Marita Luk

Marita Luk has over a decade of experience as the business development manager for the School of Construction and the Environment at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT). Prior to this role, she worked in the financial industry for over 16 years in various roles. As business development manager, her role has evolved to support the School’s needs in student recruitment, marketing campaigns, web, social media, industry relations and special events. Marita has completed the Master of Arts in Leadership at Royal Roads University and an undergraduate degree from UBC, Bachelor of Arts, Double Major in English and French.... (read more)

2020-11-20 03:45:07

How an Ocean of Curiosity Led BCIT Geomatics Student to Pursue a Career as a Hydrographic Surveyor

A reflective gaze toward the open sea might be how some of us ponder one of life’s riddles or dream away a warm holiday afternoon. However, for a creative Vancouver Island student enrolled in the BCIT Geomatics Engineering Technology diploma programme, a curious glance across the waves is often to imagine what topographic mysteries lie below. Sian Cornwell loves the ocean and has a passion for topography. One of her favourite pastimes in high school was to convert topographic maps into 3D wooden terrain models. “It was art with real topographic maps,” she said. “I started to really enjoy it.” Using the... (read more)

2020-11-20 02:22:36

USF and NOAA Launch Cooperative Ocean Mapping Center

The University of South Florida’s College of Marine Science has been awarded a five-year, US$9 million cooperative agreement by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Office of Coast Survey to launch the Center for Ocean Mapping and Innovative Technologies (COMIT). COMIT, located on the USF St. Petersburg campus, will develop new technologies and approaches to ocean and coastal zone mapping in line with NOAA’s commitment to building resilient coastal ecosystems, communities and economies. “This partnership between the University of South Florida and NOAA will enable us to deliver detailed maps of the seafloor in the Gulf of Mexico,” said... (read more)

2020-11-17 10:00:26

Seafloor Location of MV Nella Dan Mapped During Underwater Earthquakes Research

Australian scientists have for the first time mapped in high resolution the seafloor location of MV Nella Dan, a polar resupply ship that was sunk near Macquarie Island nearly 33 years ago. The 75-metre Nella Dan was damaged when it dragged its anchor in bad weather and was driven aground on Macquarie Island in December 1987. All on board were safely transferred to shore but, after careful inspection, the ship was deemed by its Danish owners to be too badly damaged to be salvaged. It was later towed out to sea and sunk in deep water. The location where Nella Dan sunk has now been... (read more)

2020-10-30 09:29:33

What Is ‘Hydrospatial’?

In the last decades, we have progressed from ‘graphic’ to ‘digital’ and now to ‘spatial’. During the opening plenary session of the Canadian Hydrographic Conference (CHC) 2020, the author gave a presentation on ‘What is Hydrospatial?’, before inviting a panel of four senior figures and the audience to discuss the topic. This article is a summary of a detailed published Note in the International Hydrographic Review (IHR). What we do and its impact is obviously more important than a word can convey. However, words are how we express ourselves and, in particular, how we transmit our ideas and concepts to... (read more)

2020-10-27 10:37:56

New Charity to Support Global Maritime Safety and Education

The Nautical Institute (NI) has announced the formal launch of the Nautical Institute Foundation (NIF), a new charitable initiative that will allow the NI to extend the scope and reach of its current activities. The NIF has its roots within the NI, and aims to improve standards in maritime safety and marine environmental protection. “We identified the benefits that could arise from a separate charity focusing on maritime safety initiatives that would attract potential donors keen to support such projects but only via a separate charity,” explained NIF Chief Executive Jonathan Stoneley FNI. “The NI Foundation is an excellent basis... (read more)

2020-09-04 02:17:52

Hydrographic Education During a Lockdown

Experiences in the Netherlands

On 12 March, the Dutch government decided to ‘lock down’ all activities involving multiple persons, including education. That decision immediately affected the hydrographic institutions in the Netherlands. The Netherlands has an active four-year Cat. A course in Ocean Technology at the NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences – Maritime Institute Willem Barentsz (MIWB), and a 3+3 month Cat. B course at Skilltrade. Both had to cope with the lockdown in different ways due to their different set-ups and student populations. Organizational Situation After Lockdown Although education is not a ‘contact’ profession in the strict sense (or at least it shouldn’t... (read more)

2020-05-08 03:15:49

Why Ocean’s Biological Carbon Pump Has Been Drastically Underestimated

Video Included

Every spring in the Northern hemisphere, the ocean surface erupts in a massive bloom of phytoplankton. Like plants, these single-celled floating organisms use photosynthesis to turn light into energy, consuming carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen in the process. When phytoplankton dies or is eaten by zooplankton, the carbon-rich fragments sink deeper into the ocean, where they are, in turn, eaten by other creatures or buried in sediments. This process is key to the 'biological carbon pump', an important part of the global carbon cycle. Capturing Carbon from the Atmosphere Scientists have long known that the ocean plays an essential role... (read more)

2020-04-14 09:18:52

How GPS Trackers and Drones Help Locate Floating Debris

An estimated 600,000 tons of abandoned fishing gear ends up in the oceans every year. According to the United Nations, some 380,000 marine mammals are killed each year, either by ingesting this fishing gear or being caught in it. Mary T. Crowly of the Ocean Voyages Institute describes how GPS trackers are being used to mark the ghost nets. An estimated 600,000 tons of abandoned fishing gear ends up in the oceans every year. According to the United Nations, some 380,000 marine mammals are killed each year, either by ingesting this fishing gear or being caught in it. Mary T. Crowly of the Ocean Voyages Institute describes how GPS trackers are being used to mark the ghost nets. The Ocean Voyages Institute is a non-profit organization based in Sausalito, California (US). It leads the way in utilizing and adapting existing maritime equipment with innovative approaches to ocean clean-up. For the past 40 years, the Ocean Voyages Institute has devoted its... (read more)

2020-04-02 12:20:06

Chartwell Marine Launches Scanwell Shallow Draft Survey Vessel

In response to calls from the scientific community, ports and industrial surveyors, Chartwell Marine, a pioneer in next-generation vessel design, has announced the launch of its Scanwell shallow draft survey vessel providing unparalleled standards of versatility and safety in one and half metre waters. The Scanwell range is available in multiple hull sizes – 10m, 12m, 15m and 19m – enabling use in a wide variety of applications, such as offshore energy, port infrastructure and scientific expeditions. There are already two vessels on order, the company says, the first of which has been recently delivered, a 10m survey vessel and... (read more)

2020-02-26 08:34:48