In the News
Arctic ice melt is killing birds and will leave caribou stranded
The ongoing loss of sea-ice cover is wreaking havoc on ecosystems across the Arctic, and may spell the end of more species than previously thought. Arctic sea-ice cover has shrunk this year to the second lowest summer level ever recorded, following an unprecedented winter low. “There will be winners and losers,” says Martin Renner of Tern Again Consulting in Homer, Alaska. “Species that rely directly on sea ice, like ivory gulls, will run into difficult times.”
No Sailors Needed: Robot Sailboats Scour the Oceans for Data
Two robotic sailboats trace lawn-mower-style paths across the violent surface of the Bering Sea, off the coast of Alaska. The boats are counting fish — haddock, to be specific — with a fancy version of the fish finder sonar you’d find on a bass fishing boat.
Does the Disappearance of Sea Ice Matter?
Every month, the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colo., puts out a news release about how much ice is floating on the cold seas at the top of the world. Those who follow this obscure bit of news will know that last month marked the lowest extent of Arctic sea ice on record for June, going back to the beginning of satellite observations in the late 1970s.
On July 7th Oscar Dyson deployed two Carbon Wave Gliders
On July 7th Oscar Dyson deployed two Carbon Wave Gliders! They are autonomous surface vessels that use ocean wave energy for propulsion and solar panels to charge batteries for electronics. The Carbon Wave Gliders can collect data on water and air temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, carbon dioxide in the water and air, and pH monitoring equipment.
Sailboat-Like Drone Helps NOAA Study the Arctic Ecosystem
Drones are changing the way we look at coastlines. In a conference call on Thursday about the use of drones in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Jessica N. Cross, an oceanographer at NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, talked about the use of Saildrone, a sailboat-sized, commercially produced UAV in monitoring populations of fish and other information about the changing oceans in the Arctic.