IF you love the Pacific as much as I do, you are interested in not only enjoying it but learning about it and preserving its beauty and diversity for future generations. One of the best organizations doing that is HURL, the Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory.
According to their website, www.soest.hawaii.edu: “The Hawai‘i Undersea Research Laboratory or HURL specializes in providing scientists with the tools and expertise they need to investigate the undersea environment, including submersibles, remotely operated vehicles, and other cutting edge technologies.”
As part of the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology at the University of Hawaii, HURL researchers explore the depths of the ocean in ways that were impossible only a few years ago. Their fleet of ships and submersibles is extensive and willing to support worthy research proposals.
Also from their website: “HURL builds its research program through solicitations for research proposals; scientists interested in participating in the HURL research program are invited to respond. Selection of individual scientific research projects is conducted through rigorous peer review and recommendations from an independent scientific advisory panel. A number of ‘collaborative’ projects are also undertaken, the majority of which are funded by other NOAA agencies such as Ocean Exploration, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Marine Sanctuaries, the Pacific Islands Regional Office, the Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research, and the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council.”
HURL does important work that benefits everyone who lives in the Pacific region. Here is a sample of press releases from HURL to give you an idea of their work:
- “Submarine canyons a source of marine invertebrate diversity, abundance” Submarine canyons play an important role in maintaining high levels of biodiversity of small invertebrates in the seafloor sediments of the main and northwestern Hawaiian Islands, according to new research.
- “Giant World War II aircraft-carrying submarine discovered off Oahu coast” A World War II-era Imperial Japanese Navy mega-submarine, the I-400, lost since 1946 when it was intentionally scuttled by U.S. forces after its capture, has been discovered in more than 2,300 feet of water off the southwest coast of O‘ahu.
- “Female tiger sharks migrate during fall pupping season” A quarter of the mature female tiger sharks plying the waters around the remote coral atolls of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands decamp for the populated main Hawaiian Islands in the late summer and fall, swimming as far as 2,500 kilometers (1,500 miles).
- “New models provide 7.5 days of wave predictions in Mariana Islands” Mariners and ocean recreationalists in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands will benefit from new high-resolution wave forecasts offered by the Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System.
From underwater canyons to lost submarines, from tiger shark cruising patterns to Saipan wave forecasts, HURL is doing a lot of good work.
Dr. BC Cook taught history for thirty years and is a director and Pacific historian at Sealark Exploration (sealarkexploration.org). He currently lives in Hawaii.
