Rising temperature of the ocean west of the Antarctic Peninsula - one of the most rapidly warming places on the planet - should make it possible for king crab populations to move to the shallow continental shelf from their current deep-sea habitat within the next several decades, researchers from Florida Institute of Technology find
Using advanced diving technology to survey coral reefs at depths up to 300 feet, scientists could observe rarely seen ecosystems, during the expedition that took place aboard NOAA Ship Hi'ialakai within Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands.
The fish surveys at these depths revealed an extremely high abundance of species found only in the Hawaiian Islands. At some of the deep reefs surveyed, 100 percent of the fishes recorded were endemic.
The shipwreck was first discovered in 2013. It was first code-named "Dandong No.1" and has been tentatively identified as the Cruiser Zhiyuan.
On 17 September 1894, during Battle of the Yalu River - the largest naval engagement of the First Sino-Japanese War, involving ships from the Imperial Japanese Navy and the Chinese Beiyang Fleet - the Zhiyuan came under attack from Japanese cruisers. It was hit in the bow by a Japanese shell after which the Chinese cruiser rapidly sank with the loss of 245 officers and crewmen out of a complement of 252 complement.
Feeding performance of blue whales vary wide as a function of prey density and distribution, according to new research just published in Science Advances. Because rorqual whales are air-breathing divers that exhibit a high-cost feeding mechanism, they are under considerable pressure to optimize their foraging success by weighing oxygen use against possible energy gain. Blue whales, the researchers have found, follow a complex strategy of switching from conserving oxygen when prey quality is low, to intense foraging at the expense of oxygen when prey quality is high.
Scientists studying blue whales off California's coast discovered that blue whales modify the intensity of their efforts when hunting krill in order to conserve energy.
"We found that blue whales have a complex strategy of switching from conserving oxygen when prey quality is low, to intense foraging at the expense of oxygen when prey quality is high," said Elliott Hazen, research ecologist at the U.S. NOAA Fisheries' Southwest Fisheries Science Center and lead author of the study.
The wreckage was first discovered 56km south of Cairns in 35m of water by Cairns diver Kevin Coombs in 2013, but weather and planning challenges delayed the final dives to complete the investigation.
The A24-25 was part of a task force flying long‑range missions against Japanese shipping and submarines during World War Two. On 28 February 1943, Catalina A24-25 and its 11 aircrew were on a 17-hour mission to provide anti-submarine cover to a convoy heading for Milne Bay in Papua New Guinea.
The survey began in 1986 and is conducted every two to three years. It covers coastal waters from Florida, where coastal shark species concentrate during the winter and spring, north to Delaware, where many shark species migrate during spring and summer as more northerly waters warm. Following this migratory route, at this time of year, makes it easier to survey the whole population.
During their field work this summer NOAA scientists tagged 2,835 sharks, compared to the 1,831 tagged in the previous survey done in 2012.
Nanomia bijuga is part of a group of organisms, known as physonect siphonophores, a group of chain-like hydrozoan predators and a relative of jellies, anemones and corals.
The Flying Fortress took part in a raid on Palermo on April 18 1943 when it was attacked by several German ME-110 fighters that knocked out one of its engines. The aircraft, part of the 353rd Bomber Squadron of the American air force, crashed into the sea, with the loss of all nine crew.
The WW2 bomber was found a few months ago by a group Italian divers who are part of a project called “Shadows of the Deep”, which aims to locate the wrecks of planes and boats off Sicily.
Every summer, hundreds of whale sharks gather off the Yucatan Coast near the Mexican tourist hubs of Cancun, Isla Mujeres and Isla Holbox. The sharks congregate 32 km offshore to gorge on the eggs of a fish called the little tunny, skimming them from the ocean’s surface with enormous, gaping mouths. In recent years, the spectacle has attracted legions of tourists to snorkel alongside the graceful, slow-moving giants.
There have been many reports of distressed marine animals, including manta rays, whales, and dolphins, seeming to ask divers for help when encumbered by fishing gear. Here, a reef shark approaches divers for assistance.
The account adds to the evidence that sharks, too, have the ability to discern that humans can help them, and will.
