From Di-Ive.com: Underwater exploration courses at UoM open to public
The Faculty of Engineering at the University of Malta will be offering a series of public lectures on technologies for underwater exploration.
The Department of Systems and Control Engineering is organizing a series of three public talks on technologies for underwater exploration by guest speakers from California Polytechnic State University, The Aurora Trust and the Department of Classics & Archaeology.
March 13 at 16.00h: The first talk, by Dr. Zoe Wood from California Polytechnic State University, is entitled “Visualization of underwater data.” It will be held in Room MP101 in the Maths and Physics Building.
March 20 at 16.00h: The second talk, by Dr. Timmy Gambin from The Aurora Trust and the Department of Classics & Archaeology - University of Malta, is entitled “Remote Sensing at Sea: An end user’s tale.” It will be held in Room MP101 in the Maths and Physics Building.
March 23 at 16.00h: The third talk, by Dr. Christopher Clark from California Polytechnic State University, is entitled “Tracking Sharks with Autonomous Underwater Vehicles.” It will be held in the Engineering Lecture Theatre in the Engineering Building.
All interested persons are cordially invited to attend.
For further information please contact Professor Simon G. Fabri on telephone number 23402079 or by email at simon.fabri@um.edu.mt.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Technologies for underwater exploration
From The Malta Times: Technologies for underwater exploration
The Department of Systems and Control Engineering of the University of Malta is holding a series of three public talks on technologies for underwater exploration by guest speakers from California Polytechnic State University, The Aurora Trust and the Department of Classics and Archaeology.
The first talk, by Dr Zoe Wood from California Polytechnic State University, is entitled ‘Visualisation of underwater data’. This will be held in Room MP101, Maths and Physics Building on 13 March at 4pm.
The second talk, by Dr Timmy Gambin from The Aurora Trust and the Department of Classics and Archaeology – University of Malta, is entitled ‘Remote Sensing at Sea: An end user’s tale’. This will be held in the Maths and Physics Building, Room MP101, on 20 March at 4pm.
The third talk is by Dr Christopher Clark from California Polytechnic State University, and is entitled ‘Tracking Sharks with Autonomous Underwater Vehicles’. It will be held in the Engineering Lecture Theatre, Engineering Building, on 23 March 2012 at 4pm. Everyone is invited to attend.
The Department of Systems and Control Engineering of the University of Malta is holding a series of three public talks on technologies for underwater exploration by guest speakers from California Polytechnic State University, The Aurora Trust and the Department of Classics and Archaeology.
The first talk, by Dr Zoe Wood from California Polytechnic State University, is entitled ‘Visualisation of underwater data’. This will be held in Room MP101, Maths and Physics Building on 13 March at 4pm.
The second talk, by Dr Timmy Gambin from The Aurora Trust and the Department of Classics and Archaeology – University of Malta, is entitled ‘Remote Sensing at Sea: An end user’s tale’. This will be held in the Maths and Physics Building, Room MP101, on 20 March at 4pm.
The third talk is by Dr Christopher Clark from California Polytechnic State University, and is entitled ‘Tracking Sharks with Autonomous Underwater Vehicles’. It will be held in the Engineering Lecture Theatre, Engineering Building, on 23 March 2012 at 4pm. Everyone is invited to attend.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Underwater Archaeology in Ibiza
From the Ibiza Spotlighe: Underwater Archaeology in Ibiza
Spotlight has featured many stories of archaeological finds and remnants of ancient civilisations which have been unearthed during building projects. The plans for the new Parador in Dalt Vila have been modified to accommodate many remains which have been found there and a new school planned on a former car park in the town centre is months behind schedule whilst archaeologists complete investigations on site.
Now, a new find has been made during the dredging process of Botafoch harbour. A 17th century ship was uncovered during the operations and already many relics – including two bronze canons – have been brought to the surface for study and eventual housing in a museum.
The eventual aim is to raise the ship Mary Rose style from the sea bottom and preserve it for future generations. This is such a time consuming and expensive operation that it cannot be done now when it would delay such an important project.
