Category: Science

Chemistry of the Great Big Blue: Sedimentation

Posted on By Bluegrass Blue Crab
Science

Sedimentation in the Chesapeake - look at the brown toward the headwaters. Found at nasa.gov

Rocks erode, travel down rivers and eventually in the form of small particles, settle in river deltas and estuaries. Even smaller pieces can be carried hundreds of miles into the ocean. It’s all part of the natural process of sedimentation, but like many other natural cycles, this one has been hijacked by human activities. Development, agriculture, channelization of streams, damming and many other practices change the natural course of sediment in the coastal oceans more than the ecosystem can handle.

These changes can either be a drastic increase in sediment runoff from upstream sources or a complete deprivation of naturally occurring deltas. In addition, many pollutants cling to these sediment particles so that changing the location of the sediment also shifts the location of pollution.

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Sharks are not to blame for increases in California Sea Otter deaths

Posted on By David Shiffman
Science

Deaths among California’s sea otter populations have been increasing in the last few years. The last few years have set records for dead otters washing ashore on beaches throughout central California. The real reason for this was recently discovered (and covered earlier today by Andrew here), but I wanted to stress what was NOT responsible. … Read More “Sharks are not to blame for increases in California Sea Otter deaths” »

What’s Killing California’s Sea Otters?

Posted on By Andrew Thaler 8 Comments on What’s Killing California’s Sea Otters?
Conservation, Science

ResearchBlogging.org

Sea Otters are turning up dead in central California. In 2007, 11 sea otters were recovered from Monterrey Bay. Over the last three years, dead otters washing up on beaches has reached a record high?

What could be causing all these otter deaths? Are there new predators in the area? Is there some kind of disease? Could increased otter deaths reflect an increase in otter populations, indicating not otter population decline, but otter population growth? The answer turns out to be even more surprising – freshwater algae.

Here no Otter, Sea no Otter, Speak no Otter

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Non-Monophyly within Syngnathidae

Posted on By Andrew Thaler 2 Comments on Non-Monophyly within Syngnathidae
Science

ResearchBlogging.org

Objective 1: Develop the least publicly accessible title for a blog post about seadragons, mate selection, and evolution

Objective 1 Status: complete

Objective 2: Draw in whatever readers push passed the unwieldy title with an unconventional narrative structure.

Objective 2 Status: complete

Objective 3: Hook the reader with a fascinating, though brief, background on seahorses, seadragons, and pipefish.

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Innovative Conservation: Shark Attack Survivors Speak About Saving Sharks

Posted on By David Shiffman
Conservation, Science

Last Monday, the Pew Environment Group’s Global Shark Conservation Campaign arranged for a brilliant PR stunt – they arranged for survivors of shark attacks to speak about shark conservation outside of the United Nations headquarters in New York. Though very few people are ever bitten by sharks, many fear them, which makes it difficult to … Read More “Innovative Conservation: Shark Attack Survivors Speak About Saving Sharks” »

A new blog joins the Southern Fried Science Network

Posted on By Andrew Thaler
Science

A new blog has just joined our humble little network. Head over to SouthernPlayalisticEvolutionMusic and give DNLee a hearty welcome! From the author: Yea, I love hip-hop and many might be surprised as how knowledgeable I am in all of the various hip-hop and rap demonimations.  I am a Hip-Hop Maven….and I’m also a nerdy … Read More “A new blog joins the Southern Fried Science Network” »

Real Monsters – The Giant Isopod

Posted on By Andrew Thaler 2 Comments on Real Monsters – The Giant Isopod
Science

Now that Ocean of Pseudoscience Week has come to a close, we thought it would be a good time to talk about our favorite real sea monsters – amazing marine creatures that capture the imagination. For mine, we naturally have to take a trip to the deep sea to find Bathynomous, the giant deep-sea isopod. … Read More “Real Monsters – The Giant Isopod” »

Ocean of Pseudoscience Shorty – Chemosynthetic ecosystems and independence from the sun

Posted on By Andrew Thaler
Science

One of the many frequent claims that crop up in both popular and scientific reports about deep-sea hydrothermal vents is that chemosynthetic ecosystems are independent of photosynthetic ecosystems. Even high quality scientific reporting have been guilty of making this claim: “These animals live completely independent of sunlight” (NOAA Ocean Explorer). But are chemosynthetic systems totally … Read More “Ocean of Pseudoscience Shorty – Chemosynthetic ecosystems and independence from the sun” »