Category: Science

A skewed approach to props: Schaffran Propeller

8/5/2024 - By Paul Molyneaux. For the average trawler or scalloper, putting a nozzle around the propeller has been standard operating procedure for decades. According to Jan Hass, propeller designer at Schaffran Propeller in Lübeck, Germany, it makes sense. “The nozzle itself, working with the propeller, will produce thrust at lower speeds,”… SEE MORE

The Very Hungry Urchins

8/4/2024 - By Lisa S. Gardiner. Researchers are restoring the Caribbean’s surprising, spiky custodians, which gobble up the algae smothering coral reefs. South of Tampa Bay, Florida, wedged between a quiet neighborhood and a mangrove forest, custom-designed aquariums are home to thousands of sea urchin larvae that tumble and drift through the… SEE MORE

The ocean is becoming too loud for oysters, research finds

8/2/2024 - By sciencedaily.com. Baby oysters rely on natural acoustic cues to settle in specific environments, but new research from the University of Adelaide reveals that noise from human activity is interfering with this critical process. "The ocean's natural sound is gradually hushing due to habitat loss, leading to a quieter natural… SEE MORE

Autonomous ‘Bugs’ Can Skim Ocean Bacteria to Collect Data

8/1/2024 - By oceannews.com. Futurists predict that more than one trillion autonomous nodes will be integrated into all human activities by 2035 as part of the “Internet of Things.” Soon, pretty much any object—big or small—will feed information to a central database without the need for human involvement. Making this idea tricky… SEE MORE

How Saharan dust regulates hurricane rainfall

7/31/2024 - By sciencedaily.com. Giant plumes of Sahara Desert dust that gust across the Atlantic can suppress hurricane formation over the ocean and affect weather in North America. But thick dust plumes can also lead to heavier rainfall -- and potentially more destruction -- from landfalling storms, according to a July 24… SEE MORE

Climate change causing more change in rainfall, fiercer typhoons, scientists say

7/30/2024 - By David Stanway. Climate change is driving changes in rainfall patterns across the world, scientists said in a paper published on Friday, which could also be intensifying typhoons and other tropical storms. Taiwan, the Philippines and then China were lashed by the year's most powerful typhoon this week, with schools, businesses and… SEE MORE

Intro to Electric Outboards

7/28/2024 - By Joe Albanese. Advances in battery technology are making electric outboards a viable option for anglers. My first experience with electric-powered boats came on a six-grade trip to our nation’s capital. Though we were there to visit the Smithsonian, the trip involved a detour to Baltimore Harbor for reasons that… SEE MORE

mage of a harmful algal bloom in Lake Erie as seen from the NOAA/NASA Suomi-NPP satellite on August 16, 2015. The Ocean Color Instrument on GeoXO will overcome the limitations of low-Earth orbiting satellites whose observations are often affected by cloud cover and sunglint. [Credit: NOAA]

GeoXO’s OCX Instrument Will Be Game Changer for Satellite Ocean Observations

7/26/2024 - By nesdis.noaa.gov. After nearly 50 years of GOES satellites providing critical Earth-observing data and imagery, NOAA is working on its next generation series of advanced geostationary satellites—the Geostationary Extended Observations mission, or GeoXO. GeoXO will host a payload of new instruments that will provide unprecedented information for addressing our changing planet… SEE MORE

More Whale Falls Found off Los Angeles than in the Rest of the World Combined

7/16/2024 - By Douglas Main. A mysterious discovery reveals how little we know about the deep ocean. A pair of scientific surveys recently turned up a few surprises on the seafloor off the coast of Los Angeles, California. First, there were the tens of thousands of naval weapons. And then, researchers found… SEE MORE

Blue Crabs in Chesapeake Bay; Scientists Look Back at Two Decades of Management

7/15/2024 - By news.maryland.gov. In the late 2000s, the outlook for blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay was grim. Known for its ups and downs, the blue crab harvest was going through a long stretch of almost all downs. The crab population steeply declined after 1997 and remained at record low harvests… SEE MORE