More than 7,000 sardines die in Puerto Rico reservoir from lack of water

Almost 7,000 sardines have died over the last two days in a reservoir in northern Puerto Rico due to the drought that has been shrinking the water supply for two months, making this the third massive dying off of this fish species in less than two weeks.

The secretary of the Natural and Environmental Resources Department, Carmen Guerrero Perez, reported the situation Tuesday in a statement that said the fish perished in the Wildlife Refuge of La Plata Reservoir in Toa Alta.

"We ask citizens not to consume or come in contact with these dead fish, since they decompose rapidly and can put their health at risk," Guerrero said.

She recalled that access to the area was closed to the public on July 1 as a security measure because of the instability of the banks of the reservoir and the impossibility of using the boat ramp.

For her part, Wildlife Refuge manager Marinelly Valentin Sivico said that as happened twice before, the mortality was the result of less available dissolved oxygen for aquatic life due to the low level of the reservoir.

Between July 2-3, close to 8,000 sardines died off and a few days later the same disaster was repeated.

"With the reduction of oxygen in the reservoir, the most vulnerable fish are the sardines," Guerrero said.

"The purpose of these fish in the reservoir is precisely to serve and an indicator of water conditions behind our dams, while also providing recreational fishing," she said.



More than 7,000 sardines die in Puerto Rico reservoir from lack of water

Japan train sets new speed record

A Japanese magnetic levitation train has broken its own world speed record, hitting 603km/h (374mph) in a test run near Mount Fuji.

The train beat the 590km/h speed it had set last week in another test.

Maglev trains use a electrically charged magnets to lift and move carriages above the rail tracks.

Central Japan Railway (JR Central), which owns the trains, wants to introduce the service between Tokyo and the central city of Nagoya by 2027.

The 280km journey would take only about 40 minutes, less than half the current time.

However, passengers will not get to experience the maglev's record-breaking speeds because the company said its trains will operate at a maximum of 505km/h.

Construction is estimated at nearly $100bn (£67bn) just for the stretch to Nagoya, with more than 80% of the route expected to go through costly tunnels, reported AFP news agency.

The government is also hoping to sell the maglev train technology overseas.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is visiting the US on Sunday where he is expected to pitch for a role in building a new high-speed rail line between New York and Washington.



© Getty Images The Maglev (magnetic levitation) train during a test run on the experimental track in Tsuru, 100km west of Tokyo, on May 11, 2010.

Japan train sets new speed record

Okeanos Explorer | Expeditions | NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer: Exploring Puerto Rico’s Seamounts, Trenches, and Troughs | Media Resources | Highlight Video and Images

Dive highlight videos, short video clips, and photos for the Océano Profundo: Exploring Puerto Rico's Seamounts, Trenches and Troughs 2015 expedition for members of the media will be posted here as they are available.

Unless otherwise noted, all videos and images posted here are in the public domain and are thus free for use and reproduction. Please credit NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research.

Access LIVE video feeds here.

For videos and images associated with mission updates and logs, visit this page.

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Highlight Images

Leg 3 Exploration Map

This map shows the areas NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer will explore during the 20 ROV dives to be conducted between April 9 and 30 in and around the Puerto Rico Trench and the U.​S.​ Virgin Islands. Data displayed provided by ESRI, Delorme, GEBCO, USGS, NOAA NGDC, and other contributors; map created with ESRI ArcMap software.



Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research.

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Bathymetry of Puerto Rico Trench

Bathymetry (underwater topography) of the northeast corner of the Caribbean Plate, including the Puerto Rico Trench, collected during a 2003 U.S. Geological Survey expedition to the Puerto Rico Trench funded by NOAA's Office of Ocean Exploration and Research. The complex bathymetry of the seafloor of this region is a consequence of plate tectonics, the theory that describes the large-scale motion of the various plates that make up the outer shell of the earth.

Image courtesy of USGS.

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Dumbo Octopus

A dumbo octopus displays a body posture never before observed in cirrate octopods. Unprecedented sights like this are one of the reasons dozens of scientists (and hundreds of thousands of members of the public) follow live video from the seafloor during each Okeanos Explorer expedition.





Image courtesy of the NOAA's Office of Ocean Exploration and Research.

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Chemosynthetic Mussels

These chemosynthetic mussels were discovered by the ROV Deep Discoverer while it explored a canyon off the northeast coast of the U.S. in 2013. Over 800,000 members of the public tuned in to the video the ROV live-streamed over the internet during this expedition. Chemosynthetic mussels are found in areas of active hydrocarbon seepage; NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer has discovered hundreds of previously unknown methane seeps in this and other areas over the past five years.

Image courtesy of the NOAA's Office of Ocean Exploration and Research.

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Black Coral

During a 2014 expedition on the Ocean Exploration Trust's ship, Nautilus, to areas just off the coast of the British Virgin Islands, the ship's ROV came across this large colony of black coral. Scientists aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer hope to see similar deep-sea corals when they explore the nearby Puerto Rico Trench in April. NOAA's Office of Ocean Exploration and Research funds about half of the nonprofit Ocean Exploration Trust's operating costs.

