Clapping for Cousteau!

I think a good way to end this blog for this semester is to pay tribute to the man who made SCUBA diving what is it today, and provided us with a way to explore the mysterious world of the oceans: Jaques Cousteau

My favorite quote from him is "Man is bolted to earth, but man has only to sink beneath the surface and he is free."

"Jacques-Yves Cousteau (11 June 1910 – 25 June 1997)[1] was a French naval officer, explorer, ecologist, filmmaker, scientist, photographer, author and researcher who studied the sea and all forms of life in water. He co-developed the aqua-lung, pioneered marine conservation"

Cousteau's legacy includes more than 120 television documentaries, more than 50 books, and an environmental protection foundation with 300,000 members. Cousteau liked to call himself an "oceanographic technician." He was, in reality, a sophisticated showman, teacher, and lover of nature. His work permitted many people to explore the resources of the oceans.
His work also created a new kind of scientific communication, criticised at the time by some academics. The so-called "divulgationism", a simple way of sharing scientific concepts, was soon employed in other disciplines and became one of the most important characteristics of modern TV broadcasting.

Calypso is a ship that Jacques-Yves Cousteau, one of the most important researchers in oceanography, equipped as a mobile laboratory for field research.

here is a site for the Cousteau Society http://www.cousteau.org/jyc.html

and a you tube video of Cousteau and his ship Calypso. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDAbZ1lQ-Bk&feature=related

Great-now im going to be scared about swimming in lakes!

FRESHWATER SHARKS

Someone once told me about these freshwater sharks in Lake Nicaragua and I always meant to look it up, but forgot of course. However Lake Nicaragua isn't the only place that has freshwater sharks, although it is the most common and the largest. The most common freshwater shark is a bull shark, and on rare occassionthey have even been spotted in the Mississippi River. It certainly makes you think twice about swimming in freshwater lakes.

Bulls make their way into freshwaters to keep their newborn pups safe from harm. They don't mate or actually give birth in freshwater -- they do this in nearby tidal creeks that have a mix of salinity. The freshwater lakes and rivers provide safety for their pups, which would be hunted by larger predators in the ocean. Bulls have a physiological feature that separates them from other sharks and allows them to process freshwater and saltwater by manipulating the amount of sodium and urea that their bodies need. Urea is the waste produced by the body when proteins are metabolized. When bull sharks reduce the amount of salt and urea in their bodies, they are able to adapt to various levels of salinity in water bodies. How do they accomplish this? By peeing a lot -- roughly 20 times as much as when they're in the ocean. When bulls swim into freshwaters, they need to achieve a balance of saltwater to freshwater that still allows them to function normally. They're able to reduce the concentration of salt and urea in their blood by increasing their urine production, which is expelled in a much more diluted concentration than it normally would be. However, this overworks the kidneys of the bull shark, forcing it to travel back and forth between the ocean and inland waters.
http://animals.howstuffworks.com/fish/bull-shark2.htm

heres a you tube link for a video on bull sharks - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9kkfX1d6N4

Ever heard of Jellyfish Lake??

I had never heard of this lake until tonight, and aparantley it is a well known dive site.

The dive site exists off the island of Palau in the South Pacific. "Jellyfish Lake, known to Palau's natives as Ongeim'l Tketau, is one of over 70 similar saltwater lakes in the islands and contains over ten million jellyfish that have descended and evolved from a common ancestor, the spotted jellyfish. Jellyfish Lake is completely isolated, but in the distant past, it had an outlet to the ocean. The outlet was closed off and the high jellyfish population was isolated and started to feed on quickly-reproducing algae. Contrary to popular belief, the jellyfish of Jellyfish Lake do have small stinging cells, or nematocysts. However, because the stinging cells are so tiny, their sting is not detectable on most human tissue, so tourists can enjoy swimming with them much closer than would be possible anywhere else."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jellyfish_Lake

FACT: In two episodes of Survivor (Survivor: Palau and Survivor: Fans vs. Favorites), as a reward for winning a reward challenge, winners got to swim in Jellyfish Lake.

Natiluses

This term was mentioned today in class and I had no idea what its was, so....

Nautilus belauensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum:Mollusca
Class:Cephalopoda
Subclass:Nautiloidea
Order:Nautilida
Suborder: NautilinaAgassiz, 1847
Family: NautilidaeBlainville, 1825

"The nautilus is similar in general form to other cephalopods, with a prominent head and tentacles. Nautiluses typically have more tentacles than other cephalopods, up to ninety. These tentacles are arranged into two circles and, unlike the tentacles of other cephalopods, they have no suckers, are undifferentiated and retractable. The radula is wide and distinctively has nine teeth. There are two pairs of gills.
Nautilus pompilius is the largest species in the genus. One form from western Australia may reach 26.8 cm in diameter. However, most other nautilus species never exceed 20 cm. Nautilus macromphalus is the smallest species, usually measuring only 16 cm"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nautilus

Whale Shark - "Harmless Heavyweight"

I'm going to Honduras this summer and diving on the reefs, and found out that there is a good possiblity of seeing a Whale Shark while I'm diving...so I wanted to find out a little bit more about them!

