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Global Oceans, LLC

Environment News

International News Magazine

Scripps Institution of Oceanography/University of California, San Diego

On an expedition in 2010 off Costa Rica researchers found and explored an amazing new discovery in the deep sea, Earth’s largest ecosystem. Explorers examined the extremely rare find, two habitat types intersecting in one place which are at juncture where hot and cold habitats collide. These hot spots which exist below in the depths of the deep sea are known as hydrothermal vent systems where hot water surges out from the seafloor. In this environment cold areas also exist where methane rises from “seeps” on the ocean bottom.

Fascinating details from the expedition are published in a study led by Lisa Levin of Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. You can locate the scientists’ findings, including a large number of mysterious, undescribed species in the March 7 issue of the Proceedings of the Royal Society B (Biological Sciences).

  A ‘foundation’ species of tubeworm found in hot vents and cold seeps. Photo credit: Greg Rouse

“The most interesting aspects of this site are the presence of vent-like and seep-like features together,” said Levin, “along with a vast cover of tubeworms over large areas and a wealth of new, undescribed species.”

Since so very little is known about the deep sea ocean, it is believed that much of this ecosystem remains undiscovered according to researchers, possibly leaving many of the various marine life species to be documented that are able to sustain life in an environment only of its kind.

The symbiosis of an anemone and hermit crab in which the crab uses the anemone as a shell. Photo credit: Greg Rouse

“There are plenty of surprises left in the deep sea,” said Levin, director of the Scripps Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation.

Submersible Alvin was utilized as a main contributor to the team’s discovery as the eye under the sea of which revealed thousands of tube worms as the team also documented many fish, mussels, clam beds and high densities of crabs. “Not only are there new species but there are almost certainly new communities and ecosystems to be discovered,” Levin said.

A dense beds of large clams along with snails and crabs_Photo: Greg Rouse

Jaco Scar is known to be at the Costa Rica margin and has been scarcely ever visited, however, the team investigated the geochemical properties at the site and surprisingly unveiled one of the most interesting biodiversity hot spots on the planet within this remote area where an underwater mountain is moving under a tectonic plate, also with many rare small organisms, microbes, and co-existing animals.

Many thanks to Lisa Levin and her colleagues, the Coauthors of the paper which also include; Greg Rouse, Geoffrey Cook and Ben Grupe of Scripps Institution of Oceanography; Victoria Orphan and Grayson Chadwick of the California Institute of Technology; Anthony Rathburn of Indiana State University; William Ussler III of Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute; Shana Goffredi of Occidental College; Elena Perez of the Natural History Museum in London; Anders Waren of the Swedish Museum of Natural History; and Bruce Strickrott of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

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Photo: ASP/Robertson

NEWCASTLE, NSW/Australia

Willian Cardoso (BRA) was beaming with joy after joining the elite winning list of the Burton Toyota Pro at Newcastle’s Surfest today. Cardosa now proudly follows in the footsteps of Adriano De Souza (BRA) who won in 2008 and Neco Padaratz (BRA) who won in 2006. The surfers battled it out in 4 foot surf (1.5 – 2 meters ) when in the very last minutes of the final were forced to eventually  surrender  victory to Cardoso’s powerful performance which earned him a heat total of 10.61 (out of a possible 20,) and the coveted Mark Richards trophy.

“I’m really, really happy!” Cardoso said. “I was here and came 5th when Adriano (De Souza) won. This is so amazing for me! I was really, really nervous when Filipe (Toledo) scored the interference. I only needed a small score and I kept falling. Then I got that 7-point-ride and I knew that I had won and I was so happy.”

BURTON TOYOTA PRO FINAL RESULT: Willian Cardoso (BRA) 10.16 def. Filipe Toledo (BRA) 9.50

BURTON TOYOTA PRO SEMIFINAL RESULTS: QF 1: Filipe Toledo (BRA) 15.00 def. Gabe Kling (USA) 12.07 QF 2: Willian Cardoso (BRA) 14.40 def. Hizunome Bettero (BRA) 11.27

BURTON TOYOTA PRO QUARTERFINAL RESULTS: QF 1: Filipe Toledo (BRA) 16.34 def. Nat Young (USA) QF 2: Gabe Kling (USA) 15.67 def. Evan Geiselman (USA) 12.37 QF 3: Willian Cardoso (BRA) 14.90 def. Chris Friend (AUS) 14.40 QF 4: Hizunome Bettero (BRA) 16.16 def. Mitch Crews (AUS) 15.76

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NEWCASTLE, NSW/Australia

Sally Fitzgibbons dominated the surf winning the ASP 6-Star Hunter Ports Women’s Classic on Saturday at Merewether beach making this her second ASP win in a row. Wave selection proved difficult, however, Fitzgibbons managed to edge out Malia Manuel’s (HAW) impressive maneuvers of which she performed so smoothly earlier in the day as she eliminated the reigning ASP Women’s World Champion, Carissa Moore (HAW) in the Quarterfinals of Newcastle’s 2012 Surfest.

