sea

Endangered: islands, not just birds and bees

The World Monuments Fund has issued a list of the 100 most endangered sites, and it says islands and ruins are being ruined. The northern-most and southern-most sites are both threatened by the effects of global warming, according to the organization. Many sites suffer from normal disintegration--or war, vandalism or heavy tourism. But changing weather patterns are a serious factor in trying to preserve the Fund's most endangered 100 sites.

Take Herschel Island, off the northern shore of Canada's Yukon Territory. And take it quick, it's going to disappear, experts predict. The island's permafrost is melting, and rising seas are eroding the low-lying land. … Read more

Greenland's ice sheet: The annual checkup

Beginning in 1991, every summer NASA has measured the ice sheets of Greenland. Past data indicates significant thinning of ice along the coast. Meanwhile some ice sheets have thickened in Greenland's interior. Overall, there's much less ice on Greenland's surface than there was 100 years ago.

This summer's NASA expedition to Greenland has returned with fresh data. Now the analysis begins. One piece of equipment used is an ice-penetrating radar that can find bedrock up to 2 miles below the ice surface. NASA estimates an average drop of 9 inches in the height of Greenland's … Read more

Introducing OpenSEA Alliance

Sometimes we analysts have an "all sizzle and no steak" reputation. We come up with high falootin' concepts, write reports and columns, and get quoted in the media, but we don't really "do" anything.

Former executive vice president of marketing for EMC, Bob Ano, once put it to me this way: "If I make a bet on your latest 'vision' and you turn out to be wrong, I lose my job and reputation. You simply change a few PowerPoint slides and move on."

With this as background, I am proud to say that … Read more

See Tuvalu while it lasts

Tuvalu is one of several Pacific island nations closely watching predictions about rising ocean levels. It's 700 miles north of Fiji. Residents there say the months of highest tides are already worse and wetter than historically. Homes and precious farm land have been lost. Well water is becoming salty. The CIA summary on Tuvalu states it succinctly. "Tuvalu is concerned about global increases in greenhouse gas emissions and their effect on rising sea levels, which threaten the country's underground water table."

Tuvalu and its 12,000 residents have been promised admission to New Zealand if the the nation's nine atolls become uninhabitable. … Read more

Russian petroleum and electricity direct to North America

Those friendly Russians want to bring more energy directly to your doorstep if you live in North America. That means digging the world's longest tunnel. The proposed project would dig a tunnel over 60 miles long beneath the Bering Sea, surfacing at two islands en route.

Next week a coalition of Russian businesses will present this plan to Canada and the U.S. If it moves ahead, the tunnel would be twice as long as the one now connecting Britain and France.

The tunnel would connect major highways and pipelines yet to be constructed. The hope is to deliver … Read more

SeaLife. SeaLife run.

Waterlogged photos have cause to rejoice, as SeaLife has announced two new cameras. Like all SeaLife cameras, the Reefmaster Mini and the Ecoshot feature waterproof, beefed-up casings for rough shooting. The Reefmaster Mini can handle depths as much as 75 feet, the Ecoshot can sink as far as 130 feet underwater, and both cameras can handle drops of as far as six feet.

Other than their extreme ruggedness, the 6-megapixel Reefmaster Mini and Ecoshot are rather lackluster cameras. With a 42mm-equivalent, fixed-length lenses, they're not going to win any prizes for best feature sets. They have a unique Spy … Read more

The 'most advanced' robo-boat

Here it is: "The newest and most advanced" robo-boat in the world. It sure looks the part.

Unveiled this month at IDEX 2007 in Abu Dhabi, the Marine Robotics Vessels International (MRVI) Interceptor is a fourth-generation unmanned surface vessel. Project partner SeaRobotics provided the command, control, navigation and data-acquisition system, which allows both remote control by radio and autonomous operation. In autonomous mode, an onboard computer will steer the rig on a pre-determined course to complete its programmed mission. Onboard sensors allow the craft to change course to avoid collisions.

Applications range from anti-piracy patrol to oil rig … Read more

Still hope for see-through glasses

If you're old enough to remember comic books before they were cool, you'll undoubtedly recall these three advertising staples: Sea Monkeys, 500 toy soldiers for something like 50 cents, and the always-popular glasses that could see through clothing.

The Sea Monkeys turned out to be brine shrimp, and the toy soldiers have been declared politically incorrect. But hope shines brightly for the see-through glasses at Northrop-Grumman Space Technology. There, according to Ubergizmo, researchers are working on a technology that "enables one to see right through clothing." Lest you get too excited, however, this is strictly for … Read more

Indie-rock Decemberists take a hint from Colbert

When Stephen Colbert launched his "Green Screen Challenge" a few months ago--encouraging fans to fill in the background of a video of himself running around with a "Star Wars" lightsaber--it was kind of a dorky novelty, much like Colbert himself. Now, brainy indie-rock act The Decemberists are jumping on the bandwagon. The five-piece Portland, Oregon-based group, best known for accordion-filled sea-shanty rock and lyrics full of words that you haven't seen since the SAT, has teamed up with MTVU for its own green-screen challenge.

Here's the lowdown, thanks to music blog Stereogum: The Decemberists … Read more