TSC is the publisher of two leading marine publications, Environment, Coastal & Offshore (ECO) and Ocean News & Technology (ON&T), and we learn about marine-based issues or concepts before they become part of the cultural zeitgeist. Case in point, the blue economy.
Loosely defined as the responsible use of ocean resources, the blue economy is increasingly the focus of various industries that have an interest in protecting the ocean environment. As the nascent blue economy continues to grow and develop, there is an increasing effort at understanding, mitigating and managing the impact that human activity has on the marine environment. “Certain subjects keep bubbling to the surface, and one of them is ocean sound,” said Kira Coley, editor at ECO Magazine, a leading international science digital and print publication. “We’re learning not only the important role sound plays among marine life, but also the potential impact that human-derived sounds are having on marine ecosystems.”
ECO magazine recently published a special issue focused on the growing field of Ocean Sound. The special issue showcases some of the groundbreaking research being done in the field and reveals just how much we’ve learned and how much we still don’t know about the dynamics of sound in a marine environment. The issue also explores the impact human-derived sound has as our activities increase. New acoustic technologies are helping us understand how important sound is for a species to thrive. Species depend on sound for their survival, and their survival depends on our understanding of the integral role sound plays in their lives.
“We are really just scratching the surface. We are only now learning the extent that the marine ecosystem depends on a complex web of sounds, generated by life in the highly specialized ecosystem of the ocean,” Kira added.
As we learn more about the dynamics between various life forms in the ocean’s ecosystems, and the interplay between various habitats, we can then begin to understand and minimize, mitigate and manage our impact on our planet. But the man-made sound isn’t the only important area being covered by TSC’s publications.
Jessie Lewis, publication manager at TSC, said “Our upcoming September issue of ON&T covers renewables and offshore energy. Fitting given that every day brings a new headline covering some facet of those growing industries.”
Outside of renewable energy sources, the use of autonomous and semi-autonomous technology is seemingly everywhere. The technology is being used for everything from surveying to hull husbandry, and its importance will only grow. “The impact autonomous technology is having is far-reaching and the ON&T’s August issue will take a closer look at the world of submersibles and the technology,” Jessie added.
In addition to the impact that human activity is having on the planet and the increased use of autonomous and semi-autonomous technology, there is a third, equally important area that has muscled into the consciousness of the general population. As the world moves away from fossil fuels, renewable energy may well become the biggest story and driving economic force in 2020.
The key to understanding the growing renewable market sector is data. On that front, SubCableWorld, the leading source of market intelligence for the submarine telecom world, just published a ten-year forecast for the wind industry. “We clearly see how important renewable energy sources are, but our forecast clearly illustrates that the United States wind market has a great deal of work ahead of it in terms of developing a robust supply chain,” said John Manock, Senior editor at SubCableWorld.
Stay tuned.