-
Pacific dives recover novel fish
Marine biologists being filmed for a BBC TV series have confirmed an astonishing 13 new fish species on a single expedition in the Pacific Ocean. The haul comes from deep dives made across reefs in Micronesia.
-
Thousands of sharks and turtles wiped out for tinned tuna
Tinned tuna sellers John West are relying on fishing methods responsible for wiping out thousands of sharks and turtles every year - including some rare and threatened species. The UK's largest seller of tinned tuna has been ranked bottom of an environmentally friendly tinned tuna league table due to the use of these destructive fishing methods used to catch its tuna.
-
Coastal "dead zones" spread globally, study finds
"Dead zones" in coastal waters - regions of ocean floor so deprived of oxygen that most marine life cannot survive - are spreading worldwide at an alarming pace, scientists said on Thursday. Driving the trend are nitrogen and phosphorous from chemical agricultural fertilizers that reach coastal waters after flowing off farm fields and into streams and rivers, according to the study published in the journal Science.
-
Humpback whale on road to recovery
Some large whale species, including the humpback, are now less threatened with extinction, according to the cetacean update of the 2008 IUCN Red List. Most small coastal and freshwater cetaceans, however, are moving closer to extinction.
-
Pacific Shellfish Ready To Invade Atlantic
As the Arctic Ocean warms this century, shellfish, snails and other animals from the Pacific Ocean will resume an invasion of the northern Atlantic that was interrupted by cooling conditions three million years ago, predict Geerat Vermeij, professor of geology at the University of California, Davis, and Peter Roopnarine at the California Academy of Sciences.
-
New Manta Ray Species Discovered, Expert Says
What scientists call the manta ray is actually at least two distinct species with unique behaviors and lifestyles, a scientist announced recently. The more commonly known manta ray is smaller and more easily seen, usually staying near coasts. Little is known about a second, larger species that avoids contact with humans and seems to have wider migration patterns. It also has evolutionary remnants of a spine and a harmless, non-stinging barb on its tail.
-
Boycott Mediterranean bluefin tuna, before it's too late says WWF
Mediterranean bluefin tuna is on the brink of commercial and biological collapse, driven by the uncontrolled demand for its high quality meat for sushi around the world. The root cause lies in decades of mismanagement. But the solution is now in the hands of restaurant owners, chefs, retailers and consumers, like you, to bring this magnificent species back from the brink.
-
SCUBA News #99 Now Online
Issue 99 of SCUBA News is now freely available on-line. Featuring the Caribbean Island of Dominica, Mozambique, Taiwan and the pick of the diving news from around the world.
-
Update: Underwater Photos of the Maldives
More fantastic marine photos of the Maldives are now in the SCUBA Travel Gallery.
-
Robot Vehicle Surveys Deep Sea Off Pacific Northwest
The first scientific mission with Sentry, a newly developed robot capable of diving as deep as 5,000 meters (3.1 miles) into the ocean, has been successfully completed by scientists and engineers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and the University of Washington (UW).
The vehicle surveyed and helped pinpoint several proposed deep-water sites for seafloor instruments that will be deployed in the National Science Foundation's planned Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI).
-
Researchers find cancer-inhibiting compound under the sea
University of Florida College of Pharmacy researchers have discovered a marine compound off the coast of Key Largo that inhibits cancer cell growth in laboratory tests, a finding they hope will fuel the development of new drugs to better battle the disease.
The UF-patented compound, largazole, is derived from cyanobacteria that grow on coral reefs.
-
Divers plunder wrecks in the 'graveyard' of the Atlantic
Divers are plundering the wrecks of vessels sunk during the Second World War in an area known as the "Graveyard of the Atlantic". The stretch of seabed off North Carolina and Virginia contains up to 90 wrecks, most lying at relatively shallow depths, offering divers and maritime historians unique opportunities for exploration.
However, experts have warned that the wrecks are increasingly being disturbed by divers, some of whom are removing items to keep as souvenirs.
Weapons and other artefacts have been looted and divers are even said to have removed the skeleton of a German sailor from a sunken U-boat in the area.
-
Scientists Use Naval Exercises to Learn More About How Marine Mammals React to Sonar
Using satellite-linked and underwater listening tags to monitor movement and behavior, NOAA and partnering scientists tagged more than thirty individual marine mammals of four different species. They measured how deep-diving marine mammals feed, interact with one another, dive and respond to sounds in their environment in this pioneering pilot project carried out in conjunction with the Navy's Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2008 exercises.