The island authorities have therefore decided to mothball the ship by completely covering it in a thick layer of sediment and then building the already planned car park on top of it. When the time is right in the future, it will be relatively easy to uncover the ship to raise and eventually display it to the public.
Spotlight has featured many stories of archaeological finds and remnants of ancient civilisations which have been unearthed during building projects. The plans for the new Parador in Dalt Vila have been modified to accommodate many remains which have been found there and a new school planned on a former car park in the town centre is months behind schedule whilst archaeologists complete investigations on site.
Now, a new find has been made during the dredging process of Botafoch harbour. A 17th century ship was uncovered during the operations and already many relics – including two bronze canons – have been brought to the surface for study and eventual housing in a museum.
The eventual aim is to raise the ship Mary Rose style from the sea bottom and preserve it for future generations. This is such a time consuming and expensive operation that it cannot be done now when it would delay such an important project.
The island authorities have therefore decided to mothball the ship by completely covering it in a thick layer of sediment and then building the already planned car park on top of it. When the time is right in the future, it will be relatively easy to uncover the ship to raise and eventually display it to the public.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Odyssey seeks to rebuild relationship with Spain
From Gibraltar Chronicle: Odyssey seeks to rebuild relationship with Spain
The US company that recovered the world’s most valuable and controversial underwater treasure said yesterday that it would seek to rebuild its relationship with the Spanish government.
Odyssey Marine Exploration believes that an ongoing project in partnership with Britain to excavate the wreck of HMS Victory could provide the template for future work with other countries, including Spain.
The development came as two Spanish military planes prepared to fly 17 tonnes of silver coins from the US to Spain this weekend, bringing to a close a convoluted saga over the so-called Black Swan treasure.
Odyssey recovered the coins in 2007 in international waters off Portugal and flew them to its Florida base from Gibraltar, sparking a bitter legal row with Spain in the process.
Odyssey lost at every stage in the US courts and this month, after five years of courtroom wrangling, a US judge ordered the company to hand over the $500m haul to Spain.
On Friday, two Spanish air force Hercules transport planes were expected to fly from Florida under high security carrying the coins to Spain.
LOOKING AHEAD
A decade ago the company enjoyed a good relationship with the Spanish government and even carried Spanish navy observers on board its flagship vessel, Odyssey Explorer, while it conducted underwater surveys off the Spanish coast.
But that relationship soured when the Junta de Andalucia took umbrage at the company’s activities, and worsened progressively after the PSOE won the general election in 2004 and the Junta’s heritage chief, Carmen Calvo, became culture minister in Madrid.
Critics of Odyssey argue that the company puts profit above archaeology and heritage protection.
In the Mercedes case, Spain accused the company of plundering a national heritage site and dubbed Odyssey modern-day pirates.
But the company countered that its work adhered to strict archaeological protocols and standards.
It said business and archaeology could coexist and be mutually beneficial, arguing that without the efforts of companies like Odyssey, deep sea underwater heritage would never be recovered and might otherwise be lost.
VICTORY
The project to excavate HMS Victory could provide the model for future cooperation with governments.
It also underscores the risks of not acting to recover underwater heritage which might otherwise deteriorate and, ultimately, be lost.
Odyssey has entered an agreement with the Maritime Heritage Foundation for the financing, archaeological survey and excavation, conservation and exhibit of HMS Victory (1744) and artefacts from the shipwreck site.
HMS Victory was a British First Rate Warship that sank during a storm in 1744 while under the command of Admiral Sir John Balchin
In 2008, Odyssey discovered HMS Victory and is salvor-in-possession of the wreck.
The US company that recovered the world’s most valuable and controversial underwater treasure said yesterday that it would seek to rebuild its relationship with the Spanish government.
Odyssey Marine Exploration believes that an ongoing project in partnership with Britain to excavate the wreck of HMS Victory could provide the template for future work with other countries, including Spain.
The development came as two Spanish military planes prepared to fly 17 tonnes of silver coins from the US to Spain this weekend, bringing to a close a convoluted saga over the so-called Black Swan treasure.
Odyssey recovered the coins in 2007 in international waters off Portugal and flew them to its Florida base from Gibraltar, sparking a bitter legal row with Spain in the process.
