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Secrets of the seabed (From Dorset Beaches)
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Secrets of the seabed
7:00pm Wednesday 24th June 2009
AN ANCIENT riverbed has come to light off Dorset’s coast in an exciting new survey which has revealed a wealth of underwater treasures.
Seabed mapping has provided fascinating images including a clearly visible meandering river channel cutting through bedrock eight miles south of Lulworth Cove.
This is just a glimpse of the data collected so far – there will be so much we can learn when it’s all in
Professor Vince May
According to Professor Vince May of Bournemouth University the area would have been dry from about 185,000 years ago, then the sea level rose before falling again 70,000 years ago and covering it again 12,000 years ago.
“It’s possible that we are looking at two channels – an older one from the earlier period which was reworked and deepened with the higher runoff from the later period,” he said.
“It puts current concerns about sea level rise in context and suggests that we could rename Weymouth.
“This is just a glimpse of the data collected so far – there will be so much we can learn when it’s all in.”
The stunning detail of shipwrecks, rugged cliffs and massive gravel dunes has been revealed in the first phase of a £300,000 project funded by Viridor Credits, which puts the county at the forefront of marine mapping in the UK.
The Dorset Integrated Seabed study (Doris), will ultimately produce a detailed seabed habitat map covering more than 800sq km from Swanage to Abbotsbury.
A high resolution acoustic survey was completed earlier this year and Southampton-based Seastar Surveys will shortly start work on the next phase with divers recording seabed habitats and matching them to the data.
The project involves Dorset Wildlife Trust, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and Channel Coastal Observatory, who will each use the maps for their own purposes.
Peter Tinsley, marine conservation officer for DWT, said there had never been a greater demand for reliable seabed information, with the Marine Bill soon to go through its second reading in the House of Commons.
“This should lead to more sensible and sustainable use of our marine resources, for the benefit of marine wildlife,” he said.
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Your Say YourDorset
BourneRed, Bournemouth says...
9:13pm Wed 24 Jun 09
peterdw777 wrote:What are you banging on about? Unless you're being sarcastic and I missed it, scientists haven't believed the Earth is "a mere" 6,000 years old for about 250 years!
Mr May, unfortunately for you God created this planet and everything in, on and under it, a mere 6,000 years ago.
Unless of course you are calling God a liar?
As the Queen is the head of this country AND head of the Church of England don't you think you ought to retract your heretical remarks and move to a pagan country?
You not heard of Dinosaurs?
585, Weymouth says...
9:24pm Wed 24 Jun 09
Why?
dopey, says...
9:45pm Wed 24 Jun 09
This pagan country is underwater, 8 miles south of Lulworth.
@585, Weymouth
Why not? Lets rename it Birmingham to put off the grockles.
peterdw777, says...
11:39pm Wed 24 Jun 09
BourneRed wrote:Yes, dinosaurs or leviathans as they were called in the Bible, were created on the same day as Man. They were mostly wiped out in the Great Flood which is why they are all found in sedimentary layers.
peterdw777 wrote:What are you banging on about? Unless you're being sarcastic and I missed it, scientists haven't believed the Earth is "a mere" 6,000 years old for about 250 years!
Mr May, unfortunately for you God created this planet and everything in, on and under it, a mere 6,000 years ago.
Unless of course you are calling God a liar?
As the Queen is the head of this country AND head of the Church of England don't you think you ought to retract your heretical remarks and move to a pagan country?
You not heard of Dinosaurs?
Read Matthew 24 verses 5-24 to understand why 'scientists' disagree with the Bible.
pipistrollers, Bournemouth says...
11:53pm Wed 24 Jun 09
Laurie H Marsh, brisbane says...
12:30am Thu 25 Jun 09
The bible, in which you so fervently believe, was written by men.
Men are prone to making mistakes!
Take your own case in point!
Surely in this egalitarian society in which we live you would not deny someone else their opinion, right or wrong?
You can carbon "date" this response if you like.
(That does NOT mean burn it)!
Tripod, Poole says...
10:01am Thu 25 Jun 09
BourneRed, Bournemouth says...
1:39pm Thu 25 Jun 09
peterdw777 wrote:Seriously, are you for real?
BourneRed wrote:Yes, dinosaurs or leviathans as they were called in the Bible, were created on the same day as Man. They were mostly wiped out in the Great Flood which is why they are all found in sedimentary layers.
peterdw777 wrote:What are you banging on about? Unless you're being sarcastic and I missed it, scientists haven't believed the Earth is "a mere" 6,000 years old for about 250 years!
Mr May, unfortunately for you God created this planet and everything in, on and under it, a mere 6,000 years ago.
Unless of course you are calling God a liar?
As the Queen is the head of this country AND head of the Church of England don't you think you ought to retract your heretical remarks and move to a pagan country?
You not heard of Dinosaurs?
Read Matthew 24 verses 5-24 to understand why 'scientists' disagree with the Bible.
Mike Pickering, Bournemouth says...
5:12pm Thu 25 Jun 09
In the 1650's a well known bishop named James Ussher went through and simply added the times together between who begat whom and arrived at 4004 BC.
I love it when fundies come across real evidence that contradicts what they claim to believe. It just short circuits their tiny minds and they repeat their claptrap even louder.
Please continue, Mr 777, with your verifiable, justifiable account of how an ancient georgraphical feature DOESN'T disprove your particular brand of iron-age palestinian folk-lore...we're all waiting...
WHAT LIES BENEATH: The newly revealed riverbed in Weymouth Bay, about 40m below current sea level and eight miles south of Lulworth Cove
MARINE QUEST: A volunteer diver
peterdw777, says...
8:59pm Wed 24 Jun 09
Unless of course you are calling God a liar?
As the Queen is the head of this country AND head of the Church of England don't you think you ought to retract your heretical remarks and move to a pagan country?