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Lightning strikes twice
Marine PollutionBulletin
Under-Sea Power Line The task of laying cables--due to link up French and British power systems--should soon be completed. The cable link, between Folkstone and Calais, will allow an exchange of up to 2000 MW of electric energy back and forth and make economical use of differing patterns of load consumption and production capacity. With the help of 'Limules' or 'Sea Crabs' operated by the Marseille firm Travocean on behalf of the national power company, Electrit6 de France, half the work on the trenches for the first pair of four French cables has been completed. To help both French and British cable layers, a high frequency short-baseline acoustic positioning system has been supplied by Oceano Instruments. The system allows the barges to know the exact location of the vehicles on the Channel bottom, and has proved useful to personnel for technical assistance.
water at any time of year, and the coast remains a popular tourist resort throughout the winter.
Whales Welcome Human 'Friends'
A study of grey whales has shown that they are getting friendlier! The research--carded out in Laguna San Ignacio in Mexico's Baja California, by Maria Luisia Jones and Estelan Swartz of San Diego's Cetacean Research Associates--shows that since 1975 the whale population in the lagoon has grown faster than predicted. They also found that the whales were not frightened by tourists, but deliberately came from other areas to breed in the lagoon. However there are strict controls on boats using the lagoon--their numbers are limited and they do not rev up their engines, leaving two-thirds of the lagoon undisturbed for calving mothers. There seems to be a growing number of 'friendly whales' circling around tourist boats, even allowing passengers to stroke them! There are several likely explanations for this; that this new generation of whales is not conditioned to be afraid of boats, since they have escaped the ordeals of whaling Qingdao (Tsingtao), the most important deep-water port tactics; or that the whales are curious about the boats folin northern China, has experienced its second damaging lowing them very slowly. Another is that the whales are oil spill in almost identical circumstances in 10 months. On attracted to idling engines, since the drone of a slow25 November 1983, the 43 600 DWT tanker Fieso running engine is in the same frequency range as the Ambassador grounded on a submerged reef after loading sounds of grey whales. at the oil terminal and released 3344 tonnes of Shengli crude. On 28 September another tanker, the Jacui (131 988 DWT) grounded on the same reef after leaving the oil terminal and spilled 758 tonnes of crude. Qingdao is a busy port, with the main terminal for the A recently published report from the National Oceanic export of Shengli crude oil produced inland, a naval base and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows that and military seaplane base, and its bay, Jiaozhou Wan, pro- Federal marine pollution activities relating to marine waste vides a large safe anchorage. The bay is also the site of disposal and marine mining received the largest share of extensive mariculture facilities and with a beautiful outer Federal funds spent on marine pollution activities in the coast and fine bathing beaches, Qingdao is an important fiscal year 1983 (FY 1983). The report, Agency Program Summaries, FY 1983 tourist centre, principally for Chinese but with an increasing number of foreign visitors. It is also a major centre for Update (a document published by the National Marine oceanographic and fisheries research with the institutes of Pollution Program Office and containing summaries of the the Academia Sinica and National Bureau of Ocean- major programs conducted by the Federal agencies), indiography, Yellow Sea Fisheries Institute and the Shandong cates that both marine mining and marine waste disposal Mariculture Research Institute all located there. each received approx. 28% of Federal funds earmarked for Shangli crude is a heavy oil with a high pour point and marine pollution research and activities ($36.7 and $36.1 when released on the sea forms solid lumps and pancakes. million, respectively). Among specific causes of marine When stranded on the shoreline it can accumulate in thick pollution, Federal activities relating to oil and gas were the layers, making clean-up difficult. As a result, clean-up from most heavily funded in FY '83, receiving $35.5 million, the Fieso Ambassador spill was not completed until May followed by dredged material at S13.7 million. Pollutant 1984. Then extensive damage was caused to floating transport and transformation, although an area of study facilities for the culture of kelp (Laminaria) and mussels not related to a specific polluting activity, received' S10.6 (Mytilus). In the latest oil spill, much of the oil was carded million. by wind and tide outside the bay and deposited on the outer The Agency Program Summaries, FY '83 Update, bathing beaches and tourist areas. Kelp and mussel culture provides a detailed listing of all existing Federal programs facilities have been less affected, but it is claimed that serious related to ocean pollution research, development, and damage has been done through the contamination of clam monitoring. The projects which constitute those programs beds and to the sea cucumber (Stichopus) which is cultured are listed in some detail in Catalog of FederalProjects, FY around the bay before release to the sea. Clean-up of the 1983 Update. Both Publications may be obtained from: tourist beaches which have been oiled a second time within a National Marine Pollution Program Office, NOAA, year will take some time. While seabathing officially ended NAVIPP, Rockwall Bldg., Rm. 610, 11400 Rockville Pike, on 26 September, some hardy souls venture into the cold Rockville, MD 20852, USA.