“Today was a bit of a struggle to find the good ones,” Fitzgibbons said. “I just had to pick the eyes out of it to find the best waves. The competitive rhythm is back and it’s all feeling good. The first few events this year have gone really well for me. I finished 3rd on the Gold Coast which is good, but also tough not to make the Final. There are things I’ve learned and I’ll use them at Bells. As a 13-year-old we had a Pro Junior event here at Merewether and I was just a little grommet and I took it out, so Newcastle is a special place for me.”

HUNTER PORTS WOMEN’S CLASSIC FINAL RESULT:

1: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 16.70 2: Malia Manuel (HAW) 12.00

HUNTER PORTS WOMEN’S CLASSIC SEMIFINAL RESULTS: SF

1: Malia Manuel (HAW) 14.20 def. Sage Erickson (USA) 12.17 SF 2: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 15.04 def. Courtney Conlogue (USA) 15.00

HUNTER PORTS WOMEN’S CLASSIC QUARTERFINAL RESULTS: QF

1: Sage Erickson (USA) 14.93, def. Paige Hareb (NZL) 12.93 QF 2: Malia Manuel (HAW) 11.66 def. Carissa Moore (HAW) 11.17 QF 3: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 13.34 def. Alizee Arnaud (FRA) 10.37 QF 4: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 13.84 def. Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) 10.50

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Eleven-Time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater rips wave on opening day at Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast_Snapper Rocks 2012

SNAPPER ROCKS, Queensland/Australia 

The top 34 surfers in the world kicked off the 2012 Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast presented by Land Rover with nothing less than all-around great talent and high performance surfing. The ASP World Championship Tour began the season at Snapper Rocks battling in small three-to-four foot sets pressuring the surfers to watch out for the best quality waves up for grabs. Eleven-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (USA), 40, wasted no time eyeballing the deep ones, posting a massive 18.80 out of a possible 20 in the first 10 minutes of his opening heat of 2012 showing his fellow competitors he is as hot as ever, ready and waiting. However, stiff competition awaited as rookie John John Florence (HAW), 19, posted the highest heat total of the day, a near perfect 19.60 out of a possible 20, pulling in with a Round 1 win at his very first Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast.

QUIKSILVER PRO GOLD COAST ROUND 1 RESULTS:

HEAT 1: Adriano De Souza (BRA) 13.83, Taylor Knox (USA) 10.66, Kieren Perrow (AUS) 7.70 HEAT 2: Owen Wright (AUS) 12.37, Bede Durbidge (AUS) 12.34, Kai Otton (AUS) 10.37 HEAT 3: Raoni Monteiro (BRA) 11.63, Yadin Nicol (AUS) 10.37, Gabriel Medina (BRA) 9.60 HEAT 4: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 15.43, Taj Burrow (AUS) 11.43, Brett Simpson (USA) 11.27 HEAT 5: Adam Melling (AUS) 15.70, Joel Parkinson (AUS) 15.43, Dane Reynolds (USA) 14.90 HEAT 6: Kelly Slater (USA) 18.80, Garrett Parkes (AUS) 12.73, Kolohe Andino (USA) 10.60 HEAT 7: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 11.83, Julian Wilson (AUS) 11.83, Travis Logie (ZAF) 8.67 HEAT 8: Miguel Pupo (BRA) 12.00, Jordy Smith (ZAF) 11.96, Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 11.60 HEAT 9: Heitor Alves (BRA) 14.36, Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 14.17, Alejo Muniz (BRA) 10.87 HEAT 10: Michel Bourez (PYF) 12.77, Jeremy Flores (FRA) 11.67, Jadson Andre (BRA) 8.00 HEAT 11: Mick Fanning (AUS) 15.26, Josh Kerr (AUS) 13.67, CJ Hobgood (USA) 11.84 HEAT 12: John John Florence (HAW) 19.60, Damien Hobgood (USA) 16.50, Tiago Pires (PRT) 12.50

QUIKSILVER PRO GOLD COAST ROUND 2 MATCH-UPS:

