Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Free Essays on Voyage To Atlantis

To some people Atlantis was one of the most beautiful places on earth at the time. Now Atlantis is still the most beautiful place on earth, but it is a hotel in the Bahamas. Its nothing like Plato talked about. Plato talked about an island in the Atlantic Ocean that was as big as a continent. Dovilio Brero describes Atlantis, in the paintings. In Atlantis, every detail is taken care of. Atlantis is built in concentric circles, only way to get into each one was by the sea. Access into the different circles was more restricted as you move towards the center island. As described of Atlantis from Dovilio Brero â€Å"the architecture unites beauty and harmony with an extreme functionality.† The center part is the citadel. It has a diameter of about two  ½ kilometers. In the dead center is a university dedicated to the studies on time phenomena. The most astounding building in the central part is the Astronomic observatory. The Atlantians made an enormous emerald, which they engra ved on it the main codes of the city written in many different languages. The Emerald Tables were guarded in an underground room, in the most restricted zones in Atlantis. The level of Technology they had was far superior to ours. Even though their clothes make them look primitive, they had some of the most advance weapons and items of the time. In an ancient Indian book, it tells about a war between the Rama Empire of India and Atlantis. It says that says that Atlantis launched a â€Å"single projectile charged with the power of the universe. An incandescent column of smoke and flame as bright as the thousand suns rose in all its splendor†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Nuclear weapon) Atlantis also used crystals to power all their things. One of the most important crystals is the Living Crystals of Atlantis, which are supposed to contain all the knowledge of the Atlantis. There is supposed to be one at the bottom of the sphinx’s left paw. Sonar reading show there is a room under the l... Free Essays on Voyage To Atlantis Free Essays on Voyage To Atlantis To some people Atlantis was one of the most beautiful places on earth at the time. Now Atlantis is still the most beautiful place on earth, but it is a hotel in the Bahamas. Its nothing like Plato talked about. Plato talked about an island in the Atlantic Ocean that was as big as a continent. Dovilio Brero describes Atlantis, in the paintings. In Atlantis, every detail is taken care of. Atlantis is built in concentric circles, only way to get into each one was by the sea. Access into the different circles was more restricted as you move towards the center island. As described of Atlantis from Dovilio Brero â€Å"the architecture unites beauty and harmony with an extreme functionality.† The center part is the citadel. It has a diameter of about two  ½ kilometers. In the dead center is a university dedicated to the studies on time phenomena. The most astounding building in the central part is the Astronomic observatory. The Atlantians made an enormous emerald, which they engra ved on it the main codes of the city written in many different languages. The Emerald Tables were guarded in an underground room, in the most restricted zones in Atlantis. The level of Technology they had was far superior to ours. Even though their clothes make them look primitive, they had some of the most advance weapons and items of the time. In an ancient Indian book, it tells about a war between the Rama Empire of India and Atlantis. It says that says that Atlantis launched a â€Å"single projectile charged with the power of the universe. An incandescent column of smoke and flame as bright as the thousand suns rose in all its splendor†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Nuclear weapon) Atlantis also used crystals to power all their things. One of the most important crystals is the Living Crystals of Atlantis, which are supposed to contain all the knowledge of the Atlantis. There is supposed to be one at the bottom of the sphinx’s left paw. Sonar reading show there is a room under the l...

Sunday, March 1, 2020

IMO Ballast Water Exchange and Performance Standards

IMO Ballast Water Exchange and Performance Standards In order to reduce damage from aquatic invasive species the International Maritime Organization (IMO) developed the â€Å"International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships Ballast Water and Sediments†. The BWM convention began with the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) in 1991. Since then there have been many revisions. Some of these revisions were driven by advancing technology to remove unwanted organisms at flow rates that would not severely impact operations. Treatment of ballast water with the latest technology can meet standards at a rate of 2500 cubic meters (660,430 US Gallons) per hour. A large vessel may still take several hours per exchange to flush her ballast tanks at this rate. Flow rates and energy consumption must be acceptable to operators while producing no harmful effects on the environment. Ballast Water Standards There are two types of ballast water standards in the convention. Their differences are significant and they should not be directly compared. The first, Ballast Water Exchange, is based on specified distances and depths where a vessel may discharge. Ballast Water Performance is a standard based on the number of viable organisms allowed per unit of treated water. Some areas are instituting standards which exceed the IMO guidelines. Both California and the Great Lakes region of the United States have adopted stringent local guidelines. The US is one of many major shipping nations that have not signed the convention. Thirty nations who have a combined merchant gross tonnage of thirty-five percent of the global tonnage are needed to ratify the convention. Ballast Water Exchange The standard for ballast water exchange is fairly simple. A vessel must discharge foreign ballasts at a specified distance from shore and at a specified depth using a submerged discharge device. Regulation B-4 and D-1 of the BWM convention gives us the specifics. Exchange may take place 200 Nautical Miles (NM) from shore at a depth of 200 meters. If that is not possible for safety or other reasons then a vessel may use the next procedure.If neither of these scenarios is possible then a vessel may exchange â€Å"in an area designated by the port state†. While undertaking ballast water exchange a port state must not cause deviation or delay of a ship.Efficiency of exchange should be at least 95% of volume and must be repeated three times. Vessels which demonstrate high-efficiency exchanges may reduce the number of exchange cycles.Ballast Water Exchange should only be undertaken when the safety of the vessel and crew are guaranteed. Ballast Water Performance In the case of Ballast Water Exchange, ship operators are flushing untreated ballast out of the tanks. This is a practical if not perfect way of allowing older vessels to operate without the expense and logistical problems of ballast water treatment retrofits. New and retrofitted vessels are much less likely to transport unwanted species because the ballast water treatment systems eliminate a large proportion of the viable organisms from the ballast tanks before discharge. Systems like these significantly reduce the chances of unwanted species being introduced by inefficient exchange practices or in the event of an untreated near shore discharge for safety reasons. The IMO uses the following guidelines for the Ballast Water Exchange standard in regulation D-2. Ballast water must contain less than 10 viable organisms which are greater than or equal to 50 microns in size per cubic meter (264 US Gallons). For reference, 50 microns is about half the thickness of an average human hair.In addition, ballast water must contain less than 10 viable organisms that are less than 50 microns but greater than or equal to 10 microns per milliliter (1/1000th of a liter).Indicator Microbes may not exceed the following amounts; Vibrio Cholerae - less than 1 CFU (colony forming unit) per 100 Ml, E. Coli – less than 250 CFU per 100Ml, Enterococci – less than 100 CFU per 100Ml. Water treated to this standard is considered pure enough to discharge in most ports. These steps to re-mediate ballast water are only effective in the removal of unwanted organisms. It is still possible to carry toxins like copper and heavy metals often found in ports to other destinations in ballast water and these pollutants may concentrate in ballast tank sediment. Radioactive substances can also be transported in ballast but any serious cases would likely be found quickly by monitoring personnel.