Ocean Leadership News
JOIDES RESOLUTION CONCLUDES EXPEDITION 340 NEXT WEEK
The JOIDES Resolution is nearing the conclusion of operations for Expedition 340 (Lesser Antilles Volcanism and Landslides) and is scheduled to arrive in Curaçao, Dutch Antilles on April 17. The expedition is drilling the last of several sites along the Lesser Antilles, with the goal of better understanding how volcanic island arcs originate and evolve over time. This week, the ship remained near Martinique. The goal is to investigate the underwater traces of pyroclastic flows – fast-moving, deadly mixtures of gases and rock debris – erupted from Martinique’s Mt. Pelée. This volcano is infamous for a particularly violent eruption in 1902. The resulting pyroclastic flow killed nearly 30,000 people and entirely destroyed the town of St. Pierre, earning it the title of the deadliest volcanic disaster of the 20th century. For more information, please see the Expedition 340 web page.
15th ANNUAL NATIONAL OCEAN SCIENCES BOWL APPROACHING
The 15th Annual National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB) is taking place April 20-22, 2012 in Baltimore, Maryland at the Sheraton Baltimore City Center Hotel. Twenty-five teams will compete in this ocean science education competition. Along with the Finals competition, the students will participate in a number of hands-on, ocean science activities during the weekend, including a career mentoring event with leaders in the science field; a talk with Jim Toomey, popular American cartoonist famous for his comic Sherman’s Lagoon; a behind the scenes tour and dinner at the National Aquarium, Baltimore; and multiple fieldtrips, including measuring ecosystem health and canoeing on Balk Walnut Creek with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation; conducting lab experiments at the Towson Laboratory; participating in tours and scientific assessments of the Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary; and conducting marine debris research and zip lining at North Bay Adventure.
The 25 teams competing in the 15th Annual NOSB Finals are:
- Aloha Bowl – Maui High School
- Bay Scallop Bowl – The Bronx High School of Science
- Blue Crab Bowl – Chesapeake Bay Governor’s School
- Blue Heron Bowl – Raleigh Charter High School
- Blue Lobster Bowl – Lexington High School
- Chesapeake Bay Bowl – State College Area High School
- Dolphin Challenge – Langham Creek High School
- Great Lakes Bowl – Dexter High School
- Grunion Bowl – Scripps Ranch High School
- Hurricane Bowl – Long Beach High School
- Lake Sturgeon Bowl – Marshfield High School
- Loggerhead Challenge – Annapolis Christian Academy
- Los Angeles Surf Bowl – Santa Monica High School
- Manatee Bowl – Westwood Marine & Oceanographic Academy
- Nor’easter Bowl – Contoocook Valley Regional
- Orca Bowl – Friday Harbor High School
- Penguin Bowl – Medina High School
- Quahog Bowl – Ledyard High School
- Salmon Bowl – Treasure Valley Math and Science Center
- Sea Lion Bowl – Albany High School
- Shore Bowl – Marine Academy of Science & Technology
- Southern Stingray Bowl – Dutch Fork High School
- Spoonbill Bowl – Eastside High School
- Trout Bowl – Loveland High School
- Tsunami Bowl – Juneau-Douglas High School
For more information on the competition weekend, click here.
CHIKYU UNDERWAY ON EXPEDITION 343
On April 1, the drillship Chikyu set out on Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 343 (Japan Trench Fast Drilling Project). After a tumultuous first week beset by stormy seas, the ship is now onsite and operations are underway. Planned in response to the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, the expedition seeks to investigate the geophysical signatures left behind by that devastating event. The fault moved an extraordinarily large distance – as much as 50 meters by some estimates. To determine why, the science team will retrieve core samples and make measurements of the residual heat left behind as a result of the fault movement. For more information, please see the Expedition 343 web page.
OCEAN LEADERSHIP TO PARTICIPATE IN THE USA SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FESTIVAL
The second USA Science and Engineering Festival is taking place at the Washington Convention Center (WCC) in Washington, DC from April 27-29, 2012. The Festival begins with a sneak peek on Friday for invited groups and individuals, and opens to the public on Saturday, April 28 from 10 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Sunday, April 29 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The Consortium for Ocean Leadership will host a 30-foot booth (#3822 in Hall A) with interactive activities by the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program, the National Ocean Sciences Bowl and the Ocean Observatories Initiative. Ocean Leadership will also participate in the Festival’s “Encounters with Scientists and Engineers” side-career event on Saturday, April 28 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Career Pavilion in the WCC.
The Festival is free. For more information, click here.
↑ Table of Contents
