(Press-News.org) In the waters off the North Carolina coast, historically-significant World War II submarines and shipwrecks rest on the seafloor, a testament to a relatively unknown chapter in U.S. history. According to a new NOAA report, the shipwrecks are not only important for their cultural value, but also as habitat for a wide diversity of fishes, invertebrates and algal species. Additionally, due to their unique location within an important area for biological productivity, the shipwrecks are potential sites for examining community change.
In June 2010, scientists conducted biological and ecological investigations on four World War II shipwrecks (Keshena, City of Atlanta, Dixie Arrow, EM Clark), as part of NOAA's Battle of the Atlantic research project. At each shipwreck site, fish community surveys were conducted and benthic photo-quadrants were collected to characterize the mobile conspicuous fish, smaller prey fish, and sessile invertebrate and algal communities. In addition, temperature sensors were placed at all four shipwrecks, as well as an additional shipwreck, the Manuela.
The data, which establishes a baseline condition to use in future assessments, suggest strong differences in both the fish and benthic communities among the surveyed shipwrecks based on ocean depth.
###The full National Marine Sanctuaries' Conservation Series report, "Fish and Habitat Community Assessments on North Carolina Shipwrecks: Potential sites for detecting climate change in the Graveyard of the Atlantic," can be viewed here: http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/science/conservation/pdfs/bota.pdf
Biological communities studied at historical WWII shipwrecks along North Carolina
2011-08-27
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Summertime Promotion Heats Up at Platinum Play Canada Online Casino
2011-08-27
The Summertime promotion kicked off at Platinum Play Online Casino on 2 August and is now currently in its fourth week. Between 23 and 28 August players are able to win their share of 2,000,000 loyalty Rewards points.
There are also 21,000 casino credits to be won as well as a $5,000 cash prize at the end of the five week promotion to play for.
This cash prize will be given away in the form of a lucky draw, in which 20 players selected for the draw will compete for their shot at the grand prize.
Further rewards potential is offered to Mobile users at Platinum ...
Getting back from a trip 'ahead of time'
2011-08-27
After returning from holiday, it's likely you felt that the journey home by plane, car or train went much quicker than the outward journey, even though in fact both distances and journey are usually the same. So why the difference? According to a new study by Niels van de Ven and his colleagues it seems that many people find that, when taking a trip, the way back seems shorter. Their findings, published online in Springer's Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, suggest that this effect is caused by the different expectations we have, rather than being more familiar with the route ...
Smoking soon after waking raises risk of lung and head and neck cancers
2011-08-27
August 25, 2011 -- Two new studies have found that smokers who tend to take their first cigarette soon after they wake up in the morning may have a higher risk of developing lung and head and neck cancers than smokers who refrain from lighting up right away. The findings by researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and Penn State College of Medicine may help identify smokers who have an especially high risk of developing cancer and would benefit from targeted smoking interventions to reduce their risk.
The research was published early online ...
President's Bioethics Commission to wrap up historical investigation
2011-08-27
WASHINGTON, D.C. – At its public meeting on August 29 in Washington, the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues will publicly discuss several key findings as it refines the conclusions of its historical investigation into the U.S. Public Health Service (U.S. PHS) studies done in Guatemala in the 1940s. The U.S. PHS research involved intentionally exposing and infecting vulnerable populations to sexually transmitted diseases. The Commission's historical investigation is due to President Obama in September.
Following the revelation last fall that the ...
NIH research model predicts weight with varying diet, exercise changes
2011-08-27
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have created a mathematical model – and an accompanying online weight simulation tool – of what happens when people of varying weights, diets and exercise habits try to change their weight. The findings challenge the commonly held belief that eating 3,500 fewer calories – or burning them off exercising – will always result in a pound of weight loss.
Instead, the researchers' computer simulations indicate that this assumption overestimates weight loss because it fails to account for how metabolism changes. The computer ...
New Multi-Player Isis Online Casino Slot Game Launched at Platinum Play Australia
2011-08-27
Considered the sequel to the already popular Isis video slot game, Multi-Player Isis has just launched to a great deal of fanfare at Platinum Play Australian Casino.
One of the biggest differences in this new version is the community feel players will receive when playing this pokies game, meaning that players will be able to view other players game at the same time they are playing. Some might view this as the competitive edge they need and others might simply find it interesting to see how other players are enjoying the game. Either way, this new feature is very different ...
The malaria mosquito is disappearing -- but it is not just good news
2011-08-27
The incidence of malaria in many African countries south of the Sahara is falling rapidly. A Danish-Tanzanian research group has discovered that the mosquito carrying the malaria parasite has practically disappeared from villages without organized mosquito control, and the researchers do not know why. There are several hypotheses but without proper data they cannot say whether malaria is being eradicated or whether it is just resting up before returning with renewed vigour.
"Many of our fellow malaria researchers think that the fall in countries such as Tanzania, Eritrea, ...
Berkeley Lab scientists unveil an X-ray technique called HARPES
2011-08-27
The expression "beauty's only skin-deep" has often been applied to the chemistry of materials because so much action takes place at the surface. However, for many of the materials in today's high technologies, such as semiconductors and superconductors, once a device is fabricated it is the electronic structures below the surface, in the bulk of the material or in buried layers, that determine its effectiveness. For the past 30 years, one of the most valuable and widely used techniques for studying electronic structures has been ARPES – Angle-Resolved PhotoEmission Spectroscopy. ...
AsiaRooms.com - Oakley World Pro Junior Surfing Contest Coming to Bali
2011-08-27
Young surfers will be congregating in Bali this October to take part in the keenly contested Oakley World Pro Junior competition.
To be held between October 3rd and 14th at Keramas Beach, the event will see six young men and two women compete for a cash prize of $75,000 (GBP45,800), one of the largest paydays available to those in this age group.
Qualification for the prestigious competition has been taking place over the course of the year at leading surf venues across the world, including Australia, France, the US and Japan.
The Indonesian leg of the qualifying ...
AsiaRooms.com - Enjoy Seoul Performing Arts Festival Next Month
2011-08-27
A feast of cultural activities will be commencing in South Korea next month with the launch of the 2011 Seoul Performing Arts Festival (SPAF).
Beginning on September 28th, the event will involve a total of 36 performances from artists hailing from eight countries, running through to the end of October.
Dance, theatre and multidisciplinary shows will be put on by companies from countries such as France, Germany, Australia, Italy and Japan as well as Korea itself, with the event representing one of the nation's leading performing arts festivals.
Shows will be ...