Odyssey lost at every stage in the US courts and this month, after five years of courtroom wrangling, a US judge ordered the company to hand over the $500m haul to Spain.
On Friday, two Spanish air force Hercules transport planes were expected to fly from Florida under high security carrying the coins to Spain.
LOOKING AHEAD
A decade ago the company enjoyed a good relationship with the Spanish government and even carried Spanish navy observers on board its flagship vessel, Odyssey Explorer, while it conducted underwater surveys off the Spanish coast.
But that relationship soured when the Junta de Andalucia took umbrage at the company’s activities, and worsened progressively after the PSOE won the general election in 2004 and the Junta’s heritage chief, Carmen Calvo, became culture minister in Madrid.
Critics of Odyssey argue that the company puts profit above archaeology and heritage protection.
In the Mercedes case, Spain accused the company of plundering a national heritage site and dubbed Odyssey modern-day pirates.
But the company countered that its work adhered to strict archaeological protocols and standards.
It said business and archaeology could coexist and be mutually beneficial, arguing that without the efforts of companies like Odyssey, deep sea underwater heritage would never be recovered and might otherwise be lost.
VICTORY
The project to excavate HMS Victory could provide the model for future cooperation with governments.
It also underscores the risks of not acting to recover underwater heritage which might otherwise deteriorate and, ultimately, be lost.
Odyssey has entered an agreement with the Maritime Heritage Foundation for the financing, archaeological survey and excavation, conservation and exhibit of HMS Victory (1744) and artefacts from the shipwreck site.
HMS Victory was a British First Rate Warship that sank during a storm in 1744 while under the command of Admiral Sir John Balchin
In 2008, Odyssey discovered HMS Victory and is salvor-in-possession of the wreck.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Divers banned from major underwater attraction
From Cyprus Mail: Divers banned from major underwater attraction
ONE OF the world’s top ten wreck dives, the Zenobia, which lies just off the Larnaca coast, is now off limits after a controversial decision by the port authorities which has enraged divers.
“It’s going to cripple every single dive school. The Zenobia is the one place that pulls divers in,” said Alex Dimitriou who is just about to set up a diving school in Cyprus.
The Zenobia sits at a depth of 42 metres on the seabed with the top lying at 15 metres making it accessible to novices yet still challenging to advanced divers.
The 12,000 tonne 178-metre long ferry sank in 1980, taking with it some 1,000 lorries, industrial machinery and other cargo.
Divers can see vending machines, sinks and even unbroken eggs, all well preserved because conditions allow for a slow corrosion.
“It’s like no other wreck,” Dimitriou said.
But port authorities decided to ban diving in port waters for “legal reasons”, port authorities’ general director Yiannakis Kokkinos said.
Kokkinos said that the family of a woman who died while diving in 2010 were “considering legal action against port authorities because they consider us responsible for her death”.
Catherine Vicar, 33, was found unconscious in the engine room of the Zenobia shipwreck in October 2010.
She had separated from her group and ran out of oxygen while underwater.
“Look, diving can be dangerous if people do not follow safety precautions and that accident was very unfortunate. But in my years of diving in Zenobia, there were four deaths that I know of even though thousands dive each year. Compare that to some 15 who have died off Cape Greco,” a diving instructor told the Sunday Mail on condition of anonymity.
The instructor said that there were a number of safety precautions in place including extra air tanks six metres down and rails to hold on during decompression stops.
But the instructor thought banning diving outright was “extremely arbitrary”.
“You know that bull that killed that worker the other day? Are we going to ban bulls now?” he said referring to an accident earlier this week when a bull attacked and killed a farm worker.
The head of the Cyprus Dive Centre Association, Andy Varoshiotis, agreed.
“If there is an accident on the highway, are you going to ban driving?”
Larnaca mayor, Andreas Louroudjiadis said the port authorities’ decision was “rushed (and arbitrary) and I am being careful in using these words with this specific meaning”.
“It reminds me of this thing we say that when we can’t regulate something, we simply ban it,” Louroudjiadis said.
Head of the Cyprus Tourism Organisation Alecos Orountiotis said that port authorities had not actually consulted them and that he had been “informed by the press”.