The whale shark is the biggest fish in the world! It can grow up to 65ft long and can weigh over 10 tonnes! However, it doesn't use its teeth to eat, it swallows tonnes of plankton, just like some other whales. Its mouth however can be up to 4 feet wide...thats almost as big as I am tall...wow

"If you were accidentally scooped up by the whale shark you would find yourself being spit back out through an interesting process called gastric eversion. The whale shark actually turns its stomach inside out and spits it out through its mouth, ejecting the entire contents." GOOD TO KNOW...not that i'm planning on getting swallowed by one, but you never know.

Ok...so is it a WHALE or a SHARK??

"Scientists have determined that it is a species of shark, because of its skeleton (composed entirely of cartilage), and its tough, leathery, scaleless skin. People called it a whale shark because of its enormous size (like a whale), not because it's a type of whale."

Check out this website with info on it and a cool video too.

http://www.extremescience.com/BiggestFish.htm

What is the difference between a fathom and a league??

I've never been quite clear on measures of distance when I heard the words fathom and league. Here is the difference! Its definately a good thing to know!


WHAT IS A FATHOM?A fathom is a unit of length in Standard English that is used to measure ocean depths. It is approximately 6 vertical feet. To get the total depth in feet from fathoms given, just multiply by 6. For example, 500 fathoms = 500 x 6ft. = 3,000 feet.

HOW FAR IS A LEAGUE?A league is also a unit of length (or distance) that is used to measure ocean depths. It is not used in science, but in literature. One league = 3 miles (or 4.8 km).

http://www.extremescience.com/ocean-zones.htm

Caribe

I found this case study about what could possibly be the mysterious "Caribe" titled: SEABATHER'S ERUPTION: REPORT OF FIVE CASES IN SOUTHEAST REGION OF BRAZIL

There are a few pictures of the rash on this website, but I didn't want to put them on my blog....

http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S0036-46652001000300011&script=sci_arttext&tlng=en
CHECK IT OUT!

Virtual Tour of Underwater Hotel - Poseidon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUbkQyZrpl4

This is ridiculous!

Trip for 2010!??

So we've been to Washington, but how about a trip to Hydropolis - the Underwater Hotel in Dubai, that is scheduled to open in 2009!

"the luxury resort is being built on the Persian Gulf floor – 66 feet below the surface. When completed, the project will cover 27 acres and compose of an above ground “land station” connected by a 1700 foot transparent train tunnel to the undersea hotel which resembles the shape of a jellyfish. The 220 suites will be bubble-shaped, with clear glass comprising both the sleeping area walls and the bathtubs. "

http://blog.hotelclub.com/top-five-underwater-hotels/

OR we could always go to the Poseidon in Figi!

"Another underwater hotel set to open in 2009 is the Poseidon of Fiji. This resort is being built 40 feet underwater. Each guest will have a personal Triton submarine at their disposal for exploring within the lagoon. Though still under construction, room rates have been set. A standard 550 sq. foot suite can be had for about $1500 a night. But why stop there when you can reserve the whole of Poseidon Mystery Island for a mere $3,000,000?"

Bioluminescent Organisms

Jelly http://www.milton.edu/academics/pages/marinebio/biolum.html

Bioluminescent Squid http://www.mcb.harvard.edu/hastings/Images/squid100dpi.gif

Image of bioluminescent red tide event of 2005 at a beach in Carlsbad California showing brilliantly glowing crashing waves containing billions of dinoflagellates.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioluminescence

Here is THE bioluminescence Web Page http://www.lifesci.ucsb.edu/~biolum/

Bioluminescence - ever wonder how it works??

Bioluminescent life forms generate their own light in their body to carry around with them. Bioluminescent light is much like that of a glow stick in which chemicals mix together to produce a glow that is much more efficient than humans invention of incandescent light. Bioluminescent light does not produce heat and is therefore sometimes known as Cold Light!





Some species of single-celled plankton called dinoflagellates glow when disturbed. Tides, storms, swimming marine life and passing ships can cause large numbers of these plankton to produce light simultaneously. Dinoflagellates are responsible for the phenomenon known as the milky sea, which causes the ocean to glow. In some cases, this glow is so bright that it interferes with marine navigation.


Bioluminescent life forms live throughout the ocean's depths, but most exist in one particular zone -- the twilight zone. This zone is also known as the disphotic, or poorly lit, zone.







