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NEWS ABOUT: Pacific Ocean

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Cruise Ship Rescues Sailor on Around-the-World Try

Alain Delord was adrift for 3 days after losing yacht

(Newser) - A 63-year-old sailor was rescued today after three days adrift off the coast of Tasmania, reports the BBC . Frenchman Alain Delord was picked up by a cruise ship returning from Antarctica after he was forced to abandon his yacht on Friday when the mast broke during his around-the-world attempt. Authorities... More »

Solved: Case of the Missing Island

'Sandy Island' error blamed on 19th-century chart

(Newser) - There was some consternation last month when researchers sailed out to a Pacific island only to find that it wasn't there . Now, a New Zealand researcher says he can explain how the nonexistent Sandy Island got onto many maps. It all comes down to a whaling ship that passed... More »

Whoops: Much-Mapped Island Doesn't Actually Exist

Scientists head to Sandy Island, find nothing

(Newser) - Planning an island vacation? A word to the wise: Don't visit Sandy Island, supposedly off Australia's northeast coast. It's simply not there. Scientists at the University of Sydney journeyed to the spot where the island is supposed to be according to many maps (including Google's). Between... More »

Rogue Bizman Dumps 100 Tons of Iron Into Sea in 'Experiment'

Canada probing possible treaty violations

(Newser) - A California businessman dumped 100 tons of iron sulphate dust into the Pacific Ocean as part of a rogue "experiment" that has infuriated scientists and government officials. The operation launched by Russ George, 62, spewed the dust off western Canada in exchange for $2.5 million from a native... More »

Hurricane Emilia Strengthens to Category 4

But storm is still far out in the Pacific, expected to weaken

(AP) - Hurricane Emilia is moving over the open Pacific as a powerful Category 4 storm but remains far from land. The hurricane's maximum sustained winds today were near 130mph. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said the storm was expected to begin a gradual weakening tonight. Emilia is centered about... More »

Anti-Freckle Jar Key Clue to Amelia Earhart Crash Site?

More evidence that she may have lived as castaway on Pacific island

(Newser) - Out, damn spots! Legendary flyer Amelia Earhart hated her freckles, and now a very old jar of anti-freckle cream discovered on a remote Pacific island is adding to evidence that searches may have found her final resting place. The jar, broken in five pieces, was found by researchers for the... More »

Expedition Charts 'Plasticized' Pacific

'Synthetic soup' extends far into western Pacific

(Newser) - An expedition charting the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" has been hauling out depressing amounts of plastic from the little-studied waters of the western North Pacific gyre. "We've been finding lots of micro plastics, all the size of a grain of rice or a small marble," the... More »

Plastic in Pacific Has Grown 100-Fold Since 1970s

Study takes a look at the 'Great Pacific Garbage Patch'

(Newser) - Humanity has tossed a lot of plastic into the Pacific Ocean in the last 40 years. The level of small plastic pieces in the so-called "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" has increased 100-fold over that span, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography found in a new study. "We did not... More »

Mystery Deepens as 500 Pelicans Die in Peru

Deaths in same area as mass dolphin die-off

(Newser) - More dead sea creatures are turning up on the shores of Peru. Over the past several days, 538 pelicans, 54 boobies, five sea lions, and a turtle have been found along a 40-mile stretch of coast, reports the BBC . The animals apparently died on the beach, and not at sea,... More »

Fukushima Radiation Found in California Kelp

'It's not a good thing,' says researcher

(Newser) - A major fallout from Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant disaster has hit the coast of California, according to scientists. Radioactive iodine was found in giant kelp beds off Laguna Beach to Santa Cruz within a month of the meltdown, reports the Los Angeles Times . The radiation "represents a significant... More »

Tsunami Ghost Ship to Rest in Watery Grave

US Coast Guard to stud vessel's hull with holes this morning

(Newser) - The ghostly Japanese squid-fishing boat that has been drifting its way across the Pacific in the wake of the March 2011 tsunami has been given a fate: It will be sunk. The US Coast Guard plans to use a 25-millimeter cannon to stud the unmanned ship's hull with holes... More »

Sailors Rescued in Round-the-World Yacht Race

Boat limping to SF after Pacific wave injures crew members

(Newser) - Two injured sailors have been rescued after a "monstrous foaming swell" washed over an Australian boat participating in a 10-team round-the-world yacht race. Two others in the 18-person crew also seriously hurt were still on board yesterday off the coast of California. The Geraldton Western Australia is expected to... More »

Tsunami 'Ghost Ship' Spotted Off Coast

Canada monitors squid-fishing boat for marine pollution

(Newser) - Canadian air patrol has spotted an empty Japanese squid-fishing boat drifting across the Pacific and heading for land. Beat-up and likely worthless, the 150-foot ship is part of 20 million tons of tsunami debris floating toward US and Canadian shores—so Canadian authorities may just leave it alone, the Vancouver ... More »

Entire Pacific Nation Might Move to Fiji

Kiribati considers backup plan as sea levels rise

(Newser) - The Pacific archipelago of Kiribati is so worried about rising water levels that the government might just move everyone to Fiji, the AP reports. The president's Cabinet has approved a plan to buy 6,000 acres on Fiji's main island in case Kiribati's 103,000 residents need... More »

Failed Russia Spacecraft Crashes in Pacific

Would-be Mars probe showers southern Pacific

(AP) - Russia's Defense Ministry says a failed probe designed to travel to a moon of Mars has crashed, showering debris over the southern Pacific, according to news reports. The ministry said the fragments fell today 775 miles west of Wellington Island. The Phobos Grunt was one of the heaviest and... More »

China Looks to Wrench Pacific Reign From US

Military buildup challenging America's long dominance

(Newser) - China is engaged in a major military buildup aimed at ending the total domination of the western Pacific that the US has enjoyed since the end of World War II, the Wall Street Journal finds. Pentagon officials, who publicly decline to describe China as a threat, say the number of... More »

New Leak Found at Fukushima

Radioactive water may have already leaked into Pacific

(Newser) - A significant new leak of highly radioactive water has been discovered at Japan's crippled Fukushima power plant, and has possibly already oozed radiation into the Pacific Ocean. Some 12,000 gallons of contaminated water were discovered yesterday morning around a condensation unit of a water purification system, according to... More »

20M Tons of Tsunami Debris Heads for US Shores

Expected to reach Hawaii in early 2013, then mainland in 2014

(Newser) - Debris from the massive tsunami that struck Japan in March is on its way: Up to 20 million tons of trash, like "confetti soup," is slowly drifting across the Pacific Ocean and heading toward the United States, reports the LA Times . Already garbage has been found 2,000... More »

Giant Waves Pound California Coast

Swimmer missing; smugglers' boat crashes

(Newser) - A high surf advisory is in effect until 5pm along the central California coast, as the damaging impact of the huge waves pounding the area comes to light: A body-boarder has gone missing, and a marijuana-smuggling boat crashed on shore, likely a victim of the powerful surf, the AP reports.... More »

Major Ocean Mineral Find Could Transform High-Tech

Mineral trove vital for industry at bottom of Pacific Ocean

(Newser) - Japanese scientists have discovered mammoth deposits of rare earth minerals—essential in the manufacture of many high-tech devices—at the depths of the Pacific Ocean, reports Reuters . The find could transform the international market for these vital materials. Discovered as deep as 20,000 feet at 78 locations, particularly around... More »

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