Tag: NOAA

A study by NOAA New clean fuel regulations in California and voluntary slowdowns by shipping companies substantially reduce air pollution caused by near-shore ships, according to a new NOAA-led study published online in Environmental Science & Technology.The study examined a container ship operating under a 2009 California regulation requiring that ships switch to low-sulfur fuels as they approach the California coast, and also adhering to a voluntary state slowdown policy, intended to reduce pollution. The research team found that emissions of several health-damaging pollutants, including sulfur dioxide and particulate matter, dropped by as much as 90 percent.The container ship Margrethe Maersk, operated by the Maersk Line, steams toward California in May 2010. NOAA researchers and collaborators studied the ship's emissions in detail from a research aircraft (from which this photo was taken) and a research ship. The team found that as the container ship shifted to low-sulfur fuels and slowed down near the coast, air pollution emissions plummeted, with some pollutants dropping by as much as 90 percent.Findings of this study could have national and global significance, as new international regulations by the International Maritime Organization require vessels to switch to lower-sulfur fuel near U.S. and international coasts beginning in ...

It deprives legal fishermen and coastal communities of up to $23 billion of seafood NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco and Maria Damanaki, European Union commissioner for maritime affairs and fisheries, will sign a historic statement pledging bilateral cooperation to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, known as IUU fishing - a first for the longstanding partnership between the U.S. and the E.U. on fisheries management.The European Union and United States rank first and third, respectively, as the world's top seafood importers (Japan is second). Globally, illegal fishing deprives legal fishermen and coastal communities of up to $23 billion of seafood and seafood products annually. This puts honest fishermen at a disadvantage in the global marketplace. The U.S. and the E.U. recognize their responsibility to protect the oceans' vital food and biodiversity resources.In today's statement, the U.S. and the E.U. make it clear that they are committed to cooperating on combating IUU fishing as the only effective way of ending these practices.Among other things, they agree to work together to support the adoption of effective management measures in regional and international organizations to combat IUU fishing; promote tools that prevent IUU operators from benefiting economically from their illegal activities; exchange information ...

The ocean's absorption of CO2 causes the level of acidity in seawater to rise Scientists can now remotely monitor the ocean's changing chemistry with help from some of the five-foot-tall Argo floats that drift with deep ocean currents and transmit data via satellite back to land. A new and innovative method shows how readings of the acidity (pH) and total carbon dioxide (CO2) content of seawater can help scientists understand changes in the chemistry of the world's ocean.A U.S.-based research team and their Canadian colleagues developed the new approach by determining the relationships between seawater temperature, oxygen, pH and CO2 from observations collected on previous ship-based expeditions in the region in the last five years. These relationships were then applied to high-resolution observations of temperature and oxygen collected by an Argo float deployed in the North Pacific in early 2010."Most observations have been taken by scientists aboard specialized research ships, so this represents a major step forward in the ability to monitor ocean chemistry at higher frequency and lower cost," said Dr. Lauren Juranek, University of Washington Joint Institute for the Study of Atmosphere and Ocean (JISAO) oceanographer and the study's lead author.The journal Geophysical Research Letters published the new ...

A three-month survey NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson continues on a three-month survey of the sea floor off the coast of New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island, as part of a multi-year effort to update nautical charts for Block Island Sound and keep large ships and commerce moving safely.In addition to supporting marine navigation, data acquired by the 208-foot hydrographic survey vessel will also support a seafloor mapping initiative by Connecticut and New York."With bigger ships, crowded sea lanes, and more uses of ocean areas, shipping today is increasingly a task of precision and accuracy," explained NOAA Corps Cmdr. Lawrence Krepp, commanding officer of Thomas Jefferson and the ship's chief scientist. "This area is seeing an increase in the numbers of deep draft vessels requiring depths of more than 60 feet, and the pilots need precise and up-to-date depth measurements as they navigate. Our task is to measure the ocean depths, search for dangers to navigation, and give mariners the information they need to protect lives and the environment, while also increasing shipping efficiencies."Equipped with the latest scientific instrumentation for checking channel seafloors for shoaling and debris, Thomas Jefferson is also an emergency responder providing data needed for reopening ports after ...

