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NOAA : Arctic Report Card – Update for 2011

Environmental observations throughout the Arctic The Arctic Report Card considers a wide range of environmental observations throughout the Arctic, and is updated annually. A major conclusion of the 2011 Report is that there are now a sufficient number of years of data to indicate a shift in the Arctic Ocean system since 2006. This shifted is characterized by the persistent decline in the thickness and summer extent of the sea ice cover, and a warmer, fresher upper ocean.As a result of increased open water area, biological productivity at the base of the marine food chain has increased and sea ice-dependent marine mammals continue to lose habitat. Increases in the greenness of tundra vegetation and permafrost temperatures are linked to warmer land temperatures in coastal regions, often adjacent to the areas of greatest sea ice retreat. A second key point in the 2011 Report is the repeated occurrence of 2010 Arctic winter wind patterns that mark a departure from the norm.These changes resulted in higher than normal temperatures in the Arctic, with record ice sheet mass loss, record low late spring snow cover in Eurasia, shorter lake ice duration, and unusually lower temperatures and snow storms in some low latitude regions. ...

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Seasonal speed restrictions for vessels on the East Coast of the US Ships

New voluntary right whale speed restriction zone The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Service has announced a voluntary vessel speed restriction zone dynamic management area (DMA) in the vicinity of Jeffreys Ledge to protect an aggregation of 15 right whales.The whales were sighted in this area on 16 November and this DMA is in effect immediately through to 1 December. Mariners are requested to route around this area or transit through it at 10 knots or less.Jeffreys Ledge DMA - active until 1 December 43 25N42 37N070 44W069 39WJordan Basin DMA - active through to 24 November 43 52N43 04N068 51W067 50WCashes Ledge DMA - active through to 23 November 43 34N42 40N069 46W068 33WActive Seasonal Management Areas (SMAs)Mandatory speed restrictions of 10 knots or less (50 CFR 224.105) are in effect in the following areas:Mid-Atlantic SMAs - active through to 30 April 2012Southeast SMA - active through to 15 April 2012For details and graphics of all ship strike management zones currently in effect, visit www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/shipstrikeApproaching a right whale closer than 500 yards (457m) is a violation of Federal and State law. Please report all right whale sightings to +1 978-585-8473. For more information on right whale aerial ...

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Recovery of Cannon from sunken Queen Anne’ s Revenge

NOAA Sanctuary Researchers assist in salvage operation On Oct. 26, NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries assisted the State of North Carolina with the recovery of a large cannon from the Queen Anne's Revenge, the sunken flagship of the notorious pirate captain Blackbeard. The Queen Anne's Revenge sank off the coast of North Carolina in 1718 when Blackbeard ran it aground while entering an inlet. The cannon had rested on the ocean floor for nearly 300 years.The RV-8501, an 85-foot NOAA research vessel, served as a staging platform for divers during the recovery mission. The vessel was also used to transport the iconic relic. The eight-foot-long canon was taken to a conservation lab at East Carolina University to begin the restoration process before it ultimately goes on display at the North Carolina Maritime Museum located in Beaufort, N.C.The Queen Anne's Revenge Project is a coordinated undertaking involving individuals, organizations, and institutions under the overall management of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. Partners in the project include East Carolina University, N.C. Marine Fisheries, Town of Beaufort, and Friends of the Queen Anne's Revenge, NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, and the National Marine Sanctuary ...

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NOAA greenhouse gas index continues climbing

Increasing amounts of long-lived greenhouse gase NOAA's updated Annual Greenhouse Gas Index (AGGI), which measures the direct climate influence of many greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane, shows a continued steady upward trend that began with the Industrial Revolution of the 1880s.Started in 2004, the AGGI reached 1.29 in 2010. That means the combined heating effect of long-lived greenhouse gases added to the atmosphere by human activities has increased by 29 percent since 1990, the "index" year used as a baseline for comparison. This is slightly higher than the 2009 AGGI, which was 1.27, when the combined heating effect of those additional greenhouse gases was 27 percent higher than in 1990."The increasing amounts of long-lived greenhouse gases in our atmosphere indicate that climate change is an issue society will be dealing with for a long time," said Jim Butler, director of the Global Monitoring Division of NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder, Colo. "Climate warming has the potential to affect most aspects of society, including water supplies, agriculture, ecosystems and economies. NOAA will continue to monitor these gases into the future to further understand the impacts on our planet."The AGGI is analogous to the dial on an ...

