What Goes Around Comes Around

Lead Formed at One Hydrothermal Vent Follows Circuitous Path to Another. Scientists studying hydrothermal vents have found something all too familiar: pollution. Marine geologist George Kamenov of the University of Florida at Gainesville and colleagues discovered an "anthropogenic influence" at the Marsili Seamount in the southeastern Tyrrhenian Sea. They published their results in the June 2006 issue of the journal Marine Geology.

Avoiding Trouble in the Deep Sea

Swift and wide-ranging actions are needed to conserve the world's deep seas, amid concerns that our exploitation of the open oceans is passing the point of no return, states a recently released (June 16, 2006) report by The World Conservation Union (IUCN): Ecosystems and Biodiversity in Deep Waters and High Seas. The call is made to governments around the world by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and IUCN. The report argues that the many lessons learned in conservation of nearshore, coastal ecosystems should be adapted and applied to the deep-sea and open ocean.

Diamonds in the Sea's Depths

A Country's Best Friend? X marks treasure on a map of the sea bottom off Australia, say some. The world's first map showing the location of offshore minerals was released on August 10, 2006, by Australia's CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Research Organization).

A Voluntary Closure of Deepwater Trawling

Fishing Companies Form the World's First Voluntary Deepwater Trawling Closures. Fools' Flat, it's called, this deep-sea bank in the southern Indian Ocean. Here, strong upwelling currents sustain extensive coral beds and a profusion of other marine life. But Fools' Flat, East Broken Ridge, Atlantis Bank, and eight other deep-sea areas almost became fools' gold: their resources were set to be trawled by deep-sea fishers, leaving little but broken coral in their wake.

Dybas, C.L. 2006. Ripple marks—The story behind the story. Oceanography 19(4):14–17, https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2006.32.

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