In general, the twilight zone extends from about 660 feet (201 meters) to about 3,300 feet (1006 meters) deep.

http://animals.howstuffworks.com/animal-facts/bioluminescence.htm

Happy Geography Awareness Week!

So I had no idea that geography week even existed, which is pretty sad considering i'm a geography major! So i had to look it up to see what it was all about and what other people were doing! ( I know this doesn't entirely have to do with the oceans, but I think its really interesting!)

National Geography Day
What is National Geography Week?
Since 1987, the National Geographic Society (NGS) has sponsored Geography Awareness Week to promote geographic literacy in schools, communities, and organizations, with a focus on the education of children. Celebrated every 3rd week in November, National Geography Awareness Week was signed into law on July 24, 1987 by President Ronald Reagan.
The need to address geographic literacy came about in 1987 after the NGS conducted a geography survey among adults 18 years and older in the United States. The findings revealed such facts as: the average American adult could identify less than 6 of 10 U.S. states; 3 in 10 adults could not use a map to tell direction or calculate the approximate distance between two points; only 57% of adults could identify England on a map of Europe; and Brazil was the only South American country correctly identified by even half of the respondents. The United States was in a crisis when it came to geographic literacy.
Since then, from local schools to the White House, it has been a top priority to focus on the geographic education of the country. Please read below to learn why geography is so important to the Environmental Protection Agency.

SO WHATS GOING ON?

The University of Nebraska is conducting a geography bee, and having geographers of the field come in to discuss some ways that GIS is used in the fields

http://media.www.dailynebraskan.com/media/storage/paper857/news/2003/11/18/News/Geography.Week.Features.Opportunities.To.Understand.Cultures-1739659.shtml

Each Day has an element of geography associtated with it!

Weather & Climate Day - Monday, November 17 Water Day - Tuesday, November 18 Energy Day - Wednesday, November 19Transportation Day - Thursday, November 20 Food & Health Day - Friday, November 21

http://www.cag-acg.ca/en/geography_week_2008.html

The Canadian Association of Geographers had a GIS transportation poster competition, and Queens university held an explore camp, to share knowledge about geography with kids and teens

Here is a site on GIS day which is today! There are lots of companies and schools around the world doing different activities for GIS day.

http://www.gisday.com/

And LOOK...the Smithsonian is doing something as well...at the Air and Space Museum: "Geography from Space"

The online "Geography From Space" contest is based on the same content held in the Museum each year. A new online contest is held each year during National Geography Awareness Week. Online participants have the chance to enter a random drawing to win a prize. Contestants must identify geographic locations based on a satellite image and a short clue. After the contest is over, answers are posted online.

http://www.nasm.si.edu/geographyfromspace/gaweek.cfm

Search for the Six Gill Shark

"The six gill shark is one of the largest predatory sharks in the world and one of the least commonly seen. Typically this shark spends its time at 2000 metres during the day and rises up to shallower depths at night to feed. In the Strait of Messina, between Italy and the island of Sicily these prehistoric animals have been witnessed rising to just 40 metres depth."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/oceans/locations/mediterranean/index.shtml

The above pictures are of the six gill shark and the dive sites in the Mediterranean where they are most likely seen.

Ever wonder how you breathalyse a whale?

A team of scientists came up with a way to retrieve breath samples of whales using a toy helicopter and petri dishes!

Read the full story at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7723703.stm

They somehow manage to fly this helicopter over the whale just as it breaches and lets out a breath of air and collect samples in the petri dishes.

Some pictures from our trip to the Sant Ocean Hall

This one is for you Cathy!

I can't believe I didn't find this sooner...it is none other than BUSH giving a talk about Ocean Conservation at the Smithsonian the day before Sant Ocean hall opens. I think this is hilarious....take a look!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue7qpLxRCL8&feature=related

He says the ocean is important, then says fishing is important to presidents, especially him and then he talks about growing up in the desert and the new U.S. Ocean Action Plan....can he just make up his mind!

Still in vacation mode!

Since i'm still in vacation mode, I was poking around a few sites about the Smithsonian and found the official Sant Ocean Hall media preview. Its pretty boring for the first 11 minutes but after that the director of the National Museum of Natural History talks about the new exhibit, what they wanted to do with the new hall and also the exhibits in the new hall. Just thought it would be a neat video to watch in retrospect.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BjhK9JznSo

Visit the site!

Here is also a quick video on the construction of the Sant Ocean Hall. It is a time-lapsed video and doesn't show the finished product, but does show how the big whale got there! The video only shows construction from Oct. 2007- July 2008 and says there will be another video coming with the rest of the time-lapse construction, but I couldn't find it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5hN6xRYc-M&feature=related