Our understanding of algae, their unique and rich diversity, is shifting more and more towards finding industrial applications for production of useful products, in particular, food (human food, fish food and animal food), energy and farmaceutical products. There are known methods and tools to extract oil and other valuable products from algae, also to change the genetic content and chemical composition of many algae.

Many and many organizations give lots of money for research for commercialization of algae. Research takes is typical path fuelled by society needs, human hopes for prosperity and fears from environmental threats. In this amazing journey of what we are right now and where we are heading to, there are several important facts to be known, e.g. benefits and threats. There are, also, key interests in understanding the potential of artificial photosynthesis as a new path, not yet fully understood, for production of energy.

Algae are “biochemical reactors” that can recycle carbon to produce organic compounds in different forms, which indeed is the origin of all the gas and oil reservoirs around the world. Multi-hundred-million dollar industries have invested in many products, e.g. sushi wrap, oils, dental impression, ice cream thickener, cosmetics, medical products, plastics… etc. They still invest more and more money for production of energy-rich food, biofuel from algae and use of wastewater to grow algae as well as for the extraction of other useful products like coloring agents and anti-oxidant, agro-culture business for production of food in the fish and shellfish industries.

Basic research is needed, and even imperative, to solve central bottleneck in algae processing technology ranging from cultivation, harvesting, extraction of desired products, processing and refining. Micro-algae are known to grow very fast and there is commercial potential in industrial microbiology where molecular biology in combination with aquaculture and marine farming can yield hybrid and novel technologies. Unlike industrial small-scale microbial technologies, e.g. cheese, beer, alcohol that are based on “closed systems” trying to cultivate algae on large-scale, i.e. in open systems, is a great challenge. Algae are now looked upon as the most sustainable known potential source of biofuel. The challenges are transferring the many different types of small-scale bioreactors to open systems for growing algae at large scale. Up-scaling of algae-based technology leads to emergent issues that are not fully controlled, e.g. competitor algae, predators and diseases (bacteria and viruses). Up-scaling to large-scale open systems, therefore, requires solving a wide-range of difficulties and threats including those arising from varying weather conditions, e.g temperature, and much work is still needed.

Earth – the blue planet: lots of water-lots of algae-lots of oxygen. The most important and oldest single cell plants on earth “The Algae” and the very reason of our existence. These single cells carry lots of secrets and many of them are still unknown to us though they played important roles in the evolution and development of life on earth. They have micro- and nano- devices with complex molecular structures and diversity of biochemical metabolic reactions, e.g. photosynthesis and nitrogen fixation, production of amino acids and lipids. Algae with thousands and thousands of species can be very small or very large in size with different colors and can be useful or harmful. Algae remains, diatoms, can be preserved in sediments for millions of years. The most important is that algae are the origin of gas and oil and recently that  algae can be used for production and a source of biofuel!

220 AD The Great Wall, 1420 AD The Forbidden City, 1997 AD Three Gorges Dam and 2002 AD China does again with the biggest construction project on earth in the middle of the deep ocean. That is to meet the 21st century where China’s export-import trade is exploding by nearly 30% each year and to support the heavy traffic from Yangtze River where there is considerable sedimentation of silt where it meets the ocean.

This China’s Ultimate Mega Port, The Yangshan Port, is one of the busiest cargo facilities on earth with the world biggest import-export trade. It has one of the most advanced and cutting edge control system in any container port around the world. It is 32 km off-shore and 15-20 meters deep, a 20 km cargo-port that can handle 25 million shipping containers in one year, i.e. 70 000 in just one day and to built it required thousand of million cubic meters of soil. It is built for loading and unloading gigantic containerships and linked to the main land China by the second world largest bridge.

Necessity is the mother of invention. Where energy lacks there is much concern about finding it and using it with the most sustainable manner possible. This is why Iceland is among very few countries in the world where Renewable Energy Resources are managed with the best possible sustainable solutions. It is, also, possible that the availability and affordability of renewable energy in Iceland attracted Scandinavians to settle in Iceland sometime around the second half of the 9th century as in ancient cultures people sought living there were good possibilities to secure “WE-resources”. i.e. water and energy resources. The necessity and needs for survival are essential drivers for inventions and advances in science and technology. It is interesting to mention that 100% of the electricity production in Iceland is produced from renewable energy resources, i.e. hydropower and geothermal heat. Furthermore, 85% of total primary energy supply in Iceland is derived from domestically produced renewable energy sources.

So, we have something to learn from this country that in addition of being in the icy part of the world has a very long dark winter season. However, Iceland is not as cold as Minnesota (USA), for example, and not as dark as Tromso (Norway). That doesn’t mean that Island is some tropical paradise though.