Image courtesy of Ocean Exploration Trust.

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ROV System Launch

Okeanos Explorer's dual-body ROV system is loaded from the aftdeck of the ship into the water before conducting an exploration dive.







Image courtesy of the NOAA's Office of Ocean Exploration and Research.

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Control Room

The Okeanos Explorer control room just before the start of an ROV dive. The control room is where the ROV pilots, the science leads, and other expedition personnel work during an ROV dive.







Image courtesy of the NOAA's Office of Ocean Exploration and Research.

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Okeanos Explorer | Expeditions | NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer: Exploring Puerto Rico’s Seamounts, Trenches, and Troughs | Media Resources | Highlight Video and Images

Deepwater exploration vehicle prototype successfully tested in Puerto Rico

The prototype of a new deepsea exploration vehicle designed and developed in the University of Mayagüez's Electrical and Computer Engineering department labs was successfully tested, its developers said on the weekend.

The tests were carried out this past week during the scientific expedition of the vessel Okeanos Explorer, owned by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in waters just off the Puerto Rican coast.

"Two of these deployments touched the deepest point in the Puerto Rico Trench and Atlantic Ocean, one of the most extreme places on the planet and about which little information is known," said Wilford Schmidt, a professor of Marine Sciences at the Puerto Rico university and one of those in charge of the project, in a communique.

"This is the first of several excursions that we forecast will be undertaken in the Puerto Rico Trench and the Muertos Trough, south of the island," he added.

"We hope to continue obtaining data that will supply models for analysis and prediction of geological activity, planetary aquatic circulation patterns and the study of marine species, among other things," he said.

The new DMS-ECE Free-Vehicle (FV) technology is designed to serve as a means to facilitate research on the Puerto Rico Trench, the deepest trough in the entire Atlantic Ocean and the seventh-deepest in the world.

"The FV is an autonomous free-descent and -ascent vehicle with a series of instruments and sensors that allow us to obtain data about vehicular interaction and autonomy in the presence of submarine currents, pressure and temperature, among other monitored parameters," said Manuel Jimenez, a professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the associate dean of the Engineering Department at the University of Mayagüez. EFE

Deepwater exploration vehicle prototype successfully tested in Puerto Rico

Okeanos Explorer | Expeditions | Exploring Puerto Rico’s Seamounts, Trenches, and Troughs

Remotely operated vehicle Deep Discoverer is deployed for a dive. Image courtesy of NOAA Okeanos Explorer Program, Océano Profundo 2015: Exploring Puerto Rico’s Seamounts, Trenches, and Troughs.

Okeanos Explorer | Expeditions | Exploring Puerto Rico’s Seamounts, Trenches, and Troughs

Discover the Puerto Rico Trench with America’s Ocean Exploration Team

Every two years people around the world suddenly obsessively watch odd niche sports like ice dancing, biathalon, and rhythmic gymnastics. So I wish similar enthusiasm could be summoned for the exploration dives of the Deep Discoverer, NOAA’s ROV aboard the research vessel Okeanos Explorer and vehicles like it, which are streamed live on the internet. Perhaps it would help if they got some catchy theme music by John Williams that played every time they fired up their feed, video interludes featuring the touching back stories of the scientists and engineers on board, or set pieces about the shenanigans that go on in the “scientists’ village” aboard the ship? Are you listening, NBC?

In any case, the Okeanos Explorer and Deep Discoverer begin their next series of 20 dives starting TODAY, April 10. As I write this, the ROV is already descending toward the bottom and has just passed 3500 meters on its way to a target depth of 4000 meters, which they expect to reach in about 15 minutes. They plan to explore the area until about 4pm EDT. As always, the dives are being streamed live on the internet and all of you can follow along at home, just as you would if you were watching a shuttle launch or moon landing in days of yore.



Thanks to the Miracle of the Internet, we can all now watch along at home every exciting minute of these voyages, and see and discover new creatures and exciting geology at virtually the same moment as mission scientists, who, as a bonus, give you a running play by play commentary. Plus, it’s all free, or rather, supported by the generosity of American taxpayers. Why not reap the benefits of our collective investment in science by joining them for the ride in high-definition video?

Here’s an example of what you might see if you are lucky. This video, which I’ve posted here before, was captured last fall in Norfolk Canyon off the east coast of the United States. It shows two attempted squid-nappings: one failed attempt by a red crab, and one squid sashimi served up for a monkfish near the end of the video (watch the upper left corner).



To get a better feel for what you might see over the course of any given day, check out several of the 5-minute daily highlight videos from the mission last fall. Here’s one I can recommend in particular, featuring cameos by Echinoblogger Chris Mah at the Smithsonian! If you can’t spend 8 hours a day watching along at home, these five-minute daily highlight reels are a great way to still feel part of the magic, and I imagine similar videos will soon be posted for this mission here.

On the docket for this voyage are the seamounts, trenches, and troughs around Puerto Rico. The Puerto Rico Trench runs for 500 miles along the north side of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic and plunges 5.4 miles below the surface — the deepest point in the Atlantic Ocean. The expedition will also visit the Muertos Trough to the south of the island, the Mona Channel between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands Trough to the east.

