When waves crash on the shore they actually create vibrations in the Earth that can be detected by seismometers and used to determine the power of the waves. Seismologists have been archiving this data from 22 locations across the world for decades. Recently, a researcher noticed a trend in the data indicating that [...]
Archive for the 'Science & Technology' Category
Seismologists say the surf’s up across the globe
Published by April 26th, 2008 in Broceanography, Science & Technology, The Ocean, Waves and World Records. 1 CommentSurfboards that require no waves
Published by April 4th, 2008 in Science & Technology and Surfboards. 1 CommentCheck out these jet-powered surfboards from MonoJet and PowerSki. Gives new meaning to the term “power surfing”. All kidding aside they do look like fun.
The creator of MonoJet, Egon Monostory, claims that the MonoJet surfboard is the lightest, fastest jet-powered surfboard on the market and is capable of speeds up to 40 mph. [...]
New radar satellite technique enables near real-time global swell wave observations
Published by January 27th, 2008 in Science & Technology and Surf Forecasting. 1 CommentThe European Space Agency (ESA) is employing a new technique (based on the same principle as police speed-measuring radar guns) that uses satellite radar data to measure the speed of the moving surface of the ocean. Using this new technique the ESA is able to generate Near Real Time global swell animations.
I’m not an [...]
Surfer may have found the key to the universe
Published by November 20th, 2007 in Science & Technology. 1 CommentCheck out this story about a surfer named Garrett Lisi, who recently stunned the physics community by offering a new “theory of everything” that explains how the universe works. The fact that a surfer is gaining respect from the physics community is pretty cool. Even cooler, though, is the fact that Garrett is [...]
The Ocean in a box
Published by June 29th, 2007 in Science & Technology and Uncategorized. 0 CommentsCheck out this story about a laboratory model of the ocean that fits in a box. It’s pretty cool.
I’m gonna work on getting one to put on my desk, so when work’s bringing me down I can just put my head in it.
Link
Underwater Map of California’s Coast
Published by April 17th, 2007 in Science & Technology and The Ocean. 0 CommentsThe California Coast State Waters Mapping Project aims to map the seafloor off California’s coast. They recently released data that illustrates the seafloor surrounding Mavericks. Visit http://www.mbnms-simon.org to read all about it and check out some cool images and this cool video.
Space Coast Reef: an artificial reef for Florida
Published by November 7th, 2006 in Science & Technology and Waves. 0 CommentsIronically, in the surfing world Florida is known more for producing great surfers, but not great waves. The folks in Coco Beach, FL (home of Kelly Slater) are looking to make some nice waves by installing an artificial reef. They’re working with the same company, ASR Ltd, that designed the Mount Reef in New Zealand. [...]
Nice waves breaking on a man-made reef in NZ
Published by October 6th, 2006 in Science & Technology, The Ocean and Waves. 0 CommentsApparently there weren’t enough waves at the Bay of Plenty, so they had to make more. The Kiwi’s Mount Reef project seems to be a success in terms of the quality of waves that it’s creating. "The artificial reef is designed to have a primary purpose of creating high quality surfing waves. A database showing [...]
Book explores the healing powers of surfing
Published by October 5th, 2006 in Culture, Health & Fitness and Science & Technology. 0 Comments"After spending two years in bed with Lyme disease, Steven Kotler had lost everything: his health, his job, his girl, and, he was beginning to suspect, his mind. Kotler, not a religious man, suddenly found himself drawn to the sport of surfing as if it were the cornerstone of a new faith." Read entire review
I [...]
Ship Tracker & VOS Program
Published by October 3rd, 2006 in Science & Technology, The Ocean and Travel. 0 CommentsHere’s a cool site that tracks ocean-going vessels. Take a look at the map and see just how many ships are out there at once. And it doesn’t even track all vessels, rather just the ones that are part of the World Meteorological Organization’s Voluntary Observing Ship program as well as yachts that report [...]
Earthquakes are actually pretty common, but not in FL
Published by September 15th, 2006 in Science & Technology. 0 CommentsIt kinda surprised me when I read about the recent earthquake that occurred just off of Florida’s Gulf Coast because the area isn’t very well known to be all that active, speaking strictly tectonically of course. Luckily, it wasn’t the type of earthquake that can cause a tsunami.
A friend showed me this cool site [...]
The Aussies have made an advancement in anti-shark technology. SeaChange Technology’s SharkShield device attaches to your ankle like a leash and creates an electro-magnetic field that deters sharks up to 6 meters away.
