Giant Ocean Vortex Discovered 141
Darkman, Walkin Dude writes "Dubbed a "death trap" by a team of scientists from The University of Western Australia Murdoch University, CSIRO and three American, French and Spanish research institutions, a 200km in diameter and 1000m deep ocean vortex has been discovered off the Rottnest Canyon. Visible from space, scientists claim is has the potential to affect the local climate and the climate further abroad, the vortex is acting as a "death trap" by sucking in fish larvae from closer to the shore."
As seen from space.... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:As seen from space.... (Score:1, Funny)
ocean spins off
who's next ?
Re:As seen from space.... (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:As seen from space.... (Score:1)
Re:As seen from space.... (Score:1)
Re:As seen from space.... (Score:1)
Re:As seen from space.... (Score:3, Funny)
I know. Why bother even posting an internet article these days and not include a picture?
Re:As seen from space.... (Score:2)
Re:As seen from space.... (Score:1, Informative)
That yellow dot/circle in the middle on the the left panel is Perth, Rottnest island is just a scosh to the left, so Rottnest canyon cant be too far.
Re:As seen from space.... (Score:2)
Re:As seen from space.... (Score:2)
Re:As seen from space.... (Score:4, Informative)
However, the "death trap" viewpoint is somewhat different from this one [uwa.edu.au]:
Hmm. (Score:5, Funny)
sdb
Bah, this has been known to exist for 3000 years! (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Hmm. (Score:1)
RIAA (Score:5, Funny)
Can't be a RIAA production (Score:5, Funny)
Back to topic, a little Googling failed to turn up more detailed data, even at the research institution sponsoring the study, the University of Western Australia Murdoch University, see here [murdoch.edu.au]. I did come across the images of something else of interest on Rottnest Island, the quokka [wikipedia.org], which is not only more dignified and intelligent than the typical RIAA-oid, but a lot cuter, too.
Re:RIAA (Score:2)
Didn't a (babel) fish disappear into a hole in the wall at one point?
Aw shucks (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Aw shucks (Score:1)
But it has horrible mutated flying fish!11
Who knows what other horrors are in there!
Re:Aw shucks (Score:2)
1,000 meters deep = 3,280 feet
200 kilometers wide = 124 miles
What's dissapointing is that TFA doesn't say why this phenomenon has formed. 124 miles across isn't chump change
Re:Aw shucks (Score:2)
From the article...
Dr Waite said the vortex, shaped like a giant child's spinning top, was created by current movement down the coast and is one of the largest ever found off of WA.
Re:Aw shucks (Score:2)
Re:Aw shucks (Score:2)
Re:Aw shucks (Score:2)
The Malestrom? (Score:3, Interesting)
http://www.online-literature.com/poe/26/ [online-literature.com]
Re:The Maelstrom? (Score:4, Funny)
*approaches podium*
And the award to the most ludicrous phrase adaptation goes to...
Re:The Maelstrom? (Score:3, Funny)
Although, I am grateful and appreciative of your subtlty in correcting my spelling of "maelstrom."
Re:The Maelstrom? (Score:2)
Re:The Malestrom? (Score:1)
-Eric
Satellite Image (Score:3, Interesting)
http://maps.google.com/?ll=-32.026706,115.438843&
Re:Satellite Image (Score:2)
Re:Satellite Image (Score:2)
Re:Satellite Image (Score:4, Funny)
Permanently? (Score:1)
These things just happen... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:These things just happen... (Score:1)
Re:These things just happen... (Score:2)
Re:These things just happen... (Score:1)
Re:These things just happen... (Score:2)
Elevator to R'lyeh (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Elevator to R'lyeh (Score:2)
O Mighty Cthulhu,
Destroyer of Worlds,
Betrayer of Hope,
Unstoppable Force of Annihilation,
Please cast your attention
towards someone else.
I really don't care who.
Feel free to eat my neighbor,
my spouse, my dog.
Anyone that isn't me.
Cthulhu fhtagn, Cthulhu fhtagn!
Please go back to fhtagn-ing,
whatever that may be.
I saw a documentary about this (Score:4, Funny)
Marlin: Where? I don't see it.
Dory: There! I see it! I see it!
Marlin: You mean the swirling vortex of terror?
Crush: That's it, dude!
Re:I saw a documentary about this (Score:2)
Its obvious that you are not the parent of a four year old boy who has Finding Nemo bath toys and Finding Nemo dvd's and Finding Nemo luggage and Finding Nemo books and Finding Nemo clothing and a Finding Nemo toothbrush, etc, etc.
Re:I saw a documentary about this (Score:2)
Thanks a lot, Locke! (Score:3, Funny)
What's Causing It? (Score:2)
Schwab
Re:What's Causing It? (Score:5, Informative)
The Leeuwin Current is a permanent feature of Western Australia's waters and reaches it's peak in the autumn and winter (so it is at its peak now).
From the linked article "The Leeuwin Current rarely flows around the eastern side of Rottnest, but it frequently bathes the western and southwestern sides, influencing the flora and fauna there. Sea temperatures in those regions in winter are several degrees higher than against the mainland coast."
Re:What's Causing It? (Score:2)
Is he?
He used to be in the Space-time continuum.
-so long and thanks for all the fish!
Re:What's Causing It? (Score:5, Funny)
Scientists in nearby Perth are sudying a 20m wide plug shaped object that was dragged up from the ocean floor by local fishermen.
Re:What's Causing It? (Score:3, Funny)
You mean This [wikipedia.org]?
