“The TsunamiReady Program, developed by the National Weather Service, is designed to help cities, towns, counties, universities and other large sites in coastal areas reduce the potential for disastrous tsunami-related consequences.” NOAA has educational materials available for people of all ages.
Plate “boundary segments that ring the Australia plate represent some of the most seismically active elements of the global plate boundary system, and some of the most rapidly evolving plate interactions. As a result, there are some very complex structures which host many large and great earthquakes.” Quoted from the USGS publication release.
“After the recent great quakes that have swept away entire coastlines and cities in Japan, Haiti and Sumatra, scientists are now looking hard at the nation that may suffer the gravest threat of all: Bangladesh.”
We thought that this was an excellent video. Did you know that a magnitude 8 earthquake caused the Brahmaputra River to change course? Have you ever seen a human powered drill rig – made from bamboo – that can complete a 300 foot-deep well in one day?
“A technology commonly used to map the bottom of the deep ocean can also detect gas seeps in the water column.” Quoted from the University of New Hampshire news release.
“Earth’s deep oceans may absorb enough heat at times to flatten the rate of global warming for periods of as long as a decade–even in the midst of longer-term warming.” Quoted from the National Science Foundation press release.
Russia and China are very interested in the mineral resources of Antarctica and hope that the current ban on mining will be lifted in 2048. They currently have seafloor exploration projects on ocean ridges that approach the continent.
This NASA video explains how surface ocean currents are driven by wind while deeper currents are driven by density. “Aquarius salinity data, combined with data from other sensors that measure sea level, ocean color, temperature, winds, and rainfall, will give us a much clearer picture of how the ocean works.” Quoted from the NASA video release.
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.
“The ebb and flow of the ocean tides, generally thought to be one of the most predictable forces on Earth, are actually quite variable over long time periods, in ways that have not been adequately accounted for in most evaluations of prehistoric sea level changes.” Quoted from the Oregon State University news release.
“Site of one of the largest volcanic eruptions of the 19th Century, Anak Krakatau (also known as Krakatoa) has been intermittently active for the past several decades. On July 31, 2011, a wispy ash plume rose above the volcano and drifted west.” Quoted from the Earth Observatory press release.
“As one of the planet’s largest single carbon absorbers, the ocean takes up roughly one-third of all human carbon emissions, reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide and its associated global changes.” Quoted from the University of Wisconsin-Madison news release.
“An international team of geoscientists has discovered an unusual geological formation that helps explain how an undersea earthquake off the coast of Sumatra in December 2004 spawned the deadliest tsunami in recorded history.” Quoted from the University of Texas at Austin press release.
“Air and water meet over most of the earth’s surface, but exactly where one ends and the other begins turns out to be a surprisingly subtle question.” Quoted from the University of Southern California news release.
“While ancient Greek soothsayers believed they could foretell the future by reading the patterns in sprinkled salt, today’s scientists have learned that they can indeed harness this invaluable mineral to foresee the future — of Earth’s climate.” Quoted from the NASA News Release.
“Ocean acidification, along with increased ocean temperatures, will likely severely reduce the diversity and resilience of coral reef ecosystems within this century.” Quoted from the University of Miami press release.
“The Agulhas Current which runs along the east coast of Africa may not be as well known as its counterpart in the Atlantic, the Gulf Stream. But now researchers are taking a closer look at this current and its “leakage” from the Indian Ocean into the Atlantic Ocean–and what that may mean for climate change.” Quoted from the National Science Foundation press release.
“Our growing reliance on coastal waters for food, trade and tourism means that these delicate ecosystems need to be more closely monitored to guarantee their future sustainability.” Quoted from the European Space Agency press release.
“A month after flooding killed 43 people and displaced over a million residents, torrential rains once again pummeled Sri Lanka. By February 6, 2011, rain had fallen for six consecutive days, forcing a quarter of a million people into government relief camps.” Quoted from the Earth Observatory website.
Anadarko Petroleum has made another deepwater gas discovery in the Mozambique Channel. This is their fourth deepwater discovery in the Rovuma Basin in the past year.
BP has received deepwater exploration rights for four areas totaling over 9000 square miles in the Bight Basin off South Australia.
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