-
Red Sea in Egypt to be Plastic Bag Free
The Governor of the Red Sea in Egypt has decreed that the Red Sea will be the first plastic bag free Governorate with effect from 1st January 2009. This decree represents a considerable step forward in tackling the issues caused by excess rubbish and in particular plastic bags in the Red Sea.
Plastic bags pose a massive hazard to birds, turtles, dolphins and other marine creatures that are killed in alarming numbers each year after swallowing or becoming entangled in plastic bags blown out to sea. Turtles easily mistake plastic bags for yummy jellyfish. Once in the stomach, the indigestible plastic wraps itself around the intestines of the creature and it slowly starves to death.
-
Update: Diving India
More on the diving around India, especially the Lakshadweep Islands, is now on the SCUBA Travel site. Lakshadweep is an archipelago of 36 islands, 200-300 miles off the west coast of India in the Arabian Sea.
-
Randy male fish try to dupe the competition
Atlantic molly fish go for less fertile females if another male is present, in a bid to trick the other male into choosing a poorer-quality mate.
-
Archaeology Underwater: The NAS Guide to Principles and Practice
New book provides a comprehensive summary of the archaeological process as applied in an underwater context. Containing extensive practical advice and information, including how to get involved, basic principles, essential techniques and approaches, project planning and execution, publishing and presenting, this book is essential reading for anyone with an interest in nautical archaeology. With "Underwater Archaeology" the Nautical Archaeology Society reveals the real underwater treasure - a rich cultural heritage that has helped shape the world in which we live.
-
First sea survey of remote isle
What lies beneath the waters around an island forming Scotland's most remote national nature reserve is to be surveyed for the first time. Divers will investigate kelp seaweed forests and sea caves used by grey seals at North Rona, 47 miles north of the Butt of Lewis in the Western Isles.
-
Acidic Oceans
Scripps Institution of Oceanography marine chemist Andrew Dickson plans to purchase and deploy an autonomous buoy-mounted sensor to study the effect increasingly acidic ocean water could be having on ecosystems in the California Current. Recently published findings by other researchers have indicated a disturbing upwelling of acidic waters into coastal regions that support sea urchins, abalone and other marine invertebrates whose ability to form shells could be impaired by the corrosive water. Dickson said recent discoveries like that underscore the need for more detailed measurements.
-
U.S. coral reefs under threat, report finds
Half of U.S. coral reefs are in poor or fair condition, threatened by climate change and human activities like sports fishing, shipping and the release of untreated sewage, a U.S. government report has said. Reefs in the Caribbean, in particular, are under severe assault and coral in the U.S. Virgin Islands and off Puerto Rico had not recovered from 2005, when unusually warm waters that led to massive bleaching and disease killed up to 90 percent of the marine organisms on some reefs.
-
Update: Diving Mozambique
The five-star dives are piling up in the Mozambique section of the SCUBA Travel site. "Pinnacle at 35 m with Shark on every dive: Bull, Tiger, silver tip, Hammerheads, Manta, devil rays...
-
Marine bill 'can strike balance'
Energy investment in Scotland's seas can be balanced with protecting marine wildlife and seabirds, the Scottish Government has claimed. The comments came as Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead launched a consultation on Scotland's Marine Bill. Campaigners urged the government to use a "once in a lifetime opportunity" to protect the marine environment. They want the bill to include strong measures to protect seas around the country and the wildlife they contain.
-
Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone Could Reach Record Size
The dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico could reach a new record size this year. The discharge of pollutants and nutrients from the Mississippi River causes algae to bloom in the Gulf of Mexico. When the algae dies, the decaying absorbs so much oxygen from the water that large areas become inhospitable to fish. The resulting lifeless area is called a eutrophic or hypoxic zone, or more colloquially, a dead zone. The condition is cyclic, and reaches its maximum in late summer.
-
Making Marine Protected Areas Work for Everyone
The establishment of marine protected areas is often viewed as a conflict between conservation and fishing. A new study in the journal Conservation Biology, shows that involving all the different groups of people affected by the protection zone early in the planning stage will more effectively protect the environment than ignoring detractors concerns.
-
Rubik's Cube used to get on right side of octopuses
It may be an infuriating puzzle which has baffled and defeated countless children and their parents over more than two decades, but an octopus appears determined to solve the Rubik's Cube. The three-dimensional puzzle, which became a huge success in the early 1980s, is among toys being given to the intelligent sea creatures to determine whether they favour a particular tentacle, or if they are octidextrous.
