Latest Coastal geography Stories
WASHINGTON, Sept. 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- President of the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) Tom Fry issued the following statement on the closing of the comment period for the next Draft Proposed 5-Year Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Leasing Program. "Now that the six month extension to the original commenting period has closed, the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) urges Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar to promptly review the comments and consider and...
24 of world's 33 major deltas sinking, 85 percent have experienced severe flooding recentlyA new study led by the University of Colorado at Boulder indicates most of the world's low-lying river deltas are sinking from human activity, making them increasingly vulnerable to flooding from rivers and ocean storms and putting tens of millions of people at risk.While the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report concluded many river deltas are at risk from sea level rise, the new study...
U.S. scientists have developed an alternate theory for the origin of linear dunes on the surface of Titan, Saturn's largest moon, similar to ones on Earth. Louisiana State University Professor Patrick Hesp and U.S. Geological Survey scientist David Rubin said they examined the linear -- or longitudinal -- dunes stretching across the surface of China's Qaidam Basin, finding them composed of sand and some salt and silt. The scientists said the latter two elements make the dunes cohesive or...
A new and likely controversial paper has just been published online in Nature Geoscience by LSU Department of Geography and Anthropology Chair Patrick Hesp and United States Geological Survey scientist David Rubin. The paper, "Multiple origins of linear dunes on Earth and Titan," examines a possible new mechanism for the development of very large linear dunes formed on the surface of Titan, Saturn's largest moon.The authors examined the linear "“ or longitudinal "“ dunes that...
They gracefully swim through the complete darkness of submarine caves, constantly on the lookout for prey. Instead of eyes, predatory crustaceans of the class Remipedia rely on long antennae which search the lightless void in all directions. Like some type of science fiction monster, their head is equipped with powerful prehensile limbs and poisonous fangs.Accordingly, the translations of their Latin names sound menacing. There is the "Secret Club Bearer" (Cryptocorynetes) or the...
After a day at the beach, or before eating while on the beach, U.S. scientists advise washing hands before eating to reduce illness. The study, released by the U.S. Geological Survey in Reston, Va., found hand rinsing -- submerging the hands in clean water four times -- removed more than 99 percent of the bacteria E. coli and associated viruses found on hands digging sand on the shores of Lake Michigan in Chicago. Our mothers were right! Cleaning our hands before eating really works,...
Stories of ships mysteriously sent to watery graves by sudden, giant waves have long puzzled scientists and sailors. New research by San Francisco State professor Tim Janssen suggests that changes in water depth and currents, which are common in coastal areas, may significantly increase the likelihood of these extreme waves.Published in the Journal of Physical Oceanography, Janssen's wave model simulations show that focusing of waves by shoals and currents could increase the likelihood of a...
The world's peak ocean science body has adopted a new definition of seawater developed by Australian, German and US scientists to make climate projections more accurate.In Paris late last month the General Assembly of UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) accepted the case for the introduction of a new international thermodynamic description of seawater, cast in terms of a new salinity variable called Absolute Salinity.Hobart-based CSIRO Wealth from Oceans Flagship...
WASHINGTON, July 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is a statement of NOIA President Tom Fry:"As we mark the one year anniversary of the lifting of the Executive branch ban on oil and gas drilling on the majority of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), it is important to note there is still much work to be done," said Tom Fry, President of the National Ocean Industries Association. "Although 18 years of poor public policy, spanning multiple administrations, was reversed a year ago,...
 Global warming may exact a toll on salt marshes in New England, but new research shows that one key constituent of marshes may be especially endangered. Pannes are waterlogged, low-oxygen zones of salt marshes. Despite the stresses associated with global warming, pannes are "plant diversity hotspots," according to Keryn Gedan, a graduate student and salt marsh expert at Brown University. At least a dozen species of plants known as forbs inhabit these natural depressions, Gedan said....
Latest Coastal geography Reference Libraries
Coral reefs are submerged structures consisting of calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of small animals found in marine waters that enclose few nutrients. The majority of coral reefs are constructed from stony corals, which then consist of polyps that come together in groups. The polyps are like small sea anemones, to which they are very closely related. Unlike the sea anemones, coral polyps secrete hard carbonate exoskeletons which provide support and protections...
Mudflats, or otherwise known as tidal flats, are coastal wetlands that form when mud is left behind by tides or rivers. They’re found in sheltered regions such as bayous, lagoons, estuaries, and bays. Mudflats might be seen geologically as exposed layers of bay mud, a result from the deposition of estuarine silts, marine animal detritus, and clays. The majority of the sediment in a mudflat is within the intertidal zone, therefore the flat is submerged and exposed about twice per day. In...
A salt marsh, also otherwise known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone that lies between the land and the open salt water or brackish water that is routinely flooded by the tides. It’s dominated by dense stands of salt-tolerant plants, for example, herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants originate from all around the globe and are important to the stability of the salt marsh in trapping and binding sediments. Salt marshes...
Image Credit: Meteorologist Joshua Kelly When meteorologists are forecasting for ocean-going vessels, there are a few terms that we need to understand. The first term is wavelength. Wavelength is defined as the distance between two crests or between two troughs as seen in the image above. The example above highlights the crest to crest concept of wavelength. The next term that we use is wave height, and to determine this, we first must look at the wave when it passes our station. When...
![Marine Life of California\](/media/gallery/national-science-foundation-gallery/thumbs/thumbs_17ane7453_h.jpg "Marine Life of California\")
