Deep Ocean
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| Cast | David Attenborough |
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| ID | 3328989 |
About Deep Ocean
Uncovering the life forms that have managed to survive the harsh, completely dark depths of the planet's oceans.
Seabed mining will stress jellyfish - scientists
... Much of the Deep Ocean is unexplored, so seabed mining opponents also point out that mining activity could cause irreparable damage to ecosystems we do not yet understand...
Climate change: July set to be world's warmest month on record
... To work out these ancient figures, scientists use records like the air trapped in polar ice cores, or sediments in the Deep Ocean...
Crunch talks due on deep-sea mining controversy
... " Marine scientists have raised concerns that limited research has been carried out in the Deep Ocean to understand the animals and plants that live there and therefore what the impacts deep sea mining could have on them...
Titan sub: What happens next after sounds detected in search
... While sounds from Deep Ocean layers could get through to them, it is more likely that the sounds are coming from the same ocean layer, Mr Owen says...
St John's ready to help in search for missing Titanic sub
... The US Navy s Flyaway Deep Ocean Salvage System - capable of lifting and recovering large, bulky undersea objects - is scheduled to arrive in St John s on Tuesday evening, a navy spokesperson told the BBC s US news partner CBS...
How do you dispose of a giant whale from a beach?
... " It s called whale fall - this is mainly thinking about animals of the Deep Ocean, but when they fall and die and sink to the bottom of the ocean, they form these little nutrient rich islands that can support a huge diversity of life...
Antarctic ocean currents heading for collapse- report
...By Tom HousdenBBC News, SydneyRapidly melting Antarctic ice is causing a dramatic slowdown in Deep Ocean currents and could have a disastrous effect on the climate, a new report warns...
Ocean treaty: Historic agreement reached after decade of talks
... Richer nations currently have the resources and funding to explore the Deep Ocean but poorer nations wanted to ensure any benefits they find are shared equally...
How do you dispose of a giant whale from a beach?
By Georgina DaviesBBC Scotland News
A minke whale that washed up on an East Lothian beach has now been removed.
The 31ft (9m) whale died when it hit rocks and came ashore at North Berwick on Thursday.
The Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS) believes it was taken to landfill, but said methods of disposing of a whale carcass can vary.
Dr Andrew Brownlow, who runs the scheme, said that a post-mortem exam can reveal a lot about a whale's life and what influenced its death.
He told Bbc Scotland News about some of the options available to local authorities when removing a whale.
Bones in a museumDr Brownlow said different requirements need to be balanced with making a decision about How To dispose of a carcass.
He Said : " You need to remove a dead whale from a Public Beach so it doesn't cause distress to people, or begin to leak grease and body fluids into The Environment , which are more unpleasant than they are hazardous.
" There are actually very few diseases that we've Found - and we've looked very Hard - which can be transmitted from dead carcasses. "
Disposal options include taking The Whale to a landfill site, burial on The Beach or partial incineration.
" They can be Taken Away to our laboratories where they are post-mortemed, " Dr Brownlow added.
" The skeleton is then often processed by The Museum of Scotland and added to their collection.
" The soft part goes for disposal in the same way as fallen stock do from farms. "
Return to The SeaDr Brownlow said that it is important to return as much of The Whale as possible back into The Marine environment for " nutrient recycling".
" Simply taking them out of The Beach , off The Marine environment and incinerating them or taking them to landfill actually robs The Marine environment of this really important nutrient source. "
Whale carcasses can bring a dose of life-sustaining nutrients, including manganese, phosphorus, iron, zinc.
" You don't need very high levels of them but they are very important for cellular processes" Dr Brownlow added.
" It's called Whale Fall - this is mainly thinking about animals of the Deep Ocean , but when they Fall and die and sink to the bottom of The Ocean , they form these little nutrient rich islands that can support a huge diversity of life. "
He Said that sharks and other scavengers will come and eat the soft tissues of a whale, while other smaller orgasms, like worms will feed on the skeleton.
Buried on The BeachAnother way of returning a whale back to The Environment can be through burying it on a beach.
" We can bury them on site and that's often very successful, although that has to be balanced against the backdrop of not creating a public nuisance of having a carcass on an amenity beach, " He Said .
Dr Brownlow added that in some circumstances, a stranded whale can be towed back into The Sea , although they have to be carefully positioned to avoid becoming a shipping hazard, especially as larger whales remain buoyant.
The fate of The Whale tends to depend on two factors: the size of The Animal and where it has stranded.
" Some very big whales like fin whales and sei whales, if they strand on some remote island, then they can be left to break down naturally, " Dr Brownlow said.
" It's amazing the speed with which scavengers, birds in particular can scavenge quite a lot from a whale and within a year or so, you're often just left with very clean bones and a very healthy marine ecosystem. "
SMASS was Set Up to understand the causes of stranding for whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals, large bodied sharks and even marine turtles.
Dr Brownlow said he believes the minke whale, stranded in North Berwick This Week , has been taken to landfill for disposal.
" It's pretty grim to be honest" He Said . " I've been to landfill sites to do the post-mortem and it's a pretty dismal end to such a magnificent creature,
" It's a functional end for these animals rather than one that is actually desired, both from The Point of view of scientists that have to do the research on them but also the respect to The Animal . "
Related TopicsSource of news: bbc.com