-
The Shark Handbook
New publication aims to be the "Essential Guide for Understanding and Identifying the Sharks of the World". This field guide contains a complete listing of every known shark in existence as well as some extinct species. It talks about sharks from their birth to death, their anatomy, how to distinguish one shark from the next, how their teeth are developed, how they hunt and attack and their importance and purpose within the ecosystem.
-
New Coral Bleaching Prediction System Indicates Some Bleaching In Caribbean This Year
A new NOAA coral bleaching prediction system indicates that there will be some bleaching in the Caribbean later this year, but the event will probably not be severe. NOAA issued the first-ever seasonal coral bleaching outlook this week at the 11th International Coral Reef Symposium in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
-
Update: Diving Taiwan
Claimed to rival any dive site in Asia, there is now more information on the dive sites and dive operators of Taiwan on the SCUBA Travel site.
-
Acidifying oceans pose danger to coral reefs
Like a tooth dipped in a glass of Coca-Cola, coral reefs, lobsters and other marine creatures that build calcified shells around themselves could soon dissolve as climate change turns the oceans increasingly acidic.
-
Giant vacuum cleaner leaves reefs thriving
Sucking problem algae from beneath the sea may sound like a futile task, but a trial shows the technique can help preserve coral reefs. Around the globe, the explosive growth of invasive and native seaweed species is wreaking economic and ecological damage. The "Super Sucker" was developed as a potential solution to the problem, which is blamed on overexploitation of algae-grazing fish and pollution from fertilisers.
-
One Third of Reef-Building Corals Face Extinction
One third of reef-building corals around the world are threatened with extinction, according to the first-ever comprehensive global assessment. The results emphasise the widespread plight of coral reefs and the urgent need to enact conservation measures.
-
New Coral Reefs Teeming With Marine Life Discovered In Brazil
Scientists have announced the discovery of reef structures they believe doubles the size of the Southern Atlantic Ocean's largest and richest reef system, the Abrolhos Bank, off the southern coast of Brazil's Bahia state. The newly discovered area is also far more abundant in marine life than the previously known Abrolhos reef system, one of the world's most unique and important reefs.
-
Update: Diving Italy
More on the dive sites and dive operators of Italy is now on the SCUBA Travel site at http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/italy/
-
Cleaner fish create safe havens
Cleaner fish are well known to divers on the reef. They eat parasites from much larger fish, many of which are normally predators. Some of these predators let the little cleaners safely enter their mouth and gills. A single cleaner fish can clean more than 2,300 fish a day from over 130 species and each cleaner eats about 1,200 parasites daily. Most fish are cleaned daily, with some fish seeking cleaners around 150 times a day.
Both cleaner and cleaned fish benefit from this behaviour. Cleaner fish are also thought to benefit from immunity to predation. They stroke their "clients'" with their fins to help persuade the predators not to eat them. Researchers in Australia have found that the more stroking the calmer the predator. And it wasn't just the cleaner fish who benefited. Other fish nearby the cleaner station experienced less aggressive behaviour from the predators. The suggests that cleaner stations act as safe havens from predator aggression.
-
Archaelogical Oceanography
New definitive book on the emerging field of deep-sea archaeology. Marine archaeologists have been finding and excavating underwater shipwrecks since at least the early 1950s, but until recently their explorations have been restricted to depths considered shallow by oceanographic standards. This new book describes the latest advances that enable researchers to probe the secrets of the deep ocean, and the vital contributions these advances offer to archaeology and fields like maritime history and anthropology.
-
Air travel in the tropics is worse for climate
A typical flight to the tropics has a greater impact on global warming than a flight in temperate latitudes. As well as producing carbon dioxide and contrails, planes also produce nitrogen oxide, which triggers both the creation of the warming gas ozone, and the destruction of another greenhouse gas, methane. In mid-latitudes, these ozone and methane reactions cancel each other out and you get zero net warming from nitrogen oxide emissions. But the brighter sunlight in the tropics is very efficient at converting nitrogen oxide to ozone - in fact it creates ozone five times faster than in the air of mid-latitudes
-
ROV Finds New Coral Species
Researchers on the third-largest atoll in the world, the Saba Bank in the Netherlands Antilles, have discovered and collected two new species of soft corals (gorgonians) and documented severe anchor damage with the aid of a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) from Seabotix. Experts collected 40 species of soft corals, seventeen of which were collected using the ROV.
-
Update: Diving Thailand
Discover the best and worst dive operators in Thailand at the newly updated SCUBA Travel site.
