Touchdown!!

After an amazing journey, ESA's Rosetta Probe has planted its lander Philae on the surface of Comet 67P.  Check out the resources below:

- ScienceDaily.com article - ScienceDaily - Rosetta

The Pacific Garbage Patch

Masked Angelfish

The Pacific Ocean, and every ocean for that matter, is filled with floating trash.  Trash from careless people, trash from material washed overboard in storms, and derelict (lost/abandoned) fishing gear.

I just saw this article on the NOAA website.  It's about the NOAA Fisheries program to remove this debris from the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine Sanctuary.  This is one of (if not the) the largest protected areas in the world ocean.

The article is a little disappointing due to the amount of debris found and removed each year.  However, take some time to explore the area using Google Earth.  Make sure you have the Panoramio layer turned on for some amazing pictures.

Read on for more...NOAA Article - Removing Derelict Fishing Gear

Here's the homepage for the sanctuary: http://www.fpir.noaa.gov/MNM/mnm_papahanaumokuakea.html

New Coral Species Discovered

Map of Gulf of the Farallones Nat. Marine Sanctuary
Image Credit - NOAA

California state and federal marine scientists have discovered new species of deep-sea coral while doing explorations near the Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank marine sanctuaries.

Read on for more...

NOAA - New Deep Sea Corals

Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Home

Continent-Building in Action

Most people don't realize, but Iceland's largest volcanic eruption in the past few centuries has been taking place.  It's gone mostly unnoticed due to its remote location and that its really an effusive eruption - massive volumes of lava.

Bardarbunga Eruption

The Wasp

Later on this year we'll learn about how hurricanes have an effect on the world ocean and vice versa. Here's some pretty amazing images of Typhoon Vongfong...

Here's a picture of Typhoon Vongfong from the ISS.  Vongfong translates into English as, "The Wasp."  It's been wreaking havoc in the Mariana Islands and Okinawa.  Mainland Japan is next.

Typhoon Vongfong

Video from the ISS of Supertyphoon Vongfong

Here Come the Glorious Colors of Autumn!

Autumn Foliage - Reading, VT
Image Credit - Reading Government

I know this isn't oceanography, but I couldn't resist...autumn is my favorite season.  The colors and the crisp weather have a lot to do with that.

Here's a great article from NOAA on the 'true colors' of autumn.

NOAA Article - Autumn Foliage Colors

Wetness

Water Drop
Image Credit - Wikipedia

Very cool article here from ScienceDaily.com on why 'wet' feels 'wet.'

Science Daily - Wetness