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What children have to say about marine debris

January 16, 2011 by Leave a Comment

I just think this review of what children from New York City have to say about beach pollution aka marine debris is too “right on” not to share. These quotes come directly from an article on the Ocean Conservancy’s website. Check out the entire article for some wonderful crayola images the kids did too!

Fourth-graders in New York City conducted cleanups at a local beach and tallied every item they found on Ocean Conservancy’s data card, an experience shared by hundreds of thousands of people around the world every year during Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup.

The young citizen scientists learned about the myriad ways marine debris threatens ocean health, and created graphs to show the sources of these man-made items.

They shared their findings with us, and we’d like to share them with you. Here are just a few of their observations, presented just as they’ve written them:

Filed Under: Beach, People Tagged With:

Ringing in the New Year with Carnival of the Blue

January 3, 2011 by 2 Comments

Here it is January and we’ve all sang our last rendition of ‘Auld Lang Syne’. Conversely, what this Beach Chair Scientist has to say is that these marine science bloggers should not be forgotten!

As the host for the Carnival of the Blue No. 44, I proudly bring to you these powerful, poetic, funny, insightful and delightful posts from the last month of 2010. Enjoy!

On December 15, the Wanderin’ Weeta of British Columbia took the time to put together a post about how plastic bags are often a deadly enemy of seabirds. She states that, “Researchers estimate that around 95% of all seabirds have eaten plastic litter.” Please see her post to watch a very eye opening video from YouTube.

The always humorous Mad Kane of New York wrote a light and lovely haiku septet on December 21 about the rare total eclipse during the winter solstice. Enjoy this post and be reminded of the rhythm of the verse!

Also, on December 21 Ben Goldfarb of FishiLeaks shared a post of how Moray eels do the darnedest things! Read his post to learn about the unusual behaviors of these fish.

Next, the NeuroDojo of Texas introduced us to the Dinochelus on December 28. Check out this post for a look at this lobster-like crustacean with an extraordinary claw which we just aren’t sure what it is used for yet.

Last but not least, Miriam of the Deep Sea News rounded out the year on December 29 with a wonderful post on the trials and tribulations of being a compassionate and responsible seafood eater. Read this post if eating sustainable seafood is a part of your New Year’s resolution.

Enjoy and have a wonderful 2011!

Filed Under: Ocean

What is bycatch?

January 1, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Bycatch is a term used to classify the incidental fish, mammals, birds, sea turtles or invertebrates that may be caught while targeting other species in a fishery. One of the biggest victims of these unintentional catches are the black-footed albatross. They frequently swallow bait attached to the lines of long-line fishing boats. At least 300,000 sea birds are killed by long line fishing each year.

Filed Under: Birds, Fish, Marine Mammals, Sea Turtles Tagged With: , ,

Beach Chair Scientist’s Top Ten Posts

December 12, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Now that we have posted 200 entertaining posts of random beach trivia we thought it would be fun to review the most visited posts to see what our audience enjoys reading from us. So during this holiday season let’s make a toast to the top ten most read entries.

Thanks for reading all the posts from BCS and let us know if you have a questions while digging your toes in the sand!

What about blob (fish)?

The First Beach Chair Scientist post is about my favorite animal – The Atlantic Horseshoe Crab

Break it down. It’s hammertime … (doooo doo doo dut .. doo dut ..doo dut.)

10 facts about manatees

What do you mako this?

How much salt is in the ocean?

What eats sea urchins?

Do lobsters mate for life?

Swiped bass

Who is afraid of Atlantic wolf (fish)?

Filed Under: Ocean

Carnival of the Blue #44 – December 30 deadline

December 1, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Hey there! We have some very exciting updates for you today.

First of all, I want to say that November was a slow month for posts since I was busy taking care of a little newborn. The next generation of Beach Chair Scientist was born November 3. All are happy and healthy.

Secondly, can you believe this is our 200th post? Since we began July 13, 2008 there have been quite a slew of interesting posts. I will post the top posts later this week.

Lastly, I am collecting entries for a Carnival of the Blue post for January. Send me your best December posts by December 30th.

Have a great holiday season!

Filed Under: Ocean

Who discovered the North Pole?

November 14, 2010 by Leave a Comment

From the summer to the winter the amount of ice in the Arctic Ocean doubles from 3 million square miles to 6 million square miles. The smallest of all the oceans was explored by those looking for trade routes between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. But, the first to reach the North Pole was American Robert Peary in 1909 on dog sleds.

Nowadays travelers searching the Arctic Ocean need ships with powerful bows and engines needed to penetrate the sea ice.