Re:What's Causing It? (Score:2)
(Seriously, thanks for the link, I love the bizzare stuff humans do to themselves)
Re:What's Causing It? (Score:2)
"I thought the Americans had got here," she said, laughing.
Good freaking God! I thought it was just an exaggeration that America is being blamed for everything and anything negative under the sun. Yes, she said it laughingly but she DID think it. WTF is wrong with some people that they honestly believe the U.S. has nothing better to do -- not to mention the extra resources -- to fuck with a little podunk village out in t
Re:What's Causing It? (Score:2)
"Redneck" is an attitude, nationalities are no more than interchangable scapegoats. I think she was taking the piss out of the rednecks in her own country. BTW: Your country also cops alot of suspision for earthquakes, disease oubreaks, pretty much any unusual occurence. Even here in Australia there are plenty of people who "know" you guys have aliens hidden away somewhere at NASA.
An excellent book that touches on some of this is Carl Sagan's "Demon h
Re:What's Causing It? (Score:2)
I live in Perth, just off the coast of this thing. (Score:4, Funny)
Re:I live in Perth, just off the coast of this thi (Score:2)
Re:I live in Perth, just off the coast of this thi (Score:1)
we promise... (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:we promise... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:we promise... (Score:1)
Re:we promise... (Score:1)
Re:we promise... (Score:2)
Re:we promise... (Score:3, Informative)
Re:we promise... (Score:1)
And in other news... (Score:2, Funny)
LK
Re:And in other news... (Score:1)
Re:And in other news... (Score:2)
As always, Clive Cussler predicted this. (Score:2)
The bad guys in one of his forgettable books were using giant EM generators to... let's see... trigger a magnetic pole reversal to crush global corporations. One of the side effects of this testing was giant ocean vortexes, which smelled bad.
I think that about covers it, other than the whole "completely preposterous" part.
Re:As always, Clive Cussler predicted this. (Score:2)
He's not a modern Clark, Verne, OR Asmiov. He's a modern Ian Flemming.
Re:As always, Clive Cussler predicted this. (Score:2)
That's him. I was being just a trifle sarcastic, of course. You're right, though, that's he is somewhat Flemming-ish. But of late, it appears that he's more of a brand, than anything else. Other people are writing Cussler-labeled books that are even sillier than some of his earlier stuff (he's running out of ideas, I think). But a recent title of his did deal with giant ocean vortices. Really.
Writing... (Score:1, Troll)
Re:Writing... (Score:1)
Re:Writing... (Score:1)
Re:Writing... (Score:3, Funny)
Actually, the place was named after the famous philosopher, Western A. M. University. Mr. University never did like his full name and insisted they not use the whole thing, but by that time the plaques had already been made and it would have been a huge expense to redo them.
Re:Writing... (Score:1)
bermuda (Score:1)
Re:bermuda (Score:1)
There are a couple of facts about the triangles:
-It holds a dense trafic (most of the boats from US to europe take that route because the gulf stream boosts their speed).
-In that area, the gulf stream can cause fast and extreme weather changes and an unlucky crew can be trapped in a violent storm without warning.
-Considering these two facts, the casualty in that area is more or less at a normal level and insurance companies do not
Isn't it obvious? (Score:1, Funny)
flying fish (Score:2)
LOST! (Score:1)
Re:Power Plant (Score:2)
Or does this idea sound fishy to anyone?
Re:This must be (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:This must be (Score:1, Insightful)
Nobody seems to be suggesting that anthropogenic climate change has led to this, despite your false statement above. Of course, it is known that anthropogenic climate change is affecting ocean currents around Europe already, but don't let that get in the way of your rand-induced libertarian/republican head-in-the-sand attitude.
Now, if you really want to know why your statement about "extreme climate cycles over eons" doesn't explain the changes we are seeing currently with climate c
Re:This must be (Score:2)
Good way to throw away mod points. Go to K-mart and buy a sense of humor, mmmKay?
Re:This must be (Score:2)
Re:This must be (Score:1)
Re:This must be (Score:2)
Re:This must be (Score:1)
That's why all the advances and innovation came from the unreasonable ones.
Re:This must be (Score:2)
That is the end of the quote by George Bernard Shaw.
Soft landing (Score:2)
ybth:
You are adapting to an ideology that substiutes for culture, not the world. Adapting our technology to the world is what the current GW argument and related (but more serious) "peak oil" problem is all about. Reasonable people do not think armagedon is apon you and me in particular, the threat is to the civilizations of my kids & grandkids.
Re:Soft landing (Score:2)
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.
George Bernard Shaw
It is a troll you idiot, and any idiot suggesting GBS meant we should be complacent is wrong. I do not believe that it is a hippy mantra, but then again I wouldn't know. I do know you have no idea what you are talking about and used the sig as a platfo
Re:Soft landing (Score:2)
Re:Soft landing (Score:2)
HAND
Re:This must be (Score:1)
Incorrect units (Score:2, Interesting)
What's that in radians per second?
Re:Incorrect units (Score:2)
Re:Glaring omission (5, Informative) (Score:2)
Re:Glaring omission (5, Informative) (Score:2)
However, in terms of energy (and inertia), 5 kmh could be huge when you're talking about millions/billions of liters of water, or if you're talking about little bitty creatures, like krill or fish larvae.
Still no cause for 'EVERYBODY PANIC'.
Re:Glaring omission (5, Informative) (Score:2)