Online Features
Your Shampoo Bottle Could Be Made of Ocean Trash
Plastic debris in the oceans is a growing problem, and Procter & Gamble is getting in on a solution by planning to produce Head & Shoulders shampoo bottles that will be 25 percent made up of these recycled materials, collected by thousands of volunteers on the shores of France.
This will be a limited run of up to 170,000 recycled bottles to be sold in France this summer. The company also promised to produce more than 500 million of the same type of bottles per year across Europe by the end of 2018.
Caption: Marine debris is a growing international problem. (Photo Credit: NOAA)
Possible New Marine Sanctuaries in Wisconsin, Maryland
NOAA is proposing to designate two new marine sanctuaries: a 1,075-sq. mi. area of Lake Michigan in Wisconsin and a 52-sq. mi. stretch of the tidal Potomac River in Maryland.
The Wisconsin site contains shipwrecks from the 19th and early-20th centuries. The Maryland site contains wrecks from World War I, as well as sites related to Native American cultures and maritime battlefields from the Revolutionary and Civil Wars.
NOAA seeks public comments by March 31.
Caption: A diver swims over the two-masted schooner Walter B. Allen, sunk in 1880. (Photo Credit: Tamara Thomsen, Wisconsin Historical Society)
Engineered Floating Wetlands Can Clean Up Water
A group from Saint Francis University in Pennsylvania and the University of Oklahoma has found that engineered floating wetlands show promise for water treatment. They can improve water quality just like natural wetlands–for example, by helping treat municipal wastewater by enhancing nitrogen removal, managing algal blooms by helping regulate water temperature and solar radiation, and providing habitat for fish, insects, birds and other creatures.
Getting the floating wetlands to sustain themselves with minimal maintenance is the main goal of this research.
Caption: The floating treatment wetland experiment at the University of Oklahoma Aquatic Research Facility. (Photo Credit: William Strosnider)
Oyster Restoration Gets Boost in Florida
Harris Corp. employee volunteers developed an oyster bagging machine to help restore and preserve the Indian River Lagoon in Florida. The new machine combines a conveyer belt with chutes to automate a process traditionally done by hand. It reduces the bag-filling time from several minutes to under 10 seconds.
The waterway has been plagued by algae blooms and fish kills because of pollutants such as lawn fertilizers and septic tanks, as well as excess freshwater entering the brackish lagoon. Oyster restoration helps filter the water.
Join a Trade Mission to Cuba
The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) is offering its first-ever trade mission to Cuba April 3 to 6, 2017 to explore business opportunities as Cuba opens up to foreign business. Registration cut-off is February 17.
For more info, contact AEM’s Alex Russ at aruss@aem.org or (202) 898-9006.
Caption: The Great Theater of Havana in Cuba. (Photo Credit: Brian Snelson, Wikimedia)
Watch: Silverstream Air Lubrication System for Vessels
Check out this video demonstrating the Silverstream air lubrication system for vessels. Noah Silberschmidt wrote in our October 2016 issue about how it could increase fuel savings and reduce carbon emissions.
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Ocean Scientists Partner with World Leaders
The ocean is estimated to be worth $24 trillion in assets. It needs to be healthy in order for us to access these resources.
UC Santa Barbara wants to boost ocean health via a partnership with the World Economic Forum. This will create a bridge between ocean scientists and global leaders.
More info here.
Caption: A scene from the French Frigate Shoals in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. (Photo Credit: James Watt/NOAA)
Obama Out. One of His Legacy Moves Involves the Arctic.
Tomorrow is Inauguration Day, but before the sun sets completely on the Obama Administration, let’s take a look at one of his legacy moves: safeguarding the Arctic. He hasn’t done this alone; the U.S. is part of the Arctic Council, as is Canada, whose prime minister, Justin Trudeau, has partnered with Obama in a joint statement on Arctic cooperation.
Key objectives: a science-based approach to oil and gas, supporting Arctic communities, low-impact shipping corridors, and science-based management of Arctic fisheries.
Read the statement here.
Caption: Canadian PM Justin Trudeau and President Barack Obama. (Photo Credit: whitehouse.gov)
