Today's Catch

  • Jan 31, 2012
    a leatherback turtle hatchling crawls through the sand

    Habitat for Leatherback Turtles

     

    Pacific Ocean, reptiles, sea turtles
    CREDIT:

    Flickr User ZA Photos
  • Jan 26, 2012
    'Blue Marble' image of the Earth taken from the VIIRS instrument aboard NASA's satellite - Suomi NPP.

    'Blue Marble' Image of the Earth

     

    'Blue Marble' image of the Earth taken from the VIIRS instrument aboard NASA's most recently launched Earth-observing satellite - Suomi NPP. This composite image uses a number of swaths of the Earth's surface taken on January 4, 2012. The NPP satellite was renamed 'Suomi NPP' on January 24, 2012 to honor the late Verner E. Suomi of the University of Wisconsin.

    Earth, NASA, satellite
    CREDIT:

    NASA/NOAA/GSFC/Suomi NPP/VIIRS/Norman Kuring
  • Jan 12, 2012
    A white, elongated, and whorled wentletrap shell, seen from two angles.

    Podcast: Sanibel Island Shells

    Ari Daniel Shapiro is joined for this episode of One Species at a Time by serious beachcombers along the high-tide line of Sanibel Island, Florida. These “shellers” come in search of beautiful sea shells, sometimes no bigger than a grain of rice, that are the remains of marine snails, bivalves, and other mollusks.

    Florida, mollusks, podcast, shells
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    CREDIT:

    Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum
  • Dec 16, 2011

    Sea Grapes: A Google Earth Tour

    “Sea grapes” may sound like something Poseidon would snack on, and not a killer algae. Yet Caulerpa racemosa var. cylindracea poses a serious threat to marine life. Spread by the bilge water of boats, this fast-growing alga is quick to take root, squeezing out native species.

    algae, invasive species, Mediterranean, videos
    CREDIT:

    Encyclopedia of Life
  • Nov 1, 2011
    A large group of dancers from the island of Tokelau dance during fiafia, evening entertainment)

    Water is Rising: Pacific Islands, Art, and Climate Change

    "This World of Ours, Does not feel steady, We keep rotating, Oi! What will happen to us?"

    art, climate change, Kiribati
    CREDIT:

    Danee Hazama
  • Oct 27, 2011
    A photo of the cliffs at Mistaken Point, in Newfoundland

    Newfoundland's Ediacaran Fossils, Podcast

    When the cod fishery collapsed in Newfoundland in the early 1990s, the hopes of the local fish harvesters collapsed with it. Hundreds of Newfoundlanders moved away and businesses that depended on the cod fishery closed. But retired schoolteacher Kit Ward of Portugal Cove South wasn’t content to watch her community vanish. She and some friends found a solution that was right under their feet, in the reddish rocks of Mistaken Point.

    fisheries, fossils, geologic time, human connections, Newfoundland
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    CREDIT:

    Helen Goodchild, Flickr User "Goodhen"
  • Sep 30, 2011
    A photo of an arid ocean cliff in Chile's Atacama Desert with the ocean below.

    Exploring Chile's Marine Fossil Record in the Atacama Desert

    Smithsonian curator of fossil marine mammals Nick Pyenson and a team of collaborators are heading into Chile's Atacama Desert, shown here. They'll study a rich bonebed of fossil marine vertebrates that lived off the Chilean coast around 8 million years ago.

    Chile, fossils, paleobiology, scientists
    CREDIT:

    D. Rubilar Rogers
  • Sep 19, 2011

    Time Lapse Construction of the Smithsonian's Sant Ocean Hall

    Watch the Smithsonian's Sant Ocean Hall come to life in this two minute time lapse video.

    The Sant Ocean Hall is the National Museum of Natural History's largest exhibit, providing visitors with a unique and breathtaking introduction to the majesty of the ocean. The hall's combination of 674 marine specimens and models, high-definition video, and the newest technology allows visitors to explore the ocean's past, present, and future.

    construction, In the Sant Ocean Hall
    CREDIT:

    Smithsonian Institution
  • Sep 16, 2011
    plastic bottles, cans, a yellow hard hat, and other human refuse litters a tropical beach

    Bring Your Own

    More than ever, the fate of the ocean is in our hands. To be good stewards and leave a thriving ocean for future generations, we need to make changes big and small wherever we are. To make a positive difference, here are five simple things you can do in 10 minutes or less to help protect the ocean—wherever you are.

    conservation, Get Involved/Take Action, marine debris
    CREDIT:

    Flickr User Fabi Fliervoet
  • Sep 15, 2011

    Deep-Sea Research 100 Years Ago on the US Fisheries Steamer Albatross

    The US Fish Commission Steamer Albatross (1882-1921) sailed approximately one million miles, in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and collected millions of organisms. The Albatross had a special and vital link with Smithsonian science, for the vessel was the brainchild of Spencer Baird, second Secretary of the Smithsonian.

    collections, history, ocean exploration, ocean research, webcasts
    CREDIT:

    Smithsonian Institution