Over 15 years of ocean science and conservation online
Science Online, the annual science bloggers conference, is this weekend! This will be my third Science Online, and Amy and David’s second, and this year’s is the biggest conference ever. You can follow me, Amy, and David on twitter or track the #scio11 hashtag. Talks will be recorded and made available online after the conference.
If you’re going to be there, you can find me at the following session:
This week for Biodiversity Wednesday, we bring you to the Sundarbans of Bangladesh and eastern India. They’re wild, wet, and full of mangroves and tigers. In fact, it’s the world’s largest mangrove forest at 140,000 hectares and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site for cultural and ecological value. The area is perhaps most famous for housing the charismatic Bengal tiger, estuarine crocodile and Indian python among a habitat of endangered flora and fauna.
The Sundarbans are protected primarily for their unique ecological processes, making it on our list for their special kind of biodiversity. These processes include monsoon rains, flooding, delta formation, tidal influence, and plant colonization that are all part of the life of a dynamic mangrove forest.
Thanks to everyone who stuck around during our blog vacation. Our adventure into Moby Dick continues with chapter 36 – The Quarter-deck. Read along with us and discuss this chapter or the book as a whole in the comments. Visit this page for the complete collection to date: Finding Melville’s Whale. The Quarter-deck Ahab, standing upon … Read More “Finding Melville’s Whale: The Quarter-deck (Chapter 36)” »
Hybridity refers to any object that crosses a conceptual divide. The term is remarkably general and used to investigate the nature of the divide as well as the form of linkages that make the cross. One of the most famous (and relevant to me) is the separation between nature and culture. While there are many scholars that argue that no such divide exists, modern society still likes to separate the human from the habitat. Examples of important hybrid objects to nature-society relations are elk, water, forests, particular mountains, and really anything natural that has importance to society.
Perhaps the most important reason to know about hybrid objects is to be able to recognize them. Some scholars say that investigation of hybrids is the only way to understand the complicated relation between binaries such as nature and society – an understanding necessary for goals such as conservation. Another distinct benefit is that recognizing the hybrid nature of and object provides the ability to also recognize the many aspects of said object. Reversing this logic, understanding how hybrid objects are constructed and function may allow creation of new, interesting and important objects, often from the deepest parts of the imagination.
Thanks to everyone who stuck around during our blog vacation. Our adventure into Moby Dick continues with chapter 35 – The Mast Head. Read along with us and discuss this chapter or the book as a whole in the comments. Visit this page for the complete collection to date: Finding Melville’s Whale. The Mast Head Upon … Read More “Finding Melville’s Whale: The Mast Head (Chapter 35)” »
I’ll admit it, my original plan never involved buying an expensive pair of steel-toed boots, ever. I’d been using a $25 pair of steel-cap rubber boots forever. In Australia, en route to a research cruise, I was made aware that my current pair were not going to be appropriate for the cruise, so I wandered into Brisbane and bought my first pair of Blundies.
Read More “SFS Gear Reviews: Blundies – the steel-toed shit kickers” »
Field work can be rough. Depending on where your research is located, field seasons may require months of planning, tons of gear, days of travel, and the possiblility that everything may go completely FUBAR at any point. The burden of a successful field season often falls on the shoulders of young graduate students, who may be designing and planning a major research project for the first time. We at Southern Fried Science would like to do a little to help make your field season just a bit easier.
Last November, I told you about the upcoming Beneath the Waves Film Festival. Since it takes place at a scientific conference, Beneath the Waves provides a unique forum for scientists and filmmakers to interact. It is ideal for starting filmmakers, as well grad students and scientists who make public education films. The deadline for submission … Read More “Beneath the Waves Film Festival- There’s still time to submit!” »
Thanks to everyone who stuck around during our blog vacation. Our adventure into Moby Dick continues with chapter 34 – The Cabin Table. Read along with us and discuss this chapter or the book as a whole in the comments. Visit this page for the complete collection to date: Finding Melville’s Whale. The Cabin Table Down … Read More “Finding Melville’s Whale: The Cabin Table (Chapter 34)” »