From early times, man has created artificial reefs for a variety of reasons: some to form barriers to hold back creeks or streams, others to aid in rudimentary fishing while yet others were to create habitat for marine creatures, primarily, and for recreational divers, generally. An additional reason for the more recent planned and executed creation of artificial reefs is to preserve historical wrecks from over-anxious divers and to give these divers a preferred underwater site to explore; an added bonus is to aid local tourism. This story builds on the idea that former surface vessels can be used to make artificial reefs that serve as a habitat for marine critters and as a prime dive site for recreational divers. The story centres around five former Royal Canadian Navy destroyers, one former RCN maintenance vessel, as well as one former Air Canada Boeing 737and one former coastal freighter. Each of these artificial reefs is located in selected coastal waters off the west and east coasts of North America. Read how a cool beer combined with a paper napkin were the genesis of a world class organisation that set the standard for changing former warships into artificial reefs that has been copied by diving enthusiasts in both north and south hemispheres.

Among the most important reasons that artificial reefs have been created are the protection of the seabed with macroalgae, the possibility of improving fishing, and meeting the expectations and demands of tourists. Coastal managers have realized that it is important that artificial reefs are useful to people, especially local communities, and that it is therefore important that they are promoted by government entities for various professional and leisure activity use. Coastal managers must take this into consideration when reefs are designed. They must also define the ecosystem services they promote as well as the main uses for which the reefs are created. Impact of Artificial Reefs on the Environment and Communities presents insights on the connection between artificial reefs and the tourism industry in order to encourage the sharing of experiences and development of new innovative possibilities that create value for society. It presents the experiences, testimonies, and innovations of those who work closely with artificial reefs. Covering topics such as computational fluid dynamics, dive tourism, and Industry 4.0, this book is an essential resource for entrepreneurs, researchers, students and educators of higher education, coastal managers, government officials, leaders in tourism, engineers, and academicians.

Having finished its exploration of an extra-solar gas giant Lalande A, documenting a strange civilization living beneath the clouds of its giant blue spot, the crew of the giant space ark Goddard must now return home. Their route takes them past Lalande B, the second of two Jupiter-sized gas giants orbiting a red dwarf star. But as they pass by it they see something strange; an artificial ring, which compels them to investigate. Once more Alex Rose and Mary Seventeen are called upon to use their shuttle to investigate and find themselves caught up in another strange adventure of discovery. After that harrowing mission the Goddard must now return home, 10.5 light years away, to bring the news of their discoveries to Earth. When they arrive ... if they arrive ... will they be welcomed as heroes? Or will they find their home world changed by conditions they can only imagine? The answers prove even stranger than the mission itself. Rather than ending their voyage their journey among the stars may be just beginning. At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).

Coral reefs are critical to ocean and human life because they provide food, living area, storm protection, tourism income, and more. However, human-induced stressors, such as overfishing, sediment, pollution, and habitat destruction have threatened ocean ecosystems globally for decades. In the face of climate change, these ecosystems now face an array of unfamiliar challenges due to destructive rises in ocean temperature, acidity and sea level. These factors lead to an increased frequency of bleaching events, hindered growth, and a decreasing rate of calcification. Research on interventions to combat these relatively new stressors and a reevaluation of longstanding interventions is necessary to understand and protect coral reefs in this changing climate. Previous research on these methods prompts further questions regarding the decision making process for site-specific interventions. A Decision Framework for Interventions to Increase the Persistence and Resilience of Coral Reefs builds upon a previous report that reviews the state of research on methods that have been used, tested, or proposed to increase the resilience of coral reefs. This new report aims to help coral managers evaluate the specific needs of their site and navigate the 23 different interventions described in the previous report. A case study of the Caribbean, a region with low coral population plagued by disease, serves as an example for coral intervention decision making. This report provides complex coral management decision making tools, identifies gaps in coral biology and conservation research, and provides examples to help individuals and communities tailor a decision strategy to a local area.

World Oceans: A Reference Handbook offers an in-depth discussion of the world's oceans. It discusses the marine life that is dependent on the sea as well as the problems threatening the health of the ocean and its wildlife. World Oceans: A Reference Handbook opens with an overview of the history of human knowledge and understanding of the oceans and cryosphere, along with related scientific, technological, social, political, and other factors. The second chapter presents and discusses about a dozen major problems facing the Earth's oceans today, along with possible solutions. The third chapter provides interested individuals with an opportunity to express their thoughts and ideas on today's ocean issues, and remaining chapters provide additional resources, such as a bibliography, a chronology, and a glossary, to assist the reader in her or his further study of the issue. Where most books for young adults learning about world oceans take a purely expository treatment, this book provides readers with additional information as well as resources, allowing them to learn more and inform further study of the subject.

Collision between Australia and SE Asia began in the Early Miocene and reduced the former wide ocean between them to a complex passage which connects the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Today, the Indonesian Throughflow passes through this gateway and plays an important role in global thermohaline flow. The surrounding region contains the maximum global diversity for many marine and terrestrial organisms. Reconstruction of this geologically complex region is essential for understanding its role in oceanic and atmospheric circulation, climate impacts, and the origin of its biodiversity. The papers in this volume discuss the Palaeozoic to Cenozoic geological background to Australia and SE Asia collision. They provide the background for accounts of the modern Indonesian Throughflow and oceanographic changes since the Neogene, and consider aspects of the region's climate history--