Link
NOAA’s New Building
Published by September 1st, 2006 in Science & Technology, The Ocean and Waves. 0 CommentsBroceanographers are constantly checking surf reports for current conditions as well as forecasts for the next swell. There are countless websites that report surf and ocean weather conditions. Each site tries to set itself apart from all the others by focusing on specific regions, using fancy graphics, and making claims that they’ve got the most [...]
Upwelling can cause “dead zones” in the ocean
Published by August 31st, 2006 in Science & Technology and The Ocean. 0 CommentsEarlier this month there was an area off the Oregon coast where the seafloor was littered with piles of dead sea life (typically slow-moving sea life, like crabs, worms, jellyfish - but no dead fish were found). This is the fifth year in a row that this has happened in the area, so scientists have [...]
Surfboard with built-in tablet pc
Published by August 21st, 2006 in Entertainment & Media, Gear and Science & Technology. 0 CommentsAlthough this story is a bit dated, I feel it deserves a mention. It’s a surfboard with a built-in wirelss tablet pc, so surfers can surf (the internet) while they’re out in the water.
From the looks of it, the whole thing was more of a gimick to demonstrate wireless technology. Two years have passed since [...]
Underwater gliders monitor ocean conditions
Published by August 11th, 2006 in Science & Technology and The Ocean. 0 CommentsUnderwater gliders are helping oceanographers remotely collect real-time information about water currents, pollution and ocean organisms. They’re currently patroling the waters off the coast of California.
Here’s a link to the project portal and a regularly updated video depicting the gliders movements.
Link
Nearshore Canyon Experiment @ Black’s
Published by August 9th, 2006 in Science & Technology, The Ocean and Waves. 0 CommentsHere are a couple of links to an interesting study of the deep canyons that make the waves at Black’s so special.
http://scrippsnews.ucsd.edu/article_detail.cfm?article_num=591
http://science.whoi.edu/users/elgar/NCEX/ncex.html
More on the WaveHub project
Published by August 5th, 2006 in Environmentalism & Politics and Science & Technology. 0 CommentsSome folks from A1surf report that ona recent trip to the north coast of Cornwall (England), they asked local surf shop owners and surfers what they thought of the impending Wave Hub project.
They were surprised to discover that most people didn’t know anything about the project or it’s potential to degrade the quality of [...]
Up to 10 million different microbes live in the ocean
Published by August 3rd, 2006 in Science & Technology, The Ocean and Wildlife. 0 CommentsUntil now scientists had identified and named about 5,000 different marine microbes, but a recent survey suggests that there could be over 100 times that amount living in our oceans. Using a DNA probe marine biologists found 20,000 microbes living in a single liter of seawater.
"A swimmer taking just a swallow of seawater may be [...]
A pillow that tells you how good the waves are
Published by August 2nd, 2006 in Gear and Science & Technology. 0 CommentsThe Aussies have done it again. This time with a pillow that eliminates the need to get out of bed to check the surf. It communicates wirelessly with special surf-monitoring software that you install on your computer. The pillow vibrates according to the size of the waves, i.e. bigger waves make the pillow vibrate more [...]
Making Better Surf and Cleaner Power
Published by August 1st, 2006 in Science & Technology and The Ocean. 0 CommentsScientists in Australia are taking a novel approach to generating power from wave energy. From the looks of it, this generator would not steal as much of the waves’ power, so surfers would not suffer from smaller waves.
I wonder if the English have looked into using this technology for their proposed wave energy project.
Check it [...]
29,000 plastic ducks adrift in the ocean for 14 years
Published by July 27th, 2006 in Science & Technology and The Ocean. 0 CommentsHere’s a cool story cool story about how researchers are learning more about ocean currents by tracking where the toy ducks wash to shore. Keep your eyes peeled for those ducks - they’re probably worth something.
Link
Some clever engineers have figured out how to use standing waves to form all letters of the Roman alphabet and even some kanji characters. What will they think of next?
Check it out: http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/Science-Fiction-News.asp?NewsNum=695
The Germans have developed a way for wave-deprived people to experience the feeling of riding a wave. City Wave, as they’re calling it, is basically a fake standing wave formed by fashioning a large wave-shaped conveyor belt out of a special non-sticky material that people can ride with special boards. It doesn’t require a drop [...]
The Happy Planet Index
Published by July 19th, 2006 in Culture, Environmentalism & Politics, Science & Technology and Travel. 2 CommentsI hate to be the one to break this to you, but according to the New Economics Foundation, a self-proclaimed "think and do tank", if you live in the U.S., then you’re one of the most unhappy people on the planet. Grab a tissue and choke back your tears for a minute while I explain.
