Seas – Latest News

New species of sea monster with 20 arms found lurking in the frozen seas around

admin — Sat, 12 Aug 2023 06:59:15 +0000

New species of sea monster with 20 arms is found lurking in the frozen seas around Antarctica

Published: 18:10 EDT, 11 August 2023 | Updated: 02:07 EDT, 12 August 2023

Scientists trawling on board a research vessel off the coast of Antarctica have caught a new undersea creature — one with 20 arms and a distinctive body, shaped a little bit like a strawberry.

The purpose of the researchers’ expeditions, conducted between 2008 and 2017, had been the hunt for ‘cryptic’ sea animals: a group known as Promachocrinus, or Antarctic feather stars.

Although similar to other invertebrate ocean animals, like starfish and sea cucumbers, feather stars are distinct both in their ‘large’ size and ‘otherworldly appearance’ when swimming, the researchers said.

The eldritch-looking horrors can live anywhere from 65 feet to about 6,500 feet beneath the ocean’s surface, where they found eight unique species on their mission, including four never before named by scientists.

Scientists trawling from a research vessel off the coast of Antarctica have caught a new undersea creature — one with 20 arms which they have named the Antarctic strawberry feather star or Promachocrinus fragarius

The entire group known as Promachocrinus, or Antarctic feather stars, can live anywhere from 65 feet to about 6,500 feet beneath the ocean’s surface, where the researchers with Scripps found eight unique species on their mission, including four never before named by scientists.

The specimens unearthed during preceding expeditions had long been presumed, though without verification, to exemplify this species.

Until this point, only a singular species had unequivocally been recognized as a constituent of this genus, designated as Promachocrinus kerguelensis.

The scholars noted that their capacity to aptly classify numerous additional distinct members within the genus had only now become possible thanks an examination of both DNA and physical morphology, or shape, of these organisms.

The Antarctic strawberry feather star, the team said, can range in color from ‘purplish’ to ‘dark reddish.’

The new study was published this July in the peer-reviewed journal Invertebrate Systematics.

Even as these researchers may have unraveled one enigma of the sea, an abundance of undiscovered species remains in the uncharted realm.

Comprehensive exploration will be indispensable to gaining even a basic understanding of the profusion of life within the Antarctic waters, they said.

Now SHARKS could get even angrier in warmer seas as world’s oceans hit hottest EVER

admin — Sat, 05 Aug 2023 06:29:36 +0000

Now SHARKS could get even angrier in warmer seas as world’s oceans hit hottest EVER recorded temperature of 20.96C after climate change heats up the planet’s waters, scientists warn

By Colin Fernandez Environment Correspondent and Jack Wright

Updated: 21:03 EDT, 4 August 2023

Now sharks could become even angrier after the world’s oceans have hit their highest recorded surface temperature, according to scientists.

Copernicus, the EU’s weather service, revealed yesterday that the sea surface temperatures reached an average of 20.96C – beating the previous highest logged in 2016 of 20.95C.

Warmer seas spell trouble for fish and coral and could lead to a rise in sea levels. As oceans warm, fish such as cod may have to move further north to reach the cooler seas they prefer.

And predators such as sharks could become aggressive because they get confused in hotter conditions. The University of Southampton’s Dr Simon Boxall told the Telegraph: ‘Sharks getting grumpy wouldn’t surprise me at all. Fish are pretty jumpy about temperature.’

A spokesman for Copernicus said yesterday: ‘The record is broken. The oceans are the hottest recorded.’

Now sharks could become even angrier after the world’s oceans have hit their highest recorded surface temperature, according to scientists

Average sea temperatures have been climbing steadily since records started back in the late 1970s, the data shows. Here, daily global sea surface temperature (°C) are plotted as a time series for each year from January 1, 1979 to July 23, 2023. The years 2023 and 2016 are shown with thick lines shaded in bright red and dark red, respectively. Other years are shown with thin lines and shaded according to the decade, from blue (1970s) to brick red (2020s)

WMO says July is sure to be the hottest month ‘by a significant margin’. Pictured are the 30 warmest months on record globally

Samantha Burgess, from the climate monitoring service, says March should be when the oceans are the warmest globally, not August. She told the BBC: ‘The fact we’ve seen the record now makes me nervous about how much warmer the ocean might get between now and next March’.

