ith Radarsat-1 presently in operation and Radarsat-2 approved, Canada is starting to develop synthetic aperture radar (SAR) applications that require imagery on an operational schedule. Sea ice surveillance is now a proven near–real-time application, and new marine and coastal roles for SAR imagery are emerging. Although some image quality and calibration issues remain to be addressed, ship det...

Carotenoids are the most common pigments in nature and are synthesized by all photosynthetic organisms and fungi. Carotenoids are considered key molecules for life. Light capture, photosynthesis photoprotection, excess light dissipation and quenching of singlet oxygen are among key biological functions of carotenoids relevant for life on earth. Biological properties of carotenoids allow for a w...

Proteomics emerged in the beginning of the 1990s due to the need for new methods for protein analysis. Proteomics is a much newer discipline than genomics, and confronts similar challenges to those that genomics researchers faced in the implementation of large-scale sequencing programs. The definition of proteomics as the use of quantitative protein-level measurements of gene expression to char...

The enormous variety of polysaccharides that can be extracted from marine plants and animal organisms or produced by marine bacteria means that the field of marine polysaccharides is constantly evolving. Recent advances in biological techniques allow high levels of polysaccharides of interest to be produced in vitro. Biotechnology is a powerful tool to obtain polysaccharides from a variety of m...

In several recent reports related to biocatalysis the enormous pool of biodiversity found in marine ecosystems is considered a profitable natural reservoir for acquiring an inventory of useful biocatalysts. These enzymes are characterized by well-known habitat-related features such as salt tolerance, hyperthermostability, barophilicity and cold adaptivity. In addition, their novel chemical and ...

Unmanned aerial systems (UAS), commonly referred to as drones, are finding applications in several ecological research areas since remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) technology has ceased to be a military prerogative. Fixed-wing RPA have been tested for line transect aerial surveys of geographically dispersed marine mammal species. Despite many advantages, their systematic use is far from a realit...

Marine biology is a hybrid subject that combines aspects of organismal function, ecological interaction and the study of marine biodiversity.[1] The earliest studies of marine biology can be traced back to the Phoenicians and the Greeks who are known as the initial explorers of the oceans and their composition.[2] However, it was Aristotle (384-322 BC) who was the first to record any observatio...