Courtesy NOAA; click image for full-sized version and source.

What might they see? Of course, no one knows for sure what’s down there. They are hopeful they will see deepwater snapper, corals, seamounts and mud volcanoes. It is also likely, based on past experience, that the expedition will find new species, see living versions of animals known only from pallid preserved specimens, and see old species displaying unknown behaviors.

On the docket for today is the Arecibo amphitheater, a little-explored escarpment northwest of San Juan. They’ll be looking for landslides and exposed rocks on the slope, along with any critters living there. The area is close to the epicenter of a magnitude 6.4 earthquake that rumbled through San Juan just after midnight on January 13, 2014. Puerto Rico has a history of earthquakes and tsunamis; an October 1918 magnitude 7.3 earthquake produced a tsunami that killed 116 people.

Tomorrow, April 11, the team plans to visit Mona Seamount northwest of Puerto Rico, an area they expect to be richly biodiverse as many seamounts are.

There will also be a Reddit Ask Me Anything on April 16 from 1-3 pm EDT featuring NOAA ocean explorer and officer Brian Kennedy; Andrea Quattrini, a U.S. Geological Survey biologist; and Mike Cheadle, a geologist from the University of Wyoming.

This expedition runs through April 30, but if you miss it, the next one will take place July through September in an even more enticing target: the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument and Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary in the Pacific Ocean.

Finally, if you would like to see the many amazing photos and video collected by America’s Own Ocean Exploration Team, they are all freely available here.

About the Author: Jennifer Frazer is a AAAS Science Journalism Award-winning science writer. She has degrees in biology, plant pathology/mycology, and science writing, and has spent many happy hours studying life in situ. Follow on Twitter @JenniferFrazer.

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The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily those of Scientific American.

By Jennifer Frazer

Discover the Puerto Rico Trench with America’s Ocean Exploration Team | The Artful Amoeba, Scientific American Blog Network

Scientists map Caribbean seafloor as part of 12-year project

U.S. scientists on Tuesday completed a nearly two-week mission to explore waters around the U.S. Virgin Islands as part of a 12-year project to map the Caribbean seafloor and help protect its reefs.

A team with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration studied an area of 270 square miles (700 square kilometers), using equipment including underwater gliders and a remotely operated vehicle to help map the seafloor and locate areas where fish spawn. They focused mostly on the southern coast of St. Croix and the northwestern coast of St. Thomas.

"It's a relatively unexplored but believed to be rich ecosystem," lead researcher Tim Battista said by telephone. "We're able to map large areas that you couldn't do with just divers."

The information will be used in efforts to conserve coral reefs as well as to update navigational charts and help government officials manage and better protect fish populations.

Reefs across the Caribbean have shrunk by more than 50 percent since the 1970s, with experts blaming climate change as well as a drop in the populations of parrotfish and sea urchins.

Part of the mission focused on studying the habitat and number of deep-water snappers that have become increasingly popular with fishermen in the area, scientist Chris Taylor said. Researchers currently know very little about the status and habitat of the silk snapper, which has golden eyes and is almost iridescent pink in color, he said.

About two-thirds of the survey was conducted in deep water, in depths up to 7,500 feet (2,300 meters), researchers said.

Among the more interesting discoveries was an underwater landslide about 6 square miles (16 square kilometers) in size as well as hundreds of cylindrical sea floor structures that were packed closely together and featured hard and soft coral on top, Battista said.

"It was really kind of unique," he said. "I hadn't seen that before."

Researchers also found a collection of sea anemones in purple, green, white and black; gray sea cucumbers with stubby green spines; and white starfish with red stripes.

Read more here: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2015/04/07/4228772_scientists-map-caribbean-seafloor.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy

By DANICA COTO

Scientists map Caribbean seafloor as part of 12-year project

This tiny songbird flies Canada to Puerto Rico nonstop

A breeding male blackpoll warbler. Photo by Robert Royse

Every year, from September to November, millions of tiny songbirds gather along the Northeastern coastline, get fat feasting on insects and take to the skies. And then they fly and they fly and they fly.

It’s long been believed that the blackpoll warbler, a speckled grey and white bird with a black cap and an unusually high-pitched song, completed an unimaginably long journey across the Atlantic Ocean. This week, a team of researchers from Canada and the northeastern United States, confirmed it. The warblers fly south over water as far as 1,700 hundred miles — with no layover.

“Many consider it one of the most amazing migratory feats on the planet,” said Bill DeLuca, lead author of the study and an ecologist at the University of Massachusetts.

While abundant in the United States, the population of blackpoll warblers are declining rapidly, at a rate of 6 percent a year. Rebecca Holberton from the University of Maine, who has been studying these birds for 20 years, said it wasn’t uncommon in the past to catch 300 warblers in the fall. Now you’re lucky if you get 30. Understanding what’s at the root of this decline requires better understanding their life cycle and migratory patterns.

In summer 2013, scientists strapped geolocator backpacks to the backs of 38 birds in Nova Scotia and Vermont to do just that. The geolocators weigh half a gram and consist of a battery, a light sensor and data storage. Each device recorded the daily sunrise and sunset. Scientists use those times to track the birds’ flight path.



