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When did life in the ocean begin?

June 9, 2010 by Leave a Comment

It is said that Earth was created about 4.5 billion years ago (bya). Life began about (note “about”) 3.5 bya. And, in fact, it is thought that life began in the oceans!

Follow the evolution of the whale on the National Museum of Natural History’s Sant Oceans Hall on-line ocean portal and see if the whale is evolving backwards. Sounds interesting, eh?

Do you have another good question or suggestion for the Beach Chair Scientist? Go to http://www.beachchairscientist.com and let us know. Or you can e-mail your question to info@beachchairscientist.com.

Filed Under: Marine Mammals, Ocean, Random Fun!

Tomorrow is World Oceans Day!

June 7, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Since a 2008 resolution by the United Nations, June 8 has been designated as the universal “World Oceans Day”. Each year, non-profit The Ocean Project pulls together a great list of events from around the world celebrating World Oceans Day. The theme for 2010 is “World of Life”.

Image (c) http://theoceanproject.org

“Wear Blue, Tell Two”

In 2009 the Ocean Project began a campaign to get people to wear blue as a way to represent the ocean on World Oceans Day. Another part of this campaign is to tell two people interesting facts about the ocean to inspire them to feel connected in hopes they will also become stewards of our marine environment.

You know where to tell people to go for interesting ocean facts … http://www.beachchairscientist.wordpress.com!

Filed Under: Ocean

What is a watershed?

June 3, 2010 by 2 Comments

In this video produced by the EPA and The Weather Channel you’ll see what some people believe a watershed to be. It is not a place where people go to the bathroom, but, is more like a drain.

Understanding a watershed is tough. I think it is because the name does not fit the definition. A watershed is an area of land that drains into a shared body of water. It could be a shared stream, lake, river, estuary, aquifer, or ocean. What links the land to these water bodies are wetlands.

Each watershed is connected to another watershed. All watersheds eventually lead to the ocean. In the U.S. there are over 2,200 watersheds (including Puerto Rico). They have no restrictions on counties, state, or even national border lines.

All watersheds are delicate and their strength is dependent upon 1) what we put in them and 2) how we use them. Follow how I am learning to make less on an impact on my watershed.

Do you have another great question? Check out www.beachchairscientist.com and enter your request or e-mail info@beachchairscientist.com.

Filed Under: Ocean Tagged With: , ,

June 2010 is National Oceans Month (NOM)

June 3, 2010 by Leave a Comment

“NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2010 as National Oceans Month.  I call upon Americans to learn more about what they can do to protect, conserve, sustain, and enjoy our oceans, coasts, and Great Lakes.”

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA

So, June is National Oceans Month (NOM). What does this mean for Beach Chair Scientist? In the month of June I am challenging myself to write 30 entries. Today is June 3 so I am already two days behind. Throughout the month I will bring simple, insightful and entertaining ways to learn to take President Obama’s advice to “protect, conserve, sustain, and enjoy our oceans, coasts, and Great Lakes.” Sounds fun, right?

I am committed to keeping a positive spin on the 30 NOM posts. I will not dwell on the oil spill. But, it would be irresponsible if I did not mention it. The only positive light I can see with this oil spill is that it does hit home and therefore we (the American public) are forced to look for alternative forms of energy.

Filed Under: Ocean

‘Drumroll’ means spawning season for some fish species

May 12, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Did you know the fish species, red drum and black drum (pictured right), are in the same family as spotted sea trout and Atlantic croaker?  All of these fish have an ability to produce a drumming sound on their air bladders … Which, is how they got commons names such as “croaker” and “drum”. This drumming sound is very noticeable during spawning seasons.

Do you have another good question for the Beach Chair Scientist? Go to http://www.beachchairscientist.com and let us know. Or you can e-mail your question to info@beachchairscientist.com.

image (c) landbigfish.com

Filed Under: Bony Fishes, Fish, Ocean Tagged With: , , ,

Better Practices needed for BP

April 30, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Still recovering from Hurricane Katrina, coastal Louisiana is watching from the sidelines as slow moving oil slick creeps upon its shores. The oil is from the tanker DeepWater Horizon leased by the BP (used to stand for British Petroleum but in 2007 Britain’s third largest company started marketing themselves as Beyond Petroleum for a more global, greener image). The tanker exploded and sank approximately 40 miles offshore, killing 11 workers. Early estimates proved too optimistic, reports now say about 200,000 gallons of oil per day could be spewing from the site. This disaster may surpass the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster. Even today, more than two decades later, the Prince William Sound in Alaska is still recovering.

