tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20215185806185489462024-03-06T01:50:59.388-05:00a new life in the seaThe undersea work and world of Michael Lombardi.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04416587455323802368noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021518580618548946.post-10162511233499398792012-07-12T18:04:00.000-04:002014-07-23T21:19:44.306-04:00new species of fish discovered 'in Bahama Deep'<br />
<a href="http://anewlifeinthesea.blogspot.com/" target="new"><img alt="'A New Life in the Sea' by Michael Lombardi" border="0" src="http://www.oceanopportunity.com/images/lifeinthesealogos/NewLifeSquare.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 125px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 125px;" /></a>A critical component of our work in exploration is the process of discovery. Visiting a unique environment for the first time exposes limitless opportunities for driving science, and purest discovery lies at its roots.<br />
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The Bahamas has provided our living test bed for experimenting with novel scientific diving techniques within <a href="http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2011/04/12/journey-into-inner-space-conquering-the-abyss/" target="_blank">the mesophotic, or 'middle light', zone</a> of our ocean, from depths between 200 and 500 feet. Each time we are in the field, efforts are made to support our growing collaborative team of world-class researchers by providing data and imagery from this alien mesophotic environment. May 2011 was no exception.<br />
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As part of a haphazard collection of cryptic fishes, one particular beast peaked the attention of John Sparks of the American Museum of Natural History.<br />
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The fish turned out to be a new species of clingfish, and was just recently <a href="http://www.asihcopeiaonline.org/toc/cope/2012/2" target="_blank">published in the Journal Copeia</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjllBjrcjH3NWP40pXhjqCMqq5I4VK64730eaP3ZFCn-reSeJtBY2or7UaPCyR4LDH_7LJ7jc5HvBUYGMV0a6b8Oxzl1qPX7q8OVof92fJflAgYdDS5x4DfwW1WskyQFqaOPGXIedm9BVo/s1600/DerilissusLombardii.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img $ca="true" border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjllBjrcjH3NWP40pXhjqCMqq5I4VK64730eaP3ZFCn-reSeJtBY2or7UaPCyR4LDH_7LJ7jc5HvBUYGMV0a6b8Oxzl1qPX7q8OVof92fJflAgYdDS5x4DfwW1WskyQFqaOPGXIedm9BVo/s320/DerilissusLombardii.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The fish, named <em>Derilissus lombardii</em> (after yours truly!) is a small but essential testament to the inherent value in exploration...frankly, if we don't look, we'll never know what's out there, and a major discovery - something earth shattering - could be just seconds away.<br />
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The search continues...<div class="blogger-post-footer">For more from the author, visit www.oceanopportunity.com.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04416587455323802368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021518580618548946.post-69997269519506563232010-12-26T10:38:00.007-05:002014-07-24T20:41:16.423-04:00The A.R.E.'s Search for Atlantis | a Review<span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="http://anewlifeinthesea.blogspot.com/" target="new"><img alt="'A New Life in the Sea' by Michael Lombardi" border="0" src="http://www.oceanopportunity.com/images/lifeinthesealogos/NewLifeSquare.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 125px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 125px;" /></a>Drs. Greg & Lora Little's 'The A.R.E.'s Search for Atlantis' highlights the organization's relatively recent field efforts investigating the theory that <a class="zem_slink freebase/en/atlantis" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantis" rel="wikipedia" title="Atlantis">the Lost City of Atlantis</a> had its roots in the island nation of the Bahamas. The A.R.E. (<a class="zem_slink freebase/en/association_for_research_and_enlightenment" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_for_Research_and_Enlightenment" rel="wikipedia" title="Association for Research and Enlightenment">Association for Research and Enlightenment</a>) is a not for profit organization based in Virginia Beach, VA built upon the work of 'sleeping prophet' <a class="zem_slink freebase/en/edgar_cayce" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Cayce" rel="wikipedia" title="Edgar Cayce">Edgar Cayce</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The book leaves more questions than answers, as do most texts on this controversial subject. The read itself is an interesting one, and a must for those curious about Atlantean and other ancient civilizations. While there are traces of evidence that stand to support a prehistoric human presence in the Bahamas and Cuba, much of the book actually pokes holes in many of the theories. In fact, a significant amount of the text describes a series of boondoggles (the scientific term for 'short field expediiton') which expose that several anomalous features seen from the air are natural biological and geological