“It’s the way mariners have navigated around the world for centuries,” DeLuca said.

But accessing that data required retrieving the geolocator from a bird that’s completed the migration south and then returned to its breeding ground in the north.

“It’s seems like this migration is really on the brink of impossibility,” DeLuca said. “And then to say we’re now going to strap this half a gram thing on the bird’s back and hope to get it the following year.”

Of the 38 fitted, five were retrieved. Chris Rimmer recalled finding the first bird after it’s return flight.

“Exhilaration. Relief. Amazement. Excitement. All those adjectives,” Rimmer said. “It was a watershed moment for sure.”

William DeLuca and Chris Rimmer attach a geolocator to a blackpoll warbler on Mt. Mansfield in Vermont. Photo by Vermont Center for Ecostudies

Four of the birds made landfall in Hispaniola or Puerto Rico. Another flew from Cape Hatteras, N.C., to Turks and Caicos. All five continued on to Venezuela and Colombia. Their longest flight ranged from 1,410 to 1,721 miles.

The size of these birds and the fact that they’re a forest-dwelling species sets them apart from other long-distance flyers. Most forest dwellers take the path of least resistance, hopping along the coast and from island to island. And of those that cross over water, most are seabirds, much larger and built to feed on fish.

Scientists believe the warblers ride along the tailwinds. Their fat buildup also helps them survive. Before takeoff, the birds nearly double their body weight from 11.5 grams to as much as 30 grams and shrink unneeded organs, so their bodies are little more than wings for flight, fat for fuel and brain for navigation.

“These birds just become little roly poly balls of feather with fat,” Rimmer said. “It’s extraordinary, the sheaths of fat on their skin. You wonder if they could even take off. But they couldn’t be powered on that long flight without this source of fuel.”

They also shut down parts of their brain that they’re not using and build up their storage of red blood cells, which allows them to hold more oxygen in their blood.

The next step for scientists is to better understand the factors that threaten this population. It’s likely a combination of factors, Holberton said. Deforestation is a threat both north and south in the Amazon River basin, along with an increase in the intensity of offshore hurricanes.

“To know and understand how to effectively conserve a migratory bird, you have to really understand what’s happening at all stages of its migratory cycles — where it breeds and where it winters,” Rimmer said. “This is an important piece of that overall puzzle.”

BY Jenny Marder

This tiny songbird flies Canada to Puerto Rico nonstop

Volunteers clean beach to help sea turtles nest in Puerto Rico

Hundreds of volunteers hit the sand this weekend to clean up the beach in Unico de Dorado, a city in northern Puerto Rico, to help leatherback sea turtles nest.

The Chelonia group and the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, or DRNA, organized Saturday's beach clean-up.

The beach in Unico has been the most active nesting area for leatherbacks in Puerto Rico for years and one of the most important in the Caribbean, Natural and Environmental Resources Secretary Carmen Guerrero said in a statement.

The Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network, or WIDECAST, issued a resolution at its annual meeting earlier this month recognizing the nesting site.

"We are very grateful for the work of all the volunteers who went to the beach today and to the Chelonia and Proyecto Tinglar Dorado groups, who do commendable work each season, along with the other organizations in the Red Tortuguera de Puerto Rico," Guerrero said.

A total of 597 leatherback sea turtle nests were registered in Puerto Rico in 2014, the DRNA secretary said.

"Nesting season for leatherbacks, a sea turtle threatened with extinction, is starting and the idea behind cleaning up the beach is to maintain the area so there are no obstacles when they arrive in April - the peak month - for nesting," Chelonia spokesman Raymond Flores said.

Chelonia has been working to have the beach area declared a nature reserve since it provides inportant habitat for the endangered leatherback, Flores said. EFE

Volunteers clean beach to help sea turtles nest in Puerto Rico

Exploration of the Muertos Trough and Puerto Rico Trench 2015

Javier Rivera, Eduardo Rodriguez, Co-PI Manuel Jimenez, and Jesus Torrado and pose for a group photo after a successful test of the prototype Free Vehicle in Magueyes Island, La Parguera, PR. Image courtesy of Bill Schmidt.

Wilford Schmidt

University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez

PI Bill Schmidt and UPRM DMS crew member David Ramos preparing prototype free vehicle control/buoyancy modules in Magueyes Island, La Parguera, Puerto Rico. Click image for credit and larger view.

Although 12 people have walked on the Moon and numerous spacecraft are now exploring our solar system and beyond, very little is known about the oceanic trenches here on Earth. Exploration of these trenches is one of the last frontiers of oceanography and poses great technological challenges. Their general geographic remoteness and extreme bottom-pressures (greater than 8,800 pounds per square inch) have made all sampling techniques difficult. Cable lengths needed (greater than 6.5 kilometers) make tethered sampling cost-prohibitive and problematic in terms of successful data acquisition. Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) are also costly and often require the use of large, expensive research vessels.

Bill Schmidt and undergraduate student Javier Rivera conduct a shallow water test deployment in Magueyes Island, La Parguera, PR. Click image for credit and larger view.