Filed Under: Ocean

A naturalist’s must-see destination: Chesapeake Bay

November 1, 2010 by Leave a Comment
Map of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed

Image via Wikipedia

This is a continuation on the “Where we live” series. The Chesapeake Bay has undergone similar changes to the San Francisco Bay as the population increased along its shores. As the largest estuary in North America (not the longest, which is the Indian River Lagoon in Florida), it is not surprising that the watershed of the Chesapeake Bay flows through six states and covers an area of 64,000 square miles. Flowing from the watershed and into the Bay are over 124,000 miles of rivers and streams!

Due to the relatively shallow average depth of the Bay (at nearly 21 feet) the sun can reach the bottom easily and makes for a productive ecosystem. Just about 40% of the nation’s blue crab commercial blue crab harvest comes from the Chesapeake Bay. Nearly, 300 hundred species call the Bay their home during some part of their life cycle. Birds have come to rely on the diverse community for sustenance while making their way along the Atlantic Flyway.

As I mentioned above, the Bay has undergone changes in recent history. These changes have been rather unfavorable as more and more people flock to the the shores of the Bay, disturbing the natural balance.  The Chesapeake Bay Program is an organization leading the way it the restoration efforts and is often seen as the model on how to mitigate the effects of man and maintain a healthy existence of man and nature.

Filed Under: Places

What is the fastest fish in the sea?

October 26, 2010 by 3 Comments

The world’s fastest fish is the Indo-Pacific sailfish, Istiophorus platypterus. This sport fish can swim up to 68 miles per hour by standards (a cheetah can run up to 70 miles per hour).  Check out this incredible video from PBS which aired in August of 2010. Marine biologist, Rick Rosenthal, witnesses a rare moment of a sailfish feeding at night. You’ll also see a baby sailfish drawn into the light by Rick’s flashlight. Enjoy!

Filed Under: Bony Fishes, Fish Tagged With: ,

National Hagfish Day is October 20th

October 19, 2010 by Leave a Comment

You may not know it, but, tomorrow is National Hagfish Day. The day was created to draw attention and appreciation of all marine animals and plants. So please do not forget to appreciate not only the charismatic bottlenose dolphin, but, also the not-so-charismatic hagfish, sea cucumbers and horseshoe crabs.

Here is a little bit of background information on the hagfish.

The hagfish was thought to be a jawless lamprey when first discovered in Norway in 1747. This cartilaginous fish has no jaw, scales or fins and lives in temperate regions in the southern and northern hemispheres. When a hagfish is born it is born with both female and male reproductive organs. They often change from male to female by seasons. The over 70 species belong to the family “Myxinidae”. The prefix myxi- means slime and relates to the animals ability to produce a slime as a form of defense.

Another interesting fact is that the hagfish is practically blind as it has its eyes located under its slimy skin.

Filed Under: Fish Tagged With:

What is the mystery of the chambered nautilus?

October 14, 2010 by Leave a Comment

“Year after year beheld the silent toil
That spread his lustrous coil;
Still, as the spiral grew,
He left the past year’s dwelling for the new,
Stole with soft step its shining archway through,
Built up its idle door,
Stretched in his last-found home, and knew the old no more.”

Oliver Wendell Holmes (1804-1894)

The above is only an excerpt from the poem, “The Chambered Nautilus” by Holmes published in 1858. It only begins to hint at the marvel of this magnificent cephalopod. The chambered nautilus has become breathtaking subject matter for generations of artists and has become a commodity on the commercial trade industry.

The chambered nautilus is a squid that lives inside a shell marked with a brown and white zebra pattern. As the squid grows, the shell grows with it and creates compartments which are used as gas chambers and help the cephalopod rise or sink in the water column. The inside of the shell is lined with an iridescent pearl. In the last chamber of the shell are almost 90 tentacles and large eye peering out. Predators of the chambered nautilus include sharks, turtles, and octopus.

What makes the chambered nautilus so mysterious and sought after? Is it the mother of pearl that lines the inside of the animal’s shell? Is it that the animal represents a far off species only found tropical Indo-Pacific? Or is it that the inside compartments of the chambered nautilus each mirror its smaller and larger part exactly and therefore the animal is an example of the golden rectangle found in nature.

This harmonic progression is an illustration of Fibonacci’s sequence. This is a sequence where the first two numbers in the series are added to create the third number for a series of number that begins 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34 and so on forever. This proportional pattern can be seen all over in nature: flower petals, pine cones, and even galaxies. Below is an illustration of the proportion as it relates to the chambered nautilus.

Image (c) top – seasky.org, bottom – http://2muchfun.info

Do you have another interesting question? E-mail info@beachchairscientist.com and let us know what you always ponder while digging your toes in the sand!

Filed Under: Animal Homes, Cephalopods, Random Fun! Tagged With: , ,