The CTO had also paid around €50,000 to pay four ships to be sunk in other spots, including Paphos, Paralimni and Limassol in order to promote marine tourism such as diving, Orountiotis said.
He said that he did not know what would happen to those plans now.
“Sea sports bring in some €150 million in tourist revenue each year: it’s a huge product,” Varoshiotis said.
But the head of port authorities, Chryssis Prentzas said they had no choice but to ban diving in port waters.
“Until those interested get the necessary licences, port authorities will not allow diving,” Prentzas said.
“It’s the Cyprus Port Authorities’ (CPA) social obligation to ensure all members of the public who do this will do so within the context of health and safety,” Prentzas said.
CPA have evoked legislation dating back to 1973 and says that anyone swimming or diving anywhere that falls within its jurisdiction (three nautical miles) needs a licence, Varoshiotis said.
“Are swimmers bathing in the beaches going to apply for a licence too?” Varoshiotis said.
He said Prentzas promised that he would come back to them on Tuesday with more information on what the licence will involve and whether the ban will remain or not.
And while the dive centre association got a letter from the CPA informing them of the ban only on February 20, one specific diving school got a letter almost six months ago in September. They said they had sent five letters asking how they could get a licence and were “ignored”.
CPA’s Kokkinos said that the creation of a legal framework to regulate was lacking and the ban was an interim compromise.
In the meantime, it is not clear how licences will be issued.
“I really hope I get to do the dive,” said 30-year old recreational diver Ken Nicolson. “I recently roped my girlfriend into doing a diving course just so we could do the Zenobia together. It’s pretty much the only decent dive in Cyprus,” he said.
News of the ban is already being discussed online in diving forums.
“That’s Cyprus off the list until they sort the mess out!” one British diver said online.
ONE OF the world’s top ten wreck dives, the Zenobia, which lies just off the Larnaca coast, is now off limits after a controversial decision by the port authorities which has enraged divers.
“It’s going to cripple every single dive school. The Zenobia is the one place that pulls divers in,” said Alex Dimitriou who is just about to set up a diving school in Cyprus.
The Zenobia sits at a depth of 42 metres on the seabed with the top lying at 15 metres making it accessible to novices yet still challenging to advanced divers.
The 12,000 tonne 178-metre long ferry sank in 1980, taking with it some 1,000 lorries, industrial machinery and other cargo.
Divers can see vending machines, sinks and even unbroken eggs, all well preserved because conditions allow for a slow corrosion.
“It’s like no other wreck,” Dimitriou said.
But port authorities decided to ban diving in port waters for “legal reasons”, port authorities’ general director Yiannakis Kokkinos said.
Kokkinos said that the family of a woman who died while diving in 2010 were “considering legal action against port authorities because they consider us responsible for her death”.
Catherine Vicar, 33, was found unconscious in the engine room of the Zenobia shipwreck in October 2010.
She had separated from her group and ran out of oxygen while underwater.
“Look, diving can be dangerous if people do not follow safety precautions and that accident was very unfortunate. But in my years of diving in Zenobia, there were four deaths that I know of even though thousands dive each year. Compare that to some 15 who have died off Cape Greco,” a diving instructor told the Sunday Mail on condition of anonymity.
The instructor said that there were a number of safety precautions in place including extra air tanks six metres down and rails to hold on during decompression stops.
But the instructor thought banning diving outright was “extremely arbitrary”.
“You know that bull that killed that worker the other day? Are we going to ban bulls now?” he said referring to an accident earlier this week when a bull attacked and killed a farm worker.
The head of the Cyprus Dive Centre Association, Andy Varoshiotis, agreed.
“If there is an accident on the highway, are you going to ban driving?”
Larnaca mayor, Andreas Louroudjiadis said the port authorities’ decision was “rushed (and arbitrary) and I am being careful in using these words with this specific meaning”.
“It reminds me of this thing we say that when we can’t regulate something, we simply ban it,” Louroudjiadis said.
Head of the Cyprus Tourism Organisation Alecos Orountiotis said that port authorities had not actually consulted them and that he had been “informed by the press”.