Lightning Strikes Twice
Federal Activities--FY 1983
424
Under-Sea Power Line The task of laying cables--due to link up French and British power systems--should soon be completed. The cable link, between Folkstone and Calais, will allow an exchange of up to 2000 MW of electric energy back and forth and make economical use of differing patterns of load consumption and production capacity. With the help of 'Limules' or 'Sea Crabs' operated by the Marseille firm Travocean on behalf of the national power company, Electrit6 de France, half the work on the trenches for the first pair of four French cables has been completed. To help both French and British cable layers, a high frequency short-baseline acoustic positioning system has been supplied by Oceano Instruments. The system allows the barges to know the exact location of the vehicles on the Channel bottom, and has proved useful to personnel for technical assistance.
water at any time of year, and the coast remains a popular tourist resort throughout the winter.
Whales Welcome Human 'Friends'
A study of grey whales has shown that they are getting friendlier! The research--carded out in Laguna San Ignacio in Mexico's Baja California, by Maria Luisia Jones and Estelan Swartz of San Diego's Cetacean Research Associates--shows that since 1975 the whale population in the lagoon has grown faster than predicted. They also found that the whales were not frightened by tourists, but deliberately came from other areas to breed in the lagoon. However there are strict controls on boats using the lagoon--their numbers are limited and they do not rev up their engines, leaving two-thirds of the lagoon undisturbed for calving mothers. There seems to be a growing number of 'friendly whales' circling around tourist boats, even allowing passengers to stroke them! There are several likely explanations for this; that this new generation of whales is not conditioned to be afraid of boats, since they have escaped the ordeals of whaling Qingdao (Tsingtao), the most important deep-water port tactics; or that the whales are curious about the boats folin northern China, has experienced its second damaging lowing them very slowly. Another is that the whales are oil spill in almost identical circumstances in 10 months. On attracted to idling engines, since the drone of a slow25 November 1983, the 43 600 DWT tanker Fieso running engine is in the same frequency range as the Ambassador grounded on a submerged reef after loading sounds of grey whales. at the oil terminal and released 3344 tonnes of Shengli crude. On 28 September another tanker, the Jacui (131 988 DWT) grounded on the same reef after leaving the oil terminal and spilled 758 tonnes of crude. Qingdao is a busy port, with the main terminal for the A recently published report from the National Oceanic export of Shengli crude oil produced inland, a naval base and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows that and military seaplane base, and its bay, Jiaozhou Wan, pro- Federal marine pollution activities relating to marine waste vides a large safe anchorage. The bay is also the site of disposal and marine mining received the largest share of extensive mariculture facilities and with a beautiful outer Federal funds spent on marine pollution activities in the coast and fine bathing beaches, Qingdao is an important fiscal year 1983 (FY 1983). The report, Agency Program Summaries, FY 1983 tourist centre, principally for Chinese but with an increasing number of foreign visitors. It is also a major centre for Update (a document published by the National Marine oceanographic and fisheries research with the institutes of Pollution Program Office and containing summaries of the the Academia Sinica and National Bureau of Ocean- major programs conducted by the Federal agencies), indiography, Yellow Sea Fisheries Institute and the Shandong cates that both marine mining and marine waste disposal Mariculture Research Institute all located there. each received approx. 28% of Federal funds earmarked for Shangli crude is a heavy oil with a high pour point and marine pollution research and activities ($36.7 and $36.1 when released on the sea forms solid lumps and pancakes. million, respectively). Among specific causes of marine When stranded on the shoreline it can accumulate in thick pollution, Federal activities relating to oil and gas were the layers, making clean-up difficult. As a result, clean-up from most heavily funded in FY '83, receiving $35.5 million, the Fieso Ambassador spill was not completed until May followed by dredged material at S13.7 million. Pollutant 1984. Then extensive damage was caused to floating transport and transformation, although an area of study facilities for the culture of kelp (Laminaria) and mussels not related to a specific polluting activity, received' S10.6 (Mytilus). In the latest oil spill, much of the oil was carded million. by wind and tide outside the bay and deposited on the outer The Agency Program Summaries, FY '83 Update, bathing beaches and tourist areas. Kelp and mussel culture provides a detailed listing of all existing Federal programs facilities have been less affected, but it is claimed that serious related to ocean pollution research, development, and damage has been done through the contamination of clam monitoring. The projects which constitute those programs beds and to the sea cucumber (Stichopus) which is cultured are listed in some detail in Catalog of FederalProjects, FY around the bay before release to the sea. Clean-up of the 1983 Update. Both Publications may be obtained from: tourist beaches which have been oiled a second time within a National Marine Pollution Program Office, NOAA, year will take some time. While seabathing officially ended NAVIPP, Rockwall Bldg., Rm. 610, 11400 Rockville Pike, on 26 September, some hardy souls venture into the cold Rockville, MD 20852, USA.
Lightning Strikes Twice
Federal Activities--FY 1983
424