tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-165428022010-01-20T12:15:38.961ZNews on events and research in the diving, marine life and other underwater fields. Published by <a href="http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/">SCUBA Travel</a>, the independent guide to diving around the world.SCUBA Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04785218708995070676noreply@blogger.comBlogger243125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16542802.post-46962741647594716392010-01-20T12:08:00.000Z2010-01-20T12:08:07.623Z

Researchers from Florida State University have found that Red Grouper (Epinephelus morio) dig out and maintain complex structures at the bottom of the sea. They remove sand, exposing hard rocks that are crucial to corals and sponges and the animals that rely on them. The work demonstrates that Red Groupers modify their environment, much as beavers do, creating habitat for many other animals

SCUBA Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04785218708995070676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16542802.post-75637916876916261562010-01-20T10:43:00.000Z2010-01-20T10:43:20.638Z

This common species - Cerianthus lloydii - is not a true anemone but a tube anemone. Instead of attaching itself to a rock it lives in a soft felt-like tube protruding above sand or mud. The anemone's tentacles are usually all that is visible. The inner set circle the mouth and are short and stiff. The long, flexible and attractive outer ones, over 100 of them, sweep prey inwards. When disturbed

SCUBA Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04785218708995070676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16542802.post-28073794316500557342010-01-19T17:46:00.000Z2010-01-19T17:46:04.521Z

A new genetic analysis of Antarctic minke whales concludes that population of these smaller baleen whales have not increased as a result of the intensive hunting of other larger whales – countering arguments by advocates of commercial whaling who want to “cull” minke whales. Antarctic minke whales are among the few species of baleen whales not decimated by commercial whaling during the 20th

SCUBA Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04785218708995070676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16542802.post-20563493620694636492010-01-04T15:26:00.000Z2010-01-04T15:26:31.070Z

New acoustic sensors are being used in research and conservation projects around the world, with some very important practical results. Among them is improved monitoring of endangered North Atlantic right whales in an effort to reduce ship strikes, a leading cause of their deaths. Sofie Van Parijs is one of many researcher whose work is decribed this month in the journal Marine Ecology Progress

SCUBA Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04785218708995070676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16542802.post-42595716904056940962009-12-10T11:02:00.001Z2009-12-10T11:07:28.492Z

Increased release of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is making seawater more acidic and is threatening ecosystems and species. It is also reducing the ocean’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide and regulate climate. According to IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), deep and immediate cuts in emissions are needed to stall the acidification of oceans and prevent mass extinction of

SCUBA Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04785218708995070676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16542802.post-45474831709947560672009-12-07T14:57:00.001Z2009-12-07T14:59:43.742Z

PhD student Sally Hall has formally described four new species of king crab, all from the deep sea. javascript:void(0) The new species are Paralomis nivosa from the Philippines, P. makarovi from the Bering Sea, P. alcockiana from South Carolina, and Lithodes galapagensis from the Galapagos archipelago – the first and only king crab species yet recorded from the seas around the Galapagos Islands.

SCUBA Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04785218708995070676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16542802.post-65788924003492210482009-12-02T11:50:00.000Z2009-12-02T11:51:45.167Z

Populations of numerous migratory fish species - those that move between freshwater and saltwater during the course of their lives - have declined by more than 95 percent in the North Atlantic . This threatens food supplies and economic systems, and is worse than was thought as people have tended to compare numbers over too short time scales, according to a paper published this month in the

SCUBA Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04785218708995070676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16542802.post-7223758130719795412009-11-23T16:28:00.000Z2009-11-23T16:28:39.738Z

Census of Marine Life scientists have inventoried an astonishing abundance, diversity and distribution of deep sea species that live down to 5,000 meters (around 3 miles) below the ocean waves. Revealed via deep-towed cameras, sonar and other technologies, animals known to thrive in an eternal watery darkness now number 17,650, a diverse collection of species ranging from crabs to shrimp to

