Underwater Digital Camera Mask To Launch; Goggle-cam For Simple Swim Snaps
Sacramento, California - Jan 1, 2008 14:17 EST
A Sacramento, California-based company is releasing a new underwater mask that lets you take pictures while you explore. Costing around the $100, the mask mask lets you record both video and still images thanks to the upto 5-megapixel camera...

Study: Deep-sea Species' Loss Could Lead To Oceans' Collapse; 'Negative Consequences Could Be Unprecedented'
Washington, D.C. - Dec 29, 2007 15:18 EST
The loss of deep-sea species poses a severe threat to the future of the oceans, suggests a new report publishing early online on December 27th and in the January 8th issue of Current Biology, a publication of Cell Press. In...

Researchers: Sub-glacial System Under Antarctic Ice Teeming With Life; A Whole New World'
Washington, D.C. - Dec 28, 2007 14:25 EST
Researchers have discovered a complex sub-glacial system under the Antarctic ice, which might be teeming with life in the form of mineral-hungry microbes. According to a report in the National Geographic News, the watery environment under Lake Vostok, might be more...

Scientists: Climate Change Affects Top Predators In Ocean Ecosystems
Honolulu, Hawaii - Dec 21, 2007 15:06 EST
Scientists from the University of Hawaii joined more than 150 colleagues at the First Climate Impacts on Oceanic Top Predators (CLIOTOP) Symposium, hosted by the Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas and the Centro de Investigaciones Biologicas del Noroeste, December 3-7,...

Researchers: Good News About Methane Bubbling Up From The Ocean Floor; 'Currents Control The Fate Of The Gas'
Santa Barbara, California - Dec 21, 2007 14:38 EST
Methane, a potent greenhouse gas, is emitted in great quantities as bubbles from seeps on the ocean floor near Santa Barbara. About half of these bubbles dissolve into the ocean, but the fate of this dissolved methane remains uncertain. Researchers...

Annual Survey Shows Increase In Cook Inlet Belugas; 'We Are Encouraged'
Anchorage, Alaska - Dec 19, 2007 07:15 EST
NOAA Fisheries Service biologists estimate a beluga whale population of 375 in the Cook Inlet near Anchorage, Alaska, according to data collected during their annual survey in June. This population estimate is the largest since 2001. "While we are encouraged by...

Study: Why Diving Marine Mammals Resist Brain Damage While Holding Their Breath Underwater; 'Globins'
Santa Cruz, California - Dec 19, 2007 04:24 EST
No human can survive longer than a few minutes underwater, and even a well-trained Olympic swimmer needs frequent gulps of air. Our brains need a constant supply of oxygen, particularly during exercise. Contrast that with Weddell seals, animals that dive and...

UnderwaterTimes.com Editor Featured On Upcoming Travel Channel Program
Miami, Florida - Dec 17, 2007 19:35 EST
The editor of UnderwaterTimes.com, Jeff Dudas, will be featured on an upcoming episode of the Travel Channel’s “Ten Things You Don’t Know About… Florida”, which premiers December 19, 2007 at 8.00pm. Jeff Dudas was interviewed at length about shark attacks for...

Governments Agree On New UN-backed Pact To Protect Sharks
New York, New York - Dec 13, 2007 19:53 EST
Dozens of governments agreed in principle today to a new United Nations global agreement to protect sharks, which have long been neglected by conservationists and overexploited by the modern fishing industry. Three of the largest and most iconic shark species –...

As Waters Clear, Scientists Seek To End A Muddy Debate; 'Sedimentology Of Milk'
Bloomington, Indiana - Dec 13, 2007 19:49 EST
Geologists have long thought muds will only settle when waters are quiet, but new research by Indiana University Bloomington and Massachusetts Institute of Technology geologists shows muds will accumulate even when currents move swiftly. Their findings appear in this week's...

Research: Piddling Fish Face Off Threat Of Competition; 'touching The Tip Of The Urinary Pheromone Iceberg!'
Miami, Florida - Dec 12, 2007 19:47 EST
Aggressive territorial male Mozambique tilapia fish (Oreochromis mossambicus) send chemical messages to rival males via their urine. They increase urination, have smellier urine and store more in their bladders than less aggressive males, according to research published in the open...

Oceanographer: Without Its Insulating Ice Cap, Arctic Surface Waters Warm To As Much As 5 C Above Average
Seattle, Washington - Dec 12, 2007 19:20 EST
Record-breaking amounts of ice-free water have deprived the Arctic of more of its natural "sunscreen" than ever in recent summers. The effect is so pronounced that sea surface temperatures rose to 5 C above average in one place this year,...

Arctic Expeditions Find Giant Mud Waves, Glacier Tracks On Ocean Floor; 'could Be Caused By Tidal Fluctuations'
Columbus, Ohio - Dec 12, 2007 19:14 EST
Scientists gathering evidence of ancient ice sheets uncovered a new mystery about what's happening on the Arctic sea floor today. Sonar images revealed that, in some places, ocean currents have driven the mud along the Arctic Ocean bottom into piles,...

