Aloha Reporter » Ocean

Large Kilauea lava shelf falls into ocean

AR — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 20:01:53 +0000

Scientists at the Hawaiian Volcanoes Observatory atop Kilauea Volcano are again warning people about the danger associated with newly created land masses at the base of the volcano.

Just last week a large lava shelf, or delta, collapsed into the ocean where lava from Kilauea meets the sea. No one was killed or injured, but people have been caught by surprise before and paid the ultimate price.

Source: Hawaii News Now

Hawaiian Coral Saved by Freezing Sperm

AR — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 15:11:53 +0000

Image via University of Hawaii at Manoa, Credit: Virginia Carter

As corals face a daily bashing through warm, polluted waters, the scientists at University of Hawaii at Manoa and the Smithsonian Institution are building up a bank of frozen sperm and embryos of Hawaiian coral species, just in case. The diversity of coral species is vital to Hawaii’s marine ecosystems, providing the habitat necessary for the survival of the myriad of fish, crustacean and plant species around the islands. So of course, researchers want to do all they can to protect them from extinction. In theory, the frozen cells can be unfrozen even 1,000 years in the future to restore populations.

Source: Jaymi Heimbuch, treehugger.com

Obama Is No Friend To The Whales

AR — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 18:10:44 +0000

Brosnan Attacks Obama Over Whales Promise

Whaling in the Faroe Islands

Pierce Brosnan is taking aim at U.S. leader PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA in a new public service announcement for the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

In the PSA, the former 007 reminds Obama of promises he made about protecting sea-life when he was a presidential candidate.

Brosnan says, “As a candidate, you promised to end illegal whaling, and we applauded your leadership, but recent reports reveal your administration supports an international proposal, which gives Japan, Iceland and Norway the license to kill whales.”

Source: ContactMusic News
Photo Source: Wikipedia

Hawaiian Submarine Canyons

AR — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 23:31:07 +0000

Christie Wilcox writes …

When we think about the vast diversity of life in the ocean, we automatically picture pristine coral reefs teeming with life. This is especially true for rich, tropical locations like Hawaii. What we don’t think of are the deep, dark depths of the canyons that lie just beyond the shallow paradises we know and love.

Scientists have known for years that these deep water locations may contain a wide variety of species, but don’t talk about them as much because no one had ever explored them to see what species lived there.

Now, thanks to researchers from the University of Hawaii’s School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) and Hawaii Pacific University, someone has.

Source: Christie Wilcox, Observations of a Nerd