Thursday, November 8, 2012
Recent News & More from the Ocean World!
Spade Tooth Whale:
New Zealand
Humans caused historic Great Barrier Reef collapse: study
Mother Nature Network
Take The Ocean Trash Trivia Contest:
Ocean Trash 2012
Ten Things You Never Knew About Manta Rays:
Manta Rays
Recap of Hurricane Sandy:
The Ocean View
Monday, October 15, 2012
First Video of Rare Brightly Colored Seahorse
First Video of Rare Brightly Colored Seahorse
Big Teeth in the Deep:
Electric Scallop:
Steve Palumbi @ Stanford: Why I Do Science:
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
2012 Dr. Sylvia Earle in the News!
OCEANS: Sylvia Earle's Journey:
In 1979, Sylvia Earle walked untethered on the sea floor at a lower depth than any living human being before or since. In the so-called Jim suit, a pressurized one-atmosphere garment, she was carried by a submersible down to the depth of 1,250 feet below the ocean's surface off of the island of Oahu. At the bottom, she detached from the vessel and explored the depths for two and a half hours with only a communication line connecting her to the submersible, and nothing at all connecting her to the world above. She described this adventure in her 1980 book: Exploring the Deep Frontier.
On Friday's show, comedian Ellen Degeneres tackled the not-so-funny situation that industrialized fishing has created in the ocean. Speaking with Captain Dave Anderson, who recently helped to free a gray whale entangled in fishing nets off Dana Point, California, Ellen spoke directly about drift nets, by-catch, and how she chose to give up eating fish once she realized what it took to get fish onto her plate. Pointing out to her fans that an ocean with no fish in 50 years is not the future we want, she challenged them to take action to change the dangerous course we are on while there is still time.
Dr. Earle and others Weigh In to Urge Interior Secretary To Remove California Oyster Farm
To The Arctic: Trailer: 3D
One World One Ocean:
James Cameron's Deep Challenger Dive: April 2012:
NPR On Point Discussion with Dr. Sylvia Earle
Cobia March 8,2012: Onward and Downward:
Cobia March 7, 2012:
Cobia March 6, 2012:
Save The Ross Sea
Antarctic Ocean Alliance:
Google Earth
Surround Liquid Earth Galaxy Display
Catlin Seaview Survey:
Third Anniversary
Google Earth Update:
Explore Biodiversity on Google Earth:
Gardens of The Queen
CBS News' 60 Minutes with Anderson Cooper and The 'Ocean Doctor':
In 1979, Sylvia Earle walked untethered on the sea floor at a lower depth than any living human being before or since. In the so-called Jim suit, a pressurized one-atmosphere garment, she was carried by a submersible down to the depth of 1,250 feet below the ocean's surface off of the island of Oahu. At the bottom, she detached from the vessel and explored the depths for two and a half hours with only a communication line connecting her to the submersible, and nothing at all connecting her to the world above. She described this adventure in her 1980 book: Exploring the Deep Frontier.
On Friday's show, comedian Ellen Degeneres tackled the not-so-funny situation that industrialized fishing has created in the ocean. Speaking with Captain Dave Anderson, who recently helped to free a gray whale entangled in fishing nets off Dana Point, California, Ellen spoke directly about drift nets, by-catch, and how she chose to give up eating fish once she realized what it took to get fish onto her plate. Pointing out to her fans that an ocean with no fish in 50 years is not the future we want, she challenged them to take action to change the dangerous course we are on while there is still time.
Dr. Earle and others Weigh In to Urge Interior Secretary To Remove California Oyster Farm
To The Arctic: Trailer: 3D
One World One Ocean:
James Cameron's Deep Challenger Dive: April 2012:
NPR On Point Discussion with Dr. Sylvia Earle
Cobia March 8,2012: Onward and Downward:
Cobia March 7, 2012:
Cobia March 6, 2012:
Save The Ross Sea
Antarctic Ocean Alliance:
Google Earth
Surround Liquid Earth Galaxy Display
Catlin Seaview Survey:
Third Anniversary
Google Earth Update:
Explore Biodiversity on Google Earth:
Gardens of The Queen
CBS News' 60 Minutes with Anderson Cooper and The 'Ocean Doctor':
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Challenger Deep
James Cameron has set the World Record for the deepest solo dive by reaching the bottom of the Mariana Trench. He is the first to ever reach the bottom alone. (The first people to reach the bottom did so in a two man sub)
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| The spherical chamber is attached to the bottom of the foam beam by polyester straps |
Engineers made the pilot’s chamber spherical because the shape can be both strong and light. They also made the steel 2.5 inches (6.4 centimeters) thick to withstand the crushing pressure of the deep. If they had made the chamber a cylinder, by comparison, the hull would have needed to have been three times as thick to stand up to the pressure.
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| James Cameron gives two thumbs up as he sits inside the crammed sphere of the submarine. |
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| The Deepsea Challenger is shown above hitting the bottom of the ocean. |
Further Information
Sources:http://deepseachallenge.com/
http://youtu.be/Y2tm40uMhDI
http://youtu.be/A10qL6eZI2E
http://www.foxnews.com
http://www.msnbc.msn.com
Symbiotic Relationships in the Deep Sea
SYMBIOSIS : the living together in more or less intimate association or close union of two dissimilar organisms.
Three Different Types of Symbiosis
Three Different Types of Symbiosis
- Mutualism is when both the symbiont and the host benefit.