Scientists Shed Light On Monster Sea Waves; 'Very Difficult To Study Directly'
Los Angeles, California - Dec 12, 2007 13:05 EST
Maritime folklore tells tales of giant "rogue waves" that can appear and disappear without warning in the open ocean. Also known as "freak waves," these ominous monsters have been described by mariners for ages and have even appeared prominently in...

Fish Study: When She's Turned On, Some Of Her Genes Turn Off
Austin, Texas - Dec 11, 2007 18:43 EST
When a female is attracted to a male, entire suites of genes in her brain turn on and off, show biologists from The University of Texas at Austin studying swordtail fish. Molly Cummings and Hans Hofmann found that some genes...

Oceanic, Aeris SCUBA Regulators Recalled Due To Drowning Hazard
Washington, D.C. - Dec 11, 2007 17:50 EST
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall Tuesday of about 6,000 Oceanic- and Aeris-brand SCUBA regulator first stages. The CPSC said an internal component that seals air between the product's high pressure first-stage and the intermediate pressure second-stage can...

NOAA Releases Report On The State Of Deep Coral Ecosystems In The U.S.; 'A World Leader In Conservation'
Washington, D.C. - Dec 10, 2007 17:15 EST
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration today released a new report, The State of Deep Coral Ecosystems of the United States, called for in the President’s Ocean Action Plan. The peer-reviewed report, prepared by NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program, provides...

Study: 'Tough Love' From Seasonal Seas Save Corals; 'some Corals And Reefs Will Survive'
New York, New York - Dec 1, 2007 13:24 EST
Finally, some good news about the prospects of coral reefs in the age of climate change. According to a new study by the Wildlife Conservation Society, corals may actually survive rising ocean temperatures in ‘tough love’ seas with wide-ranging temperatures. Researchers...

Recipe For A Storm: The Ingredients For More Powerful Atlantic Hurricanes; 'Sea Surface Temperature' Overrated
Madison, Wisconsin - Nov 30, 2007 14:12 EST
As the world warms, the interaction between the Atlantic Ocean and atmosphere may be the recipe for stronger, more frequent hurricanes. University of Wisconsin-Madison scientists have found that the Atlantic organizes the ingredients for a powerful hurricane season to create a...

U.S. Navy Grant Awarded To Study Treatment And Prevention Of Decompression Sickness
Richmond, Virginia - Nov 29, 2007 10:31 EST
The U.S. Office of Naval Research awarded a grant to Virginia Commonwealth University's Reanimation Engineering Shock Center to study decompression sickness. The $1.3 million grant will fund the study called "Coordinated Follow-up Studies in the Treatment and Prevention of Decompression Illness...

Scientist: New Research Discredits 'Ocean Fertilizing' Scheme; 'The Biological Pump Leaks'
Miami, Florida - Nov 29, 2007 09:23 EST
Scientists have revealed an important discovery that raises doubts concerning the viability of plans to fertilize the ocean to solve global warming, a projected $100 billion venture. Research performed at Stanford and Oregon State Universities, published in the Journal of Geophysical...

Shark Conspiracies: Interview With World Famous Shark Fisherman Frank 'Quint' Mundus
San Diego, California - Nov 28, 2007 11:40 EST
The December 2007 episode of Shark Conspiracies is now available for free download. Shark Conspiracies explores shark sightings and attacks in a new way, by exposing the cover-ups and misinformation sometimes generated from tourism and conservation interests. Shark Conspiracies claims...

Scientists: Baleen Whales Able To Swallow Busload Of Water In A Single Gulp; Scale 'Defies Imagination'
Berkeley, California - Nov 27, 2007 18:29 EST
Some baleen whales, in their powerful feeding lunges, gulp a volume of water equal to a school bus, according to new calculations by biologists at the University of British Columbia and the University of California, Berkeley. These big gulps more than...

Japan's Export Of 'The Taiji Twelve' Dolphins To The Dominican Republic Stopped
San Francisco, California - Nov 26, 2007 15:01 EST
The Save Japan Dolphins Coalition announced today that the proposed export of twelve live dolphins ("the Taiji Twelve") from Taiji, Japan to Ocean World theme park in the Dominican Republic has been cancelled. "The Dominican Republic government should be applauded for...

Scientists Urge $2-3 Billion Study Of Ocean Health; 'Let’s Complete The Task'
San Diego, California - Nov 25, 2007 16:37 EST
Speedy diagnosis of the temper and vital signs of the oceans matters increasingly to the well being of humanity, says a distinguished partnership of international scientists urging support to complete a world marine monitoring system within 10 years. The Partnership for...

U.S. Leads Efforts To Strengthen Global Shark Conservation
Washington, D.C. - Nov 20, 2007 16:54 EST
At the urging of the Department of State-led U.S. delegation to the United Nations, member states last week agreed to strengthen protections for vulnerable and endangered shark populations around the world. The agreed language calls on individual nations and international...

'Sanctuary Sam' Debuts As NOAA's New National Ocean Awareness Campaign 'Spokes-Sea Lion'
Washington, D.C. - Nov 19, 2007 15:09 EST
NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuary Program today announced the launch of a new national ocean literacy, education, and public awareness campaign featuring Sanctuary Sam, a California sea lion who will be the program’s “spokes-sea lion” from his SeaWorld-based home in Orlando,...

New South Florida Nursery To Focus On Staghorn Corals; 'We Have To Explore All Available Options'
Coral Gables, Florida - Nov 15, 2007 13:21 EST
In response to the need for localized efforts to protect and recover the surviving populations of the threatened staghorn coral, Diego Lirman, Ph.D., and James Herlan, researchers from the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS)...

New Seismic Vessel Will Look Deep Under Oceans; 'Revolution' In The Study Of Undersea Earthquakes
Galveston, Texas - Nov 13, 2007 17:44 EST
The academic community’s most advanced seismic-research vessel was dedicated here today, opening potential new windows on natural hazards, earth’s evolution, and other vital questions. The R/V Marcus G. Langseth, owned by the U.S. National Science Foundation, will generate CAT-scan-like 3D...

Shark Conspiracies: Are Experts Knowingly Misleading The Public About 'Accidental' Shark Attacks?
San Diego, California - Nov 12, 2007 17:58 EST
The November, 2007 podcast examines the term “accidents,” as used by many shark experts to describe shark attacks. Citing specific examples, show host Kevin Harris suggests that some experts knowingly mislead the public by using such an inaccurate term in...

Aquanauts' Underwater Internet Classroom Kicks Off From Underwater Lab Off Florida Coast
Key West, Florida - Nov 12, 2007 02:58 EST
Distance learning goes to the extreme November 12 - 14, when Project SeaCAMEL aquanauts go live with high tech marine science classes broadcast from Aquarius, the world's only undersea research station. Live action coral reef science will be a click away for students...

Report: Human Activities Threaten Survival Of Sharks Worldwide; 'Targeted Everywhere In The World'
Washington, D.C. - Nov 8, 2007 18:31 EST
Sharks have thrived in the world's oceans for more than 400 million years, but a comprehensive new report released today by Oceana and WildAid reveals that the world's shark populations have been devastated by human activities. The new report, entitled...

Research: Store-bought Freshwater Fish Contain Elevated Levels Of Mercury, Arsenic And Selenium
Washington, D.C. - Nov 7, 2007 18:44 EST
White bass wild-caught and sold commercially contained significantly higher levels of mercury, arsenic and selenium than fish caught near former industrial areas. The University of Pittsburgh study, abstract number 161184, is being presented at a special session on “Contaminants in...

Researchers: Scheme To Remove Acid From The Ocean Key To Lowering C02; 'Turn Back The Clock'
Cambridge, Massachusetts - Nov 7, 2007 18:40 EST
Researchers at Harvard University and Pennsylvania State University have invented a technology, inspired by nature, to reduce the accumulation of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) caused by human emissions. By electrochemically removing hydrochloric acid from the ocean and then neutralizing the...

Report: Pollution From Marine Vessels Linked To Heart And Lung Disease; 'We Now Have A Benchmark'
Rochester, New York - Nov 7, 2007 17:47 EST
Pollution from marine shipping causes approximately 60,000 premature cardiopulmonary and lung cancer deaths around the world each year, according to a report scheduled to appear in the Dec. 15 issue of Environmental Science and Technology, the journal of the American...

Underwater Classroom Set To Kick Off; Webcast Live From Seafloor Lab Off Florida
Key Largo, Florida - Nov 5, 2007 09:38 EST
Imagine yourself in class on the ocean floor at the world’s only underwater laboratory. A robotic fish named "Fetch" swims by collecting data, while a team of "aquanauts" amazes you with high-tech experiments in coral reef ecology. The Khaled bin Sultan...

Research: Effects On Reproduction Feared As High Chromium Levels Found In Right Whales
Portland, Maine - Nov 2, 2007 16:02 EST
Researchers at the University of Southern Maine (USM) have documented toxic levels of chromium in the endangered right whales of the Gulf of Maine, the first such documentation of chromium exposure in the right whale population. "Our hypothesis is that environmental...

Divers Find New Species In Aleutians Islands; 'It Is Important That We Collect This Information'
Fairbanks, Alaska - Nov 2, 2007 15:30 EST
There are unknown creatures lurking under the windswept islands of the Aleutians, according to a team of scientific divers from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. This summer, while completing the second phase of a two-year broad scientific survey of the waters...

Study: Parrotfish On Menu Puts Caribbean Coral At Risk; 'We Can Take Practical Steps'
Exeter, U.K. - Oct 31, 2007 20:17 EST
Coral reefs could be damaged beyond repair, unless we change the way we manage the marine environment. New research by the Universities of Exeter and California Davis, published today (1 November 2007) in Nature, shows how damaged Caribbean reefs will...

Study Stirs Controversy Over Why So Many Species Live In Tropical Forests And Coral Reefs
State College, Pennsylvania - Oct 31, 2007 19:36 EST
The latest development in a major debate over a controversial hypothesis of biodiversity and species abundance is the subject of a paper to be published in the Nov. 1 issue of the journal Nature The authors report good agreement between...