US Navy to Name Oceanographic Survey Ship USNS Robert Ballard
The U.S. Navy's next Pathfinder-class oceanographic survey ship will be named USNS Robert Ballard (T-AGS 67), Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Carlos Del Toro announced on Wednesday.The name selection follows the tradition of naming survey ships after explorers, oceanographers and distinguished marine surveyors. Widely known as a discoverer of the final resting place of the R.M.S. Titanic, Dr. Robert Ballard is a retired U.S. Navy Commander, former director of the Center for Ocean Exploration…
US Coast Guard Cutter Healy Reaches the North Pole
The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy (WAGB 20) reached the North Pole Friday after traversing the frozen Arctic Ocean, marking only the second time a U.S. ship has reached the location unaccompanied, the first being Healy in 2015.Healy, a medium icebreaker, and crew departed Dutch Harbor, Alaska, Sept. 4, beginning their journey to reach latitude 90 degrees north. The cutter and crew supported oceanographic research in collaboration with National Science Foundation-funded scientists…
Japan to Release Contaminated Water from Fukushima Nuclear Plant into Sea
Japan will release more than 1 million tonnes of contaminated water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear station into the sea, the government said on Tuesday, a move opposed by neighbors including China, which called it "extremely irresponsible."The first release of water will take place in about two years, giving plant operator Tokyo Electric Power time to begin filtering the water to remove harmful isotopes, build infrastructure and acquire regulatory approval.Japan has argued…
Thickness of Antarctic Sea Ice Surpass Expectations
Antarctica's ice paradox has yet another puzzling layer. Not only is the amount of sea ice increasing each year, but an underwater robot now shows the ice is also much thicker than was previously thought, a new study reports. The discovery adds to the ongoing mystery of Antarctica's expanding sea ice. According to climate models, the region's sea ice should be shrinking each year because of global warming. Instead, satellite observations show the ice is expanding, and the continent's sea ice has set new records for the past three winters. At the same time, Antarctica's ice sheet (the glacial ice on land) is melting and retreating. Measuring sea ice thickness is a crucial step in understanding what's driving the growth of sea ice…
Water Monitoring to Continue at Western Gulf Ports
A water monitoring network that helps keep port traffic moving is the responsibility of the Conrad Blucher Institute (CBI) for Surveying and Science at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. CBI, in partnership with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, has received the federal contract from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to continue to operate and maintain the water level and ocean monitoring network along the Western Gulf of Mexico. CBI, as a subcontractor, will operate in the Houston/Galveston and Lake Charles, La.
GPA Involved with T-AGOR-27 Contract
In October 2011, the Seattle-based Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering firm Guido Perla & Associates, Inc. (GPA) was awarded a contract to deliver the Regulatory Design and Detail/Production Design for the T-AGOR-27 Ocean Class Research Vessel. The basic design was developed by GPA during a NAVSEA sponsored design competition while under contract with Dakota Creek Industries (DCI) and partnered with leading marine industry equipment vendors. The Navy-owned vessel will be operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution of Massachusetts. A second vessel may be awarded at a later date.