What are Free Vehicles?

First developed in the 1930s, free vehicles are untethered ocean sensor packages that are deployed from ships and collect valuable information about the ocean environment in areas that are difficult for humans to access.

These low-cost, untethered free vehicles can be thought of as the oceanographic analog to unmanned or small-satellite space missions.

Until recently, the extreme pressure at the deepest parts of the ocean and limitations in buoyancy technology prevented free vehicle use in these areas. Recent developments in ceramics now make it possible to use small (43-centimeter) spheres for buoyancy at depths of 7,000 meters or more. Using these buoyancy spheres, we have greatly reduced the size and cost of accessing the deep sea. It is now possible to use off-the-shelf technology to reliably lift standard oceanographic equipment from hadal depths at a fraction of the cost of previous methods.

Mission Plan

Javier Rivera, Eduardo Rodriguez, Co-PI Manuel Jimenez, and Jesus Torrado and pose for a group photo after a successful test of the prototype Free Vehicle in Magueyes Island, La Parguera, PR. Click image for credit and larger view.

Our team at the University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez will leverage recent advances in the engineering of un-tethered free vehicles to deploy and retrieve Niskin bottles, digital camera, and an Acoustic Doppler Current Meter (ADCM) package in the largely unsampled abyssal (> 4,000 meters) waters south of Puerto Rico (Muertos Trough) and apply the advanced free vehicle technology in a multi-disciplinary survey of the hadal (> 6,000 meters) depths of the Puerto Rico Trench.

We will systematically test, improve, and enhance the relatively low-cost free vehicles and free vehicle-supported research methods in shallow to abyssal depths, such as the Muertos Trough, and to employ the improved techniques in an exploratory study of Puerto Rico Trench hadal waters.

Over the next two years, we will work on four overlapping objectives:

1. Developing and improving free vehicles;
2. Incorporating CTD (Conductivity, Temperature, Depth) casts and water sampling (Niskin casts) into the vehicle;
3. Conducting ADCP casts with the free vehicle; and
4. Incorportaing invertebrate/sediment collection into the vehicle.

If successful, our free vehicles will collect some of the deepest CTD data ever collected in the Puerto Rico Trench and will provide critical information regarding the deep sea environment around Puerto Rico.

PI Bill Schmidt and undergraduate (now graduate) student Jesus Torrado prepare a prototype free vehicle in Magueyes Island, La Parguera, Puerto Rico. Click image for credit and larger view.

Exploration of the Muertos Trough and Puerto Rico Trench 2015

U.S. and Central American organizations simulate earthquake in Puerto Rico

More than 1,000 soldiers and some 20 U.S. and Central American organizations gathered Monday for the first day of exercises in a large-scale simulation of an earthquake in Puerto Rico to test methods of coordination in case a natural disaster strikes.

A total of 1,030 soldiers from different countries in the region, along with officials of more than 20 local and federal agencies, launched the exercise, dubbed Operation Boriquen Response, at the installations of San Juan's Roberto Clemente Coliseum.

According to the organizers, Monday's exercise aimed to test the region's coordination capabilities, using the case of a child who goes missing in the stadium urgently equipped as a shelter for earthquake victims.

Once the child was found "unconscious," the personnel taking part in the simulated emergency supposedly found a chemical that contaminated everyone in the shelter.

They also performed tasks in the replica of a quake that had partially demolished an area while calling for the aid of local police, firefighters, emergency management services, the Board of Environmental Quality and medical emergency staff.

"It's not the same to say we're ready as it is to test whether we're really prepared by means of a simulation," the executive director of the state emergency management office, Miguel Rios, said about the exercises that will continue until next March 21.

The simulation coincides with the 3rd United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction this week in the northeastern Japanese city of Sendai.

Close to 1.2 million people were killed, 2.9 billion were affected and material damages amounted to some $1.7 trillion in natural disasters between 2000 and 2012, the U.N. says. EFE

U.S. and Central American organizations simulate earthquake in Puerto Rico

Solar-powered plane takes off for flight around the world

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — With its wings stretched wide to catch the sun's energy, a Swiss-made solar-powered aircraft took off from Abu Dhabi just after daybreak Monday in a historic first attempt to fly around the world without a drop of fossil fuel.

Solar Impulse founder André Borschberg was at the controls of the single-seat aircraft when it lumbered into the air at the Al Bateen Executive Airport. Borschberg will trade off piloting with Solar Impulse co-founder Bertrand Piccard during layovers on a 35,000-kilometer (21,700-mile) journey.

Some legs of the trip, such as over the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, will mean five days and five nights of flying solo. Both pilots have been training hard for this journey, which will span 25 flight days over five months before this Spruce Goose of renewable energy returns to Abu Dhabi in late July or August.

"It is also exciting because you know, you simulate, you calculate, you imagine, but there is nothing like testing and doing it in real," Borschberg said just hours before takeoff. "I am sure we are all confident and hopefully we will be able to see each other here in five months."

The Solar Impulse 2 aircraft, a larger version of a single-seat prototype that first flew five years ago, has a wingspan of 72 meters (236 feet), larger than that of the Boeing 747. Built into the wings are 17,248 ultra-efficient solar cells that transfer solar energy to four electrical motors that power the plane's propellers. The solar cells also recharge four lithium polymer batteries.

