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Water Change in the Arctic

By | All Posts, Sedna Expedition, We Are Water | No Comments

How Climate Change Affects Water in the Arctic Right now the permafrost is changing fast in the Arctic and will likely shrink more than 10% in the next 20 years with the permafrost borders shifting up to 200 km northward. Where permafrost is present, the ground is frozen up to 500 m deep with only the top meter thawing in summer. That means that lakes, rivers and wetlands in the Arctic do not generally connect with the  groundwater. Surface water is abundant in summer offering breeding grounds for  fish, birds and mammals. That paradigm is changing fast. When surface water…

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Ice Diving Tips

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Regulators and Cold Water Regulator free-flows are one of the greatest hazards when diving under ice or in very cold water (less than 4°C). The condition is caused by the sudden drop in pressure as air passes from the cylinder through the first stage. When high pressure air passes through the first stage, it hyper-cools the metal moving parts. In a piston reg, small ice crystals can block the piston open, causing more air flow and trapping the piston open, creating a vicious feedback loop of more air, more ice and a runaway free flow. The air pressure overwhelms the downstream…

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Kevin Gurr May Save Your Life

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White Paper on Oxygen Sensors May Save Your Life This article, painstakingly written by Kevin Gurr and aggressively peer reviewed by colleagues, may be the most important thing you will read about your rebreather. Your oxygen cells are the key to your life support and yet many people abuse them and use them beyond their working life. Kev’s article spells out everything you need to know about cells and why we are all so adamant about proactively changing them out. Read this and read it again. The information may save your life. This is a very long article, but well…

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Sly Not Blue

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I got up at 4:30 as the sky was brightening. I wanted to explore the village in the early morning. It was extremely quiet, except for the many dogs I seemed to be awakening as I tramped through the town. One soggy pup was eager to make friend and bumped against my leg and jumped up on my hip with his wet paws encased in cold gravel. I met a lone fisherman on the dock and decided to share space with him. I did not want to invade his tranquility with a barrage of questions. The morning felt serene and…

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David Suzuki Warns of Changing Climate

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In many ways, climate change is about water change. David Suzuki shares his thoughts about global climate change and our need to take fast and dramatic action. It seems hardly a week goes by when we don’t hear some climatologist or other expert say, “it’s difficult to connect one particular weather event to global warming, but…” We heard it this week as communities in Calgary and Southern Alberta were evacuated in the face of extreme rainfall and rising floodwaters. Read more here.

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Meet Phantom

By | All Posts, Sedna Expedition, Underwater Photo and Video, We Are Water, Women Underwater | No Comments

Erika Bergman is our ROV Pilot (right). Today she tested her Open ROV “Phantom” in the pool to ensure it made it safely through transport. Charlene Barker (left) assisted with an extra set of hands. A small leak was caught and is being dealt with. Luckily Ocean Quest is also a spa and lots of hair dryers were available! Phantom will go for another swim and hopefully come up dry! Francoise Gervais (back) tested her new Santi suit and came up dry, so she is a happy diver. Susan and Emily are both busy with logistics and media. We’ll give a talk…

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