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Jul 14 2010 - 10:01pm
Follow researchers Candy Feller and Dennis Whigham from the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center as they scramble, climb, crawl, and creep through the tangled roots of a mangrove forest. In this episode of the Podcast of Life, learn what’s threatening these unique ecosystems where the...
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Jul 11 2011 - 2:17pm
Can painted wooden fish on a schoolyard fence change human behavior and help clean up the ocean for the real salmon? Stream of Dreams in British Columbia thinks so, and a lot of wooden fish and some 100,000 school kids later, they have some intriguing results to show for their effort.
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May 3 2010 - 6:02pm
More than 40 years after the 1969 oil spill in Massachusetts’ Wild Harbor salt marsh, environmental chemist Dr. Chris Reddy from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution finds that the oil is still present. In this video, learn about how Dr. Chris Reddy tests the marsh for the presence of oil,...
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Dec 13 2009 - 7:14pm
Make the ConnectionThe first step in making a difference is learning about the ocean and how your actions have an impact. Keep reading to learn everyday things you can do to help protect and restore the seas. And don't forget to share what you've learned with friends and family.
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Jul 2 2010 - 6:01pm
Happy (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.
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Mar 2 2010 - 6:00pm
We’re only two months into 2010, and climate change is shaping up to be one of the year’s big buzz topics. Our friends at NOAA have released a prototype of their new Climate Portal.
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Feb 2 2010 - 11:10am
This photo of a freshly cut dorsal fin from a scalloped hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini), was taken in 2006 on a long-lined fishing boat in Cocos Island, 300 miles off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Cocos was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site and is the home to one of the world's richest...
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Jan 26 2010 - 11:46am
This mangrove island in the Pelican Cays, Belize, was clear-cut and filled with dredged sand and coral from the adjacent reef flat. Developers are clearing and dredging mangroves in an attempt to create sand-based islands for tourists. Unfortunately, mangroves help prevent erosion and submergence...
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Jun 7 2011 - 11:44am
A net used to trawl the ocean floor scooped up this large specimen of deep-sea coral. Because the ship was trawling for other species, the coral was discarded as bycatch. Fishing in deep-water habitats poses a major threat to deep-sea corals. Read more about vulnerable coral habitats in our Deep-...
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Mar 28 2011 - 3:15pm
Recorded on Feb. 15, 2011, award-winning ocean filmmaker Jean-Michel Cousteau addresses students and educators at the Third Student Summit on the Ocean and Coasts. Cousteau, president of the Ocean Futures Society, discusses climate change, marine debris, and free diving with great white sharks....
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Jan 26 2010 - 11:46am
This photo of Kingman’s Reef in the Line Islands shows what a healthy coral reef should look like. The water is crystal clear. A variety of richly colored corals carpet the seabed. And a native predator, a red snapper, prowls for prey.
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Sep 1 2011 - 11:27am
If you want to study invasive species in the ocean, the Panama Canal offers a lot to explore. The ships passing through can inadvertently transport plants, animals, and even parasites from the Atlantic into the Pacific, or the reverse direction. Some species stow away in ballast tanks, others cling...
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Oct 19 2012 - 11:07am
Red coral necklaces fill a store display window. The United States annually imports around one million live coral animals from tropical reefs for use in aquariums, and is the largest documented consumer of precious red coral, commonly used in jewelry, according to a 2008 SeaWeb report (PDF).
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Nov 17 2009 - 4:46pm
Remotely located in the central Pacific Ocean, south of Hawaii, the Line Islands provide a remarkable research opportunity. The archipelago includes coral reefs reflecting the whole spectrum of environmental conditions—from degraded to pristine. Some islands are heavily populated, with reefs...
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Jul 27 2011 - 10:44am
Dr. Amy Baco-Taylor dives to deep-sea environments to study corals and the invertebrates that live in them.
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Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am
Dr. Ilka C. "Candy" Feller calls mangroves the 'nursery of the sea.' These important coastal habitats face many threats, including nutrient pollution from fertilizer runoff. That's the focus of much of Feller's work; she's a scientist at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. In this short...
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Jun 3 2010 - 12:57pm
Gulf Coast of Florida tidal flats exposed by an early morning low tide
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Sep 21 2011 - 1:23pm
At the Poles, Life Thrives
Located beside the Shores and Shallows gallery (which highlights different kinds of coastal ecosystems around the world), the Poles area will take you to the ends of the earth and empower you with a broad understanding of life and physical conditions at both poles.
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Feb 14 2011 - 4:13pm
Scientists predict that ocean acidification will impact communities around the world. One of them is the Suquamish Nation, an American Indian tribe on the Puget Sound, in the Pacific Northwest. Students from the Suquamish Tribal Early College High School produced this video to raise awareness about...
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Apr 19 2013 - 10:05am
What is blue carbon? It's a term used to describe the carbon that is captured from the atmosphere by ocean ecosystems, mainly coastal mangroves, seagrasses and salt marshes. These coastal areas can hold up to five times more carbon than tropical forests, which means they play an important role...
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Sep 6 2012 - 11:05am
In the ocean, microscopic forms of algae, known as dinoflagellates, can "bloom" into dense patches near the surface, often referred to as "red tides." Some of these harmful algal blooms (HABs) are dangerous, producing toxins that can kill marine organisms, taint shellfish, cause skin irritations,...
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Sep 20 2011 - 12:33pm
At the ends of the Earth, life thrives despite extreme conditions. In the Arctic and Southern Oceans, organisms have evolved adaptations to cope with year-round cold and six months of darkness. But the tough critters living in these harsh climates belie the delicate balance that holds the ecosystem...
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Dec 15 2009 - 12:19pm
Coral reefs are beautiful, vibrant ecosystems that house roughly one quarter of all marine species and provide billions of dollars in products and services to humans each year. But they are also vulnerable to human activities – both direct disturbances and small, indirect effects that build up over...
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Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am
An early scale model of North Atlantic right whale Phoenix indicates the location of scars on her tail from entanglements with fishing gear. More about the right whale can be found in our Tale of a Whale featured story.
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