ocean engineering
Ctrl+P: 3D printing applications for oceanography
3D printing and oceanography? Check out the fascinating new research advancements made in ocean sciences using one of the most innovative technologies of the 21st century!
OceanTech: profiling the sub-surface via Argo floats
The final post of theme week introduces the Argo array, an international effort to understand the ocean’s sub-surface via technological floats that enable continuous, real-time temperature and salinity data collection. Data collected from the Argo array can be coupled with satellite and shipboard measurements to provide a more complete understanding of global ocean dynamics.
Mucus flux and other amazing discoveries with underwater cameras
Scientists have been taking pictures underwater since the turn of the 19th century. But only recently have researchers and engineers started designing special systems to answer some of the most vexing questions in oceanography. Just last week, a group from MBARI published their findings from one such instrument about zooplankton mucus.
Ocean Tech: Using Robots to Conduct Deep-Sea Research
The deep sea is the largest habitat on Earth, but with freezing water and high pressures it is difficult for scientists to study this ecosystem. With the help of technological advances over the past decades, it is becoming easier to unveil some of the mysteries of the deep. Read on to find out how.
New Year, new innovations: energy and climate science
Research in marine renewable energy and climate systems will grow ever more important in the future. The research for these areas are not just done on the coast, however – I ventured into the mountains to learn more.
Sub sea ice technology aims to expand Arctic plankton surveys
A German research team tested out three devices for studying plankton in Arctic sea ice. These new methods might allow scientists to expand Arctic primary production studies and yield new insight into these important, understudied ecosystems.
Storm Troopers! Robots collect ocean data during hurricanes
Hurricane prediction models are constantly improving as we create more innovative ways to study the growth and development of storms. In 2011, a team from Rutgers University sent an autonomous underwater vehicle into the projected path of Hurricane Irene to measure ocean conditions before, during, and after it passed.
Manipulating ship wakes to reflect light could help fight climate change
The tiny bubbles produced by ship’s wakes reflect light and cool the planet. Could they be manipulated to counteract global warming?
A cloudy future for climate engineering
Pumping reflective aerosols into the atmosphere may hold promise for cooling the climate. But once we start, we won’t be able to stop.
One person’s noise, is another person’s data
Measuring the heat content of deep ocean waters is critical to understanding how our global climate system works. It is also very difficult to do on a large scale. A group at the University of Georgia recently proposed a new technique to take the temperature of the deep ocean using only ambient noise and passive hydrophones.
Echoes in the deep: Robots with fish finders
You might call it the Batmobile of the sea: Scientists put sound based fish finders into an underwater robot to get closer to the creatures they want to study.
An exact replica of a coral reef right in the office!
In order to better understand coral reef complexity and structure researchers developed a cost effective way to 3D print coral reefs. Using these 3D models, researchers were able to dissect the complexity of coral reefs and better understand their intricate growth patterns.
Staying ahead of commercial exploitation in the deep sea
The first seafloor massive sulfide mine in the Pacific is expected to begin commercial operation in 2017. Licenses have already been granted and environmental impact assessments conducted, but we know little about the marine communities surrounding sulfide deposits in the ocean. This study characterizes such communities in a future mining exploration site.
Sensors probe oceans for answers
Deep-diving ocean drones confirm continued warming of the ocean’s abyss due to Earth’s energy imbalance.
“Magic Sand” Cleans up floating oil
Currently, spreading dispersants is the most common way to stabilize surface oil after oil spill. These dispersants divide oil into small droplets which are more available to bacteria. However, this application of dispersants is not applicable near the coast and the toxicity of dispersants remains to be studied. Natural granular material could be a more eco-friendly tool in fixing coastal floating oil.
Happy Samples
How frustrating it must be to spend a bunch of money to get to the field, only to find out the samples collected were contaminated. This piece reviews the effort of a group of science engineers from China to eliminate sample contamination when collecting hydrothermal vent fluids in shallow waters.
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