Ocean Blog
Earth Day 101: Students Set the ExamplePublished by: Maggy Hunter Benson - Apr 21, 2011For more than 40 years, Earth Day has been a day to get your hands dirty—or wet! No act of green or blue is too small. Whether you choose to plant a tree or pledge to use less water, small collective acts add up. They also help raise awareness and inspire protection of the Earth and its ocean. |
 Looking for more Earth Day ideas? Visit the EPA’s “Pick Five for the Environment” website.
|
A Pleasant Surprise: The Recovery of Bleached Panamanian CoralsPublished by: Nancy Knowlton - Apr 18, 2011Last September, the Citizens of the Sea blog series brought you a story of doom and gloom from the reefs of Bocas del Toro, Panama. That is the time of year we typically study -- and celebrate -- the annual birth of baby corals in the area. We arrived to find very hot water (2010 turned out to be the hottest year on record), and in the shallows the reefs had turned a ghostly white. This was the most extreme coral bleaching we had ever seen since we started our studies there in 1998. |
 These corals are still in recovery after a mass bleaching in Panama, in the summer of 2010. You can see some bleaching on the tops, but the sides are looking good.
Amanda Feuerstein
|
The Gulf Oil Spill: Send in Your QuestionsPublished by: Tina Tennessen - Apr 12, 2011With the nuclear and humanitarian crisis in Japan, major political changes in North Africa and the Middle East, and heated budget battles here in the United States, you'd be forgiven for not remembering that nearly one year ago the Gulf of Mexico was dominating the news. On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded, killing 11 people and opening up a well that pumped nearly 5 million barrels of oil into the ocean. It was the largest oil spill in U.S. history. One year later, where do things stand? |
 Boats trying to control the fire on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig on April 21, 2010.
U.S. Coast Guard
|
Your Ode to the Big BluePublished by: Tina Tennessen - Apr 6, 2011April is National Poetry Month here in the United States. We'd like you to help us celebrate by penning a poem in the comment field below or on our Facebook page. Not the next Walt Whitman? Fear not.
|
 One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish. Your poem for the ocean is what we wish. Conjure your inner Dr. Seuss or Walt Whitman.
Louiz Rocha
|
Teens Making a Difference in Your CommunityPublished by: Maggy Hunter Benson - Apr 4, 2011Over the past year I have been working for an organization called Coastal America helping to plan the Third National Student Summit on the Ocean and Coasts, a program that teams up high school students with educators to work on an ocean-related research project and “action plan” in their community. |
 The North Carolina Aquarium delegation visited Baldhead Island, a barrier island near Wilmington, N.C., to observe and learn about the effects sea-level rise firsthand for their Student Summit project.
|
Make Me Care About: PhragmitesPublished by: Tina Tennessen - Mar 31, 2011This week at the Smithsonian Ocean Portal we embark on an experiment we're calling "Make Me Care." The concept is simple: we ask a renowned expert to tell us why we should care about his or her marine subject matter. We're giving them only about a minute on video to accomplish the task, so it's a difficult - and not very fair - challenge. |
This Chesapeake Bay shoreline may look picturesque, but the plant that dominates it is an invasive strain of Phragmites australis. The plant has invaded wetlands along the East Coast.
Melissa McCormick
|
Listening for Clues About Sonar’s Effects on Marine MammalsPublished by: Brandon Southall - Jan 5, 2011Many animals depend on their eyes to navigate, find food, locate mates, and for other important activities. But marine mammals often rely on sound—sometimes far more than sight—for such critical daily tasks. Increasingly though, boat traffic, energy extraction, and other noisy human activities echo through the marine realm sometimes disrupting these animals’ behavior. |
 Researchers study the behavior of killer whales and how they react to sonar.
C. Kyburg; Obtained under NMFS permit #14534
|
No Fouling AroundPublished by: Nancy Knowlton - Dec 22, 2010Since the dawn of seafaring, humankind has had to deal with the pesky creatures that settle on ships—seaweeds, barnacles, and others that take advantage of the empty real estate provided by a clean hull. Fouled hulls make for slower speeds and for powerboats, higher fuel costs (drag is a drag). |
 Home is where the hull is: Since the dawn of seafaring, humankind has had to deal with pesky creatures, such as barnacles, that “foul” ship hulls and boat propellers like this one.
Flickr User Alison Domzalski (Creative Commons)
|
Love Salmon? Listen Up.Published by: Emily Fisher - Dec 20, 2010Salmon are one of the most widely loved varieties of seafood in the world. A ubiquitous alternative to meat and poultry, salmon wear a halo of healthfulness, as they are rich in protein and omega-3 fatty acids. But many wild salmon stocks are dwindling, which means that unless otherwise specified, the salmon you’re most likely to find in restaurants and stores is from a farm. |
 A beautiful cut of Atlantic salmon, a popular species among seafood lovers that is in severe decline.
Flickr User Kent Wang (Creative Commons)
|
Peanut Butter and JellyfishPublished by: Nancy Knowlton - Nov 29, 2010All over the world, people have been witnessing gigantic blooms of tens of thousands of jellyfish where once there were only a few. Fishers find them clogging their nets and costing them dearly. In Japan, giant jellyfish capable of reaching six feet across even capsized a boat that tried to bring them aboard. Where are these stinging menaces coming from and why are they everywhere? |
 With more desirable species being fished out and jellyfish blooming, will jellyfish sandwiches soon be on the menu?
David Beck / Jennifer Jacquet
|