To learn more about geothermal energy, please, visit:                                                                   (1) http://cognitiveanomalies.com/what-is-geothermal-energy-what-are-geothermal-energy-advantages-and-disadvantages/                                                                                                     (2) http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2011/09/working-on-this-one-developers-warm-to-small-scale-geothermal

The dream of any nation is to provide its population with safety and security especially in most critical situations with severe disasters, tragedies and collective nightmare arising from fear, insecurity and uncertain future. The nuclear disaster and the national tragedy from Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan demonstrated how collective efforts, the neat national planning along with continuous and intensive hard-work brought about safety and security for almost all the population in Japan.

An amazing awareness and responsibility on all levels for the DE-COMTAMINATION of every single inch or centimeter of land, houses, school, hospitals, roads, trees and practically all environmental compartments. A national DE-COMTAMINATION strategy if followed by other nations much of pollutions and waste problems can be solved. Successful sustainable management is about providing future generations with secure and safe living conditions, it is a collective discipline, awareness and responsibility from all for all and by all including preparing and fostering future generation for how to handle national disasters and severe tragedies.

Cleaning up Fukushima

Geothermal energy is among potential “semi-global” natural energy resources, as it is only accessible and affordable in economic terms in hot and limited areas around the globe. It is also considered to be relatively user friendly, more energy-intensive in comparison to solar energy, has less threats in case of technical failure as compared to nuclear power, simple and more safe production-technology in terms of drift and above all more durable and lasing natural source. It is indeed a form of “fossil resource” as being a remainder from the Big Bang. However, unlike energy produced in stars such as in the sun (solar energy) through fusion-reactions, energy in planets such as the earth is being produced through decay processes of the primordial radio-activity. Actually, without the embedded sources of heat in the earth’s body, i.e. the energy emitted through the decay of natural radio-activity, e.g. the radio-active members of the U and Th series, and many other radio-active isotopes of other elements that can have half-lives much longer than the age of the universe itself, e.g. Te-128 of half-life of 2.2 exa millions (billion billion millions) of years.

The most interesting issue in energy production and use is that water in always involved in these processes with two main impacts what concerns WE-resources, i.e. Water and Energy.  For energy we are consuming more energy resources and thereby less we are gradually facing less access to energy resources and as a consequence increasing prices of energy production. As energy production, use and consumption create more waste and pollution as well as bring water to more open systems and interactions there is continuous and gradual degradation in water quality and thereby increasing threats to all life forms on the earth.

So, production and use of geothermal energy can be, also, associated with negative impacts on water resources, environment and bio-diversity.

Making a Difference through Geothermal Energy

An important aspect for appropriate implementation of Sustainable Technologies is Sustainable Management. The fundamental question is How Sustainable is Sustainable? And what are the most appropriate solutions for Achieving the Best Socio-economic Sustainability? Among strategic long-term and large-scale policies for the MENA region, where arid and semi-arid conditions prevail, is Water Management because of its impacts on all involved sectors (energy, industry, agriculture and environment) in this region, life quality and bio-diversity. Unfortunately, existing literature still lack appropriate long-term and large-scale sustainability solutions as being based on “Business as Usual” without consideration to other possible and yet feasible alternatives.

Seawater desalination constitutes an important source for water supply for all sector activities and the population in the bordering the Arabian Gulf, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Red Sea. Desalination has advantages and disadvantages that may depend on the region, location, technology, impact and amount of fresh water production. Apart from the energy requirements for desalination, there are also other negative impacts in terms of waste management, fish production and quality of marine life in general. However, these impacts can be mitigated or even eliminated, by solutions other than those currently available.

Desalination poredictions in MENA region

The earth’s surface went through enormous large-scale and long-term shaping and re-shaping evolution history that resulted in todays earth’s “face”. In the last million years these shaping and re-shaping processes of the earth’s surface were continuously fueled by dominant erosion processes of natural origin that carved land-areas, holes and trajectories for coastal, surface and groundwater systems, e.g. rivers, lakes, coastal deltas and shores, fjords, water-falls, forests, natural parks, caves and other major geological formations. However, modern man-made interferences are becoming increasingly important, primarily because of increasing activities and processes on the earth’s surface in particular urbanization, mining and global warming. Recent climate changes, for example, are imposing extreme daily and seasonal variations in atmospheric temperature, gradual warming of oceans, seas and surface water systems with feedback impacts on atmospheric, oceanographic and hydrospheric erosion processes. These processes are brought about by the action of more dynamic air and water masses on different scales ranging from micro, local, regional and global scales, e.g. dynamic changes in speed and velocity of wind and water waves, also heating, freezing and de-freezing cycles “expansion and contraction” and geothermal processes.

