Wave Glider brings fresh ocean data to Australia

Liquid Robotics has set loose 4 robot data collection Wave Gliders across the Pacific. Here's some information from their website http://liquidr.com/pacx/pacific-crossing.html

PacX Wave Glider "Papa Mau" arrives in Australia, setting a new world record!

PacX Wave Glider “Papa Mau”, completed his 9,000 nautical mile (16,668 kilometers) scientific journey across the Pacific Ocean to set a new world record for the longest distance traveled by an autonomous vehicle. Throughout his journey, Papa Mau navigated along a prescribed route under autonomous control collecting and transmitting unprecedented amounts of high-resolution ocean data never before available over these vast distances or timeframes.

During Papa Mau’s journey, he weathered gale force storms, fended off sharks, spent more than 365 days at sea, skirted around the Great Barrier Reef, and finally battled and surfed the East Australian Current (EAC) to reach his final destination in Hervey Bay near Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia.

“To say we are excited and proud of Papa Mau reaching his final destination is an understatement,” said Bill Vass, CEO of Liquid Robotics.



www.ausmepa.org.au

ECO Environmental Careers and Opportunities Expo, Brisbane

Thanks very much to the Reef Guardians here for bringing this event for students, parents and teachers to our attention. 

We are advised that It will be held Tuesday 23 July 2013 at The Edge, Southbank, Brisbane.

Wild Mob, Volunteers for Wilderness Conservation here, is partnering with the Land Trust, Nudgee Beach Environmental Education Centre and The Smith Family to host this great event, highlighting the opportunities that are available. 

The event includes:

·         A range of industry professionals sharing their experiences

·         Study options for the future

·         Volunteer opportunities

·         Interactive displays and stall

·         Education workshops

·         Lucky door prizes.

There are two sessions, from 10-2pm (schools) and from 3-6pm (students and parents). For more information and to register, please email Renee at Wild Mob on renee@wildmob.org.

www.ausmepa.org.au

TeachWild Marine Debris Art Competition Alert 2013

See TeachWild website here

Join TeachWild and the fight against marine debris by putting your hands up and showing your support.

For this year’s World Oceans Day, TeachWild is asking all schools and community groups to participate in a national art competition. We are asking classes to create artwork in the shape of a hand using only marine debris found to tell the message. You can use the rubbish found from your local beaches, creeks, rivers or anywhere else that ultimately ends up in the oceans. The more creative you can get the better. We will also have a sustainability prize pack for the winning class (more details to follow).

To find out how you can get involved in TeachWild’s national art competition 

Please register your interest in participating in the fight against marine debris by contacting Nonnie Kamau (see below) by email for more details. Artwork will be showcased at an event in early June therefore places will be limited by registering your interest. 

Quick facts on the competition:

ü  Competition is in recognition to World Ocean’s Day on June 8.

ü  Artwork is to be made up marine debris and made into the shape of a hand

ü  Get your class to submit video questions for CSIRO scientists to answer at the event

ü  Entries close May 17^th 2013

So hands up! Who would like to work towards cleaner marine environment?

For further information contact: 

Nonnie Kamau  mkamau@earthwatch.org.au

Programs Support

Earthwatch Australia

www.teachwild.org.au

126 Bank Street, South Melbourne, VIC 3205

Office: +61 (03) 9016 7590  l   Direct: +61 (03) 8102 1206  l   earthwatch.org.au

Connect with Earthwatch on      

www.ausmepa.org.au

WETPAPER announces marine education resources

Good friends at publishers, Wetpaper, have announced new teacher resources that will be of interest to teachers in Australia.

____________________________________________

FOUR NEW resources for 2014 Marine Science 

Marine Research Skills (Text book)

SEE TABLE 1 BELOW

Snorkelling transects, inexpensive sampling devices and oceanographic equipment, locate position GPS, safety, risk assessment PLUS how to snorkel or sample data from a surfboard or boat, drive a small research dingy and moor at a buoy to study tidal flows, locate sampling sites positions on a chart, plot a course and work out time for daily research activities, send a radio message back to a research station, analyse weather and tidal information for research projects and much more. 

REF: Workbooks and Project Books

http://www.wetpaper.com.au/

Marine Science Exercises (Homework book)   

SEE TABLE 2 BELOW

Combines ALL the exercises and worksheets from existing 25 years of Wet Paper curriculum development into one resource. Separate Year 11 and 12 sections to allow concept to be repeated and become more complex (a la Syllabus requirements). Great for new or replacement teachers as a survival guide. 