HEAT 1: Joel Parkinson (AUS) VS. Garrett Parkes (AUS) HEAT 2: Taj Burrow (AUS) VS. Dane Reynolds (USA) HEAT 3: Gabriel Medina (BRA) VS. Yadin Nicol (AUS) HEAT 4: Julian Wilson (AUS) VS. Kai Otton (AUS) HEAT 5: Jordy Smith (ZAF) VS. Taylor Knox (USA) HEAT 6: Alejo Muniz (BRA) VS. Travis Logie (ZAF) HEAT 7: Josh Kerr (AUS) VS. Patrick Gudauskas (USA) HEAT 8: Damien Hobgood (USA) VS. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) HEAT 9: Jeremy Flores (FRA) VS. Jadson Andre (BRA) HEAT 10: Kieren Perrow (AUS) VS. CJ Hobgood (USA) HEAT 11: Bede Durbidge (AUS) VS. Tiago Pires (PRT) HEAT 12: Brett Simpson  (USA) VS. Kolohe Andino (USA)

Great Start On Day 1 at Women’s Roxy Pro

Tyler Wright (AUS)

The Roxy Pro Gold Coast presented By Land Rover kicked off the 2012 ASP Women’s World Championship Tour off to a impressive start despite meeting the stormy conditions stirring up Snapper Rocks. The ladies came out in full-form exploding into the season with some good waves coming through on the first stop of seven of the elite tour. Four-time ASP Women’s World Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 24, is back earning a massive 9.00 in her opening heat of 2012 out of a possible 10. Carissa Moore (HAW), 19, reigning ASP Women’s World Champion held her ground posting a win in her opening heat of 2012.

ROXY PRO GOLD COAST ROUND 1 RESULTS:

HEAT 1: Malia Manuel (HAW) 10.24, Silvana Lima (BRA) 8.73, Courtney Conlogue (USA) 8.10 HEAT 2: Tyler Wright (AUS) 17.70, Lakey Peterson (USA) 12.26, Pauline Ado (FRA) 7.33 HEAT 3: Carissa Moore (HAW) 13.73, Rebecca Woods (AUS) 11.33, Philippa Anderson (AUS) 11.33 HEAT 4: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 14.64, Paige Hareb (NZL) 10.10, Sarah Mason (NZL) 7.94 HEAT 5: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 14.33, Sage Erickson (USA) 13.70, Laura Enever (AUS) 6.40 HEAT 6: Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 12.73, Coco Ho (HAW) 12.13, Jacqueline Silva (BRA) 7.54

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A Magnificent Sight to See

A pod of an estimated 1500-2000 Common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) were recently spotted leaping out of the water, sometimes simultaneously in groups, and as usual, often enjoy riding the bow waves of boats for long period of time. While Captain Dave’s Whale and Dolphin Safari was cruising along the Orange County Coast, it gave sightseers an unforgettable experience of a lifetime when their boat was surrounded on all sides by a playful bunch all too happy to display their highly energetic skills.

Common Dolphins travel in pods, or groups, of around 10-50 individuals and frequently join with other pods to form ‘super-pods’ reaching a number of 100-2000 individuals. These amazing animals are very social and often travel in enormous pods of more than a thousand and are also known to be a very vocal species. If you are ever in Southern California or in the warm tropics it is definitely a day out worth spending just to catch a spectacular glimpse into all the magnificence of these warm temperate waters.

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Please be patient! We are temporarily down in Maintenance Mode as we implement some brand new features to expand our range of services we have scheduled to offer you 2012. 

Happy New Year from the SurfSpots-GPS Team!

Sign on today and support the…

2012

The world welcomes a turn of the page at midnight tonight to ring in a bright new year… may it be be filled with celebration all around the world with the hope for global peace, harmony, prosperity and the promise for a healthy thriving planet as a whole to begin anew 2012.

Cheers!

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Surfline Founder Sean Coliins

The surfing industry and world has changed after the sad news broke the other day that the founder of Surfline, Hall of Fame Surfer Sean Collins, succombed to a fatal heart attack on December 26, 2011.

As we all here at SurfSpotsGPS are still at a loss of words at this time after hearing the shocking news of Sean’s untimely and very sudden death, we would like to sincerely extend our most heartfelt condolences to his entire family, all of his friends and to all of those that dearly loved him.

Visit Surfline.com for more information.

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Surfing Santa Santa, AKA George Trosset of Cocoa Beach, goes stand-up surfing behind his home on Christmas Eve morning – Rik Jesse, 2009 FLORIDA TODAY

COCOA BEACH/Florida