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Environmental Response Management Application Gulf Response

A new tool provided by NOAA The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) posted the Environmental Response Management Application (ERMA) Gulf Response.This is an online mapping tool that provides up-to-date information about the spill response effort in the Gulf of Mexico.It was developed by NOAA and the University of New Hampshire, with assistance from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the US Coast Guard, and the Department of the Interior.Source: NOAA

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Tsunami debris set to hit the US

A 25 million tonne marine debris field created by the Japanese tsunami to reach Hawaii A 25 million tonne marine debris field created by the Japanese tsunami back in March currently afloat in the North Pacific is set to reach Hawaii by this winter, according to experts.The debris field was created as the Japanese tsunami receded from the land. Although heavier materials sank, the buoyant materials went on to form the huge rubbish mass which floated out to sea.NOAA has predicted possible trajectories for the debris field using OSCURS (Ocean Surface Current Simulator) Year 1 = red; Year 2 = orange; Year 3 = yellow; Year 4 = light blue; Year 5 = violet Photo: Courtesy of J. Churnside, NOAA; created using Google.Worryingly, the debris is moving more quickly than previously anticipated. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the University of Hawaii researchers have run a model using OSCURS (Ocean Surface Current Simulator) to estimate general direction and drift rate of debris.If their models are correct, debris could pass near or wash ashore in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands this winter and the rest of the archipelago in less than two years. Debris is estimated to reach the West ...

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United States regrets Japan’s renewed whaling in the Southern Ocean

Concerns for the threats of violence The United States deeply regrets that Japan has decided to continue its controversial whaling in the Southern Ocean. The United States also expresses its deep concern about the possibility of violence in connection with such whaling."We are very concerned about Japan continuing its whaling program in the Southern Ocean Sanctuary," said Monica Medina, U.S. commissioner to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and principal deputy under secretary of commerce for NOAA. "These catches will only increase the growing friction within the IWC over how to deal with the large number of whales that continue to be killed while a moratorium remains in place. There is no reason to kill these creatures in order to learn about them. All the necessary science that we need for the management of whales can be achieved using non-lethal techniques."The United States is also concerned by statements by anti-whaling activists that suggest life-threatening tactics would be employed during protest activities in the Southern Ocean."The safety of vessels and life at sea is the highest priority for the United States." said Medina. "I ask all parties to respect the Commission's wishes and immediately refrain from any acts at sea that risk ...

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NOAA Ship Rainier returns to Alaska to conduct sea floor surveys

In support of safe navigation NOAA Ship Rainier has begun a month long survey of the sea floor near Alaska's Prince of Wales Island as part of a multi-year effort to update nautical charts for the area. In addition to supporting marine navigation, data acquired by the 231-foot hydrographic survey vessel will also support marine ecosystem studies and improve inundation models for areas vulnerable to tsunamis."We are pleased to return to Alaska to continue these important surveys, which will ensure the safe navigation of mariners who rely on the area's waters for fishing, cargo delivery and recreational uses," said NOAA Corps Capt. Donald Haines, commanding officer of NOAA Ship Rainier and the ship's chief scientist.NOAA's survey effort in the area began in 2006 with the Gulf of Esquilbel and has continued south over recent years. Rainier's sophisticated sonar systems enable precise measurement of ocean depth and the creation of 3-D digital terrain models of the sea floor that reveals details about the underwater landscape and potential hazards to navigation. The first surveys of the area took place in the early 1900s. Depths were acquired with lead lines, a method that was accurate at the point of the sounding, but lacked ...

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NOAA researchers release study on emissions from BP/Deepwater Horizon controlled burns

The black smoke that rose from the explosion pumped more than 1 million pounds of black carbon During the 2010 BP/Deepwater Horizon Gulf oil spill, an estimated one of every 20 barrels of spilled oil was deliberately burned off to reduce the size of surface oil slicks and minimize impacts of oil on sensitive shoreline ecosystems and marine life. In response to the spill, NOAA quickly redirected its WP-3D research aircraft to survey the atmosphere above the spill site in June. During a flight through one of the black plumes, scientists used sophisticated instrumentation on board, including NOAA's single-particle soot photometer, to characterize individual black carbon particles.The black smoke that rose from the water's surface during the controlled burns pumped more than 1 million pounds of black carbon (soot) pollution into the atmosphere, according to a new study published last week by researchers at NOAA and its Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) in Boulder, Colo.This amount is roughly equal to the total black carbon emissions normally released by all ships that travel the Gulf of Mexico during a 9-week period, scientists noted.Black carbon, whose primary component is often called soot, is known to degrade air quality and ...

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Revolutionary change in NOAA nautical chart production

Meaning more products and faster for maritime use NOAA's development of a new navigational chart processing system, designed to meet the changing needs of the maritime community, moves into initial limited production on September 21. The new system, which slims down the current map production process while it beefs up performance, represents a technological leap forward in creating the navigational charts used to speed ships and products safety through the nation's maritime transportation system."NOAA regularly updates over 1,000 nautical charts, adding data and making corrections that are critical to a wide use of applications," explains Capt. John Lowell, director of the Office of Coast Survey. "To produce more navigation products, faster, we have developed a single source production system that produces all NOAA chart products from one central database instead of the two production lines used since charting technologies first started changing in the mid-1990s."With greater efficiencies and versatility, the system speeds chart updates to users; presents opportunities for private industry development of customized products; and improves data exchange capabilities for multiple maritime uses. For instance, the system will integrate with other information for ocean planning and other coastal uses.Notably, with the efficiencies gained from the new system, Coast Survey ...

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