The CTO had also paid around €50,000 to pay four ships to be sunk in other spots, including Paphos, Paralimni and Limassol in order to promote marine tourism such as diving, Orountiotis said.
He said that he did not know what would happen to those plans now.
“Sea sports bring in some €150 million in tourist revenue each year: it’s a huge product,” Varoshiotis said.
But the head of port authorities, Chryssis Prentzas said they had no choice but to ban diving in port waters.
“Until those interested get the necessary licences, port authorities will not allow diving,” Prentzas said.
“It’s the Cyprus Port Authorities’ (CPA) social obligation to ensure all members of the public who do this will do so within the context of health and safety,” Prentzas said.
CPA have evoked legislation dating back to 1973 and says that anyone swimming or diving anywhere that falls within its jurisdiction (three nautical miles) needs a licence, Varoshiotis said.
“Are swimmers bathing in the beaches going to apply for a licence too?” Varoshiotis said.
He said Prentzas promised that he would come back to them on Tuesday with more information on what the licence will involve and whether the ban will remain or not.
And while the dive centre association got a letter from the CPA informing them of the ban only on February 20, one specific diving school got a letter almost six months ago in September. They said they had sent five letters asking how they could get a licence and were “ignored”.
CPA’s Kokkinos said that the creation of a legal framework to regulate was lacking and the ban was an interim compromise.
In the meantime, it is not clear how licences will be issued.
“I really hope I get to do the dive,” said 30-year old recreational diver Ken Nicolson. “I recently roped my girlfriend into doing a diving course just so we could do the Zenobia together. It’s pretty much the only decent dive in Cyprus,” he said.
News of the ban is already being discussed online in diving forums.
“That’s Cyprus off the list until they sort the mess out!” one British diver said online.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Underwater Subs Make Rare Public Appearance
From KITV (Honolulu): Underwater Subs Make Rare Public Appearance
HONOLULU -- Twin brothers, Aaron and Ben Hilo-Nguyen, stood wide-eyed at the sight of sister subs, Pisces 4 and Pisces 5.
"I like underwater sea stuff, especially ships, and also salvaging ship wrecks," Ben Hilo-Nguyen said.
"There are treasures and hidden secrets about ships," Aaron Hilo-Nguyen said.
Pisces crew member Terry Kerby explained the sub's deep-dive history which dates back over 30 years. The most famous underwater discovery came in 2002: an 80-foot-long Japanese midget submarine.
"This is the first casualty of the Pacific War. It was sunk, an hour and 15 minutes before the air attacks on Pearl Harbor, by the U.S.S. Ward," Kerby said.
Each Pisces undersea research sub weighs 14 tons and can accommodate a three-person crew, diving as far down as 6,500 feet. Researchers said there is no limit to what the Pisces may find.
"A lot of observations these days are with remote-controlled vehicles; robots that are tethered down. There's a lot of scientists that feel it's important to be there, and this is the way to get here," Kerby said.
Twin brothers Aaron and Ben Hilo-Nguyen said they dream of a future career diving the deep, watery depths.
"Yeah when I turn 18 years or older," Aaron Hilo-Nguyen said.
HONOLULU -- Twin brothers, Aaron and Ben Hilo-Nguyen, stood wide-eyed at the sight of sister subs, Pisces 4 and Pisces 5.
"I like underwater sea stuff, especially ships, and also salvaging ship wrecks," Ben Hilo-Nguyen said.
"There are treasures and hidden secrets about ships," Aaron Hilo-Nguyen said.
Pisces crew member Terry Kerby explained the sub's deep-dive history which dates back over 30 years. The most famous underwater discovery came in 2002: an 80-foot-long Japanese midget submarine.
"This is the first casualty of the Pacific War. It was sunk, an hour and 15 minutes before the air attacks on Pearl Harbor, by the U.S.S. Ward," Kerby said.
Each Pisces undersea research sub weighs 14 tons and can accommodate a three-person crew, diving as far down as 6,500 feet. Researchers said there is no limit to what the Pisces may find.
"A lot of observations these days are with remote-controlled vehicles; robots that are tethered down. There's a lot of scientists that feel it's important to be there, and this is the way to get here," Kerby said.