Erosion is the main source of nutrients supporting the formation of vegetation cover, animal and evolution of bio-diversity and the very origin of natural agricultural production through photo-synthesis and associated biogeochemical, geophysical and geochemical machinery of the functioning and metabolism of global eco-systems. However, modern pollution and waste because of industry, agriculture and household have severe negative impacts of all life forms on the earth’s surface.

Global warming is not only a matter of increasing temperature, ice melting, increasing sea water level and enhanced abnormalities in weather conditions. Changes in temperature, though might seem, as little as few degrees, will bring about major changes in the functioning and metabolism is global aquatic, ecological and land-water systems. Fish population in world oceans and seas will suffer major dynamic changes, in term of population, species and catch composition. Fish species will be forced to large-scale migration to adapt themselves for new living in suitable waters and some fish species are expected to disappear. Such major changes in fish species will also have other impacts on global ecology of other animal species.

http://www.publicaffairs.ubc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/CheungGraphic_web.jpg

Water is the natural environment for the life quality of fish and hence water quality is of prime importance for fish production and the quality of fish as well. Even in aquatic eco-systems, one can simply say “what goes around comes around”. Understanding how to improve the conditions in fish farming in terms of production and quality have very much to do with understanding the functioning and metabolism in natural aquatic systems. There are key issues that are essential to be understood about water quality in aquatic systems (fresh, brackish and marine), in particular the physical (e.g. density, stratification and mixing as well as turbidity, mineral particulate, light transmission) and chemical (e.g. pH, solubility of gases such as oxygen, carbon di-oxide, ammonia, salt concentration, dissolved matter, organic and inorganic particulates) properties and characteristics in these waters at different temperatures. The physical and chemical conditions of water determine to large extent the water quality status, along with toxic anthropogenic compounds that originates from pollution and water from industrial, agricultural and household sources. The impacts of all these conditions, factors and properties on water quality, the response and feedback effects on fish in terms of production and quality are to large extent summarized in the following document, it can be used as a guide for fish farmers.

http://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/AS/AS-503.html

Asbestosis is known to affect the tissue of lungs as a consequence of the inhalation and retention of asbestos fibers. This usually occurs after high intensity and/or long-term exposure to asbestos from mining, manufacturing, handling, or removal of asbestos. This is, also, the case for people in houses or areas contaminated by asbestos.  Sufferers may experience severe dyspnea (shortness of breath) and are at an increased risk for certain malignancies, including lung cancer but especially mesothelioma.

As the damage to lungs occur from contaminated air, early investigation were carried out through measurements of asbestos levela in air samples, which is suspected to have caused asbestos-related lung problems.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wy-p_DvM6Jw&feature=youtu.be

Life on earth, and its origin, has been a puzzle and still. Classically humans believed that the essential “elements” upon which the constitution and fundamental powers of anything are based are: Earth, Air, Fire and Water. In the past the concept of Energy was unknown to humans though fire was very much needed for life. It is as early as in stone-ages where humans discovered how to make fire, it came by accident. People at that time both appreciated and hated fire, however from that time humans went on to explore the whole range of energy forms, including production and consumption. Full benefits of Water and Energy resources for life on earth required/requires the other two “elements”, i.e. earth and air. However, there are specific requirement for the properties and qualities of earth and air for the life to exist. Even for humans, the full benefits of energy and water were/are only possible through earth and air with given specifications and qualities.

Through science and technology the classical four “elements” were developed and expanded to an enormous amount and spectra of knowledge that allowed all possible application and inventions. The most common feature of modern educated and intelligent humans and stone-age illiterate humans is how to solve the dilemma of mastering energy and water in sustainable matter. The difference is illiterate and ancient humans discovered energy “fire” by an accident but intelligent and modern humans will, at some stage, consume all energy resources on earth to a level that makes further life on earth difficult.  Are we gradually moving to stone-ages?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChxvN4WjxWg&feature=youtu.be

The rosy festival of continuous prosperity growth has recently been challenged by the theory of “Peak Oil”, which concludes that the amount fossil energy (oil, gas and coal) being extracted from the earth will shortly start an irreversible decline.  We will be increasingly dependent on other energy sources to power our civilization, if not to say our long-term survival.

