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Eric Attias

I've Started my academic journey in Marine Sciences, followed by few years in Molecular Genetic research. Currently I'm back to Ocean research as a PhD. Researcher in Marine Electromagnetic Geophysics at the National Oceanography Centre, University of Southampton, UK.

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Enhanced primary production following the eruption of an Icelandic volcano

Hallo MOOCers, This article is brought to you by Ms Jessica Klar, a PhD. candidate (Geochemistry Group) here at the National Oceanography Centre. Jessica's Klar NOC profile page: http://noc.ac.uk/people/jk2e09 Many of you might remember the European flight disruptions caused by the volcanic eruption of Eyjafjallajökull (Iceland) from the 14th of April to the 22nd of May 2010. Continue reading →

Ocean Quotes 10: Alain Bombard, Biologist

Alain Bombard  was a French biologist, physician and politician famous for sailing across the Atlantic Ocean in a dinghy without food or water to prove that he could live on nothing more than fish, plankton, rain water and small amounts of sea water. He landed at Barbados 62 days later. "I had fought on behalf of man against the sea, but I realized that it had become more urgent to fight on behalf of the sea against men. Continue reading →

Can divers breath liquids to reach greater depths?

Hello MOOCers, Some of you might wonder, why is it that with modern technology, diving equipment companies can't come up with a new diving system that will allow divers to go as deep as an ROV, right to the bottom of the deepest trenches?. Well, this blog might answer your question. Jacques Yves Cousteau once said: "The future diver will be able to move freely from the ocean surface to its depths, while he breath liquids". Continue reading →

The future of renewable energy

Renewable energy technologies are clean sources of energy that have a much lower environmental impact than conventional energy technologies. It is a well known fact that currently governments throughout the world are exploring the various possibilities of renewable energy, seeking for the best way to incorporate them into their total energy budget. But still, questions such as feasibility and cost remains. First, let's review some of the common renewable energy which are suggested today: 1. Continue reading →

Ocean Quotes 6: Dave Barry

This quote is from Dave Barry, a writer who won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 1988. “There's nothing wrong with enjoying looking at the surface of the ocean itself, except that when you finally see what goes on underwater,you realize that you've been missing the whole point of the ocean. Staying on the surface all the time is like going to the circus and staring at the outside of the tent. Continue reading →

The ROV team effort that stopped the Deepwater Horizon oil spill – Gulf of Mexico 2010

On 20 April 2010, the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry took place in the Gulf of Mexico on the BP-operated Macondo Prospect. This blowout event on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig resulted with a total oil discharge of 4.9 million barrels, from the well that flowed for 87 days, until it was capped on 15 July 2010, after several failed attempts. Continue reading →