Written by Darci Palmquist. CoolGreenScience. The Nature Conservancy Published on March 27th, 2012 The world’s marine habitats are in trouble, and there are only so many dollars we can throw at the problem. But putting just a few toward community education and outreach pays huge dividends, according to a new study by Nature Conservancy scientists […]
By KEVIN WADLOW. [email protected] Wednesday, March 28, 2012 06:00 AM EDT Florida Keys corals that took centuries to grow died within days during the frigid January 2010 cold snap, says a newly published scientific study. “Some monumental corals that were 200 or 300 years old perished in a span of five days,” said Rob Ruzicka, […]
ScienceDaily (Mar. 28, 2012) — As corals continue to decline in abundance around the world, researchers are turning their attention to a possible cause that’s almost totally unexplored — viral disease. It appears the corals that form such important parts of marine ecosystems harbor many different viruses — particularly herpes. And although they don’t get […]
NOAA article Aug 2011: Veterinarians collect samples from a Barataria Bay dolphin. Bottlenose dolphins in Barataria Bay, Louisiana, are showing signs of severe ill health, according to NOAA marine mammal biologists and their local, state, federal and other research partners. Barataria Bay, located in the northern Gulf of Mexico, received heavy and prolonged exposure to […]
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ Conservationists have issued repeated warnings that the Maui’s dolphins of New Zealand, the planet’s smallest species of dolphin, are in danger of extinction. This month, they’ve estimated there are only about 55 surviving members left, according to an updated survey of the species’ population. The last time the Maui’s dolphin population was surveyed in […]
Tuesday March 12, 2012. Mission Blue Everything about the goliath grouper is extreme: its size, its personality, and especially its sex life. Once a year, schools of goliath groupers converge under the full moon and engage in a one-shot mating frenzy. For divers and scientists, this titillating event is the ultimate form of nature voyeurism, […]
ScienceDaily (Mar. 6, 2012) — Among the many intriguing aspects of the deep sea, Earth’s largest ecosystem, exist environments known as hydrothermal vent systems where hot water surges out from the seafloor. On the flipside the deep sea also features cold areas where methane rises from “seeps” on the ocean bottom. It’s extremely rare to […]
David Perlman. http://www.sfgate.com Wednesday, March 7, 2012 In the seas of the world where sharks of all kinds are fast disappearing, a deep-diving San Francisco biologist and his colleagues have discovered a new species of shark among the Galapagos Islands. With its razor-sharp teeth, the shark is well equipped for its role at the top […]
Bridie Smith. March 7, 2012. www.theage.com.au TO MARINE scientists, it seemed curious that the fragile coral embryos bobbing on the surface of the ocean without any protection from the elements were nature’s way of efficient reproduction. Without a protective membrane, the embryos were so delicate they would break apart with the wind and waves. Read […]
ScienceDaily (Mar. 5, 2012) — Investigating the history of water on Earth is critical to understanding the planet’s climate. One central question is whether Earth has always had the same amount of water on and surrounding it, the same so-called “water budget.” Has Earth gained or lost water from comets and meteorites? Has water been […]