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OCEAN Volume 12, No.3 Volume 12, No. 3, 2002 OCEAN (published 2003) The Magazine of the Challenger Society for Marine Science EDITOR SCOPE AND AIMS Angela Colling Ocean Challenge aims to keep its readers up to date ASSOCIATE EDITOR with what is happening in oceanography in the UK and the rest of Europe. By covering the whole range john Wright of marine-related sciences in an accessible style it Angela Colling and John Wright are both should be valuable both to specialist oceano- at the Department of Earth Sciences, graphers who wish to broaden their knowledge of The Open University, marine sciences, and to informed lay persons who Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, UK are concerned about the oceanic environment. EDITORIAL BOARD Ocean Challenge is sent automatically to Chair members of the Challenger Society. Tim Jickells For more information about the Society, or for queries concerning individual subscriptions to School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia Ocean Challenge, please see the Challenger Society website (www.challenger-society.orn.uk) or contact the Executive Secretary of the Society at the address Martin Angel given on the inside back cover. Southampton Oceanography Centre Kevin Black INDUSTRIAL CORPORATE MEMBERSHIP University of St Andrews/Dunstaffnage Marine For information about this, please contact the Laboratory Executive Secretary of the Society at the address given on the inside back cover. Mark Brandon Department of Earth Sciences, ADVERTISING The Open University For information about advertising through Ocean Jon Copley Challenge, please contact the Executive Secretary of Southampton Oceanography Centre the Society at the address given on the inside back Peter Foxton cover. formerly Natural Environment Research Council (Marine Sciences) AVAILABILITY OF BACK ISSUES For information about back issues of Ocean Sue Greig Challenge please contact the Executive Secretary of The Open University the Society at the address given on the inside back Karl-Jiirgen Hesse cover. University of Kiel, Germany INSTITUTIONAL SUBSCRIPTIONS John Jones Ocean Challenge is published three times a year. University College, London The subscription (including postage by surface mail) Mark Maslin is £80.00 ($US 152) per year for libraries and other University College, London institutions. New subscriptions, renewals and information about changes of address should be sent Rachel Mills to Parjon Information Services, PO Box 144, Southampton Oceanography Centre Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH16 2YX, UK. John Scott Qinetiq, Winfrith DATA PROTECTION ACT, 1984 (UK) Under the terms of this Act, you are informed that Hjalmar Thiel this magazine is sent to you through the use of a Hamburg, Germany computer-based mailing list. The views expressed in Ocean Challenge are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Cover printed by Albanian Press, St Albans. Challenger Society or the Editor. Text printed by Halstan & Co. Ltd, Amersham. O Challenger Society for Marine Science, 2003 ISSN 0959-01 61 CONTENTS 2 News and Views 7 Sharks: Turning the Tide Kelvin Boot 9 Global Observations for Climate Colin Summerhayes 12 Now, there's a funny thing ... lohn Wright 14 CO, Sequestration Experiment Revisited 15 Letter to the Editor: Stakeholders Submerged? 16 The Maiden Voyage of UK ROV lsis Chris German, Paul Tyler and Gwyn Griffiths 19 A Plankton Guide to Ocean Physics: Colouring in the Currents Round South Africa and Madagascar Graham D. Quartly and Meric A. Srokosz 24 Tidal Response in Sea Lochs: a Case of Waves versus Jets Finlo Cottier and Mark lnall 28 Book Reviews The cover was designed by Ann Aldred Associates. The maps and illustrations were drawn by John Taylor of the Cartography Office of the Department of Earth Sciences at the Open University. Dear Reader This issue of Ocean Challenge has two very different features articles. In 'A Plankton Guide to Ocean Currents . .I, Graham Quartly and Meric Srokosz show how the global resource of SeaWlFS images can be used to reveal the detail of current patterns around South Africa and Madagascar. By contrast, in 'Tidal Response in Sea Lochs: a case of waves versus jetst, Finlo Cottier and Mark lnall describe how research into tidal mixing in sea lochs not only has important implications for the economics of the Scottish west coast, but also helps us to understand the global thermohaline circulation. We also have the latest news on the UK's new ROV, Isis, an overview of the important COOS pro- gramme, and a piece about how the shark's bad image can be turned to advantage. And, as you will see, the topic of ocean sequestration of CO, continues to stimulate debate! If you have views on this, or any other topic aired in these pages, please write to us and share them with other readers. News & Views Iceland to save cod