formations. </span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/R-E-s-Search-Atlantis-Ongoing-Bahamas/dp/0940829444?ie=UTF8&tag=michaellombardi-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="The A.R.E.'s Search for Atlantis: The Ongoing Search for Edgar Cayce's Atlantis in the Bahamas" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0940829444&tag=michaellombardi-20" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=michaellombardi-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0940829444" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The debunking of these 'discoveries' seem obvious to the reader, and in my opinion, could have and should have been further investigated from a hard science perspective before heading into the field to save alot of apparently wasted time and effort. However - and there is usually a 'however' - each boondoggle did expose some new piece of evidence that warrants some continued investigation in the future. And so the quest continues...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">As I've written before, the Bahamas does have a certain mysterious appeal, which has attracted a long history of maritime exploration firsts. There may very well be some deep-rooted attraction from the human psyche that stems from an ancient civilization...I am not one to argue this either way. On the short term however, while I am deeply intrigued by Atlantean theory, and the consideration that Atlantis may have occupied a portion of the greater Bahamas region, I am not convinced that this book does much to support any claims.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The text references some gray scientific literature and the Edgar Cayce readings. When used collectively, there truly is a fascinating and exciting story to follow - and that is the allurement to the topic. But, there is no reference to any hard research that the A.R.E. has conducted in the research, nor references to any related scholarly publications from the organization. As such, the book does much to expand upon the 'theory', but that is its fullest extent. Now, to the A.R.E.'s and Little's credit, there are few credible conduits for dissemination of this type of material, hence scholarly publication of related exploration or research are far and few between. That's not to say that there isn't value in th work however. But, for this niche community to gain some traction in the mainstream, I am convinced that they must work together to publish some related hard science. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">In close, the book is a must read for those interested in the Atlantean subject, especially those interested in learning about related exploratory efforts in the Western Hemisphere. For those who believe, there are more questions than answers left on the table, which means an ocean of opportunity at our fingertips.</span><br />
<div class="zemanta-related"><h6 class="zemanta-related-title" style="font-size: 1em; margin: 1em 0px 0px;">Related articles</h6><ul class="zemanta-article-ul"><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://anewlifeinthesea.blogspot.com/2010/12/real-atlantean-discovery-some-free.html">a real Atlantean discovery | some free thinking</a> (anewlifeinthesea.blogspot.com)</li>
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://anewlifeinthesea.blogspot.com/2010/11/atlantis-lost-city-or-city-lost.html">Atlantis: the lost city, or a city lost?</a> (anewlifeinthesea.blogspot.com)</li>
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://discoveryenterprise.blogspot.com/2010/12/lost-worlds-atlantis.html">Lost Worlds - Atlantis</a> (discoveryenterprise.blogspot.com)</li>
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://silkroadvisions.wordpress.com/2010/12/07/julian-assange-and-the-empire-mars-and-north-node-in-aquarius/">Julian Assange and the Empire * Mars and North Node in Aquarius</a> (silkroadvisions.wordpress.com)</li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The start of the Holocene, some 10 to 12,000 years before present, was a period marking the <a class="zem_slink freebase/en/retreat_of_glaciers_since_1850" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retreat_of_glaciers_since_1850" rel="wikipedia" title="Retreat of glaciers since 1850">retreat of glaciers</a> from the last <a class="zem_slink freebase/en/ice_age" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_age" rel="wikipedia" title="Ice age">ice age</a>. During this ice age a significant amount of water was tied up as ice, making sea levels some 100meters+ lower than today. As the glaciers retreated since that time, sea levels have risen rather consistently, with a few extended periods of stabilization. These stable periods have etched their mark in stone, quite literally, and we can observe remnants of ancient shorelines underwater today.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">In this photo, recently captured while conducting an exploratory <a href="http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/explore/deep-fore-reef-in-toto/">project funded by National Geographic</a>, we see a remnant shoreline at a depth of 60meters/185feet:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/299/overrides/michael-lombardi-toto-waitt_29958_600x450.jpg" width="320" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In these types of geographic regions, the <a class="zem_slink freebase/en/the_bahamas" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=25.0666666667,-77.3333333333&spn=10.0,10.0&q=25.0666666667,-77.3333333333 (The%20Bahamas)&t=h" rel="geolocation" title="The Bahamas">Bahamas</a> in this case specifically, shear vertical walls were once towering limestone cliffs over the islands. With waves lapping against the cliffs and the limestone rock dissolving in the seawater, the erosional notches took form and remain as a small clue into our recent geological history.