Humans once viewed the ocean as limitless, believing that disposal of debris into the marine environment would do little harm. However, awareness of the impacts of marine debris has grown as the public has seen horrific images of seabirds, turtles, and marine mammals that are dead or dying because they have ingested debris or become entangled in errant fishing gear. Littered beaches and surface waters impair recreational activities and reduc... More >>

Due to a series of marine mammal strandings, lawsuits, and legislative hearings, and most recently, the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy report, attention has been drawn to the subject of how ocean noise affects marine mammals. One way to assess the impact of ocean noise is to consider whether it causes changes in animal behavior that are "biologically significant"--those that affect an animal's ability to grow, survive, o... More >>

For the 119 species of marine mammals, as well as for some other aquatic animals, sound is the primary means of learning about their environment and of communicating, navigating, and foraging. Ambient noise and its potential impacts have been regulated since the passage of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972; however, public awareness of the issue has escalated in the past decade when researchers began using high-intensity sound to measur... More >>

The mission of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is to manage U.S. marine fisheries so they can serve the nation now and benefit future generations. As NMFS manages marine fisheries, it operates under a complex set of laws. Based in part on its concerns over the dramatic increase in recent lawsuits against NMFS, Congress requested in 2001 that the National Academies provide "a summary review of the adequacy of the data... More >>

As the demand for electricity grows, power generators are looking for alternative fuels and stable prices. Among the alternatives being considered are a group of multi-component fuels referred to as emulsified fuels. Orimulsion is an emulsified fuel composed of roughly 70 percent bitumen (a heavy tar-like mixture of hydrocarbons with 10 to more than 1,000 carbon atoms that occurs naturally or is obtained as highly viscous residues after refinin... More >>