Ocean, coastal and meteorological data NOAA, Shell Exploration & Production, ConocoPhillips, and Statoil USA E&P Inc.signed an agreement to enhance collaboration on ocean, coastal and climate science for the Arctic. The agreement calls for sharing a number of scientific data sets for this largely frontier region, including weather and ocean observations, biological information, and sea ice and sea floor mapping studies.This agreement provides a framework among the signatories to share high-quality data to enhance NOAA's ability to monitor climate change and provide useful products and services that inform responsible energy exploration activities in the region. Integrating these types of data could also provide a greater national capacity to effectively manage and respond to environmental disasters, such as hazardous spills, in an area where limited personnel and facilities exist.NOAA will conduct quality control on all data provided to the agency under this agreement before it is incorporated into NOAA products and services through compliance with OMB and NOAA guidelines implementing the Information Quality Act, for example, through peer review.Consistent with NOAA's commitment to openness and transparency, as highlighted most recently in its draft scientific integrity policy, NOAA will make the data obtained under this agreement available to the public except as ...

Established in the vicinity of Jeffreys Ledge to protect right whales The Republic of the Marshall Islands issue Marine Safety Advisory regarding Voluntary Speed Restrictions in Effect as follows:Please be advised that the NOAA's (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) National Marine Fisheries Service has announced that a voluntary vessel speed restriction zone (Dynamic Management Area - DMA) has been established in the vicinity of Jeffreys Ledge to protect an aggregation of right whales sighted in this area on 14 August 2011.This DMA is in effect immediately through 29 August 2011. Mariners are requested to route around these areas or transit through them at 10 knots or less.For more details, click here.Source: The Republic of the Marshall Islands

A new report released by NOAA The Gulf of Mexico at a Glance: A Second Glance, will provide coastal managers, planners, policy officials, and others with a reference to support regional decision-making and communications about the importance of healthy Gulf coastal ecosystems to a robust national economy, a safe population, and a high quality of life.The report, released by NOAA, in partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,provides economic and ecological highlights about the Gulf's coastal communities, economy, and ecosystems. This report is an update to NOAA's original Gulf of Mexico at a Glance, published in June 2008.The updated version includes nineteen topics that reveal highlights about the region, such as changes in the Gulf's coastal population from 1970 to 2020, the impact the Gulf's coastal areas have on the U.S. economy, the extent of land-based and marine protected areas in the Gulf coast region, and the vulnerability of the Gulf coast to long-term sea level rise.Highlights of the report's summary facts include:Gulf Communities:Population in the 141 coastal watershed counties of the Gulf Coast Region, has increased 109 percent since 1970, compared to a 52 percent increase in total U.S. population.17 percent of the population in ...

Re the emergency restoration of seagrass impacts from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is seeking comments on its Environmental Assessment (EA) and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) relating to the emergency restoration of seagrass impacts from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill response.Comments should be submitted by August 16.For more details, click here.Source: NOAA

Providing accurate and real-time data on tsunamis The NOAA took 20 years to develop a reliable tsunamograph, an apparatus that provides accurate, real-time data on tsunamis. It consists of an anchored, ocean-bottom pressure recorder and a companion buoy (called DART, for Deep-Ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis). The recorder, sitting at a depth of up to 5,000 meters, measures changes in pressure due to changes in water level.The recorder transmits acoustic signals to the buoy, which, in turn, relays the measurements of wave height to satellites. This information is then used to forecast the progress of a tsunami. Although each tsunamograph costs a mere $200,000, there are only about 50 in operation worldwide.There are scarcely any in the middle of the Pacific, and practically none in the Indian Ocean. Each dot on the map above represents a single buoy, an object about five feet wide that resembles a flying saucer. Many countries, such as India and Indonesia, have resisted acquiring DARTs from the NOAA out of a sense of "security nationalism."Japan relies on land-based cables that connect to ocean-floor recorders. This is less reliable than buoys, as cables tend to snap when the earthquake fault deforms the seafloor they lie ...

MPS is a tool that informs about how to use marine resources sustainably NOAA Policy Director, Sally Yozell, will participate in the first-ever National Business Forum on Marine Spatial Planning (MSP), on behalf of Dr. Jane Lubchenco, Undersecretary of Commerce and NOAA Administrator.The National Business Forum on MSP (13-14 July, Washington, D.C.) is for businesses that care about their future use of marine space and resources. The Forum is the only event that brings the ocean business community together to develop a strategy to address common concerns about MSP.The National Business Forum provides a unique opportunity to hear directly from NOAA about the latest Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning (CMSP) developments and engage in a direct dialogue with the government on these plans.NOAA will be addressing the following questions and more at the Forum: What is the status of CMSP and the plans for the next several years? What is the role of the National Ocean Council, federal agencies, regional planning bodies, state, local and other government agencies? What is the process and timeline for regional planning bodies to organize and for regional plans to be developed and implemented? What are the plans and processes for engaging other stakeholders, especially ...