Deep Sea News

The fourth season of LOST finally begins tonight on ABC. Hoo-rah!

Deep-sea fans weathered all sorts of abuses last season after John Locke blew up the Others’ submarine “Galaga”, and Mikhail used a hand grenade to flood the Looking Glass. The Looking Glass is an underwater jamming station equipped with a “moon pool” staffed by two tough chicks willing to throw down for the facts.

We figured the best we can do here at DSN to enhance your entertainment tonight is to give you a few facts about our favorite plot drivers- submarines and moon pools.

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It is one biology’s highest compliments to have a species named after you. But what if the above was your namesake? What does it say about your character? What does the author of that species description really think of the person it is named after? Perhaps these are the questions that geophysicist Michael Cousins is mulling over in his head after seeing Pachycara cousinsi, one 6 new species of deep-sea fish discovered in trawls from the southern Indian Ocean. His fiancé, Dr. Nikki King, was the lead author of these species. An early wedding present, or subliminal message? You decide!

…and put on my makeup I won’t have to feel guilty about it*. At the continued pestering of Oceana both Unilever and L’Oreal have promised to stop using shark liver oil, also known as squalene, in their cosmetic products.

*You can figure out if I am joking or not

Aaaarh. The bottom fell out of my Scienceblogs coffee mug today! Don’t fear, ya’ scurvies. No one was hurt. For those so inclined, I provide a photo of the fracture and a brief analysis of the structural failure. You know, just for kicks. The details will of course be accompanied by fond reminiscence.

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This Sunday comes the second challenge! Do you remember what the first one was?

1a. Sign up at this post
1b. Keep reading DSN and participating in the Just One Thing Challenge

A quick additional request…please help spread the word on your blogs and websites (feel free to use the logo above)! So far we have 13 people signed up. Let’s get 25 by Sunday.

1. Craig McClain
2. Kevin Zelnio
3. Peter Etnoyer
4. Sheril K.
5. Mike G
6. Farne
7. Jim Lemire
8. Kiki
9. Fish Guy Dave
10. CK
11. Karen James
12. Merisea
13. Keely

Dr. Van Dover was recently appointed the new director of the Duke University Marine Lab. Duke has put together an interesting article on her career and her research that is definitely worth reading. She’s done a lot of amazing things, such as being the first female pilot of the Alvin submersible, and has been a prolific writer. I cite her work in almost every page of my dissertation. Below the fold is a video Duke produced asking Dr. Van Dover “What is it like in a submarine?”

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Much deliberation has occurred here behind the scenes at DSN about whether to air the following clip. After much debate we have decided to educate the public but let the viewers do so at their own risk. Note below the fold is the video and it is definitely NOT SAFE FOR WORK, because it includes profanity.

We the authors of DSN note we find it horrible that someone would ruin the beauty of nature by adding such childish obscenity to a nature documentary. We are only posting this as an example of how not to conduct public outreach. We also like the seastar sequence, but putting microphones in the helmets of football players was a horrible idea, and so is this. Nature should not be shown so raw, but rather clean and edited. We definitely prefer the voice of Sir Attenborough.

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With three biologist on staff now our coverage tends to lean toward the biological. We do cover geology, technology, and the such but from our warped biological view. What we need around this joint is some more geology! Over at Clastic Detritus a graduate students pontificates about all rock and whatnot. His ongoing series Sea-Floor Sunday is one to keep reading. Number 9 covers the continental slope off Australia and “everybody’s favorite topic” sediment transfer to the deep. Discussed is how near shore processes of sediment suspension and transfer are linked to slope processes to move sediment to the deep.

To boldy go where no man (or woman) has gone before…

Ok maybe we have been there, done that, but are doing it tomorrow? The Beagle Project is!

“In 2009, the bicentenary of Charles Darwin’s birth we will launch a sailing replica of HMS Beagle. An icon of scientific progress, she will circumnavigate the globe in Darwin’s wake, crewed by aspiring scientists and researchers. They will carry out original research both at sea and on land, updating Darwin’s observations, breaking new scientific ground and relating the adventure of science to enthuse a new generation of young students.”

This is an ambitious project with deep relevance to modern science. Sure, they’ll be retracing the big D’s footsteps around the world. That’ll be big for sure. But the Beagle Project’s founders aren’t satisfied with that. No, they are going to be doing some serious marine science, education and public outreach on the Beagle 2.0.

Click on picture to enter the Beagle Project store!

On the scientific end they will have PCR and DNA Sequencing equipment on board. They will be sampling and sequencing their way around the world using Metagenomics and DNA barcoding approaches. They will also be soliciting proposals from scientists to conduct their own research on board as well. Public outreach and education from K-College will be a important focus of the Beagle Project, especially in the many developing countries that dot the path of the Beagle.

This is a highly noble effort. Could the Beagle be evolution’s shining ship that will sail the message of science across the world? I hope so, but it needs your help. The timber is seasoning in storage as we speak. They only need enough funds to start construction, which will take a little over a year. You can even get your name on a plank. You can donate funds directly by paypal or by purchasing a lovely item from Beagle Project Store. I’ve already purchased a t-shirt and 2 onesies!

Keep up to date on this project via the Beagle Project Blog.

George Bush this week declared war on sea mammals, officially adding whales to the dreaded Axis of Evil. The Bush administration stated whales are a threat to the American way of life, democracy, and of course freedom. Joking aside, Bush this week gave the official go ahead for the Navy to conduct sonar training off San Diego this week. The navy admits themselves that whales will be harmed by the exercise. This is occurring despite a recent win in the federal courts by environmental groups to restrict sonar use off the coast under the Coastal Zone Management Act. Bush simply issued an exemption for the Navy from the CZMA.

There is no doubt that mid-level sonar use will lead to whale beachings. The International Whaling Commission states the “the evidence linking sonar to a series of whale strandings in recent years is “very convincing and appears overwhelming.” The National Resource Defense Council notes

Each loudspeaker in the LFA system’s wide array, for example, can generate 215 decibels’ worth — sound as intense as that produced by a twin-engine fighter jet at takeoff. Some mid-frequency sonar systems can put out over 235 decibels, as loud as a Saturn V rocket at launch. Even 100 miles from the LFA system, sound levels can approach 160 decibels, well beyond the Navy’s own safety limits for humans. Evidence of the harm such a barrage of sound can do began to surface in March 2000, when whales of four different species stranded themselves on beaches in the Bahamas after a U.S. Navy battle group used active sonar in the area. Investigators found that the whales were bleeding internally around their brains and ears

A similar event occurred of Hawaii in 2004 and North Carolina in 2005.

Retired Admiral Stephen Pietropaoli stated

“It’s important that the Navy be able to send trained sailors to sea to protect us and our interests around the glob. They cannot do that if there are excessive, unnecessary restrictions on their ability to do realistic training at sea.”

So what actual threat is there to the U.S. from hostile submarines?

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