Archive for November, 2009

Big freeze plunged Europe into ice age in months

This item was filled under Climate
In the film "The Day After Tomorrow," the world enters the icy grip of a new glacial period within the space of just a few weeks. New research shows this scenario may not be so far from the truth after all....

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What is the smallest ocean?

This item was filled under Basics, Facts, Places
With an area of about 5.4 million square miles, the Arctic Ocean is about 1.5 times as big as the United States. It is bordered by Greenland, Canada, Norway, Alaska, and Russia. The average depth of the Arctic Ocean is 12,000 feet and it is 17,850 feet at its deepest point....

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Oceans absorbing carbon dioxide more slowly, scientist finds

This item was filled under Climate
The world's oceans are absorbing less carbon dioxide, a geophysicist has found after pooling data taken over the past 50 years. With the oceans currently absorbing over 40 percent of the CO2 emitted by human activity, this could quicken the pace of climate change, according to the study....

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Penguins and sea lions help produce new atlas

This item was filled under Climate
Recording hundreds of thousands of individual uplinks from satellite transmitters fitted on penguins, albatrosses, sea lions, and other marine animals, conservation scientists have released the first-ever atlas of the Patagonian Sea -- a globally important but poorly understood South American marine ecosystem....

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Marine ecosystems get a climate form guide

This item was filled under Climate
The first-ever Australian benchmark of climate change impacts on marine ecosystems and options for adaptation is being released. The Marine Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Report Card for Australia, and an accompanying website, will provide a biennial guide for scientists, government and the community on observed and projected impacts of climate change on marine ecosystems....

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National Spatial Reference System Primer [Feature]

This item was filled under News
For 200 years, NOAA's National Geodetic Survey and its predecessor organizations have been using geodesy to map the U.S. shoreline, determine land boundaries, and improve transportation and navigation safety. Geodesy is the science of measuring and monitoring the size and shape of the Earth and the location of points on its surface....

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Do whales make noise?

This item was filled under Facts, Ocean Life
Whales are very social creatures that travel in groups called “pods.” They use a variety of noises to communicate and socialize with each other. The three main types of sounds made by whales are clicks, whistles, and pulsed calls....

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What are the three main types of coral reefs?

This item was filled under Ecosystems, Facts, Ocean Life
The most common type of reef is the fringing reef. This type of reef grows seaward directly from the shore. They form borders along the shoreline and surrounding islands. When a fringing reef continues to grow upward from a volcanic island that has sunk entirely below sea level, an atoll is formed. Atolls are usually circular or oval in shape, with an open lagoon in the center. Barrier reefs are similar to fringing reefs in that they also border a shoreline; however, instead of growing directly out from the shore, they are separated from land by an expanse of water. This creates a lagoon of open, often deep water between the reef and the shore....

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Where is the largest protected area in the National Marine Sanctuary system?

This item was filled under Facts, Ocean Life, Places
The Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument is not only the largest conservation area in the U.S., it's one of the largest marine conservation areas in the world. It's larger than all of America’s national parks combined! This vast region preserves many of Hawaii’s Northwestern Islands and is made up of 139,797 square miles of reefs, atolls, shallow waters, and deep seas....

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Removing Marine Debris for the “Dogs that Run in the Rough Sea” [Feature]

This item was filled under News
On two separate missions in September and October, the NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette set sail from Honolulu, Hawaii, to scour, somewhat literally, portions of the vast and remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands....

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