EARTH Magazine: New Subduction Zone May Close Atlantic Ocean

Thanks to new high-resolution surveys of the seafloor, scientists think they have evidence of the subduction process starting in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Portugal. If they are right, this nascent subduction zone could close the Atlantic Ocean — in roughly 200 million years.

USGS develops improved technique for coral reef monitoring

Coral reefs are being degraded on a global scale, and a better understanding of the factors that affect coral growth could tell us why. To this end, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has pioneered a new weight-based method that allows for more accurate and precise measurements of coral growth.

NAS report on Ocean Acidification Strategic Plan

The National Academies of Sciences released a report on the “Review of the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Plan.” Developed as a guide for federal research, the strategic plan assesses the impacts of ocean acidification and help policymakers develop strategies for adaptation and mitigation. The report discusses the potential consequences of increasing ocean acidity, and reviews the Strategic Plan for Federal Research and Monitoring of Ocean Acidification prepared by the Interagency Working Group on Ocean Acidification, which was created as part of Fed

Streamer - A new online tool to visualize and understand water flow across America

Streamer is a new interactive, online map service from the United States Geological Survey and the National Atlas of the United States that allows the user to navigate America’s major rivers and streams. Using digital hydrographic data at one million-scale (1 inch = 15.8 miles), Streamer allows the user to trace any stream or river upstream and downstream from any point along its course.

New USGS water science strategy factsheet

The U.S. Geological Survey released a fact sheet summarizing a new national Water Science Strategy. The new strategy takes a comprehensive look at the country’s water needs for the next 5 to 10 years, and includes plans to build new infrastructure and capabilities to meet domestic water needs.

Geoscience Careers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Monday, May 10, 2010

Following the presentations, there is a question and answer session with the speakers and webinar participants.

Our speakers include:

Dr. Diane Stanitski, Climatologist & Program Manager, NOAA
Dr. Rick Lumpkin, Physical Oceanographer, NOAA
LCDR Michael J. Silah, Chief of Staff, Office of Marine and Aviation Operations, NOAA

Geoscience Careers at NOAA

EARTH: Community College at Sea - Research Experiences for Community College Students Build the STEM Pipeline

It's 3 a.m., and students from two Oregon community colleges are struggling to keep their sea legs as they work on the deck of a research vessel that is pitching and rolling in rough seas. Their objective is to recover an ocean-bottom seismometer that has been lying 160 meters underwater off the west coast of Vancouver Island, where it has been steadily recording seismic signals and long-period pressure trends for the past year. These students are experiencing what earth scientists do for a living, as a part of the Cascadia Initiative's CC@Sea program.

EARTH: Listening for Gas Bubbles

What if we could cheaply and efficiently detect a potent new energy source, while also monitoring for environmental safety? Olivier Carriere, a physicist in the Marine Physical Laboratory at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and other researchers are using the symphony of sound produced in the ocean to do just that.

EARTH: Tracking Plastic in the Oceans

Humans produce over 260 million tons of plastic each year. Almost a third of that plastic goes into disposable, one-time-use items, and only about 1% of it is recycled globally. Where does the rest of the plastic go? How does it interact with our environment? And how will it impact us in the future? In this month's issue of EARTH Magazine, follow the fate of many plastics as they make their way from our homes to our planet's oceans.

EARTH: Geotextile Structures - from sludge to shoreline protection to surfing

What do geology and textiles have in common? More than you might think. Since the 1980s, coastal, ocean and hydraulic engineers have been reinforcing coastlines and cleaning up contaminated water from dredge materials and other sludges and slurries with a revolutionary fabric that combines the strength of certain textiles with geoscientific know-how. So far, geotextile structures have been an integral tool in protecting our delicate coastlines; however, the relative infancy of the innovation leaves many questions unanswered about how these geotechnical marvels will interact with the natural environments they are built to protect.

American Geosciences Institute

oceans