-
Mediterranean Sharks Decline by 97%
A new scientific study has concluded that sharks in the Mediterranean Sea have declined by more than 97 percent in abundance and "catch weight" over the last 200 years. The findings of the study published in the journal Conservation Biology, suggest several Mediterranean shark species are at risk of extinction, especially if current levels of fishing pressure continue. Study lead author Francesco Ferretti and his colleagues are concerned that the declines in sharks may have implications for the broader Mediterranean marine ecosystem.
-
Robot fish may track whales or pollution
In the world of underwater robots, new Robofish are a team of pioneers. While most ocean robots require periodic communication with scientist or satellite intermediaries to share information, these can work cooperatively communicating only with each other. In the future, ocean-going robots could cooperatively track moving targets underwater, such as groups of whales or spreading plumes of pollution, or explore caves, underneath ice-covered waters, or in dangerous environments where surfacing might not be possible. Schools of robots would be able to work together to do things that one could not do alone, such as tracking large herds of animals or mapping expanses of pollution that can grow and change shape.
-
Scientists Announce Top 10 New Species
Scientists at the International Institute for Species Exploration have put together a list of the Top 10 New Species described in 2007.
Number one on the list is a sleeper ray called Electrolux addisoni. It was thus named because the discovery of this brightly patterned electric ray "sheds light (Latin, lux) on the rich and poorly known fish diversity of the Western Indian Ocean. And the vigorous sucking action displayed on the videotape of the feeding ray may rival a well-known electrical device used to suck the detritus from carpets and furniture in modern homes".
-
Update: Diving Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia is much less dived than Egypt, and our readers report amazing coral gardens, rays, barracuda, 25ft eels and many types of shark. Read more at the SCUBA Travel newly updated Saudi Arabia section.
-
Stressed seaweed contributes to cloudy coastal skies
A new international study has found that large brown seaweeds, when under stress, release large quantities of inorganic iodine into the coastal atmosphere, where it may contribute to cloud formation.
-
Update: Diving in Jordan
Jordan is a small country at the north end of the Red Sea, with a coastline of just 15 miles. Most of the dives can be done as shore dives. Read more about the diving and dive centres of Jordan at SCUBA Travel's newly updated pages.
-
Dominica's Dive Fest celebrates 15 years
Dominica's Dive Fest, the Caribbean's longest running scuba diving festival, encourages visitors to discover the landscapes and marine life within the island's waters. Would-be divers and snorkellers as young as eight can participate in pool- or ocean-based introductory sessions to teach them the basics, with some trial sessions free of charge. The annual event takes place in Dominica from 11th - 20th July 2008. To mark this special 15th anniversary year, many local dive centres are offering group travel packages whereby one diver goes free with every seven that book.
-
Free Malaysian iPod Language Guide
Malaysia is home to one of the most famous dive sites in the World: Sipadan. Learn Malaysian with the World Nomads Malay iPod language guide. You won't learn Malaysian in full, but this language guide contains enough of the most common travel phrases to help you get by.
-
Bikini corals recover from atomic blast
Half a century after the last earth-shattering atomic blast shook the Pacific atoll of Bikini, the corals are flourishing again. A research diver said "It was incredible, huge matrices of branching Porites coral (up to 8 meters high) had established, creating thriving coral reef habitat. Throughout other parts of the lagoon it was awesome to see coral cover as high as 80 per cent and large tree-like branching coral formations with trunks 30cm thick...I've never seen corals growing like trees outside of the Marshall Islands."
-
Update: Diving in Malta
Read about the dive sites, dive operators and accommodation options in Malta and Gozo, on the newly updated SCUBA Travel Site.
-
Better Mooring for the SS Thistlegorm dive boats
Voted one of the best dives in the world, the SS Thistlegorm was deteriorating because of the numbers of divers visiting it. In December 2007, the Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation Association (HEPCA) installed installed 32 mooring lines at the site of the wreck to help protect it. However, in the three months since the conservation work, at least half of the lines have been damaged. Divers have therefore spent the last few days upgrading the moorings.
-
A Simple Guide to Decompression Illness
This new book enables divers to have a thorough understanding of some of the medical problems and illnesses associated with diving. After reading this book you will be able to fully recognise each of the individual conditions and have a clear understanding of the best action to take in the event of decompression illness. It is suitable for all levels of experience from novice to instructor. It explains topics in clear non-medical language. It is a guide to initial treatment and first aid. It includes emergency action charts and recompression tables. It contains emergency contact numbers and recompression tables.
|
Outils Aqua-web.net 
4 fichiers les plus téléchargés ci-dessous:
615 accidents de plongée traités par le CROSS-MED de 2001 à 2005.
Etude Socio-Economique en plongée (Fr)
PSC1