The [...]
Anyone who’s seen or read The Perfect Storm has heard of rogue waves, aka "freak waves", giant waves that form and break far out at sea. These freakishly large waves can obliterate small ships and do serious damage, even sink, large ocean going vessels like oil tankers. Until recently scientists understood little about what causes [...]
Sun screen that protects against sharks
Published by July 13th, 2006 in Gear, Science & Technology and Wildlife. 0 CommentsI love it when a plan comes together. Teeka Tan Products, a company that produces sun care products, and SharkDefense, a R&D company that focuses on chemical shark repellent technologies, are teaming up to produce a single lotion that not only protects humans against the sun’s harmful rays, but from sharks, too. Teeka also offers [...]
Wikiriders brings us collaborative surf maps
Published by July 10th, 2006 in Entertainment & Media, Science & Technology and Travel. 0 CommentsAnyone who appreciates surfing waves and the internet ought to be a fan of Wikiriders, a European site that combines wiki technology and google maps to create a collaborative, interactive map of surfing information. Similar to Wannasurf, anyone can post a surf spot, surf shop, shaper, etc to the Wikiriders map, which is then edited [...]
Get ready for an intergalactic surfing safari.
Published by July 6th, 2006 in Science & Technology and Travel. 0 CommentsSurfing is a lot of fun. Catching a wave can put a smile on the face of even the grouchiest of sourpusses. Nine times out of ten, the stoke is what attracts people to surfing. All it takes is one little stoke to convert a regular person into a surfer. That, coupled with the fact [...]
Surfers vs Environmentalists
Published by July 3rd, 2006 in Culture, Environmentalism & Politics, Science & Technology and The Ocean. 0 CommentsMost surfers typically support green initiatives that promote environmental sustainability, but evidently not when it comes at the cost of smaller waves. Surfers in the south of England (Cornwall) are fighting the construction of a wave energy farm on the grounds that it will reduce the power of the waves by more than 10% along [...]
This is kinda funny . . . like a heart attack.
Published by June 26th, 2006 in Science & Technology and The Ocean. 0 Commentslalatimes.com has a funny article about a fictional company, BuyAWave.com, that tracks ocean waves and sells them online. Fortunately, the idea is a little far-fetched, but not so much that we won’t ever have to worry about some miserable bastards actually trying it, if they figure out how to track ocean waves in greater detail. [...]
SurfParks is looking to make some serious waves
Published by June 26th, 2006 in Culture, Science & Technology and The Ocean. 0 CommentsSet to open their first location in Orlando, FL later this year, SurfParks plans on making some tasty waves, specifically for surfing, in wave pools all over the country. We’re talking waves made by surfers for surfers.
If the idea takes off, it could bring big change to the sport of surfing. Imagine, instead of [...]
FireWire turns surfboard construction inside-out
Published by June 26th, 2006 in Gear and Science & Technology. 0 CommentsAustralians will try anything at least twice. One of their recent developments, the FireWire design, is starting to hit the market.
FireWire combines epoxy resin, a parabolic stringer and vacuum sandwich construction to form a surfboard that is inordinately light and durable. I watched Bird (down at the SouthCoast Surf Shop in Pacific Beach) set [...]
Chasing sophisticated tail
Published by June 26th, 2006 in Gear and Science & Technology. 0 CommentsThe folks at Surf Syndicate are taking tail configuration to the next level with their TinklerTail technology, a variable-flex tail configuration that you adjust while you’re in the water. Inspired by the thrust that dolphins generate with their tails, supposedly, the TinklerTail can generate more thrust than a conventional surfboard tail . . . and [...]
Gravitational waves . . . . sounds heavy.
Published by June 26th, 2006 in Science & Technology. 0 CommentsThis week’s issue of The Economist has an article about scientists trying to catch gravitational waves. They’re not trying to ride the waves (yet) - they’re really just trying to detect the waves and prove that they actually exist.
The basic idea is to use laser interferometry to detect gravity waves. If they can pull [...]
A machine that simulates a hurricane
Published by June 26th, 2006 in Science & Technology. 0 CommentsIn order to gain a better understanding of how and why hurricane force winds destroy buildings, scientists intend to destroy an actual building with a machine that simulates the force of a 200 mph wind.
When they’re done blowing down houses, I wonder if this magical machine could be commissioned to kick up some waves.
