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Researchers Use GPS Data to Speed Up Tsunami Warnings

Sun, 2012-05-06 23:25 — Kathy Gilbeaux

      

In this Jan. 2, 2005 file photo, a wide area of destruction is shown from an aerial view taken over Meulaboh, 250 kilometers (156 Miles) west of Banda Aceh, Indonesia. Researchers in the United States are hoping to use GPS data to speed up current warnings. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara, File)

U.S. seismologists currently testing new warning system

by Andrew Pinsent - CBC News - May 5, 2012

Scientists in the United States have been testing an advanced tsunami warning system using GPS data, combined with traditional seismology networks, to attempt to detect the magnitude of an earthquake faster so warnings of potential tsunamis can get out to potentially affected areas sooner.

The prototype is called California Integrated Seismic Network (CISN), and is a collaboration between the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, whose focus is on environmental conservation.

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Gulf's Dolphins Pay Heavy Price for Deepwater Oil Spill

Sat, 2012-03-31 23:55 — Kathy Gilbeaux

A study of bottlenose dolphins in Barataria Bay, Louisiana, showed that many of the marine mammals were suffering from lung and liver disease. Photograph: Alamy

by Peter Beaumont - guardian.co.uk - March 31, 2012

New studies show impact of BP's Deepwater Horizon disaster on dolphins and other marine wildlife may be far worse than feared.

A new study of dolphins living close to the site of North America's worst ever oil spill – the BP Deepwater Horizon catastrophe two years ago – has established serious health problems afflicting the marine mammals.

The report, commissioned by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA], found that many of the 32 dolphins studied were underweight, anaemic and suffering from lung and liver disease, while nearly half had low levels of a hormone that helps the mammals deal with stress as well as regulating their metabolism and immune systems.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

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Sick, Stranded Dolphin Found in Alabama is Transported to Research Center for Study

Sat, 2012-02-11 22:14 — Kathy Gilbeaux

Photo Credit: Marine Mammal Studies

by Deborah Dupre - examiner.com - February 11, 2012

A dolphin named "Chance," is the "first dolphin found alive in Alabama" since the April 20, 2010 Gulf of Mexico oilrig explosion.

"He's just like a black box. He's revealing some very important information as to what happened since the oil spill. A lot of information on disease, his health and other information on the environment."

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

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Video - BP Oil Commercials Cover Up Environmental Distress

Tue, 2012-01-31 22:52 — Kathy Gilbeaux

clickorlando.com - CBS Newspath - January 31, 2012

Scientists say dolphins dying at alarming rate

53,000 barrels of oil each day. Nearly 5 million barrels in all.  That's how much oil poured into the Gulf of Mexico because of the BP oil disaster.

It's easily the worst marine oil spill in history and 10 times that of the Exxon Valdez disaster.

But BP's most recent television commercials seem to indicate all is well with the Gulf of Mexico.

Scientists say it is not, because dolphins are dying at an alarming rate.

(VIEW THE VIDEO AND READ THE COMPLETE ARTICLE)

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Resilience Alliance

Sat, 2012-01-28 13:29 — mdmcdonald

There are many definitions of resilience from simple deterministic views of resilience anchored in Newtonian mechanics to far more dynamic views of resilience from a systems perspective, including insights from quantum mechanics and the sciences of complexity.  One baseline perspective of resilience sees it in terms of the viability of socio-ecological systems as the foundation for sustainability.  For those that are ready to look beyond resilience as the ability to return to the "normal state" before a disaster, take a look at:

http://www.resalliance.org/

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Report: Hawaii's Waves Able to Provide Massive Source of Alternative Energy

Mon, 2012-01-23 21:37 — Kathy Gilbeaux

submitted by Janine Rees

reported by Gina Mangieri - khon2.com - January 19, 2012

A new federal study says Hawaii’s waves stand to provide a massive source of alternative energy.

The U.S. Department of Energy says 80 terawatt hours of electricity could be generated annually off the island coast.

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Rare 'Survivor' Dolphin Gives Hope for Finding Cause of Deaths Since BP Spill

Sun, 2011-11-27 22:53 — Kathy Gilbeaux

by Kaija Wilkinson - gulflive.com - November 27, 2011

Institute Director Moby Solangi watches a sickly dolphin make circles in its pool at the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011. (The Mississippi Press/Kaija Wilkinson)

GULFPORT, Mississippi -- A sickly, stranded dolphin that was found in Alabama and transported to Gulfport to convalesce and be studied could provide clues to a spike in dolphin deaths that has occurred over the past year.

The 2-year-old male is the first to be found alive since the BP oil spill last spring, according to Moby Solangi, director of the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies, where the dolphin is being held.

The spike coincided with the spill, but to date no definitive link has been made between the spill and the deaths, which in south Mississippi and Alabama are three to four times what they are in a normal year.

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4 Dead Dolphins Wash Up on Gulf Coast Beaches in 5 Days; Deaths Part of 'Unusual Mortality Event'

Wed, 2011-10-12 17:51 — Kathy Gilbeaux

by Ben Raines - al.com - October 12, 2011

Photo - Courtesy of John C. S. Pierce

This dolphin was found on the Mobile Bay side of the Fort Morgan peninsula Saturday morning, one of four found since Friday. The death brings the total number of dead dolphins found since the BP oil spill to more than 400. Federal officials say an "Unusual Mortality Event" has been declared for the Gulf's dolphin population, which have been dying at a rate 5 to 10 times higher than average.

DAUPHIN ISLAND, Alabama -- A dolphin carcass, bloated and violet in the morning sun, was found on Fort Morgan early Saturday, bringing the number lost since the BP oil spill to more than 400. 

Three other dolphins have washed up in Alabama in the past week, including a pregnant female on Dauphin Island and a mother and calf pair on Hollingers Island in Mobile Bay.

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Research Brief: Is Submerged Deepwater Horizon Oil Degrading Offshore?

Tue, 2011-09-20 22:14 — Kathy Gilbeaux

Research Brief: Is Submerged Deepwater Horizon Oil Degrading Offshore?

Comparison of the Chemical Signatures of Tar Mat Samples Deposited by Tropical Storm Lee in September 2011 with Oil Mousse Samples Collected in June 2010 (4 page .PDF report)

http://eng.auburn.edu/files/acad_depts/civil/oil-spill-research.pdf

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AP: BP Oil Not Degrading on Gulf Floor, Study Says

Tue, 2011-09-20 22:05 — Kathy Gilbeaux

by Jay Reeves - Associated Press - September 20, 2011

      

Tar balls mix with seashells washed up near Pensacola Beach, Fla., on Sept. 14 - Melissa Nelson / AP

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Tar balls washed onto Gulf of Mexico beaches by Tropical Storm Lee earlier this month show that oil left over from last year's BP spill isn't breaking down as quickly as some scientists thought it would, university researchers said Tuesday.

Auburn University experts who studied tar samples at the request of coastal leaders said the latest wave of gooey orbs and chunks appeared relatively fresh, smelled strongly and were hardly changed chemically from the weathered oil that collected on Gulf beaches during the spill.

The study concluded that mats of oil — not weathered tar, which is harder and contains fewer hydrocarbons — are still submerged on the seabed and could pose a long-term risk to coastal ecosystems.

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