Today marks the one year anniversary of the first Beach Chair Scientist post!

Thank you all so much for all of your amazing contributions. Without your insightful inquiries the forum would not be nearly as entertaining.

To mark this occasion I thought we would simply count down the top ten most visited posts over the past year.

10. What are jellyfish? from July 21, 2008

9. What is the biggest fish in the sea? from November 18, 2008

8. What are those tiny colorful clams? from July 23, 2008

7. What are those tiny black pods with tendrils hanging on the ends? from October 24, 2008

6. How much salt is in the ocean? from November 22, 2008

5. What eats sea urchins? from September 10, 2008

4. How do sea spiders get their nutrients? from November 21, 2008

3. How many plants and animals are in the ocean? from November 21, 2008

2. Do lobsters mate for life? from November 24, 2008

1. Why are horseshoe crabs amazing? from July 13, 2008

Do you have another great question? Check out www.beachchairscientist.com and let us know what you always ponder while digging your toes in the sand!

This is amazing! It was just discovered that the nine-spined stickleback fish (found in the UK) uses a technique called “hill climbing” to select the place where to be most successful for finding food. Basically, the fish stands aside and watched other fish and their feeding habits to learn from their successes and challenges! Read more at: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090616205515.htm

Do you have another great question? Check out www.beachchairscientist.com and let us know what you always ponder while digging your toes in the sand!

This is the first post I’ve answered directly from my phone (Please excuse the brevity). Barnacles are crustaceans. Other crustaceans include crabs and lobsters. Barnacles are a type of crustacean that are permanently attached to a solid surface. Also, what is obviously missing is the sensory parts, such as eyes and feelers. Up close, you should be able to recognize that barnacles have the same bony plates that you find on crabs and lobster.

Do you have another great question? Email me at info@beachchairscientist.com.

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According to the Discovery Health Channel, it is estimated that 1 in 3 beach goers do not know how to swim. The rational is that if you were not taught as a child then there is a hesitation to learn to swim as an adult.

Do you have another great question? Check out www.beachchairscientist.com and let us know what you always ponder while digging your toes in the sand!

I am writing this as a very long overdue expansion to a post that I wrote November 25, 2008,  “What happens if I swallow salt water?“. The pertinent information lacking was the composition of the salt in salt water (my sincerest apologies).

The salt in salt water is:

• 77.6% table salt;
• 10.88% magnesium chloride;
• 4.74% epson salts;
• 3.60% calcium sulfates;
• 2.47% potassium sulfates;
• 0.34% lime; and
• 0.51% trace minerals.

(Did you know that a lot of cities are now using a form of magnesium chloride on roadways instead of rock salt during icy conditions? It is not as toxic to nearby plants and waters.)

Do you have another great question? Email info@beachchairscientist.com and share your thoughts!

Sea foam can be thought of as the air bubbles in seawater that bounce off one another. When they bounce off one another it also releases sea spray.

Air bubbles in freshwater basically just unite and don’t bounce off one another. If there is foaminess in freshwater it is pollutant related. Makes you think where your water comes from, huh?

Do you have another great question? Check out www.beachchairscientist.com and let us know what you always ponder while digging your toes in the sand!