REF: Oceanography Exercises

http://www.wetpaper.com.au/products/StudentWorkbooks/oceanographyexer.html

REF: Marine Biology Exercises

http://www.wetpaper.com.au/products/StudentWorkbooks/mbexcercise.html

Research Bay (Practice Chart)   

Based on Pages 32-33 Navigation Workbook 2^nd Edition, Research Bay takes in all the exercises on the soon to be out of copyright Hillsborough Channel (1964) chart.  Charts are A3 and available in bundles of 100 at low cost

Marine Science Flipbooks (Homework web based books)   

Find out more at http://www.wetpaper.com.au/fliptrial/

Feedback or questions

Bob Moffatt

Mobile 0418 769 790

bmoffatt@wetpaper.com.au

 www.ausmepa.org.au

Recycled Orchestra; reducing landfill and turning it into music

Out of a landfill has sprung a remarkable recycling phenomenon - an entire orchestra made from waste. "Los Reciclados" (the Recycled Orchestra) is the brainchild of Favio Chavez here and the setting is the town of Cateura, Paraguay. 

What a brilliant testimonial of the spirit and adaptability of human kind. Another step forward in the battle against waste pollution with flair!

You can follow the effort on Facebook here

Marine Educators; you and your students might be interested to begin your discussion of marine pollution by creating a seaside soundscape from recycled materials. If you are feeling a little out of your depth it would be wise to see if you can collaborate with your music and art teachers.

However, an easy start is to find a flat container like an old drawer. Add a cup of beach sand to swish around. The result is much like the sound of a gentle wave on the seashore. Try other small articles to see how the sound changes. Using the Landfill Harmonics as inspiration you can begin to think outside the box a bit further incorporating hollow objects for percussion sounds or modifying them further for stringed instruments. 

The resulting soundscape may well satisfy a range of curriculum requirements and provide a great accompaniment for marine studies and your stories of the sea.


www.ausmepa.org.au

Lynchpin; Art meets science on polward shift of biota

Telling the story about changing seas through art...

Lynchpin Scholars for 2012

TTasmanian East coast waters as a global ocean warming ‘hot spot’

Forests of the Sea – the animation aims to give an overview of a local science story: a visual narrative with simple and short word cues to aide the story-line

Telling the story of how the artwork came to be...




Great work!





www.ausmepa.org.au

AUSMEPA ship members; SUN ENTERPRISES

Atlantic Hero

Hosting quality ships as members who promote high environmental and safety standards on the sea is a source of great pride to the Australian Marine Environment Protection Association (AUSMEPA) a not for profit founded in July 2000. 

AUSMEPA uses the following guidelines to determine ship quality and assess potential ships for AUSMEPA membership, any one will qualify a ship for consideration:

• Two continuous years free of detention under Australia's port State control regime;

• A US Coast Guard QUALSHIP 21 Certificate;

• A Green Award certificate;

• Any other internationally recognised certificate or record providing evidence of the ships' quality and safety record, e.g. from a ship vetting company

For many years Sun Enterprises Ltd has been one of the international companies whose ships are entitled to fly the AUSMEPA flag as a message to their peers of their commitment to "an uncompromising pursuit quality". 


When Captain Michael Fragias of Sun Enterprises was asked what he liked about the AUSMEPA program he replied, "Sun Enterprises was among the early supporters of the Hellenic Marine Environment Protection Association (HELMEPA) initiatives launched in 1982 in Greece. A great number of shore and sea-going personnel are members of HELMEPA."

"AUSMEPA was one of the first followers of the worldwide effort to protect our seas from any source of pollutants."


"In appreciation of AUSMEPA objectives, aiming to protect the earth's natural systems and as some of our managed vessels are regularly trading in Australia, the management of Sun Enterprises, always acting on behalf of the Owners, decided for some dry-cargo vessels to participate in the AUSMEPA ship membership."


"For all of us in Sun Enterprises Ltd, protection of the sea and marine environment is absolutely vital for the sustainable development of mankind and in general in preserving all living species in this unique blue planet, our earth."

AUSMEPA would like to thank Captain Fragias and Sun Enterprises Ltd. for their commitment to clean seas and a healthy planet. 

You can view all participating ship members on the AUSMEPA website here

www.ausmepa.org.au