Gemini News

Researchers Look to Efficiency to Cut Ship Emissions

By Gemini News 2019-06-14 16:42:53

[By Håvard Egge] Shipping is the most efficient way of moving goods around the world, in terms of energy consumption per unit transported, but there is still a great deal to be gained by making shipping more environmentally friendly. Emissions from international shipping come to around 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2 a year, which is equal to 2 – 3 per cent of total global emissions. If measures are not taken, these emissions will rise, probably by 50 – 250...

Svalbard's Reindeer Adapt to Climate Change by Eating Seaweed

By Gemini News 2019-05-05 23:30:24

The Arctic archipelago of Svalbard is already experiencing dramatic effects from climate change. A new study shows how these changes can force wild reindeer to graze on seaweed, a strategy that increases their likelihood of survival. The bodies of Svalbard reindeer are extremely well adapted to their arctic home at 79 degrees N latitude. As the northernmost reindeer population on the planet, they are thick and round, which makes it easier for them to tolerate the cold. They’re shorter, smaller...

Researchers Want to Store Swedish CO2 Under the North Sea

By Gemini News 2019-04-19 12:53:09

A Swedish-Norwegian research project will be looking into the possibilities and costs of transporting CO2 captured in Sweden for storage on the Norwegian continental shelf. This is the first project ever to look into this possibility. “This can bring Sweden closer to its target of achieving climate neutrality by 2045," says Research Manager Kristin Jordal at SINTEF. May reduce CO2 emissions by 500,000 tons per year The aim is to investigate the possibilities of establishing a full-scale facility for the...

New Norwegian Drones Check Ships for Cracks and Rust

By Gemini News 2019-04-17 18:32:45

[By Idun Haugan] Inspecting ship tanks and storage spaces underwater is a challenging task for humans. A start-up company that originated at NTNU is manufacturing autonomous drones that can take over the job – and do it more cheaply. The entrepreneurial company Scout, which designs autonomous drones for safer ship inspection, is ranked as one of Trondheim’s most promising technology companies. The company was also named this year’s top newcomer in the annual Impello analysis that does the ranking. The Impello...

First Glimpse Beneath an Ultraslow-Spreading Mid-Ocean Ridge

By Gemini News 2019-03-25 13:59:08

[By Nancy Bazilchuk] For the first time ever, researchers have been able to peek deep into the mantle of the Earth under an ultraslow mid-ocean ridge, where they have been able to observe mantle melting and growth of the Earth’s crust. More than 100 years ago, the German meteorologist and avid balloonist Alfred Wegener remarked in a letter to his future wife Elsa Köppen on an odd pattern he noticed on world maps. “Doesn’t the east coast of...

Mapping Phytoplankton with a Smart AUV

By Gemini News 2019-03-08 13:41:22

Phytoplankton form the base of the marine food chain but are notoriously difficult for scientists to account for — a little like trying to identify and count motes of dust in the air. A truly independent underwater vehicle shows it can do the job. Declining seabird numbers Trygve Olav Fossum watched an orange, torpedo-shaped instrument slide off the R/V Gunnerus and plop into the coastal waters near the island called Runde. It was June 2017 and Fossum, a PhD candidate...

Snake Robot Ready to Go On Watch in the Deep Seas

By Gemini News 2019-01-31 13:35:35

A snake robot will soon be relieving divers and mini-subs in the North Sea. But first researchers have to test its mettle in the Trondheim Fjord. The Åsgard oil and gas field off the Norwegian coast is between 240 and 310 metres deep. The oilfield is among the largest developments on the Norwegian shelf, with numerous wells and a lot of extraction equipment on the seabed. This equipment needs to be monitored and maintained, which is no simple matter. So...

Norway's Government Invests $700 Million in Ocean Research Labs

By Gemini News 2018-12-31 18:59:58

Long before oil was found in the North Sea in 1969, Norway has lived off the ocean and its resources. Now, the Norwegian government has said it is willing to allocate up to NOK 6 billion for the construction of new ocean research laboratories in Trondheim, Ålesund and on Hitra/Frøya. Torbjørn Røe Isaksen, the Norwegian Minister of Trade and Industry, came to Trondheim on 7 December to announce the decision. “The maritime industry is responsible for more than 200 000...

Ocean Acidification Could Promote Toxic Algae Blooms

By Gemini News 2018-12-26 17:25:52

If carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere and in the ocean continue to rise, this could fuel the mass development of toxic algae, with far-reaching consequences for the pelagic food web, an international team of researchers has found. In a two-month field experiment off the Canary Islands, an international group of scientists led by the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel has uncovered a possible consequence of ocean acidification that could massively affect the marine food web. The team,...

Unmanned Response Boat Disperses Spills with Water Jets

By Gemini News 2018-12-07 19:32:01

The new spill response boat Vorax disperses oil with high pressure water jets, and it was recently displayed for the environmental authorities and future customers in California. The six-meter boat looks like a racing boat, but is something completely different: it's the world's first unmanned spill response boat, and it's armed with a chemical-free dispersant in the form of seawater. The technology was developed by SINTEF and commercialized through the spinoff company Blue Impact AS. Chemical-free solution The catamaran...