At around 2,300 kilograms (5,070 pounds), the Si2 weighs about as much as a minivan or mid-sized truck. An empty Boeing 747, in comparison, weighs some 180,000 kilograms (400,000 pounds).

The Si2 is heading first to nearby Muscat, Oman, where it will land after about 10 hours of flight. A typical passenger jet takes just one hour to make the same journey. Piccard says the best speed for the lightweight Si2 — made of carbon fiber — is at about 25 knots, or 45 kph (28 mph).

© Aya Batrawy/AP Photo A Swiss solar-powered plane takes off at an airport in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, early Monday, March 9, 2015, marking the start of the first attempt to fly around the world withou…

Borschberg has been practicing yoga and Piccard self-hypnosis in order to calm their minds and manage fatigue during the long solo flights. They aim to rest a maximum of 20 minutes straight, repeating the naps 12 times over a 24-hour period. Goggles worn over the pilot's eyes will flash lights to wake him up.

Neither pilot will be able to stand in the cockpit while flying, but the seat reclines for stretching and its cushion can be removed for access to a toilet.

Armbands placed underneath their suits will buzz if the plane isn't flying level. The plane also does not have a pressurized cockpit so Borschberg and Piccard will be able to feel the changes in temperature. The pilot's blood oxygen levels constantly will be monitored and sent back to ground control.

The plane will reach an altitude of around 28,000 feet (8,500 meters) during the day to catch the sun's rays and at night dip to around 5,000 feet (1,500 meters) when flying over the ocean.

"You have to make the cockpit like your own house for a week in the air," Piccard said, telling The Associated Press he will keep a few small mementos from friends with him on the flight, though he declined to say what.

Piccard is no stranger to aviation feats. In 1999, he and another man succeeded in the first non-stop balloon circumnavigation of the world.

After two stops in India, the Si2 will head to China, where it will stay for a month until the days are longer to catch more of the sun's energy. It will also make stops in Myanmar, Hawaii, Phoenix, Arizona and New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. The path across the Atlantic will depend on the weather and may include stops in southern Europe or Morocco.

Those curious can follow the aircraft on Solar Impulse's website and track its battery status, energy consumption, location and flight path, as well as how much the pilot has slept and how much food and water he has left. There is also a live feed of the plane's Monaco-based control room with occasional footage from the cockpit.

Borschberg and Piccard say the flight is to make the world "confront the Conference on Climate Change of the United Nations, which will define the new Kyoto protocol in December 2015 in Paris." All countries are supposed to present targets for a new global climate agreement at the meeting.

Solar Impulse supporter Prince Albert of Monaco was present at the plane's control center during Monday's takeoff. The UAE-based Masdar, the Abu Dhabi government's clean-energy company, is a key sponsor of the flight. Additional sponsors include Omega, Google and Moet Hennessey, among others.

As the plane waited on the runway, a brief electrical alarm threatened to delay takeoff, but it was quickly resolved, allowing the large plane to slowly lift off into the rising sun.

"Everybody was just hoping the airplane will go," Piccard said. "Now the adventure has started."

Solar-powered plane takes off for flight around the world

Puerto Rico: Rappel 80-Foot Waterfall

Standing at the bottom of the 80 ft. waterfall I just rappelled, I turn to look up at our 12-year-old daughter Rachel, who is about to make her descent. I know my husband Rafael is up there giving her last minute pointers. The spray from the falls hits me in the face and chest, so I move back a bit and stand in a sunny spot to warm up. I’m in a shady canyon where it is remarkably cool for a tropical rain forest. I see Rachel as she leans her body out, her feet firmly planted on the slippery rock. She slowly lets the rope out and inches her feet down the rock face, picking up speed as she goes. I lose sight of her as she goes behind an outcropping of rocks, when suddenly she appears again. “Great job, Rachel,” I yell, over the roar of the waterfall. In seconds she is down, standing in the water next to me. “That was awesome,” she says. I have to agree. We are in the San Salvador rain forest of Puerto Rico on a hiking, rappelling and zip lining adventure and we are having a blast.

Rafael’s family lives in Puerto Rico, so we’re not strangers. We come here a lot. We are always trying something different. The great thing about Puerto Rico is that there are so many things to try! Today we are hiking and scrambling up river rocks in the beautiful, secluded mountains of Caguas, former home of the Taino Indians. River hiking is so much fun; we don’t worry about overheating! Sometimes we have to use ropes to pull ourselves up steep rocks. Other times we rely on our rock climbing skills. We hike through water up to our knees, then switch to dry land for a while.

When we climb to another beautiful area, we are rewarded with a break. There are small waterfalls surrounding us as the people in our group take seats on rocks, enjoy a snack and take pictures. Everyone is in a great mood, just enjoying the scenery.





After we do the big rappel, we are on the downhill part of our journey. This goes much faster because we get to do it by zip line! Five of them, one 400 feet long. It’s fun, especially as you pick up lots of speed! Poor Rachel doesn’t weigh enough to make hers go fast – she actually has to pull herself to the end on one of them. This is where a little weight is a good thing!