The record temperatures are partly driven by the El Nino weather phenomenon – the unusual warming of surface waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean – with 2016 also being an El Nino year.

But global warming is likely to be pushing up temperatures, she said. ‘The more we burn fossil fuels, the more excess heat will be taken out by the oceans, which means the longer it will take to stabilise them and get them back to where they were,’ Dr Burgess added.

Dr Katie Longo, from the Marine Stewardship Council, said: ‘It could mean fish such as cod drop in numbers. Cod feed on tiny shrimp-like creatures called copepods, and the changing temperature can mean the copepods breed at the wrong time for the cod larvae to feed on’.

Dr Kathryn Lesneski, who is monitoring a marine heatwave in the Gulf of Mexico for the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told the BBC: ‘The water feels like a bath when you jump in.

Air surface temperatures are usually the main metric looked at when considering temperature rises, but ocean temperatures are key indicators too (file photo)

‘Right now there is widespread coral bleaching at shallow reefs in Florida and many corals have already died.’

Scientists are investigating the reasons behind why the oceans are so hot but say that climate change is making the seas much warmer as they absorb most of the heating from greenhouse gas emissions.

The broken temperature record follows a series of marine heatwaves this year including in the UK, the North Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the Gulf of Mexico.

Professor Rowan Sutton, from the University of Reading and National Centre for Atmospheric Science, said: ‘The ocean warming is concerning.

‘The latest sea surface temperature data from Copernicus suggests we may be experiencing not just a record-breaking extreme event but a record-shattering one.

‘And this is not simply for a local measure of temperature, but for a global one, which will have much greater impacts.

‘Whilst there are certainly short-term factors, the major long-term cause is without any doubt the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere caused by human activities, primarily burning fossil fuels.

‘This is yet another alarm bell that screams out for the most urgent actions to limit future warming and to adapt to the serious changes that are unfolding before our eyes.’

Tickets for 2024 debut voyage of the world’s biggest cruise ship Icon of the Seas have

admin — Tue, 01 Aug 2023 00:10:15 +0000

It’s the world’s biggest cruise ship and tickets are selling by the boatload.

Royal Caribbean has revealed that Icon of the Seas has been the fastest-selling ship in a maiden season in the cruise line’s history, with only limited spaces available for its debut Caribbean voyage in January 2024, which will depart from Miami.

And with CEO Michael Bayley telling investors this year that Icon of the Seas – which has a capacity for 7,600 guests – is the ‘best-selling product in the history of the business’, the mood at Royal Caribbean is undoubtedly buoyant.

Royal Caribbean’s floating city has been filmed out on the open water for the first time as she underwent sea trials ahead of her public launch.

Icon of the Seas sailed hundreds of miles on the open sea before returning to the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland, where she’s currently under construction.

Royal Caribbean has revealed that Icon of the Seas has been the fastest-selling ship in a maiden season in the cruise line’s history

Incredible video footage shows the colossal vessel, which is 1,198ft (365m) long and weighs 250,800 gross tonnes, gliding through the water, dwarfing the tug boats deployed to help steer her.

The camera also spins around the multi-coloured slides on the upper deck of the vessel. They are among some of the standout features on board, which will also include the first suspended infinity pool at sea and a three-storey family suite.

A third scene offers a close-up of the ship’s livery, while other clips show workers testing the ship’s key technical areas.

Carrying out the sea trials involved more than 2,000 specialists, four 37 to 67-tonne tugboats and more than 350 hours of work, Royal Caribbean reveals.

