Ocean Power - Is Ocean Power a Viable Energy Source? Dear EarthTalk: Alternative energy sources like wind power, hydrogen and biofuels are getting a lot of headlines these days, but what about efforts to generate electricity from the ocean’s waves?-- Tina Cook, Naples, FL As any board or body surfer will tell you, the ocean’s tidal currents pack considerable wallop. So why wouldn’t it make sense to harness all that formidable ocean power—which is not unlike that of the rivers that drive hydropower dams or the wind that drives wind turbines—to make energy? Is Ocean Power an Option? The concept is simple, says John Lienhard, a University of Houston mechanical engineering professor: “Every day the moon’s gravitational pull lifts countless tons of water up into, say, the East River or the Bay of Fundy. Ocean Wave Power In harnessing wave power, the back-and-forth or up-and-down movement of waves can be captured, for example, to force air in and out of a chamber to drive a piston or spin a turbine that can power a generator.
10 Ways to Help Save the Ocean Meghan MacGillivray, Sarah Bedolfe, and Sarah Wilson | October 08 2012 The ocean is massive, and a lot of the problems facing it are too. It can feel overwhelming to look at these issues. Here are a few things that you and I can do, on an individual level, to help make change. Eat Sustainable Seafood: Overfishing is a global problem, and many common fishing and farming methods result in major habitat damage or large amounts of bycatch – other species are caught unintentionally and are often thrown back dead. Ocean Energy - Renewable Energy World Ocean Energy Workers install equipment for an ocean thermal energy conversion experiment in 1994 at Hawaii's Natural Energy Laboratory. Credit: A. Resnick, Makai Ocean Engineering, Inc. The ocean can produce two types of energy: thermal energy from the sun's heat, and mechanical energy from the tides and waves. Oceans cover more than 70% of Earth's surface, making them the world's largest solar collectors. Ocean thermal energy is used for many applications, including electricity generation. Ocean mechanical energy is quite different from ocean thermal energy. A barrage (dam) is typically used to convert tidal energy into electricity by forcing the water through turbines, activating a generator. Subscribe Read More Ocean Energy News Here Ocean Energy News & Information: Ocean energy content for this section provided in part by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the Department of Energy. Types Of Renewable Energy Stay Connected Trending Articles Total Access Partners
OVERFISHING • Stop the Problem of Ocean Acidification Global warming has been a hot topic in the ocean world, and it is because of ocean acidification, known as 'the other global warming problem.' As the acidity of the oceans increases, it will have devastating impacts on marine life, including plankton, corals and shellfish, and the animals that eat them. But you can do something about this problem right now - reduce global warming by taking simple steps that will likely save money in the long run - drive less, walk more, use less electricity and water - you know the drill.
The Energy Story - Chapter 14: Ocean Energy The world's ocean may eventually provide us with energy to power our homes and businesses. Right now, there are very few ocean energy power plants and most are fairly small. But how can we get energy from the ocean? There are three basic ways to tap the ocean for its energy. Wave Energy Kinetic energy (movement) exists in the moving waves of the ocean. When the wave goes down, air flows through the turbine and back into the chamber through doors that are normally closed. This is only one type of wave-energy system. Most wave-energy systems are very small. Tidal Energy Another form of ocean energy is called tidal energy. Tidal energy has been used since about the 11th Century, when small dams were built along ocean estuaries and small streams. the tidal water behind these dams was used to turn water wheels to mill grains. In order for tidal energy to work well, you need large increases in tides. This facility is called the La Rance Station in France. Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC)
101+ Ways to Make a Difference ~ Solutions that Protect the Ocean » Also recommended: Tips from Scientists to Help Polar Bears @ Polar Bears International Try to keep things in perspective. Be mindful of the big problems, but focus on solving them through the things we can all do everyday to help reduce them. Develop a positive outlook: First, accept that you are only able to control your actions and responses to changing conditions around you.Take responsibility for your actions in all things. What you can do to protect the ocean Do you know what the number one thing you can do is to protect the ocean? Patronize restaurants that recognize the need to consume seafood sustainably. Things you can do inside the home (yes these also protect ocean life) If you own your home, install water-saving toilets. Things you can do outside (yes these also protect ocean life) Food for thought Take a reusable bag grocery shopping, to the drugstore etc. Make it a lifestyle Learn about conservation issues in your community or state. "Save Our Seas (SOS)!" . is all about. .
energy - definition of energy by the Free Online Dictionary energy [ˈenədʒɪ] A. N ( gen ) → energía f ; (= strength ) → vigor m electrical/atomic/solar energy → energía f eléctrica/atómica/solar Secretary (of State) for Energy → Secretario/a m/f (de Estado)de Energía Minister of Energy → Ministro/a m/f de Energía Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005 energy [ˈɛnə r dʒi] n (= strength, stamina ) [ person ] → énergie f energy energy : energy balance n (of body) → Energiehaushalt m energy efficiency n → Energieeffizienz f energy-efficient adj → energieeffizient energy-intensive adj → energieintensiv energy supplies pl → Energievorräte pl Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. energy ( ˈenədʒi ) – plural ˈenergies – noun 1. the ability to act, or the habit of acting, strongly and vigorously. ˌenerˈgetic ( -ˈdʒetik ) adjective ˌenerˈgetically adverb en·er·gy
U.S. Fishermen Throw Away 2 Billion Pounds Of Fish A Year Trawler nets the size of football fields. 50-mile longlines. Gillnets two miles wide. These are the tools of the modern fishing trade, and the impact is indiscriminate. A lot of good fish reaches our tables. A new report from Oceana, a ocean conservation group, totals up the "bycatch" problem, and the numbers are fairly staggering. Below is an infographic summarizing the report, and naming the nine worst—as in most wasteful—fisheries in America. Oceana is calling on the federal government to improve the counting at fisheries, including all unwanted catch. "Proven solutions and innovative management strategies can significantly reduce the unnecessary deaths of sharks, sea turtles, dolphins, and other marine life, while maintaining vibrant fisheries," says Geoff Shester, Oceana's California program director, in a press release. Here's the full infographic:
Forms of Energy Back to Table of Contents What are the different forms of energy? Energy has a number of different forms, all of which measure the ability of an object or system to do work on another object or system. In other words, there are different ways that an object or a system can possess energy. Here are the different basic forms: Kinetic Energy: Consider a baseball flying through the air. The formula for Kinetic energy, and for some of the other forms of energy described in this section will, is given in a later section of this primer. Potential Energy: Consider a book sitting on a table. Thermal, or heat energy: Consider a hot cup of coffee. Chemical Energy: Consider the ability of your body to do work. Electrical Energy All matter is made up of atoms, and atoms are made up of smaller particles, called protons (which have positive charge), neutrons (which have neutral charge), and electrons (which are negatively charged). Electrochemical Energy: Consider the energy stored in a battery. Sound Energy:
Shark Finning Human beings are skilled at justification. Every year humans slaughter over 100 million sharks yet we depict them as vicious and blood-thirsty killers. No more than 12 people a year are killed by sharks worldwide. In fact is more dangerous to play golf than to swim in the ocean with sharks. More golfers are struck by lightning and killed each year than the total number of shark fatalities. Yes, we also kill them for their teeth and jaws, and we kill them for shark leather for shoes and belts. We kill sharks because of our fear of them, for food, for sport, and most disturbing of all - so that some of us can make a tasteless, expensive soup to impress our family and friends. It is the mass slaughter of sharks on longlines and in nets for the sole purpose of taking their fins that is responsible for the incredible diminishment of shark populations around the world. The fins are highly prized. Sharks are Endangered Over 8,000 tons of shark fins are processed each year.