OCEAN: Earthquake Near California & more – 10th Dec 2024

Ahoy from BA! This is the Rorshok Ocean Update from the 10th of December twenty twenty-four. A summary of what's going down in the 70% surface of the Earth covered in saltwater.

According to an article by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (or NOAA) Fisheries published on Friday the 6th, Pacific salmon faced mixed challenges in twenty twenty-four. Winter brought warmer sea surface temperatures and scarce prey for juvenile salmon, marking the salmons’ lowest food source levels in the last thirty years. These conditions created poor feeding prospects during salmon’s critical early ocean phase.

However, in the summer, waters rose, cooling the ocean’s temperature, which offered improved conditions. Researchers from NOAA’s Newport Research Station, who track sixteen key ocean indicators, ranked this year’s conditions as the 18th worst out of the last twenty-seven years, signaling moderate-to-poor outcomes for juvenile salmon survival.

Still in the Pacific Ocean. According to the US Geological Survey, a seven-magnitude earthquake struck forty miles (or sixty-four kilometers) southwest of Ferndale, Northern California, in the North Pacific Ocean on Thursday the 5th. The earthquake led to two deaths, and left eleven people injured. The earthquake triggered a brief tsunami warning along the California and Oregon coasts, but the authorities lifted it after confirming no destructive waves would occur.

The earthquake triggered aftershocks within 100 miles (or 160 kilometers) of the epicenter. These aftershocks, resulting from shifts along the same fault line, can occur for days, weeks, or even years and may match or exceed the original quake’s intensity. The quake caused significant shaking across the region, with the affected areas experiencing varying levels of intensity.

From the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. The North Atlantic right whale population is critically endangered, with only about 370 individuals remaining, including fewer than seventy reproductively active females. The species faces significant challenges to recovery, such as entanglements in fishing gear, vessel strikes, and changes in prey availability due to climate change. Females now give birth every six to ten years on average, compared to the normal three-year gap, resulting in fewer calves born each year.

The twenty twenty-five calving season has begun, with two calves identified so far. Efforts to protect the species focus on reducing human-caused mortality, minimizing vessel collisions, and monitoring calving areas along the US East Coast. Researchers are also collecting genetic data to track individuals and improve conservation efforts.

In more news from the Atlantic… The journal ZooKeys recently published an article on Tuesday the 3rd about zombie worms. The research took place in the Southern Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Brazil, where researchers dropped cow bones into the deep sea to simulate whale falls - ecosystems formed by the sinking of whale carcasses. The team identified several new species of zombie worm, which feeds on the fat and protein inside bones by secreting acid to dissolve them. One of these new species is the Osedax nataliae, which is distinguished by its bright orange color and unique collar.

The researchers’s aim was to explore deep-sea ecosystems linked to whale falls. They found sixteen new species of zombie worms in total.

Next up, a new study published in the journal Nature Communication on Monday the 2nd warns that the Arctic Ocean could experience its first ice-free day already in twenty twenty-seven. The study highlights the alarming pace of Arctic warming, which, as we mentioned in previous shows, is occurring four times faster than the global average. The shrinking of sea ice, which has been reducing by over 12% per decade since nineteen seventy-nine, accelerates this process. However, researchers stress that reducing greenhouse gas emissions could delay this ice-free day and mitigate its effects.

To know more about this story, check out the Rorshok Arctic Update with the link in the show notes!

More about the Arctic as Norway decided to delay its plans for Arctic deep-sea mining after the Socialist Left Party demanded the halt. The government will continue preparatory work, such as regulations and environmental assessments, but the licensing, initially set for twenty twenty-five, has been suspended.

While environmental groups like Greenpeace celebrate the news, pro-mining opposition parties could revive the plan if they win next year’s elections. As we explained in previous shows, Norway’s Arctic seabed contains valuable minerals like copper and rare earths critical for green technology, attracting interest from several Norwegian companies.

In some updates from the other Pole… An team of scientists from across the world is investigating the future of the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica, a critical feature that stabilizes the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. Their research aims to uncover geological records by drilling through nearly 600 meters (or 650 yards) of ice and fifty-five meters (or sixty yards) of ocean cavity.

This expedition aims to understand how the West Antarctic Ice Sheet reacted to warmer conditions during the last interglacial period, which was similar to today's climate. By examining sediment cores from the seafloor beneath the ice shelf, researchers hope to predict the ice sheet’s behavior under the current climate change and its potential contribution to sea-level rise.

Russia's Defense Ministry reported that on Tuesday the 3rd, the country conducted military exercises in the eastern Mediterranean. The drills included over 1,000 personnel, ten naval vessels, and twenty-four aircraft, aiming to test the coordination of Russian Navy and Air Force units.

The drills took place as Russia increased airstrikes to help the Syrian President's forces, who are losing ground to rebels.

Let’s move to the Indian Ocean. Nearly fifty survivors of a migrant boat tragedy arrived back in Somalia on Saturday the 7th, after a thirteen-day ordeal at sea. The incident occurred off Madagascar last month, where twenty-five people lost their lives. The journey started from Mogadishu, aiming for Mayotte, a French island.

The survivors, aged between seventeen and fifty, had embarked on this dangerous journey from Somalia in search of a better life, but their boat's engine failed, leaving them stranded without food or water. The group survived by catching fish.

The tragedy has sparked further concern over the rising numbers of migrants from the Horn of Africa risking their lives in search of better opportunities. Somali officials arrested eight people involved in the smuggling operation.

Glamox, a leading company in lighting solutions primarily focused on marine, offshore, and industrial sectors, has recently won a contract to supply lighting for two new salvage tugs being built for the Suez Canal Authority at Alexandria Shipyard in Egypt.

These tugs will help keep the Suez Canal open, and Glamox will supply a variety of lighting systems, including LED floodlights, searchlights, and indoor lights for the vessels. Each tug will have about 780 lights. The new tugs, scheduled for delivery in twenty twenty-five and twenty twenty-six, will be seventy-two meters (or seventy-eight yards) long and will play a key role in rescue operations.

Talking about important canals, The Interpreter published an article on Thursday the 5th about the project of the Funan Techo Canal, a 1.7 billion US dollar infrastructure in Cambodia, which aims to connect the Mekong and Bassac rivers to the Gulf of Thailand, facilitating direct export access and reducing dependence on Vietnamese ports.

However, the environmental impact and financing of the project are not certain. The Cambodian government says local companies will fund 51% of the project, and that the remaining 49% will be delivered by China Road and Bridge Corporation. The article mentioned speculation that suggests potential hidden Chinese loans.

Environmentalists and neighboring countries have raised concerns about the canal's impact on the Mekong River.

And to close this edition, The Black Sea Memorandum of Understanding Committee, which oversees the Port State Control (or PSC) activities among its member states, is launching a new feature allowing Flag States to download PSC data for their vessels starting on the 1st of January twenty twenty-five. This initiative will provide accessible and reliable maritime data.

The trial phase introduces an interface enabling Flag States to easily access inspection records, ship details, and deficiency data from the past three years. This mechanism aims to improve safety, pollution prevention, and transparency within the maritime sector.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

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