Twin brothers Aaron and Ben Hilo-Nguyen said they dream of a future career diving the deep, watery depths.
"Yeah when I turn 18 years or older," Aaron Hilo-Nguyen said.
Dolphins should be considered non-human humans
Not so much underwater discovery, but a plot opportunity
From TNT magazine: Dolphins should be considered non-human humans
Dolphins and whales are so intelligent they must be recognised as “non-human persons” with their own bill of rights, say researchers.
The animals have different cultures, societies and personalities that are so complex that they should be seen as the same as people, said the experts.
They added that isolating dolphins and orcas in amusement parks is wrong because the animals are even more socially driven than humans and that killing them amounts to murder.
The international team of scientists, philosophers and animal rights groups addressed the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Vancouver to discuss the “declaration of rights” for cetaceans.
Dr Thomas White, ethics expert at Loyola Marymount University in California, said: “The similarities between cetaceans and humans are such that they, as we, have an individual sense of self.
“Dolphins are non human persons. A person needs to be an individual. If individuals count, then the deliberate killing of individuals of this sort is ethically the equivalent of deliberately killing a human being.
"The science has shown that individuality, consciousness, self awareness is no longer a unique human property. That poses all kinds of challenges.”
Recognising cetaceans in law is crucial, he said, because it would make commercial whaling and certain fishing methods that kill hundreds of dolphins and whales a year.
Whale watching trips would be regulated to respect the creatures’ privacy and developers and oil companies would have to consider the effect their projects would have on animals’ life and culture.
Recent studies on dolphins’ brains show that they are more intelligent than chimpanzees and the way they communicate with each other is similar to that of humans.
They can also recognise themselves in mirrors, teach each other new types of behaviour and can think about the future.
Psychologist Dr Lori Marino, from Emory University in Atlanta, said scientific advances had changed how the cetacean brain is understood.
She said: "We went from seeing the dolphin/whale brain as being a giant amorphous blob that doesn't carry a lot of intelligence and complexity to not only being an enormous brain but an enormous brain with an enormous amount of complexity, and a complexity that rivals our own.
“Its different in the way it's put together but in terms of the level of complexity its very similar to the human brain."
From TNT magazine: Dolphins should be considered non-human humans
Dolphins and whales are so intelligent they must be recognised as “non-human persons” with their own bill of rights, say researchers.
The animals have different cultures, societies and personalities that are so complex that they should be seen as the same as people, said the experts.
They added that isolating dolphins and orcas in amusement parks is wrong because the animals are even more socially driven than humans and that killing them amounts to murder.
The international team of scientists, philosophers and animal rights groups addressed the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Vancouver to discuss the “declaration of rights” for cetaceans.
Dr Thomas White, ethics expert at Loyola Marymount University in California, said: “The similarities between cetaceans and humans are such that they, as we, have an individual sense of self.
“Dolphins are non human persons. A person needs to be an individual. If individuals count, then the deliberate killing of individuals of this sort is ethically the equivalent of deliberately killing a human being.
"The science has shown that individuality, consciousness, self awareness is no longer a unique human property. That poses all kinds of challenges.”
Recognising cetaceans in law is crucial, he said, because it would make commercial whaling and certain fishing methods that kill hundreds of dolphins and whales a year.
Whale watching trips would be regulated to respect the creatures’ privacy and developers and oil companies would have to consider the effect their projects would have on animals’ life and culture.
Recent studies on dolphins’ brains show that they are more intelligent than chimpanzees and the way they communicate with each other is similar to that of humans.
They can also recognise themselves in mirrors, teach each other new types of behaviour and can think about the future.
Psychologist Dr Lori Marino, from Emory University in Atlanta, said scientific advances had changed how the cetacean brain is understood.
She said: "We went from seeing the dolphin/whale brain as being a giant amorphous blob that doesn't carry a lot of intelligence and complexity to not only being an enormous brain but an enormous brain with an enormous amount of complexity, and a complexity that rivals our own.
“Its different in the way it's put together but in terms of the level of complexity its very similar to the human brain."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