This is devastating for Louisiana. The state’s economy relies on its coastal ecosystem. It is the largest producer of seafood in the lower 48 states. Over $1.8 billion dollars is spent on the retail sales of seafood and $1 billion dollars in the sport fishing industry. Louisiana has 40% of the US total wetlands. Wetlands are vital areas for fish and shellfish to grow, they act as a type of nursery grounds. Sadly, the oil spill happened at the peak spawning time for fish.

How did this accident occur? Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is investigating the 30 offshore oil rigs and 47 production platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. I hope it did not happen because last year a senior BP executive was successful in thwarting the regulation of mandatory safety codes for oil rigs (these would apparently be too much of a hassle and slow construction).

BP is responsible for the cleanup of the Gulf of Mexico, but President Obama said at the White House Thursday that “every single available resource” would be used.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-rose-garden

For its part, BP has enlisted the federal, state and local governments for assistance, and it’s been issuing regular updates on its company website, unfortunately BP officials don’t seem to be making any guarantees they are equipped to stop the flow of oil from reaching Gulf shores alone.

http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=2012968&contentId=7061565

One aspect of the cleanup effort involved the burning of the oil off the surface of the water. Many compassionate environmentalists have been volunteering for the cleanup efforts as well. Floating barriers have been put up to block the contact of the oil to the wetlands.

One great irony of the week is that the federal government did make an effort for the US to be more energy independent. Interior Secretary Salazar approved the construction of Cape Wind, the first offshore wind turbine. The 130 turbines will be in an area off the coast of Man130-turbine proposal for the Horseshoe Shoal area of Nantucket Sound, off the coast of Nantucket Sound near Massachusetts. Once the two year construction project is complete, Cape Wind should generate around 1.5 million megawatt-hours of renewable electricity each year, or enough to supply about 230,000 homes.

Another is that the oil disaster happens just as President Obama recently announced plans to expand offshore drilling. Yet just as reports of the first oil was reaching Louisiana shores, a senior adviser to President Obama told The New York Times that those plans could be on hold.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/01/us/01gulf.html

“The deadly explosion of an offshore oil rig last week and the resulting spill have complicated Mr. Obama’s recently announced plans to expand offshore oil and gas drilling, with some politicians and environmental advocates calling on the president to halt any planned expansions until more safeguards are put into place against future disasters,” the newpaper reported.

Too bad those safeguards come too late for Louisiana.

Filed Under: Biodiversity, Ocean

Explore the Ocean with Google

April 30, 2010 by Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Ocean, People, Random Fun!

What is the seaweed that reminds me of bubble wrap called?

April 7, 2010 by Leave a Comment

That is commonly called rockweed (Fucus vesiculosis). The pockets of air that you want to pop are what keep the the rockweed afloat. When I am swimming in the ocean, I like to gently pick up one of these clumps of rockweed and shake it to see what creatures may be hiding in it. Sometimes you may find little bitty zooplankton trying to make their way to adulthood.

Click here to learn how seaweed is used for in our daily lives.

Image (c) Educational Technology Clearinghouse of the University of San Francisco.

Filed Under: Ocean

What is a salt marsh?

March 20, 2010 by Leave a Comment

A salt marsh is the habitat where freshwater (from rivers and lakes) mixes with the saltwater (from the ocean). The salt marshes that I am most familiar with have tall cordgrasses near the water’s edge. Usually, it is a mix of two types of cordgrass, Spartina alterniflora and Spartina pattens. Away from the water’s edge is a mix of woody shrubs, including bayberry (very fragrant).

The interesting thing about the cordgrasses is that the entire marsh ecosystem depends upon them to die. The dead cordgrasses fall to the ground to build a base for mud flats, in between the other living plants. What happens next is that layers of peat will continually form on each new level of cordgrass, and protect the entire salt marsh from flooding over.

Another important contribution (and the reason I think salt marshes to be more valuable than oceans themselves) is that salt marshes are considered the nursery ground for many saltwater fish species. The saltwater fish travel into the freshwater to spawn. The eggs are protected in the calmer waters of rivers, creeks, and streams. Once they hatch the young-of-year grow up in salt marsh before heading to the ocean as adults.

For more information, I highly recommend The Life and Death of a Salt Marsh by John and Mildred Teal. (1971, Ballantine Books)

Image (c) National Marine Fisheries Service.

Filed Under: Ocean

NE Saltwater Fishing Show

March 19, 2010 by Leave a Comment

For all the anglers out there get to the NE Saltwater Fishing Show in Providence, RI from March 19-21, 2010. Great exhibits and a wide array of seminars for the expert to the beginner.

Filed Under: Ocean