Remote Sensing
Niu Sensors, Marine Debris Reach Johnston Atoll
Submitted by Evan on Thu, 03/26/2009 - 12:38pmPublished in
For those who have been actively following the three Niu ocean drifter devices since they were deployed offshore of Honolulu, Hawaii on January 30, 2009, this is an exciting moment. After over 54 days at sea and more than 1000 miles traveled, Niu `Alani is now only 50 miles from land! For the past several days, Niu `Alani has hovered offshore of Johnston Atoll, a small island that is part of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (designated by President George W. Bush in January 2009).
So, what's so important about a Niu reaching Johnston Atoll? Well, for one thing, since the Niu simulates marine debris, it means that in just about a month and a half, pollutants such as plastic and derelict fishing gear that enter the watershed in Honolulu can travel over 800 miles to land on the shores of Johnston Atoll. This also means that efforts to curtail polluting the ocean near Honolulu could possibly go a long way in preventing damage to Johnston's fragile ecosystem. Wildlife at Johnston includes coral reefs, numerous species of sea birds and fish, green sea turtles (Honu), the Hawaiian monk seal, and more. So, even though the island is now uninhabited, all these animals could be threatened if Johnston does in fact receive a significant amount of floating marine pollution from Honolulu.
What activities can YOU do to help protect Johnston Atoll and other remote islands in the Pacific Ocean?
Learn more about Johnston Atoll.
Great Book on Sea Turtles
Submitted by Evan on Tue, 09/16/2008 - 8:47amPublished in
I just recently read "Voyage of the Turtle: In Pursuit of the Earth's Last Dinosaur" by Carl Safina. If you would like to learn about sea turtles and the challenges they're facing around the world for survival, I can't imagine a better book exists on the subject.
The author's style of writing is one of the best I've ever seen. I often sat in shear amazement as to how well he uses words to relay his stories. I am really looking forward to reading his other books (also listed below).
Marine Debris
Published in
The ocean currents and atmospheric winds have carried garbage around the world with certain areas receiving the worst of it. The “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” in the northern Pacific has millions of pieces of floating trash spread out over an area the size of Texas. The science lesson “NAME HERE” addresses how these processes work while this lesson discusses the impact that this trash has on living organisms, organizations (such as NOAA) who are working to fix this problem, efforts in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands, and things that individuals can do to help.
Niu's Camera
Submitted by Evan on Wed, 09/03/2008 - 4:49pmPublished in
The new Niu ocean drifter devices that we will deploy this year will have a digital camera! The camera will have a fish-eye lens, so it will provide a really cool, wide field-of-view. Because of the optics of this type of lens, most of the focus will be on objects close to the camera. What do YOU think will show up in the photos that Niu takes? Can you think of any creative projects that we can do with all those photos?
The Coconut with a Mission
Submitted by Evan on Wed, 08/27/2008 - 4:01pmPublished in
Imagine You’re a Coconut
Imagine you're a coconut. Since you’re in Hawaii, you’re called “Niu”. But you’re not just any coconut; you’ve got some high tech electronics that help you talk to satellites and broadcast your geographical coordinates all over the world via the Internet. Like many coconuts, you will end up floating in the ocean going wherever the currents and winds may take you. Unlike those other coconuts though, you have an important mission. Your goal is to show students in Hawaii what happens to pollution that’s carelessly left behind, where it goes, and the impact that every person can have on the environment. Wow, you’ve got a lot to do! Are you prepared for this?
Tracking Leatherback Turtles
Submitted by Evan on Sun, 07/13/2008 - 7:00pmPublished in
Stanford University recently published an interesting story on using satellite tags to track leatherback turtles in the Pacific Ocean. The story, "Leatherback turtles’ route may offer roadmap to salvation" can be read here.
What do you think we can do to help protect leatherback turtles and other sea turtles?
How is Niu tracked?
Submitted by Evan on Wed, 05/14/2008 - 7:00pmPublished in
Please note, this article contains some details specific to the first Niu device. An update will be written when the engineers complete the new Niu devices.
People often ask us about the accuracy of Niu's plotted coordinates. This is a great question with a very lengthy answer. I'll give you the short version and some places to go if you're curious about the longer version. Believe it or not, as long as this is, this is the short version! Read more if you're interested...
Where in the World is Niu? (And how do we know?)
Submitted by Josiah on Tue, 01/29/2008 - 8:00pmPublished in
Ever wonder how we will follow Niu's journey through the Pacific Ocean once it leaves Oahu? Read on to learn about how Archinoetics' engineers and scientists use a GPS signal to track Niu's voyage!
It’s hard to imagine that just a few hundred years ago, sailors and ships at sea had to rely on dead reckoning, an accurate clock, and the position of heavenly bodies to determine their approximate location at sea. Thanks to the advent of satellite technology and GPS systems, anyone on earth can approximate their position to within a meter of their location on the globe.
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