

Website: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/09/130930211701.htm

Picture 1:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c5/MercuryFoodChain-01.png/515px-MercuryFoodChain-01.png

Picture 2: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/10/131003162953.htm

Sedimentary Rock

9/28/13

Sedimentary rocks are one of the three main rocks groups including igneous and metamorphic rocks.The Sedimentary rocks are formed in four different ways: by the deposition of the weathered remains of other rocks, by the accumulation and consolidation of other sediments, by the deposition of the results of biogenic activity, and by precipitation from solution. 

Clastic sedimentary rocks are formed by erosion by friction of waves, and by transportation where the sediment is carried along by a current. The rock is then formed by disposition and compacting where the sediment is squashed together to form a rock.

The rocks can also be formed by overburden pressure as particles of sediment are accumulated from air, ice, or water sources carrying the particles.

Chalk, limestone, sandstone, clay, and shale are a few types of common Sedimentary rocks. 

Sedimentary rocks cover 75% of the Earth's surface and around 8% of the total volume of the crust. They form a bedding (also known as "strata") just above igneous rocks which cover 90-95% of the earths crust below the Sedimentary rocks. Metamorphic rocks also make up part of the Earth's crust.

Sedimentary rocks are used for coal, fossil fuels, drinking water, and ores. The rocks are also an asset to  roads, houses, canals, and tunnels. 

Website: http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/s/sedimentary_rock.htm

Picture 1:http://blessan.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/sedimentary-rocks1.jpg

Picture 2: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/75/Helgoland_Lummenfelsen_22067.JPG/500px-Helgoland_Lummenfelsen_22067.JPG

Estuaries

What is an Estuary? 

An Estuary is a partially-enclosed body of water that has an opening 
to the open ocean with streams flowing into it. Estuaries can help create 
fresh water by mixing it with the salt water from the ocean and the fresh 
water from the streams and rivers.

However, an Estuary needs some type of tide to maintain 

a connection between the multiple water sources. If the waters are non-

tital, the rivers will form a delta. 

The world's largest Estuary is the Gulf of St. Lawrence, located 
in eastern Canada.  


"Estuarine environments are among the most productive on earth, creating more organic matter each year than comparably-sized areas of forest, grassland, or agricultural land. The tidal, sheltered waters of estuaries also support unique communities of plants and animals especially adapted for life at the margin of the sea." (EPA.gov)

Estuaries are very diverse; they contain shallow waters,
 fresh and salt marshes, swamps, mud and sand flats, rocky shores, oyster reefs, mangrove forests, river deltas, tidal pools, and seagrasses. 
Estuaries are popular places for recreation and many types of scientific research. 
Migratory birds often seek refuge during long journeys in estuarine environments.

Article 1: http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/e/estuary.htm

Article 2: http://water.epa.gov/type/oceb/nep/about.cfm

Picture 1: http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/_images/estuary.jpg

Picture 2: http://b.static.trunity.net/images/209830/500x0/scale/Gulf_of_St._Lawrence.png

Drilling to the Earth's Mantle through Oceanic Crust

Mike Del Priore
9/15/13

Drilling through the Earth's crust

            Deep-water drilling technology is being developed by The Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) and AGR drilling services. Why? According to Geology.com, "Drilled cores from the mantle could provide scientists with answers to questions about the structure, composition, mineralogy, and in situ physical properties of oceanic crust and the geological nature of the seismic Moho."

            Primarily, such drilling was only used for shallow-water oil and gas recovery. But now that IODP is aided by AGR, they are now able to expand their drilling to lower depths of the ocean. 

          "The 'riserless mud recovery technology' (RMRT), owned by AGR, is expected to operate in hyper-deepwater depths greater than 12,000 feet." (Geology.com). A major benefactor for this project is DeepStar Consortium, an industry that supports deepwater research and technology. 

           Previous to this project, on an IODP expedition, scientists encountered mantle depths while looking into seafloor spreading rates. The drilling reached volcanic rock and a fossil magma chamber deep beneath the ocean floor.

Website:   http://geology.com/press-release/drilling-to-mantle/

Picture:     http://geology.com/press-release/drilling-to-mantle/riserless-mud-recovery-lg.jpg

9/2/13

Mike Del Priore

THE ANTARCTIC ICE SHEET

Did you know that the largest single mass of ice on the planet is the one you see above. The Antarctic Ice Sheet is about 14 million square kilometers (holds 30 million cubic km of ice!). Almost all of the fresh water on the Earth's surface is contained here (90%). 

The picture shown above is the western portion of the ice mass. It extends 2500 m below sea level! However, in the eastern portion, it lays on a land mass. 

If the ice mass was not here, the land would be entirely submerged in the ocean floor. The ice keeps gathering because of all the snowfall it gets; therefore, it grows in the winter but loses ice in the summertime.

According to BBC News, "Scientists found that glaciers on the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) advance and retreat in synch with changes in temperature." 
Scientists fear that the sea levels in West Antarctic are receding which will cause the sheet to lose ice and eventually be submerged if it keeps receding.

Website:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/a/antarctic_ice_sheet.htm

BBC News:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23868841

Picture:  http://www.iceagenow.com/West_Antarctic_ice_sheet.jpg