http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111092049.htm
Kelp forest’s off of Southern California, are considered one of the most diverse and productive ecosystems on the planet.
And new study shows that kelp beds are less than in the past.
Over an extensive period of time these kelp beds have gone from a vast amount to small areas of vegetation.
Over the past 20,000 years the kelp fields have been rich with life and not until about 7,500 years ago, vegetation died off due to our mis happenings.
*What would you say could help make this once lush area… non barren once again?
* Could this effect our economy?
An artificial reef off the coast of Maui might be damaging live coral. The department of Land and Natural Resources has been submerging concrete modules to help build up an artificial reef and create a habitat for marine life.
Apparently, they have been dropped in the zone designated for artificial reef zone, but about 2 to 3 percent of the area might have live coral that could be destroyed by the artificial reef, which contradicts the point of building the reef.
http://www.hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?a71fe553-8b2d-419c-b1e4-099b3348d9e4
How badly could the area end up being affected?
Could the potential surge in marine life be worth the loss of the coral in that area?
Photo courtesy of Gustav Paulay
In this article the University of Florida researchers are collecting marine invertebrates on the French Polynesian island of Moorea as part of a massive effort to inventory the DNA sequence of every living species there. They are hoping to get all species of marine invertebrates. The scientists want to cover the macro fauna, but its almost impossible to do that. A scientist named Paulay has been studying these for a while. He estimates more than 5 percent of the macrofauna his team collects are new species.
Do you think that they will be able to reach their goal in getting all of the invertebrates?
What types of techniques do you think they should use to get the DNA?
During World War 2 Japan had some of the most revolutionary technology during that time of crisis. Their Submarines were also designed with revolutionary technology inside there subs. On the coast the Hawaiian islands of Oahu there has been a discovered sunken Japanese world war submarine that was discovered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Undersea Research Lab at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
The Sub was said to have aircraft-carrying submarines that held up to three folding-wing float plane bombers that could be launched by catapult just minutes after surfacing. It was also said that the submarine was longer than a football field at 400 feet. The name of the class that the submarine that was part of was called I-400 or the Japanese name “Sen-Toku”. The I-400 was one of the largest class of submarines ever built until the invention of the nuclear-powered submarines in the 1950s. I just hope I won’t ever be apart of an attack from these submarines.
Here is the original sight for the article.
What more do you think people can do to submarine to make it more high teck?
I read this article about how the attack of the Asian Carp could cost America in the billions! These carp are very ugly, always hungry, and weigh up to 100lbs. They eat 40% of their body weight. the reason these carp are a threat is because they are getting past the high-tech electrical defense system that keeps them out of the great lakes. they could wipe out a whole fish population because of how much they can eat. this could make the 7 billion dollar fishing industry in these areas go under.
What could we do to keep these carp from killing all the fish? how do we solve the problem of them getting by the defense system? is there a better system they could create?
The otoliths, or ear bones in fish are growing due to a rise in the carbon dioxide levels in the ocean. Science Daily says that the researchers conducting the study, from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego hypothesized that white seabass’ otoliths growing up in ocean water with a normal amount of CO2 would grow faster than a similar group that was growing in more CO2 than usual. However, the fish’s otoliths proved the scientists wrong; the carbon dioxide had the opposite effect. Why did the otoliths in the CO2 grow faster?
The researchers do not know how the fish are effected because of their large otoliths. Although they do know, as well as us, that the increased acidity in the ocean, burning of fossil fuels and human activities are the cause of the increase of CO2.
One of the researchers says, “If fish can do just fine or better with large otoliths then there’s not great concern. But fish have evolved to have their bodies the way they are.” The otolith assists the fish in “staying upright, navigating, and surviving.” Also, the otolith grows like trees or onions – in layers, so the scientists learn their age by counting the rings. Will the otoliths continue to grow bigger and bigger as the ocean obtains more carbon dioxide or will they level out over time? Are their any other types of fish, or other marine life that grow due to carbon dioxide?
More than 2,000 scientists from 80 countries are all working together to try to discover and catalog as many of the oceans’ species as they can find. Although the process is slow and costly they are working together to get it done. So far in this study they have recorded 5,600 new species plus the 230,000 already known. 17,650 species living are living below a death of 656 feet, the depth that sunlight no longer reaches at all. The scientists say they have found 5,722 species living in depths deeper than 3,280 feet.
Up until recently the deep sea was considered a desert but now they know there are close to 20,000 organisms living there. Scientists hope to find several thousand more creatures by October 2010 when the project is over. Scientists estimate that there close to 1 million organisms still undiscovered. Once the project is complete, they plan is to publish three books, a popular survey of sea life, a second book with chapters for each working group and a third focusing on biodiversity.
I wonder what some of the crazy creatures they have found are.
The president of the Maldives has been overreacting just a little bit. In this article on “Why the Maldives Aren’t Sinking” , it looks like the President of the Maldives, a group of roughly 1,200 islands southwest of Sri Lanka, is starting to hold his Cabinet meetings underwater, thinking that the islands will eventually be submerged. A scientist by the name of Nils-Axel Mörner said in a letter to the president, “So, Mr. President, you and your ministers in the Maldives really don’t need to worry about a future life beneath the waves. You should pass on this message to the people of the Maldives. It is high time to release them from this terrible psychological burden.” All in all, it appears that the president was overreacting not a little bit, but a lot.
After reading Kayleen’s article on Venice, I saw this article and thought it would be an interesting opposite to it. I personally think that the president used this as a political distraction from something, but that is just hypothesis. To read more on the Maldives, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maldives.
Why do you think that the president over exaggerated the sea level rises?
Should the Maldives Islands be prepared for a flood larger than what the scientists have been predicting?
In this article I read about An Australian oil well has caught fire in the Timor sea. The company has said that the well has been leaking oil for 10 WEEKS. The engineers are estimating that they are spilling almost 400 barrels of natural gas and oil a DAY into the Ocean so that’s around 28,000 barrels of natural gas and oil in the past 10 weeks. So this oil has been drifter and sinking deeper into the ocean for the past 10weeks and they are just not starting to do something. Officials have put Birds and marine species at risk. Australia’s director of conservation said the Timor Sea has three endangered species of turtles plus sea snakes. Even a pygmy blue whales have been monitored in the Timor Sea.
Q: Do you think this will hurt diff. species of fish?
Q How much long do you think this will go on for?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8336564.stm
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE57K1RM20090823
Throughout the coast of Abu Dhabi and other neighboring locations, development is spilling into the sea, smothering and destroying sea grass beds that feed the rare marine mammal called dugongs or sea cows. For hours a day it spends its times in shallow warm waters munching on swaying grasses. They are large animals with round bodies that measure up to 10 feet in length and at full maturity can weigh over 800 pounds. An adult can eat over 70 pounds of grass a day, but their fields of grass are being taken. By dredging the silt covers and smothers the grasses and building just rips it up.
Their buddies the green sea turtle are also endangered. Sea grass is one of its food sources and place to seek shelter. The turtle also let remoras hold onto them for rides. So by getting rid of grasses it is getting rid of many animals.
Click here to go to site where info is found.
What can be done to stop off shore building?
How much time is left for this helpless creatures?
