Breathing sand: New measurement technique detects oxygen supply to bottom of North Sea

Scientists have been examining the bottom of the North Sea for a while due to the almost zero life on the sea floor. More than two thirds of the bottom of the North sea are sand, leading to little oxygen being produced down blow. There has been evidence over the past few years of oxygen content decreasing, due to the little life at the bottom of the ocean, and the almost nonexistent plant life.What scientists couldn't count until now,  because their technology was not advanced enough, was the little changes at the bottom of the ocean. The ripple of shells as they moved with the current. They now use a technique called the "eddy-correlation". They have found that oxygen levels change the most when the important tides come in, changing the oxygen content with movement. Shifting the sand, and creating oxygen bubbles. With this new technology, scientists can now accurately measure the North Sea's oxygen levels.


http://www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/infopage/northsea.htm
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141020105329.htm

Impact of Offshore Wind Farms on Ocean Life

Wind farming is a very valuable renewable energy resource. One problem with it is many people's aversions as to how they look. Their size and appearance is ugly and obscuring the landscape to some. This is why scientists have been researching the possibilities of wind farming in the ocean. Where there is almost always a guaranteed breeze, and nobody to complain about the view, well almost nobody. The only thing we haven't taken into account is the marine life's reaction to the wind turbines, and their construction, which is loud. Many scientists believe that noises from construction could be so loud and foreign to fish, they could go deaf. But, the turbines could also be helpful in creating an environment for fish around the turbine. With boating/fishing restrictions all over the area, fish will be free to thrive and create their own little community.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141016123608.htm

Melting Gravity

Recently scientists from the European Space Agency have discovered that the melting of much of Western Antarctica has caused a change in gravity. Since 2009-2012 the gravity in the local catchment basin, the local area focused on by the satellite, has dipped quite immensely. This is a relatively new discovery because satellites before measured change over time over a large area. This made it more difficult to find the changes in these more localized areas. These changes do not surprise many scientists, who predicted with the loss of ice on the poles, many different changes to occur. The most obvious being the rise in sea levels across the world, which has the potential to effect many of the world's largest cities and infrastructure.

Other satellites studying the area foretell an even greater decrease in the ice sheets, with ice melting at three times its original speed or greater. Since 2011 Antarctica has lost 125 cubic kilometers a year on average. All these factors relate to climate change and the synergy with the Ocean and our planet as a whole, which could be effected in ways unknown.


European Space Agency. "Satellite measurements reveal gravity dip from ice loss in West Antarctica." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 30 September 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140930195428.htm>.