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58 st / October 2015 www.sea-technology.com Successful Trials For GeoWing Fugro has undertaken successful tri- als of its new GeoWing, designed to detect low-ferrous content unexploded ordnance (UXO) items in challenging marine environments. The system is es- pecially benefcial for subsea construc- tion projects, such as wind farms and cable route developments, particularly in magnetically "noisy" marine envi- ronments and areas affected by strong tidal currents. The magnetic signature from small items of UXO can often be masked by the magnetic signature of other sourc- es, such as the background geology. The GeoWing, a fxed gradiometer ar- ray consisting of fve magnetometers mounted behind an ROTV, detects variations in both vertical and trans- verse magnetic gradient, which enables the ferrous signature from background geology and motion noise to be almost entirely removed from the analysis. Southern Ocean Affected Ice Age Global Cooling In the last 30,000 years there was, at times, more mixing in the Southern Ocean than previously thought, ac- cording to a study by the Alfred We- gener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). This meant that vast quantities of nutrients were available to phytoalgae, which in turn contributed to storing carbon di- oxide during the last glacial period. The study shows that during the last glacial period, the water column in the area of the seasonal sea ice zone was more mixed in autumn and winter than previously thought. Only in the short Southern spring and summer, for just a few months in the year, was there a marked stratifcation at the ocean's sur- face. Up until now, researchers assumed that during the last glacial period there was a layer of freshwater created by melting icebergs that sat on the ocean like a lid all year round, which would have greatly reduced the supply of nu- trients from the ocean's depths to the surface leading to low biological pro- duction. However, the new fndings show that in the last glacial period in the sea- sonal sea ice zone, which was twice as large as it is today, the water was well mixed to a depth of a few hundred me- ters. This allowed nutrients to reach the surface from deeper levels. In addition, melting ice in spring released the trace element iron, which had been transported with dust from South America. This created ideal con- ditions for microscopic, exoskeleton algae (diatoms) that used the nutrients to bind carbon during photosynthesis, and so store carbon dioxide. When they died, these phytoplank- ton sank to the ocean foor thousands of meters below. In this biological pump, atmospheric carbon dixode is stored in sedimentary deposits over geological time periods. During the ice ages, storage of carbon dioxide in the Southern Ocean contributed signif- cantly to global cooling. New Dispersion, Water Quality Modeling Tool Recently, Makai completed an effort to adapt the EPA-approved Environ- mental Fluid Dynamics Code (EFDC) into a robust and fexible dispersion and water quality modeling tool. The new Makai EFDC modeling system (M- EFDC) is designed to simulate and pre- dict the dispersion of large industrial water fows. It enables cost-effective modeling solutions ranging from initial project planning to more rigorous regu- latory submittals and watershed man- agement efforts. The M-EFDC model simulates aquatic systems in three dimensions across a wide range of sizes and time scales. The results are used in the de- sign, planning and permitting process for the intake or discharge of a vari- ety of facilities, including: desalina- tion, seawater cooling systems, LNG processing plants, petroleum refner- ies, traditional thermoelectric power plants, pulp and paper mills, chemical manufacturing plants, food process- ing plants, and metal manufacturing plants. Indian Ocean Security Warning The security situation in the Indian Ocean could very quickly change for the worse, according to MAST. "The current security framework is working, but it remains extremely frag- ile and dependent on international na- vies maintaining a presence in the Indi- an Ocean, Best Management Practice 4 (BMP4) being diligently applied, and for at least the majority of vessels to be protected by armed guards," said Gerry Northwood, COO of MAST. "Yet we continue to see speculative approach- es by skiffs equipped with assault rifes and ladders. There are other warning signs indicating the security situation could deteriorate." Alan Cole, an offcial at the United Nations Offce for Drugs and Crime, recently expressed concern that illegal fshing in the Indian Ocean and Horn of Africa might be a catalyst for a return to piracy. In July, Kenya released a number of convicted pirates enabling them to re- turn to their homes in Somalia. "Released pirates are reportedly seeking work as armed guards in oceangoing fshing vessels," North- wood said. Repeat Order for Exhaust Cleaning Scrubber Systems Finnlines has contracted Wärtsilä to supply three of its vessels with exhaust cleaning scrubber systems. This is a re- peat order, with delivery expected in early 2016. The system selected is Wärtsilä's Hybrid in-line scrubber system, pro- viding the fexibility to operate in both open and closed loop modes. The compact in-line version also provides an effcient space- and weight-saving solution. Funding to Set Up Climate Change Center University of California, San Di- ego has received a charitable gift from Richard and Carol Dean Hertzberg of $5 million to establish the Center for Climate Change Impacts and Adapta- tion at Scripps Institution of Oceanog- raphy. The center will provide science- based strategies for adapting to climate change and will focus on how society can address the consequences that are already unfolding or appear to be inev- itable. These consequences range from sea level rise to more extreme weather with the potential to disrupt commerce, agriculture and the habitability of cer- tain regions on a large scale. ST environmental monitoring