Trafficking Ganja Scuba Tanks

From X-Ray Mag Blog (posted by Willy Volk):

"Jamaican diver Joseph Campbell told his family that he was heading to Kingston to visit his sick father. Instead, the so-called “ganja diver” was discovered dead in Kingston Harbor.

Wearing a wetsuit and a tank, police located a second tank nearby — along with an adjustable wrench, a hacksaw, a screwdriver, and various nuts and bolts. The police claim Campbell was in the process of attaching the second canister, containing more than 100 pounds of compressed ganja, to the hull of a ship when he was struck in the head by the ship’s propeller and killed.

In Jamaica, certified divers — like Campbell — are offered up to $5,000 for each canister they affix to commercial vessels heading for the US or the UK."

Trafficking Sperm Whale Teeth

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- The former director of a whaling museum and an antiques dealer pleaded guilty Thursday to illegally importing hundreds of sperm whale teeth from England and selling them to U.S. merchants.

Lewis Eisenberg, 60, the former director of The Whalers Village Museum in Lahaina, Hawaii, bought many of the teeth and resold them to collectors of scrimshaw, an art form in which designs are etched into whale bone. Eisenberg, of Oak Harbor, Wash., sold teeth he got from antiques trader Martin Schneider for more than $45,000.

Schneider, 59, of Blue Bell, Pa., got the teeth of the endangered whale in Britain and smuggled them into the country by hiding them among other goods he was importing. Prosecutors said he sold a total of $500,000 worth of teeth from 1995 to 2005.

Both pleaded guilty to violations of the Endangered Species Act, the Mammal Protection Act and the Lacey Act, which forbids the import or export of wildlife that is illegally transported or sold.

For the full story, visit the Daily Freeman

Argentine Icebreaker Irizar salvaged and back in harbour

Recently I reported on the fire aboard the Almirante Irizar. Some of my colleagues had their scientific cargo on the vessel, but fortunately they were not onboard at the time of the desaster. The fire has now been put out and the vessel has been brought into port by the Argentine navy.

From Wikipedia:

"On April 10, 2007, 22.00 Argentine time the icebreaker run an alarm by fire in the secondary electricity generators. By 23.30 the captain had ordered the evacuation. Argentine Navy and Argentine Coast Guard aircraft operated to keep track of the 24 lifeboats. The 296 persons inside the icebreaker (that includes civilians of the antarctic bases) were helped by the nearest ships: a Panamanian tanker and by a Uruguayan and Argentine fishing vessels.
The icebreaker was returning from its annual Antarctic summer campaign, and the incident took place 140 miles east from Puerto Madryn.

The fire caused the loss of the two stationed H-3 Sea King helicopters located into its hangar.
The crew arrived safely to Puerto Madryn on April 12. There were no casualties.

Irizar 's Captain Guillermo Nelson Tarapow had stood alone almost 24 hours after seeing his crew safely abandon ship. Starting April 11, destroyer ARA Almirante Brown, corvettes ARA Granville and ARA Robinson, Auxiliary Ships ARA Gurruchaga and ARA Suboficial Castillo and Coast Guard PNA Thompson surrounded the Icebreaker and began rescue operations. Buzos Tacticos (Argent. special forces, combat divers) and members of the Rescue Team (Servicio de Salvamento) of the Argentine Navy board the ship and extinguished the fire. On April 15, preparations to tow the ship to Puerto Belgrano naval base began. Irizar finally arrived to Puerto Belgrano on April 20. "

Svalbard Pages Forum: Walrus webcam discussion

If you are interested to discuss the recently reported plans for "walrus webcams" or any other subjects related to that Arctic archipelago halfway to the North Pole, why not join the Svalbard Pages Forum ?

X-Ray Dive Mag #16

X-Ray, the free online dive mag, has recently published issue 16, including several favourite topics of mine:



• Reactive Oxygen Species (hey, that's one of my research topics!)

• newly discovered species under Antarctic Ice (hey, that's another of my research topics... ;-)

• Rebreather trim with Cedric Verdier (hey, my favourite RB author on my favourite RB subject!)

So, if you are similarly minded, or just want to figure out what a free online dive magazine actually looks like, check it out.

Actually, clicking on any of the headlines above will take you directly to the relevant section download (2-4 MB each) so you will not have to handle the entire file (16MB).

Also, you might remember the blog Divester by Willy Volk. Guess where he is hanging out now: yep, at X-Ray Mag's blog.

Watch out for the Walrus Webcam!

Norwegian and international researchers of the Norwegian Polar Institute have been studying walrus and other seals at their haul-out sites for many years, typically using ice-going research vessels, zodiacs, and aircraft as their means of transport and observation platforms.