SCUBA Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04785218708995070676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16542802.post-36679930487698195402009-11-16T16:40:00.000Z2009-11-16T16:40:08.234Z

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) hopes that its new project will reveal the mysteries of southern Indian Ocean seamounts and help improve conservation and management of resources. Two research expeditions will survey seamounts. These underwater mountains are magnets for marine life. The aim is to determine priority areas for the establishment of future marine Protected

SCUBA Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04785218708995070676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16542802.post-76291748551473252792009-11-11T12:09:00.001Z2009-11-11T12:13:19.962Z

Swarms of miniature robotic ocean explorers that could one day help predict where ocean currents will carry oil spills, and which marine areas should be protected. These autonomous underwater drifters will trace the fine details that can determine underwater ocean currents of a few kilometers. These are important for understanding marine protected areas, algal blooms, oil spills and the path

SCUBA Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04785218708995070676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16542802.post-11080194129521034532009-11-06T12:52:00.000Z2009-11-06T12:52:38.531Z

The National Science Foundation has announced agreement for vast undersea observing network. Called the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) it will provide a network of undersea sensors for observing complex ocean processes such as climate variability, ocean circulation and ocean acidification at several coastal, open-ocean and seafloor locations. Continuous data flow from hundreds of OOI

SCUBA Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04785218708995070676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16542802.post-90568789944766026172009-11-05T13:46:00.001Z2009-11-05T13:46:51.076Z

A tracking study of white sharks in the northeastern Pacific Ocean shows they follow a rigid migration route across the sea, returning to precisely the same spot on California coast each time they come back. Over tens of thousands of years, this behavior has made the population in the northeastern Pacific genetically distinct from other white shark populations. "White sharks are a large, highly

SCUBA Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04785218708995070676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16542802.post-48010687776358404432009-11-04T14:19:00.000Z2009-11-04T14:19:34.185Z

The SCUBA Travel best selling diving books in the third quarter of 2009. Yet again the Dive Atlas of the World keeps its top spot. Previous quarter's position is shown in brackets. Dive Atlas of the World: An Illustrated Reference to the Best Sites by Jack Jackson 300 pages detailing some of the world's best dive sites. (1) Fifty Places to Dive Before You Die by Chris Santella The fifth in

SCUBA Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04785218708995070676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16542802.post-13383863839978572592009-10-12T17:21:00.000+01:002009-10-12T17:21:04.745+01:00

The state government of Western Australia is creating a marine park to protect and manage a key nursery of the world's largest humpback whale population. The marine park is to be at Camden Sound, about 400km north of Broome, protecting its pristine marine environment for generations to come. Allowing for consultation, including a public comment period of three months, a marine park could be

SCUBA Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04785218708995070676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16542802.post-41496023070783233352009-10-09T16:34:00.000+01:002009-10-09T16:35:01.816+01:00

Scientists have recorded the first observations of how albatrosses feed alongside marine mammals at sea. A miniature digital camera was attached to the backs of four black-browed albatrosses (Thalassarche melanophrys). Results are published online this week in the open-access journal PLoS ONE. Albatrosses fly many hundreds of kilometers across the open ocean to find and feed upon their prey.

SCUBA Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04785218708995070676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16542802.post-44300608805664985792009-10-09T16:33:00.000+01:002009-10-09T16:33:31.046+01:00

Plumose anemones (Metridium senile) occur in large numbers in good diving areas in temperate waters. They comprise a tall, smooth column topped with a crown of feathery tentacles. When they contact they look like swirly blobs, as can be seen in our photograph. Individuals may be white, orange, green or blue in colour. They grow up to 30 cm tall and 15 cm across at the base. They like areas with

SCUBA Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04785218708995070676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16542802.post-62500440183381289002009-09-23T10:11:00.002+01:002009-10-13T16:51:45.330+01:00

When you mention killer whales, the image of one ambushing a terrified seal often springs to mind. But there are populations of killer whales who live exclusively on fish. And not on just any fish: they are very specialised in which fish they will eat. According to research published in Biology Letters, two populations studied in the northeastern Pacific Ocean prefer to eat Chinook salmon (