Once we reach the bottom again, we are able to change out of our wet clothes and enjoy a traditional Puerto Rican meal prepared by the family who owns the land we are enjoying. It’s late for lunch and we have worked up an appetite. We all gather around and devour the delicious fish, rice and beans. This is a great way to end a fantastic adventure!

Courage Level: 3 – We rock climb, so rappelling is not scary for us, but judging by the other people in the group, it takes a lot of courage to go over the edge of that waterfall! Everyone was very encouraging, though, so people could take their time. It’s all about trusting the equipment. That’s really why we don’t get nervous, even Rachel. We have experience with climbing equipment and trust it won’t break.

Fitness Level: 3 – You need to be in reasonably good shape to do this tour. You don’t need to be a super athlete, but you will be belaying up rocks, hiking in rivers and basically moving uphill at a steady pace for a couple hours.

We used Eco-Quest for our tour guide. They were great. Our guides were knowledgeable, friendly and concerned with safety. I liked that they worked with locals in terms of providing lunch for us.

What to bring:

Wear a bathing suit and light, quick drying clothes. Do not wear jeans or cotton pants; they will just weigh you down when they get wet. Wear shorts (or capris) that are long enough that the climbing harness will be on the clothing, not your skin, because you will be wearing it for most of the day. You might want a long sleeved shirt for after your rappel. It’s shady in the canyon and being cold is not fun.

You can bring a small backpack with snacks, water and your long-sleeved shirt, if you are bringing it. We only brought one pack, which Rafael and I took turns carrying. The van will stop at Walgreen’s as a last stop if you need to buy something to eat. Bring a waterproof bag if you need anything like a phone or wallet. You will be very wet. (You can keep things in their van, but if you feel better having them with you, they need to keep dry!)

Wear lace-up sneakers, light-weight hiking shoes or water shoes. They need to be sturdy enough that you won’t be turning your ankles as you traverse the river rocks. We have light–weight travel hiking boots, and we set them out in the sun the next day and they dried. You might not want to plan this adventure for the day before you get on a plane or you will have very wet shoes to take home!

This was a perfect adventure for our Olympus Stylus Tough shockproof and waterproof camera. I carried it down the waterfall with it around my wrist, banging against the rocks the whole way. Then I stood in the water taking pictures. It was great because I never worried about it. I actually carried it like that all day, so I would have it handy when I wanted to take a photo. If you have a camera like that, take it with you!

You can read about all my family adventures around the world on my blog.

All Photos Courtesy of Leslie Fonseca

By Leslie Fonseca

Puerto Rico: Rappel 80-Foot Waterfall

Puerto Rico takes steps against erosion to save 32 of its beaches

Puerto Rico is preparing measures to halt the erosion that is seriously diminishing at least 32 of its beaches, a blight that concerns local authorities since it can turn away tourism, one of the Caribbean island's chief sources of revenue.

Lawmaker Angel Rodriguez Otero of the ruling Popular Democratic Party, or PPD, told Efe Friday that in order to fight this problem, he presented a resolution before the Puerto Rican Senate moving the upper house to take an active role in controlling this phenomenon.

Rodriguez Otero said the erosion of coastline is particularly worrying in the northwestern area of Rincon, a premiere vacation spot, particularly for tourists from the U.S.

Concern about erosion motivated a delegation from the Senate Commission on Tourism, Culture, Recreation and Sports to visit the coastal area of Rincon last February, after Rodriguez Otero presented Resolution 994 for taking action against the problem.

Another delegation from the upper house visited the southwestern part of the island this Friday to determine in person how much the coastline there has eroded.

Rodriguez Otero said that in a period of one month the commission is expected to present the Senate with its recommendations for dealing with a phenomenon that has been multiplying in recent years.

"The root of the problem lies in global warming, in all the construction going on so close to the beaches, and in the disproportionate removal of sand," the legislator said.

He said the first step is to identify the economic resources available at the local level, which can later be recovered with federal funds from the United States.

"The solutions require millions of dollars," Rodriguez Otero said, adding that besides Rincon, other areas affected by erosion include La Pared Beach in Luquillo municipality and Ocean Park Beach, one the of the most popular of the Puerto Rican capital.

He recalled that several years ago measures were launched that turned out to be very effective for combating erosion of Isla Verde Beach, also in the Puerto Rican capital, though he admitted that the lack of continuity lost all the improvements that had been gained.

Ruperto Chaparroi, director of the Sea Grant program at the University of Puerto Rico dedicated to the conservation and sustainable use of coastal resources on the Caribbean island, said during a visit to the Senate that one possible technique is to keep a record of all underwater sandbanks near the beaches so they can be used for repairing the affected areas.

The specialist said that this is an expensive technique, however, because the approximate cost for restoring a mile (1.6 kilometers) of beach is $1 million.

