The Ocean Blog
The Discovery of Multispecies Communities of SeacowsPublished by: Jorge Velez-Juarbe - Jan 26, 2012Sirenians, or seacows, are a group of marine mammals that include manatees and dugongs. In the modern world, only one species of seacow is found in each world region, however, the fossil record tells a different story. According to the fossil record of these marine mammals, which dates back 50 million years ago, it was more common to find three, maybe more, different species living together at one time. This oddity hinted that seacows’ environment and food sources were different than what we see today. |
 This reconstruction illustrates multispecies communities of seacows from three different time periods and ocean basins. Each seacow represents a different extinct species of dugong.
Carl Buell/http://carlbuell.com/
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The Perfect Underwater PhotoPublished by: Brian Skerry - Dec 19, 2011There is of course, no such thing as the perfect photograph, as there is no perfect song, movie, or painting. Photography by its very nature is subjective and what appeals to one viewer may not interest another. There are photographic elements however, that have been proven to make images better, especially things like exposure and composition. |
 A coral hermit crab, Paguritta harmsi, about the size of two grains of rice, living in coral in the waters of Japan's Ogasawara Islands.
© Brian Skerry, www.brianskerry.com
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Using Light Painting to Teach BioluminescencePublished by: Catherine - Nov 21, 2011What does a bioluminescent creature that lives more than two miles below the surface of the ocean and a glow stick have in common? More than you think. In a unique spin on an art technique called "light painting," you can create your own bioluminescent organisms with glow sticks in your classroom or home. |
 Using a photographic technique called light painting, this image captures light emitted from a ceramic fish's mouth.
Flickr User nickel.media
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Surveying Life On Sea TurtlesPublished by: John Barrat - Nov 8, 2011“It is strange to think of a sea turtle as an ecosystem,” says Amanda Feuerstein, program coordinator and research assistant at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, “but they are…they have all of these other animals living on their skin and shells.” |
 These baby olive ridleys (Lepidochelys olivacea) will eventually provide a home to crustaceans, mollusks, and other epibionts. That's according to a survey of epibionts living on mature, nesting olive ridleys and green sea turtles in Jalisco, Mexico.
Alejandro Peña de Niz
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Swimming With SharksPublished by: Brian Skerry - Oct 13, 2011Lying in water only a foot deep, I watched the shark meander lazily through the mangrove, already exuding the confidence inherent of the supreme creature within its domain. It was hot here in Bimini, nearly 100-degrees and mosquitoes were thick and relentless, swarming on to any bare skin. Yet slipping my head just inches below the water’s surface I had entered another realm. I was absolutely transfixed watching these little sharks, perhaps 12 to 18 inches long; swimming beneath mangrove roots and over the muddy bottom with impressive deftness. |
 Caribbean reef sharks swim over a coral reef in the Bahamas.
© Brian Skerry, www.brianskerry.com
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Teaching Your Students About Marine Debris: a Classroom ActivityPublished by: Catherine - Sep 15, 2011Have you ever gone to your favorite coastal or lakeside beach and instead of having a fun day in the sun you were faced with a trove of trash? How heartbreaking it is to see waters and shorelines littered with items that you have at home, that maybe you’ve even recently thrown away. |
 A student decorates a reusable bag as part of "Design Your Own Bag," a marine debris activity hosted by the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.
Smithsonian Institution
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New Archaeocetes from Peru Are the Oldest Fossil Whales from South AmericaPublished by: Nicholas D. Pyenson - Sep 12, 2011The evolution of whales represents one of the great stories in macroevolution. It's a narrative that has mostly benefitted from an extraordinary series of fossils recovered from rocks around the world, including challenging field areas in Egypt, Pakistan, and India. |
 Offshore Peru, during the Eocene (~56-34 million years ago), showing two archaeocetes (ancient whales): Ocucajea picklingi (above) and Supayacetus muizoni (below). Carl Buell, http://carlbuell.com/ |
Arctic Sea Ice: A New Low?Published by: Tina Tennessen - Sep 8, 2011At a recent staff meeting a Smithsonian colleague mentioned that one of his pastimes this summer has been keeping tabs on the Arctic sea ice. The question that's on many Arctic-watchers' minds is whether or not the 2011 sea ice coverage will reach a new record low. |
 This graph of the Arctic sea ice coverage shows how close the year 2011 is to reaching a record-low. The graph contains data through September 7, 2011. The National Snow and Ice Data Center, which produced the graph, says we should know within a couple weeks if the ice extent drops below the previous record which was set in 2007.
National Snow and Ice Data Center
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Alaska Vulnerable to Invasive Species from Warmer WatersPublished by: John Barrat - Sep 1, 2011Alaska’s pristine coastline is ripe for an influx of invasive marine species such as the European green crab and the rough periwinkle (an Atlantic sea snail), warns a new study by a team of scientists from the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. |
 Invasive species can have a range of environmental and economic impacts. In this photo, sea squirts foul an oyster cage. Scientists at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center's Marine Invasions Lab study the movement and effects of non-native species around the globe.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
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A Guide to Earthquake Lesson PlansPublished by: Maggy Hunter Benson - Aug 25, 2011It isn’t everyday that a magnitude 5.8 earthquake strikes the East Coast of the United States. But on August 23, 2011, people from Georgia to New England felt the rumble and shaking of an earthquake whose epicenter was in Mineral, Va. The East Coast is historically a low risk zone. What exactly happened and how might educators use this event in the classroom? |
 This map of the magnitude 5.8 earthquake shows the ground motion of the shaking intensity that followed the earthquake. These maps are used for earthquake response, recovery, preparation, and planning.
United States Geological Survey
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