If you have been anywhere within earshot of the media recently you may have noticed that the Oilmen are on a bit of a rampage. Any sustainable energy program, environmental regulation, or legal challenge that does not promote their agenda…
Category: Public Policy
The Arctic is changing fast, and it’s going to cost us a lot
I’ve just finished reviewing a 1600 page “Draft Environmental Impact Statement” (DEIS) issued for public comments about the five year plan for oil and gas exploration in the Arctic. The objective of the “draft” is to provide US citizens the…
Marine Scientists express themselves through CNN
An article appeared today in “CNN Opinion” by Chris Clark and Brandon Southall focused on the impacts of noise on marine life. It is an informative read and also highlights two important trends in the field. First, it points to…
National Ocean Policy released today for public review!
Today the National Ocean Council released their Draft Implementation Plan for a National Ocean Policy. This is fabulous news because the US has never had a comprehensive ocean management plan, we have just been tangled in a web of agencies…
A little deeper into the International Quiet Ocean Experiment.
The 2011Internat ional Quiet Ocean Experiment (IQOE) brought together leading scientists and researchers [download] to dig deeper into the issue of human generated noise pollution with the objective of determining what we know, what needs to be known, how…
A little deeper into the International Quiet Ocean Experiment.
The 2011 International Quiet Ocean Experiment (IQOE) brought together leading scientists and researchers [download] to dig deeper into the issue of human generated noise pollution with the objective of determining what we know, what needs to be known, how…
Report from the International Quiet Ocean Experiment
Last week I attended the “International Quiet Ocean Experiment” (IQOE) at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris. The founding premise of the meeting is a bit outrageous – that somehow all maritime nations could come together and halt all of their…
The International Quiet Ocean Experiment
By the time you might be reading this I will have been conferring with colleagues and associates at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris under the rubric of the “International Quiet Ocean Experiment” (IQOE). The purpose of the meeting is to…
Communication signals threaten marine habitat
Back in the mid 1970’s Physical Oceanographer Walter Munk was evaluating the acoustical transmission characteristics of the ocean “sound channel” – an isothermal layer in the deep ocean that baleen whales use for long distance communication. His visionary work in…
Great news for the Ocean!
Two bits of great news; one a consequence of focused actions, and the other an opportunity to focus ocean policies. September 1 was traditionally the opening of “dolphin season” for the drive fishery of Taiji, Japan. For years…