He noted that this technique has been employed by the United States in Florida and Texas, as well as by countries like Australia and Holland. EFE

Puerto Rico takes steps against erosion to save 32 of its beaches

Rare Shakespeare First Folio to visit all 50 states, DC and Puerto Rico in 2016

Washington, D.C. — The Folger Shakespeare Library, in partnership with the American Library Association (ALA) and Cincinnati Museum Center, has announced the tour sites for its 2016 national traveling exhibition of First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare. The exhibition will tour the original 1623 First Folio of Shakespeare to all 50 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. The locations include 23 museums, 20 universities, five public libraries, three historical societies and a theater.

The list of sites can be viewed at http://www.ala.org/programming/firstfoliosites.

The First Folio, the first collected edition of Shakespeare’s plays, was published in 1623, seven years after Shakespeare’s death. John Heminge and Henry Condell, two of Shakespeare’s fellow actors, compiled 36 of his plays, hoping to preserve them for future generations. Many of Shakespeare's plays, which were written to be performed, were not published during his lifetime. Without the First Folio, 18 of Shakespeare’s plays — including "Macbeth," "Julius Caesar," "Twelfth Night," "The Tempest," "Antony and Cleopatra," "The Comedy of Errors" and "As You Like It" — would have been lost.

The Folger Shakespeare Library holds 82 copies of the First Folio, the largest collection in the world and more than a third of the world’s 233 known copies. Researchers believe that about 750 copies were originally printed. One of the world’s most valuable printed books, a First Folio sold for $6.2 million in 2001 at Christie’s and another one for $5.2 million in 2006 in London. It originally sold for one British pound (20 shillings) — about $200 today.

The Folger, with ALA and the Cincinnati Museum Center, reviewed hundreds of potential applicant sites to host the First Folio before making the final selection. All were required to meet specific environmental and security requirements.

For the First Folio! tour, the rare book will be opened to one of the most quoted lines in the world, “to be or not to be” from "Hamlet." A multi-panel exhibition exploring the significance of Shakespeare, then and now, with additional digital content and interactive activities, will accompany the First Folio. Each of the 52 tour locations will plan programs for the public and families around the exhibition.

The tour begins in January 2016 at three sites, each of which will host the exhibition for four weeks. A total of 18 First Folios will be on display during the tour; six will travel at any one time. The final Shakespeare First Folio will return to the Folger in December 2016. The local touring dates for First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare will be announced in April 2015.

The Cincinnati Museum Center exhibits department is providing tour management and design expertise in building and preparing for travel the panels that will accompany the First Folios at each stop, as well as designing and constructing traveling cases for the 18 First Folios. Staff from Cincinnati Museum Center will also accompany the First Folios on each step of their national journey to coordinate and facilitate the transportation, installation and de-installation of the exhibition at each stop of the tour.

The national tour of the Shakespeare First Folio is part of the Folger’s Wonder of Will initiative in 2016 to commemorate the 400^th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death.

First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor, and by the generous support of Google.org and Vinton and Sigrid Cerf. Sponsorship opportunities of this major exhibition are available.

About Folger Shakespeare Library

Folger Shakespeare Library is a world-renowned center for scholarship, learning, culture and the arts. It is home to the world’s largest Shakespeare collection and a primary repository for rare materials from the early modern period (1500-1750). The Folger is an internationally recognized research library offering advanced scholarly programs in the humanities; an innovator in the preservation of rare materials; a national leader in how Shakespeare is taught in grades K–12; and an award-winning producer of cultural and arts programs — theater, music, poetry, exhibitions, lectures and family programs. Learn more at www.folger.edu

About the American Library Association

The American Library Association is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with approximately 58,000 members in academic, public, school, government and special libraries. The mission of the American Library Association is to provide leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.



ALA’s Public Programs Office provides leadership, resources, training and networking opportunities that help thousands of librarians nationwide develop and host cultural programs for adult, young adult and family audiences. The mission of the ALA Public Programs Office is to promote cultural programming as an essential part of library service in all types of libraries. Projects include book and film discussion series, literary and cultural programs featuring authors and artists, professional development opportunities and traveling exhibitions. School, public, academic and special libraries nationwide benefit from the office’s programming initiatives. Additional information can be found at www.ala.org/programming.

About Cincinnati Museum Center

Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC) at Union Terminal is a nationally recognized institution and national historic landmark. Dedicated to sparking community dialogue, insight and inspiration, CMC was awarded the 2009 National Medal for Museum and Library Service from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and received accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums in 2012. CMC is one of only 16 museums in the nation with both of these honors, making it a unique asset and a vital community resource. Union Terminal has been voted the nation's 45th most important building by the American Institute of Architects. Organizations within CMC include the Cincinnati History Museum, Duke Energy Children's Museum, Museum of Natural History & Science, Robert D. Lindner Family OMNIMAX® Theater and Cincinnati History Library & Archives. Recognized by Forbes Traveler Magazine as the 17th most visited museum in the country, CMC welcomes more than one million visitors annually. For more information, visit www.cincymuseum.org

About the National Endowment for the Humanities

Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy and other areas of the humanities by funding selected, peer-reviewed proposals from around the nation. Additional information about the National Endowment for the Humanities and its grant programs is available at www.neh.gov

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Rare Shakespeare First Folio to visit all 50 states, DC and Puerto Rico in 2016