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">With sea level so much lower than present day, tens of millions of square miles of our <a class="zem_slink freebase/en/continental_shelf" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_shelf" rel="wikipedia" title="Continental shelf">continental shelf</a> were exposed - and not all as towering cliffs. When considering that today, most civilization as we know it takes up residence near or around waterways as they provide transportation, opportunities for trade, resource exploitation, a source for entertainment, and social gathering sites, we should further consider that the ancients did much the same. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">What does that mean exactly? </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Well, there's a good chance that traces of our ancestors - perhaps even considerably influential periods of time - and their innovations and day to day lives are very well lost under the seas. Considering this, the reasons why only traces of ancient civilization are discovered is because the search takes us to some very challenging environments...as much as 100 meters or more underwater, where robotics and technical diving scientists are the tools for the job. And so, we've only just scratched the surface.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">There's room out there for discovery for certain, and in letting your imagination run wild, consider some of the pieces in the below <a class="zem_slink freebase/en/the_history_channel" href="http://www.history.com/" rel="homepage" title="History (TV channel)">History Channel</a> segment from the series <a class="zem_slink freebase/en/ancient_aliens" href="http://www.history.com/shows/ancient-aliens" rel="homepage" title="Ancient Aliens">Ancient Aliens</a>. Enjoy!<br><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">For more from the author, visit www.oceanopportunity.com.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04416587455323802368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2021518580618548946.post-5094188244510458902010-01-26T10:12:00.004-05:002014-07-24T20:45:37.321-04:00the Hall of Ocean LifeYesterday was a unique day in delving into the psychology of a more permanent presence in the sea.<br /><br />I departed New Haven Connecticut by train to Grand Central Station in New York City. From Grand Central, I made two short subway hops, eventually taking me to the American Museum of Natural History located on Central Park West. The full two hour and fifteen commute flew by, yet provided ample time to be productive by prepping for a business meeting and working on my laptop. My first thought was, "hey-this is cool, I'm making the city commute that millions of New Yorkers make every day". My second thought was the stark realization that from New Haven all the way to the Museum, I never left the labyrinth of subways and train stations. I made the entire commute inside, with absolutely no exposure to the outside environment.<br /><br />The folks that do this daily likely take it for granted, but as a newbie New Yorker, the underground transportation system struck me with amazement. This ability to forgo the outside world is analogous to the future of Aquatica - a life beneath the waves. Replace the trains and subways with pressurized vessels and mini submarines, and encapsulate the station stops and transfers, and this may very well be the future. Will it be dark, polluted, cold, wet - just like the subway? Hard to know, as the many depictions of a future undersea world show rich color and glass laden structures and transports, providing ample opportunity for observation of the surrounding alien environment. In reality, however, our civilization may shift to coastal or even offshore dwelling for reasons other than the excitement of looking out of those pretty windows. It may be that overpopulation and the stress placed on terra firma just becomes too much, and industrialized structures begin to take shape on and below the sea.<br /><br />After a brief business meeting at the Museum, I roamed around, again never seeing a window or the light of day, but nonetheless took an exciting walk through their Hall of Ocean Life. There, the Museum has represented all of the major ocean and coastal habitats well. It was like a walk through memory lane, and I realized how fortunate I have been to travel the world several times over to participate in the study of the majority of these environments.<br /><br />I can tell you however, that there are environments that were not represented, and that these still warrant very early and purist exploration to bring their secrets back to our species. <br /><br />It's only a matter of time...and that time is appraoching.<div class="blogger-post-footer">For more from the author, visit www.oceanopportunity.com.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04416587455323802368noreply@blogger.com