SCUBA Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04785218708995070676noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16542802.post-54552356232054308172009-09-21T13:33:00.002+01:002009-09-21T13:39:36.904+01:00

The Arctic sea ice cover appears to have reached its minimum extent for the year, the third-lowest recorded since satellites began measuring sea ice extent in 1979, according to the University of Colorado at Boulder's National Snow and Ice Data Center. While this year's September minimum extent was greater than each of the past two record-setting and near-record-setting low years, it is still

SCUBA Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04785218708995070676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16542802.post-6968595448181941432009-09-16T10:27:00.005+01:002009-09-16T11:07:49.062+01:00

There is a new dive waiting off the coast of Comino: former Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) Patrol Boat P31. The wreck is 52 m long and lies at 18 m.The Malta Tourism Authority co-ordinated the scuttling of the former Patrol Boat to add to the number of underwater attractions for scuba divers visiting Ċirkewwa and Comino.The Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism, the Hon. Dr Mario de Marco said that

SCUBA Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04785218708995070676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16542802.post-2978343691524717592009-09-11T13:57:00.003+01:002009-09-11T14:12:54.722+01:00

A rare opportunity has allowed a team of scientists to evaluate corals--and the essential, photosynthetic algae that live inside their cells--before, during, and after a period in 2005 when global warming caused sea-surface temperatures in the Caribbean to rise.The team, led by Penn State biologist Todd LaJeunesse, found that a rare species of algae that is tolerant of stressful environmental

SCUBA Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04785218708995070676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16542802.post-48654026446824888092009-08-15T13:01:00.002+01:002009-08-15T13:11:25.698+01:00

The warming of an Arctic current over the last 30 years has triggered the release of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, from methane hydrate stored in the sediment beneath the seabed. Although this had been predicted as a possible consequence of climate change, it is very worrying that the process has already started.Scientists at the National Oceanography Centre Southampton working in

SCUBA Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04785218708995070676noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16542802.post-47108575337826451222009-08-14T09:23:00.006+01:002009-08-15T12:35:11.925+01:00

Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary is among the healthiest coral reef ecosystems in the US Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, according to a new NOAA report.Sanctuary managers will use the report to track and monitor changes in the marine ecosystem located 70 to 115 miles off the coasts of Texas and Louisiana. “We found that 50 percent of the area surveyed for this report is covered by live

SCUBA Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04785218708995070676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16542802.post-29035525378132064172009-08-10T22:03:00.007+01:002009-08-10T22:22:09.714+01:00

An earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale has struck the Andaman Islands off the coast of India. It has triggered a tsunami watch for India, Myanmar (Burma), Indonesia, Thailand and Bangladesh.According to the The U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake happened 160 miles (260 km) north of Port Blair in the Andaman Islands, India and 510 (825 km) miles west of Bangkok, Thailand. It was 20

SCUBA Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04785218708995070676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16542802.post-43031034576774850552009-07-21T16:02:00.005+01:002009-07-21T16:57:11.744+01:00

Fish surveys are often conducted by SCUBA divers or snorkellers. A study in the journal Environmental monitoring and assessment has found that these surveys may be inherently inaccurate as snorkellers frighten away the fish they are supposed to be counting.Researchers from at the University of Victoria, Canada, used an underwater video camera to assess how fish abundance, family richness and

SCUBA Newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04785218708995070676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16542802.post-55524247716012289372009-07-15T10:32:00.003+01:002009-07-15T10:43:02.395+01:00

One hundred and eighty-six species of the "Little Dragon" fish live from Iceland in the North to the Indo-Pacific oceans in the South. You will find the species we are concentrating on today, Callionymus lyra, from Norway to Senegal: in the Eastern Atlantic and the North, Irish, Mediterranean, Black, Baltic, Aegean and other Seas. The adult male C. lyra is colourfully patterned in orange and

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