Ocean Blog
World Heritage Goes MarinePublished by: Fanny Douvere - Aug 13, 2010Last week, the United Nations’ World Heritage Convention went blue. Two of the largest and healthiest marine protected areas on our planet—the Phoenix Islands Protected Area in Kiribati and Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in Hawaii—have now gained World Heritage status. Together, they more than doubled the marine area protected under the World Heritage Convention—now 1.6 million square kilometers (more than 617,000 square miles) or about 0.5 percent of the world’s ocean surface. |
 A rainbow of tropical fish hovers over a coral head near the Pearl and Hermes Atoll, part of the Papahānaumokuākea World Heritage Site.
Louiz Rocha
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Diving Into the Carnival of the BluePublished by: Christine Hoekenga - Aug 10, 2010Exciting news for the Ocean Portal blog! We’re happy as clams to be making our inaugural appearance in the Carnival of the Blue, a rotating monthly compilation of the "best of" ocean blogging. This month, Michael Bok, a graduate student studying the visual system of mantis shrimp, is hosting the 39th edition of the carnival on his blog, Arthropoda. |
 Logo for the Carnival of the Blue.
Carnival of the Blue
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The Spin on SharksPublished by: Smithsonian Institution - Jul 29, 2010Starting this Sunday, August 1st, the fins will be circling on a television near you. Sunday kicks off The Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week,” an annual TV ritual that offers hours of programming about sharks—some bloody, some beautiful, some scientific, some sensational. |
 A scalloped hammerhead shark at Isla del Coco, Costa Rica.
© Terry Goss 2008/Marine Photobank
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One Step Closer to a Healthier OceanPublished by: Dawn Martin - Jul 27, 2010The year 2010 will likely be remembered as a tragic time for the ocean. Yet, despite the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, I have hope for our ocean’s future. Last week President Obama signed an Executive Order to implement our nation’s first National Ocean Policy. |
 A sunset over marshland near Ocean City, N.J.
Flickr User Tony the Misfit
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Five Minutes for MangrovesPublished by: Christine Hoekenga - Jul 26, 2010Happy International Mangrove Action Day! This occasion is a small but vibrant tradition that has been observed annually on July 26th for nearly a decade in countries around the globe, including the U.S., India, Ecuador, Micronesia, and many others. To celebrate, some communities organize protests or restoration projects. Some convene discussions or offer educational lectures about mangrove ecology. Others simply take a moment to appreciate the importance of mangrove forests. |
 Mangroves are being decimated by human development, like this shrimp farm in Belize.
Ilka C. Feller/Smithsonian Institution, made possible by LightHawk
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Helping Kids Help the OceanPublished by: Christine Hoekenga - Jul 15, 2010An 11-year-old in Texas is saddened by the oil spill and begins searching for something she can do to help. A 13-year-old in Washington, D.C., convinces her mom to make small changes in their daily routine that make their home more ocean-friendly. A 7-year-old spends a part of his Saturday trip to the museum learning about the ocean—and some of the things that are harming it—and decides to donate the two prized nickels he found that morning to help the ocean. |
 A beach clean-up in Malaysia brings young people together to care for their coastline.
Liew Shan Sern/Marine Photobank
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From Sea to Shining SeaPublished by: Christine Hoekenga - Jul 2, 2010Happy (early) Independence Day! For many of us in the United States, the 4th of July is a time to celebrate and reflect on our national heritage. In many ways, the U.S. grew up on the water and remains a maritime nation to this day. |
Terence T.S. Tam from Flickr CC
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Be Kind to the BeachPublished by: Christine Hoekenga - Jun 24, 2010Ah, summer (in the northern hemisphere, anyway). For me, despite growing up in land-locked cowboy country, the word summer has always been synonymous with beach. It’s that time of year when bathing suits come out of hiding, and we make our annual pilgrimages to visit the sun, the sand, and the surf. |
Flickr user suburbanbloke
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Animals and the Oil Spill: What Can You Do?Published by: Colleen Marzec - Jun 16, 2010Lately we’ve been fielding questions from Smithsonian visitors wondering how they can help with the oil spill cleanup in the Gulf of Mexico. If there is any good news coming out of this situation, it’s that thousands of people across the U.S. care deeply and are finding ways to respond to the oil spill. |
 A brown pelican, the Louisiana state bird, stands mired in oil in East Grand Terre on June 3, 2010.
Office of the Governor of the State of Louisiana
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The Invisible Loss: The Impacts of Oil You Do Not SeePublished by: Chris Mah - Jun 9, 2010Since late April, the world has watched a devastating oil spill from a BP drilling rig spread throughout the Gulf of Mexico and become one of the worst environmental disasters in the history of the United States. |
 A tiny larval (baby) starfish.
Dr. Allison J. Gong, UC Santa Cruz
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