Now that they have been re-visiting the most populated walrus haul-out sites for years, they decided to deploy more advanced and at the same time more efficient recording methods in their seasonal studies: webcams.



In recent years, the use of GSM- or iridium based webcams and automatic weather stations has been spreading and by now, researchers of the University Center on Svalbard are able to view online weather data as well as webcam footage of their field station in Rijpfjorden on the north coast of Northeast Land. This is vital, especially for the evaluation of flight and landing conditions for helicopters.

At least they had been able to, until their weather and camera mast blew down... ;-(



So the walrus researchers were eager to employ that same technology to keep track of walrus beaches, with iridium-uplinked webcams on four or five remote but well-established walrus haul-out sites. Here is a link to their project proposal.



Well-established among walrus, but also among walrus-watchers, which typically come there as individual expeditioners or as tourists aboard an expedition cruise.

So the walrus researchers thought that this might be a great bonus for their proposal: let's monitor walrus online, and if tourists step into the picture, let's monitor them as well!

In a rather amusing development of this story, this prompted the local newspaper, notorious for its mix of small-town news ("who is currently on the day-care waiting list?") and self-absorbed leaders about everything from Global Change to Norwegian-Russian diplomacy since the Cold War, to launch a fierce counter-attack article as well as an online poll titled "Do you mind being watched by the Polar Institute when you are out on field trips?"

Not surprisingly, the poll currently favors the protesters (62%) against those who do not mind appearing in a webcam image (35%). The total number of voters so far: 399 ;-)

If you are interested, join the Svalbard Pages Forum for a discussion of this topic.

The oceanographic unicorn

About a year ago I blogged about elephant seals which had been turned into "oceanographic vessels of opportunity" - researchers interested in the South Atlantic circulation were taking advantage of elephant seals' impressive range and diving behaviour by attaching oceanographic sensors to their heads.

Now their Arctic colleagues follow this approach by attaching similar sensor systems to narwhals, a small Arctic tooth whale species mostly known for their long tusks, which had in earlier times inspired unicorn myths.

"We've converted these animals into oceanographers," says Kristin Laidre of the Polar Science Center at the University of Washington.



The whales, which dive up to one mile deep to feed on bottom fish, already have provided the first winter temperature measurements in Baffin Bay between Canada and Greenland.



The region is part of the global "conveyor belt" of currents that brings warmer waters north, moderating the weather in northern Europe. An international science panel recently predicted global warming will slow those currents.

"Any weakening of the Gulf Stream because of climate change will immediately show up in this area," says Laidre's collaborator, Mads Peter Heide-Jørgensen of the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources.



Global climate models have basically been "faking it" when it comes to the ocean west of Greenland, said Michael Steele, a senior oceanographer at the Polar Science Center.

"There's just a huge data hole in this part of the world ocean in the winter," he said.

More about the narwhal project here on the NOAA pages.

Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS)

You are looking at it's newest member ;-)

From their website:

"The Association of Polar Early Career Scientists aims to bring together young researchers and early career scientists with an interest in Polar Regions from around the world. Polar research is inherently interdisciplinary and international. Many early career scientists, although sometimes well connected within their own specialization, often do not have strong contacts with other polar experts. This network will provide a forum for polar scientists to begin international and interdisciplinary collaborations early in their careers, fostering international science which is naturally important to polar research to improve our understanding of these systems on a global level.

Who are we?

This group represents a people with a wide range of scientific expertise and interests including glaciology, geology, permafrost, atmospheric science, oceanography, polar biology, space studies, biogeochemistry and paleontology and other fields. We also encourage participation from researchers and professionals interested in the social, historical, economic, and political aspects relevant to Polar Regions , as well as polar education and outreach. The International Polar Year 2007-9 is the perfect opportunity to establish such a network and ensure a strong legacy and continuation of international and interdisciplinary polar science for decades to come.

Who can join?

This interactive online network is accessible to anyone interested in polar research, from undergraduates through to senior scientists. The active membership, however, is restricted to researchers who are actively involved with Polar Regions and early career professionals with a polar interest. Register to the network here."

"Climate crisis" motivates high-speed train connection

Norwegian public media channel NRK released yesterday a news flash mentioning "the current climate crisis" as motivation for a high-speed train connection between two of its major cities, Oslo and Trondheim.

Norway's geography is largely dominated by mountains and fjords, and stretches over 1750 km, or almost 1100 miles. Therefore, commuter flights are the norm in most cases for both business and leisure travellers, with up to 25 daily departures from all city airports to the main hub, Oslo Gardermoen.

Norway is also one of Europe's major producers and exporters of crude oil, while its domestic energy consumption is largely covered by hydrostatic power plants.