Assessment of the global energy resources, consumption and trends in global energy-mix with consideration to increasing global population shows that energy per capita will decrease. This will have negative impacts on GDP “Gross Domestic Product” and probable escalation in the costs of raw material, e.g. fertilizer and the diesel fuel or electricity for water pumps that are essential for agriculture and production of food. We will be, therefor, moving fast not only towards energy poverty but also towards global economic recession, pushing many countries and population towards increasing poverty, e.g. shortage of water, food and housing.

http://www.paulchefurka.ca/WEAP2/WEAP2.html

Knowledge on the World Energy Resources “WER” is much more important to know as compared to the World Water Resources “WWR”. In both cases management policies in terms of quantity and quality are IMPERATIVE.

While knowledge about Climate Change is essential for implementation of sustainable long-term and long-term management policies of the Water Resources, there are relatively more aspects to be considered for the sustainable management of the Energy Resources. Humans cannot manipulate “WWR” or Global Water Resources “GWR” in terms of quantity. What we get, we will get, and we can do nothing about it. However, regarding the quality of GWR it is the responsibility of humans to keep track on quality at all levels and on different scales, i.e. in terms of location and occasion “spatio-temporal scales”. So, what regards “GWR” management policies, technology is primarily coupled to consumption priorities of sectors, stakeholders and users as well as waste and pollution issues with consideration to climatic issues.

Management of “WER” involves production, consumption, and waste and pollution issues taking in consideration sectors, stakeholders and users. But “WER” require global players for import-export of both raw material and processed energy as well and in both cases waste and pollution aspects are involved. The dynamic balance of fossil versus renewable energy resources are very much technology related. Even in this case, Climate Change is becoming an important factor regulating how the dynamic balance of fossil versus renewable energy should look like, i.e. on “spatio-tempral” scales.

http://www.worldenergy.org/data/resources/

Evolution of the global bio-diversity and the social life in natural eco-systems around us has long-standing histories. Yet our knowledge is not complete and many secrets remain to be mostly unknown.

Sperm whales are the most hunted species, then for generations it took a great many men to kill few whales but the technology has now reversed the problem. The problem before was to find sperm whales and kill them, but the problem now is to find how many sperm whales than can be killed without endangering the species. In a world full of hunger production doesn’t slow down for science, the only means to find out the proper answers. The ultimate fate of the whales and the industry depends on the accuracy of science to shape sustainable management policies in an ever-increasing complexity and fragmentation of “industry-society” sectors.

Sperm whales have the largest brain of any animal and probably dive deeper than many other mammals. We know little about why they sing, we even don’t know how, how much they sleep and even if they need to sleep at all. They have complex social life of which we know very little about. 

Biologists collect much raw material for the construction of their re-productive cycle. In which, the age of the whales are key component to follow the biology and ecology of whale populations. Sperm whale carries its life calendar in their teeth. Teeth, in this context, are true age-indicators of the whales as they consist of alternating “drack-light” layers. When the age is known, it is then correlated with other information from the soft parts of whales and by computer simulation (size, range and reproductive capacity for various whale populations) knowledge on, how many whales can be safely harvested, can be gained. Biologists make the statistics but the whaling industry take care of the rest.

In a separate “POST” we will tell more about the threats facing “pilot whales”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0azqjk8Wgw&feature=youtu.be

I came a cross an old whaling film (in two parts) aboard U.S. ship “The Viola” from 1916 describing the hard working condition during the early years of the growing industrialization. The ships used for whaling were built even earlier, i.e. around 1850 or so. The whaling work required too much work, labor and the tools and techniques used at that time were simple or even primitive as judged by current western standards. However, these were the conditions and what was available at that time. This in addition to too long fishing journeys for little outcome; this is how people worked hard for getting their food and income at that time. All modern industrial technologies, including film-industry and ICT-based machinery that replaced difficult, ineffective and time-consuming man-power were gained mostly after WW-II, i.e. the later part of 1900. However, human struggle to get enough, affordable and healthy food will never end as there are always new pressures, threats and challenges. Education and research are always needed for better conservation and management policies.

(Part 1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWA4HDFASAo&feature=youtu.be

(Part 2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_qebW9vLzI&feature=youtu.be

Humans are adapted for life on land only, we wouldn’t survive in water more than few minutes. Yet without life in aquatic systems, seas, rivers and lakes, many of us wouldn’t be a life at all and even vanished away longtime ago. But do we understand the secrets of life in fresh, brackish and marine water systems, from where fish (small and big) get their food, do fish drink water, if so how do food-chains look like in aquatic systems, does life exist in surface sediments. Do fish sleep, and while swimming how do fish navigate between stones, corals, identify there way, survive the dark environments in deep regions and at nights?  Do fish get sick, have diseases and eventually die, if so why and how?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1R5T9xEiOT0&feature=youtu.be