Monthly Archives: August 2009

Jet assistance for lobsters?

Scientists believe that American lobsters are using jet assistance to travel faster across the ocean floor. Lobsters have small paddle-like structures called pleopods on their abdomen, and they can fan these pleopods to create a wake which propels them forward. … Continue reading

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Hunt for Amundsen’s plane

In 1928, renowned Norwegian explorer, Roald Amundsen, was on a Latham 47 flying boat which disappeared on its way to Spitzbergen. He was attempting an expedition to rescue Umberto Nobile, an Italian, whose airship had crashed on a return journey … Continue reading

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NZ Diver recovers his wedding ring from Wellington harbour

Last year, after 3 months of marriage, Aleki Taumoepeau was working in Wellington harbour when he dropped his wedding ring. He quickly threw an anchor in to try and mark the site. Three months later he did a dive but … Continue reading

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NZ navy find Tongan ferry

Last week a Tongan ferry, the Princess Ashika,  sank  with the loss of 73 passengers. 56 people were rescued. The ferry has been located and is at a depth of 110 metres. This week a New Zealand navy dive has … Continue reading

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More on the Arctic methane story

There’s more on the Arctic methane story in this article from New Scientist.

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Methane being released from Arctic seabed

Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, so if large quantities of it are released into the atmosphere it could make climate change even worse.That may be starting to happen as researchers have found 250 plumes of methane bubbles that are … Continue reading

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WWF want help to save Chinese white dolphins

The following comes from a WWF Hong Kong email which I received this morning: © Lindsay Porter / WWF Hong Kong The Highways Department has recently released the environmental impact assessment (EIA) of the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macau Bridge (the … Continue reading

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Video of Thai turtles being released

The BBC website has a video of hundreds of turtles being released into the sea off Thailand by the Thai navy, to try and boost their population.  You can see the video here.

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Sociable Killer Whales

Fish eating killer whales (Orcinus orca) in the Avacha gulf off the coast of Russia tend to live in pods of 10-20 whales. But scientists have now observed 8 such pods coming together to form a super-pod of over 100 … Continue reading

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Mares Nemo Air Quick Connector recall

This from Mares: Please be informed that we have discovered a quality issue on the O-ring assembled on the Nemo Air Quick Connector. Under certain circumstances the O-ring can fail and consequently Nemo Air may start leaking through the Quick … Continue reading

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2 divers die in North Yorkshire

On 3rd August two divers died after getting into difficulties on a dive 8 miles off Filey in North Yorkshire. They were airlifted to Hull Royal Infirmary by an RAF Search and Recovery helicopter, but were pronounced dead on arrival. … Continue reading

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Two headed sea snakes

Scientists have found that the yellow-lipped sea krait uses markings and movement into fooling predators into thinking that their tail is a second head. Sea snakes are highly venomous, but are still vulnerable to larger fish, sharks and birds. The … Continue reading

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