by culling It is commercial overfishing by 'Burningt hydrogen in fuel cells may humans that has caused the global be all right for road and rail transport, whales depletion of fish stocks, not predation but it's less easy to power aeroplanes Despite the existing moratorium on by seals and whales, large though that that way. Using hydrogen as a whaling, set up in 1986, Iceland will predation undoubtedly is. If we transportable fuel in aircraft would join Norway and Japan to go whaling humans want to achieve a sustainable require the gas to be in liquid form, again, specifically for Fin, Sei and relationship with the natural world, possibly under pressure, and that's Minke whales. According to press we must realise that killing off wild not easy, because hydrogen has a reports in May, Iceland's justification predators because they compete with boiling point of 20 K (-253 "C), and for the move is to protect the fishing us for food, must inevitably disrupt - it's highly flammable, hence the well- industry, because - they say -the if not destroy - both marine and known concerns about safety in this whales are depleting fish stocks, terrestrial ecosystems. context. especially cod. conservation groups Iceland's intention to go whaling will Be that as it may, in lceland the have condemned the proposals, , not contribute to global sustainability, (much) longer term aim is to convert claiming that the chief reason for but the next item suggests at least an all the nation's buses and cars to resumption of whaling is not research initial move in that direction (see electric vehicles driven by fuel cells. into the whales' eating habits, i.e. below). Newspaper reports about these (among other things) to count the developments have mentioned nine numbers of fish in their stomachs, but other European cities, including to sell the meat. Minke whales are Iceland and the hydrogen London, where it is planned that road relatively abundant, Fin and Sei economy transport will be based upon fuel whales are not; moreover, harpooned cells. They also mention plans to whales die slowly and painfully. In what may be the first stage in a export Iceland's surplus geothermally global lgreeningfof energy use, a Is this merely the story of Andre the generated electricity via cables to 'hydrogen filling station' was opened Britain and other parts of Europe, a seal writ large (see p.6)? Anglers in Reykjavik last April. The hydrogen wanted to shoot the seal because he project that would require enormous will initially be used to refill the fuel investment, not to mention vast was eating 'their' sea trout and cells powering some of the city's bus salmon. lceland wants to slaughter annual expenditure on maintenance. fleet. Despite its reliance on geo- We venture to suggest it is unlikely to whales because the whales (allegedly) thermal steam and water for both eat 'their' cod and other fish. In the happen - it might be cheaper to build electricity and municipal central a new nuclear power station. last couple of years, the Norwegians heating, lceland is alleged to have the have taken to culling whales too, world's highest per capita greenhouse At all events, the eventual intention because of competition with fisher- gas emisions, because the population in lceland is to convert the country's men (cf. Ocean Challenge, Vol. 9, is relatively affluent and Icelanders fishing fleet to fuel-cell electricity. No. 2, p.7). Fishermen see seals and use cars a lot. However, it is expected One might be forgiven for wondering whales as pests, but from the point of that within a few years (perhaps) fuel whether, by the time that happens, view of the marine environment the cells will be used for powering small there will be any fish (or whales) left the real pests are the fishermen devices such as laptops and CDIDVD for them to catch. themselves, not seals or whales (cf. players. Ocean Challenge, Vol. 11, No. 2, p.4). 2 Ocean Challenge, Vol. 12, No.3 Jellyfish a new danger for if protein from fish is to continue to killed in large numbers, and there can - form an important proportion of our be no foreseeable end to overfishing. salmon farms ... diet. Within five years, possibly less, signs The Scottish salmon-farming industry reading 'fresh fish' will mean 'fresh is already beleaguered by accusations ... but the bad press doesn't farmed fish'. from both environmental and animal stop welfare groups about alleged bad practices, involving pollution by An article in the May issue of The excreta, excess fish food (containing Observer's Food Monthly mounted a dyestuffs to ensure 'attractive' flesh scathing attack on the fish farming colour on fishmongers' slabs), industry as a whole. The tally of pesticides and growth hormones, plus farmed fish has grown quite large in high stocking densities leading to recent years: salmon, trout, cod, stress and disease.

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