For more info on Norway's rail systems, currently including one high-speed connection between downtown Oslo and its airport Gardermoen (56 km, 19 minutes), see Wikipedia.

Ice Diving in the White Sea

If you are serious about ice diving, you should consider the "Arctic Circle Diving Center" of RuDive, a major Russian dive operator, which also operates the Barents Sea live-aboard "Kartesh".

The company was founded by members and graduates of Moscow State University (MSU) and has a strong focus on marine biology as well as safe and responsible diving.

Here is a link to their site.

Argentine Icebreaker Irizar abandoned at sea after fire

A raging fire aboard an Argentine navy vessel Almirante Irizar, South America's only icebreaker, forced all 296 crew and passengers to abandon ship in the South Atlantic, where they spent hours in lifeboats awaiting rescue.

The fire broke out in the Almirante Irizar's auxiliary generator compartment late Tuesday, and Capt. Guillermo Tarapow ordered all aboard to abandon ship in 24 lifeboats when the flames became uncontrollable.

The Panamanian-flagged tanker Scarlet Ibis and an Uruguayan fishing vessel were the first to arrive in the area, some 140 miles (225 kilometers) east of Puerto Madryn, and managed to pluck people from most of the lifeboats drifting off the remote Patagonian city of Puerto Madryn, 930 miles (1,500 kilometers) south of the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires.

The Almirante Irizar was built in Finland and acquired by the Argentine navy in 1978. Measuring 390 feet (119 meters) in length, it has played key roles in Argentina's annual supply runs to Antarctica in the warmer Southern Hemisphere summer that begins each December.

The ship had restocked more than a dozen Argentine bases and research stations, and was returning to Buenos Aires with armed forces personnel who had concluded stints in Antarctica, when the fire broke out just after 10 p.m. Tuesday.

Passengers aboard the Irizar included civilian employees of Argentina's Antarctic National Command operation as well as army, air force and navy personnel.

Tugboats are now heading to the Irizar in order to assist her.

March of the Tourists

DEVIL ISLAND, Antarctica (CNN) -- Antarctica is the coldest, driest and windiest place in the world but during the high summer, it can feel decidedly mild.

From the top of Devil Island, off the eastern edge of the Antarctic Peninsula, the watery sun reflects off the vast tabular icebergs drifting around the Weddell Sea. At the base of the island, as many as 20,000 pairs of Adélie penguins make their home.

Moored offshore is the MS Explorer, a 75 meter cruise ship which can take up to 105 passengers. Four inflatable Zodiacs dart back and forth from the vessel, bringing tourists to shore to see the penguins up close.

Mary Brogan, 55, from Dublin, has been planning this trip for over a year with her husband and five friends. But now she's here, she says she worries about the impact of tourism.

"We definitely disturb the wildlife by coming here," Brogan says. "There are crowds of us on the beaches, sticking cameras in the poor penguins' faces."

Tourist numbers are rising to Antarctica even though this is a high-priced vacation. A 10-day cruise trip costs upward of $4,000 but the number of visitors has doubled in the last three years to nearly 30,000.

Dr Shannon Fowler, 32, from California, is a marine mammal biologist and lectures to the passengers on board Explorer.

"I do face a personal dilemma about bringing tourists here but if people can't see something, will they really want to protect it? If you blocked tourism, how many people would say, 'no, you can't mine here' or 'let's protect this place'?"

More tourism will raise public awareness about Antarctica's unique ecosystem but there are also fears about higher traffic to the region. Cruise ship accidents remain one of the biggest threats to the environment.

Last month, the MS Nordkapp cruise ship hit rocks near Deception Island, off the Antarctic Peninsula, spilling diesel oil into the bay.

Stephen Ansfee is Explorer's Expedition Leader. "We are getting close to capacity in Antarctica and as the ships get bigger, so do the environmental risks. We will need stricter controls as tourism grows."

Most travel companies in the region subscribe to IAATO, the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators, which sets guidelines to manage tourism here. The problem is IAATO is a voluntary self-regulated organization and anyone can opt out of the system.

Because no one owns Antarctica, no one is responsible for the continent's safeguard. For better or worse, the future of Antarctica may depend on how many people choose to save up and make the once-in-a-lifetime journey.

Mary Brogan agrees. "Of course I am going to tell my friends about Antarctica when I get home. But am I doing any good encouraging them to come here? It's hard to know."

By Michelle Jana Chan, CNN

Interim homepage online on .mac

Justa quick update:

my rebuilt homepage with new images, downloadable trip logs a new design is online!

Due to some technical stuff, it is not yet on my rupert.krapp.org domain, but "parked" on my .mac pages instead.

Some kinks and typos remain, but will be smoothed out asap.

Welcome to my new pages!