- Commensalism is when the symbiont benefits with little effect on the host.
- Parasitism is when the symbiont benefits to the detriment of the host.
ANGLERFISH
Female Angler Fish have a small dorsal spine that protrudes above their mouths. It is tipped with a lure of luminous flesh that baits in prey. The male does not need this adaptation because it becomes a permanent parasitic mate of the female. When a male Angler Fish encounters a female, he latches onto her body with his teeth and fuses with her over time, connection to her skin and bloodstream. In exchange, the female is provided with a very reliable sperm source, avoiding the problem of having to search for a new mate upon every new breeding cycle.
Quick Facts- Found in the Abyssopelagic Zone.
- Also in a symbiotic relationship with bioluminescent bacteria which produce the alluring bright, rod to attract prey.
- A female can carry six or more males on her body at a time!
- Can swallow prey two times its size.
- Female anglerfish can be up to 10 times larger than male anglerfish.
More on the Deep Sea Anglerfish
Anglerfish Mating Customs
OSEDAX WORMSThese worms, known as “bone-devouring” worms, are able to live in the deep sea because they live off other organisms, such as whale carcasses. They have no mouths, no guts, no appendages, but they attach themselves to the bone and grow roots that extract organic compounds, such as fats and collagen.
Additional Facts
- Live in The Bathypelagic Zone, “The Midnight Zone”.
- Feed on the corpses of large animals that rarely sink to the bottom, yet these infrequent carcasses provide immense feasts for these worms.
- The image to the above shows a fragment of gray whale bone being devoured; Monterey Bay.
The image to the left shows a 3D CT scan of a bone-eating 'zombie' worm from the genus Osedax, revealing the root-like canals it makes into the bone.
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Underwater Footage of Osedax Worms Picking at Carcasses
BOBTAIL SQUID
These squid let only one particular bacteria to colonize it, vibrio fischeri, while excluding all other types. The squid benefits from the relationship by reflecting the luminescence of the bacteria, and the bacteria benefits by living in a nutrient-rich and competition-free environment.
Additional Facts- Have a light organ that detects how much light is needed, and then dims or brightens the light produced by the bioluminescent bacteria by controlling the amount of oxygen that enters into the organ.
- These glowing bacteria manufacture an enzyme called luciferase, which facilitates a biochemical reaction that produces light.
Squid & Bioluminescence
Sources
www.deepseanews.com
www.marinebio.org
www.nationalgeographic.com
www.mudfooted.com
www.youtube.com
www.huffingtonpost.com
www.mbari.org
www.seasky.org
www.oceanwideimages.com
www.sciencedaily.com
Hanna Zayas
Amy Chappel
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Cnidaria: Siphonophores (Jane and Allie)
There are approximately 10,000 species in the phylum cnidarian. They have special stinging cells called cnidocysts and a tissue that covers their outer body, which is connected to a gel-like substance called the mesoglea. Cnidarians use a nerve net and basic receptors to move and take oxygen from the water.
Many cnidaria live in colonies and appear as one organism; specifically: siphonophores, which resemble jellyfish. The most famous organism is the Portuguese Man o’ War, measuring 40-50 meters.
Siphonophores are made up of zooids that each have a specialized function and lack the ability to survive on their own. They are arranged like a locomotive, usually with propulsion at one end, and feeding, protective, and reproductive units trailing behind.
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Most siphonophores are bioluminescent and can produce dramatic light shows when disturbed. Some, including many newly discovered deep-sea species, are fluorescent, iridescent, and capable of lightening to a milky white color.
In the past the only method of collecting siphonophores was trawling with large nets, which would break apart the delicate animal. Now our diving protocols, sampling, and diving technology has advanced, allowing us to enter their environment, identify the animals we want, and gently take them from the water without harming them.
Dr. Phil Pugh describes what it’s like to come across a siphonophore in the deep sea with a submarine.
To see our sources and for more information on cnidaria and siphonophores, click on a link:
Marrus orthocanna
Many cnidaria live in colonies and appear as one organism; specifically: siphonophores, which resemble jellyfish. The most famous organism is the Portuguese Man o’ War, measuring 40-50 meters.
Portuguese man o war
Siphonophores are made up of zooids that each have a specialized function and lack the ability to survive on their own. They are arranged like a locomotive, usually with propulsion at one end, and feeding, protective, and reproductive units trailing behind.
.png)
Mertensia ovum
Cnidarians use their cnidocysts around their mouth to immobilize their prey. Cnidarians eat organisms raging from the size of plankton to turtles, but obtain much of their nutrition from endosymbiotic algae and parasites. Each “feeding compartment” has its own tentacle and can catch and process food individually.
Apolemia
Most siphonophores are bioluminescent and can produce dramatic light shows when disturbed. Some, including many newly discovered deep-sea species, are fluorescent, iridescent, and capable of lightening to a milky white color.
Video clipped from National Geographic's Worlds Deadliest Animals Costa Rica, during a segment about the siphonophore, Portuguese Man O' War.
In the past the only method of collecting siphonophores was trawling with large nets, which would break apart the delicate animal. Now our diving protocols, sampling, and diving technology has advanced, allowing us to enter their environment, identify the animals we want, and gently take them from the water without harming them.
Dr. Phil Pugh describes what it’s like to come across a siphonophore in the deep sea with a submarine.
To see our sources and for more information on cnidaria and siphonophores, click on a link: