Large areas of the Arctic sea-ice are only one metre thick this year, equating to an approximate 50 percent thinning as compared to the year 2001. These are the initial results from the latest Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in the Helmholtz Association lead expedition to the North Polar Sea. 50 scientists have been on board the Research Vessel Polarstern for two and a half months, their main aim; to carry out research on the sea-ice areas in the central Arctic. Amongst other things, they have found out that not only the ocean currents are changing, but community structures in the Arctic are also altering. Autonomous measuring-buoys have been placed out, and they will contribute valuable data, also after the expedition is finished, to the study of the environmental changes occurring in this region.
The Luso-American Development Foundation hosted on the 11th September, in Lisbon, the seminar “Sharks at Risk: Building an EU Conservation Plan”.
This meeting gathered members of the Shark Alliance, governmental representatives and specialists that have been working towards a sustainable management of the shark fisheries. During this event, they had the opportunity to present their studies and their proposals for a proper action plan for the EU shark fisheries.
Here you can read more about what was discussed during this seminar.
A multinational biological information consortium, UniProt, has added a new database repository to its family of protein sequence databases. Such protein sequence databases are a crucial resource for molecular biologists. Information accumulated in this database is central to biological research, because of the functions that these molecules carry out in cells and their crucial roles in disease processes.
for more infosource:EC's Research website
In June, researchers from Denmark, China, South Korea and Germany launched the EU project YEOS, which stands for “YEllow Sea Observation, forecasting and information System“. This forecasting system is scheduled to be ready in time for the Olympic Games in China in August 2008. Although it will initially benefit the sailing competitions held in the Yellow Sea, the system will later be of assistance to local fishermen and merchant fleets. “Our colleagues in China and Korea will supply measurement data on things such as the depth of the sea, the amount of water flowing in from rivers and all available information on weather, water and sea conditions,” says coastal researcher Dr. Heinz Günther from GKSS in Geesthacht by way of explaining the work that lies ahead. “The existing measurement network, which consists of buoys and measurement platforms, will be expanded further in the coming months. At the same time, we will be combining the weather and sea modelling systems of all of the participating researchers and adapting them to the conditions found in the Yellow Sea.”
By adding a component for suspended particles, the experts from Geesthacht have expanded the mathematical model’s capabilities beyond those of systems designed merely to forecast winds, waves and currents. That’s because suspended particles are mainly composed of inorganic sediment that is transported into the sea by rivers, for example. These particles determine how much and how far light can penetrate the water. This, in turn, influences the growth of plankton and water plants, which serve as the basic nourishment for many species of fish and shrimp. In addition, these particles can also contain toxic materials from agriculture and industry. As a result, predicting how suspended particles will be distributed in the sea and along the coasts can be of great help in protecting the environment and managing crises such as accidental toxic spills. “Our existing three-dimensional models for the North Sea and the Baltic Sea can calculate the influx of suspended particles following storms and floods in advance,” says GKSS researcher Gerhard Gayer, who incorporated the Geesthacht computer model into the basic Danish system.
“The colleagues from China and Korea are incredibly skilled and we are benefiting a lot from their measurement systems and computer models,” adds Günther. “Although the Olympics will serve as a milestone for the EU’s YEOS project, our contribution of a suspended particle calculation component will introduce our colleagues in Asia to the world of ecosystem modelling. We think this is very important, since it will allow them to increasingly take environmental aspects into account when monitoring the Yellow Sea.”
source: Alphagalileo
RV Polarstern leaves Bremerhaven for its 22nd Arctic expedition with a new shine, to begin its first work in the International Polar Year.
With a new coat of paint, thorough ship inspection, and sailing under the flag of the Helmholtz Association, Polarstern begins to make its way toward the north on May 29. The flagship of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), is initially heading to Northern Norway and then on to Spitsbergen during its 22nd Arctic expedition.
130 scientists from eleven countries, divided into three groups will participate in the expedition.for more info see
