EurekAlert! - OceanographyThe premier online source for science news since 1996. A service of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.Persistent man-made chemical pollutants found in deep-sea octopods and squids- June 9, 2008 (NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service) New evidence that chemical contaminants are finding their way into the deep-sea food web has been found in deep-sea squids and octopods, including the strange-looking "vampire squid." These species are food for deep-diving toothed whales and other predatorshttp://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-06/nnmf-pmc060908.php RAND study finds increase in piracy and terrorism at sea- June 5, 2008 (RAND Corporation) Acts of piracy and terrorism at sea are on the rise, but there is little evidence to support concerns from some governments and international organizations that pirates and terrorists are beginning to collude with one another, according to a RAND Corporation study issued today.http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-06/rc-rsf060208.php School of Robofish provides basis for underwater robot teams- June 5, 2008 (University of Washington) Most ocean robots have to talk to scientists or satellites to share information. A school of robotic fish developed at the University of Washington communicate directly, allowing them to work cooperatively without coming to the surface.http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-06/uow-sor060508.php Mountain ranges rise much more rapidly than geologists expected- June 5, 2008 (University of Rochester) Mountains may experience a "growth spurt" that can double their heights in as little as two to four million years -- several times faster than the prevailing tectonic theory suggests.http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-06/uor-mrr060208.php Data show Antarctic ice stream radiating seismically- June 4, 2008 (Washington University in St. Louis) A seismologist at Washington University in St. Louis and colleagues at Pennsylvania State University and Newcastle University have found seismic signals from a giant Antarctic river of ice that make California's earthquake problem seem trivial. Douglas Wiens, Ph.D., of Washington University and colleagues combined seismological and global positioning system analyses to reveal two bursts of seismic waves from an ice stream in Antarctica every day, each one..http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-06/wuis-dsa060208.php AGU journal highlights -- June 4, 2008- June 4, 2008 (American Geophysical Union) In this issue: Human control of radiation belt; Antarctic current roils deep ocean waters; Did slow deformation mitigate Peru quake; Australian dryness linked to sea surface temperatures; Warming and cooling from land cover changes; and Satellites give lowdown on polar lows.http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-06/agu-ajh060408.php |