It notes that during the trials, preliminary tests were carried out on everything from the main engines and the hull to the ship’s brake system, steering and noise levels.

However, it says that Icon of the Seas passed its first sea trials’ with flying colours’, with its second sea trial due to take place later this year.

Icon of the Seas is the world’s biggest cruise ship, taking the title from another Royal Caribbean vessel – Wonder of the Seas

Icon of the Seas has been filmed out on the open water for the first time as she underwent sea trials ahead of her January 2024 launch

The latest construction update for the ship is that the ‘crew neighbourhood’ is being built. A space spread over four decks, it’s designed to be a ‘home away from home’ for the 2,350 crew members on board.

Icon of the Seas is taking the title of the world’s biggest cruise ship from another Royal Caribbean vessel, Wonder of the Seas, which is slightly smaller at 1,187ft (362m) long and a weight of 236,857 gross tonnes.

The ship’s three-storey family suite comes complete with its own white picket fence and mailbox. Other room options for guests include the ‘Surfside Family Suite’, with alcoves for kids ‘tucked away from the adults’, ‘Sunset Corner Suites’ and ‘Panoramic Ocean View’ quarters.

Once they’re out of bed, guests will find so many water features they may have trouble distinguishing the boat from the ocean.

Incredible video footage spins around the multi-coloured slides on the upper deck of the vessel, which are among some of the standout features on board

For starters, Icon of the Seas will feature the largest waterpark at sea – called ‘Category 6’ – containing six ‘record-breaking’ slides: ‘Pressure Drop’ and its 66-degree incline – ‘the industry’s first open free-fall slide’; the 46ft- (14m) tall ‘Frightening Bolt’, the tallest drop slide at sea; ‘Storm Surge’ and ‘Hurricane Hunter’, the first family raft slides at sea – and ‘Storm Chasers’, which Royal Caribbean claims is ‘cruising’s first mat-racing duo’.

The waterpark will be on Thrill Island, which Royal Caribbean trumpets as a ‘lost island adventure where vacationers can test their limits and scale new heights’.

Icon of the Seas will also debut the line’s first swim-up bar at sea – called ‘Swim & Tonic’ – and ‘Royal Bay Pool’, the ‘largest pool at sea’. Both of these features will be on ‘Chill Island’.

The vessel will sail seven-night Caribbean voyages throughout 2024

Icon of the Seas passed its first sea trials ‘with flying colours’. Above is a rendering of the ‘Overlook Lounge’

Icon of the Seas will feature a multi-level room with its own slide, illustrated in this rendering

The suspended infinity pool, meanwhile, will be in an area called The Hideaway and surrounded by a multi-level sun terrace with whirlpools.

Once guests have dried off they’re sure to be lured to ‘AquaDome’, a ‘transformational place unlike any other’ that’s perched at the top of the ship.

Royal Caribbean describes it as a ‘tranquil oasis by day’, where guests can enjoy a bite or drink while soaking up wraparound ocean views and gazing at an ‘awe-inspiring waterfall’.

By night, we’re told, the venue becomes ‘a vibrant place that’s great for a night out, complete with restaurants, bars and aqua shows’.

The vessel will sail seven-night Caribbean voyages throughout 2024. And in 2025? Another Icon-class ship will be launching. Watch this space.

Royal Caribbean said: ‘Since we revealed Icon of the Seas in October 2022, we have seen an incredible reaction. This interest contributed to the single largest bookings day and highest volume booking week in Royal Caribbean’s 54-year history when we opened Icon for sale. The ship has continued to be one of the strongest preforming in our fleet with sailings across its maiden season sold out. In fact, we have seen the one-of-a-kind Ultimate Family Townhouse sold across all of 2023.

‘With a more than 50-year history in building incredible ships and delivering memorable vacations to millions of guests, we are excited to officially welcome it to the fleet in January 2024.’

Visit royalcaribbean.com for more information.