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A quiz on the geography of the ocean (i.e., oceanography)

June 24, 2016 by Leave a Comment

I’m joyfully studying for an earth science test this month to teach high school oceanography (one day)! I thought I’d share some fun questions here to test your knowledge. And, here’s an image of features of the ocean floor on the from glogster to help jog your memory!

abyssal-plain-jpg

1. The deepest ocean is the
A. Pacific
B. Atlantic

2. Which feature is formed where oceanic plates are separating?
A. submarine canyon
B. rift

3. Which of the following describes a seamount?
A. underwater mountain range
B. isolated mid-ocean volcano

4. A small area of ocean that is partially surrounded by land is called a(n)
A. sea
B. continental shelf

5. A large flat area on the ocean floor is called a(n)
A. rift valley
B. abyssal plain

Comment your answers below (or Facebook or Tweet ’em!)! All correct answers will be dropped into a raffle at the end of the month for a copy of 10 Beachcombing Adventures: A guide for investigating the Atlantic coast shoreline.

Filed Under: Random Fun!, Test Your Knowledge Tagged With:

Marine Mammal Monday: Test your knowledge of state symbols

July 13, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Can you match the state with the marine mammal "symbol"?

Can you match the state with the marine mammal “symbol”?

Download the pdf here. I’ll post the answers next Monday. First person to comment with the correct answers (here or on Facebook) I’ll send a copy of the Smithsonian’s Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises (Flexibound).

Also, if I’ve missed a state with a marine mammal “symbol”, please don’t hesitate to let me know.

If you have a question about something you found on the beach or just something you’re curious about just send an email to info@beachchairscientist.com or tweet us!

Filed Under: Marine Mammal Monday, Marine Mammals, Random Fun!, Test Your Knowledge Tagged With: , , ,

Getting to know three … Malacostracan edition

September 3, 2012 by 1 Comment

Ever know instinctively that some animals are ‘related’ and just can’t pinpoint their similarities? On the third day of every month I explain three features that are common among three animals of a certain group. Of course, generally each group has more than three representatives and even  many more similarities and then even more differences, but I am going to choose three similarities that link threes to keep it simplified. This month is focused on the shrimp, the lobster, and the crab – all crustaceans, but more specifically all are members of the largest of the six classes of crustaceans known as the Malacostraca class. (Need a refresher on the trusty mnemonic device for classification? Click here.)

Check out ‘Getting to know three … Echinoderm edition’.

Filed Under: Animal Homes, Arthropods, Crustaceans, Random Fun!, Test Your Knowledge Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Oh, Christmas tree (worm)! Oh, Christmas tree (worm)!

July 3, 2012 by 3 Comments

What are Christmas tree worms and where did they get their name? I’m more than happy to let you know that it would not be a good idea to decorate your house with Spirobranchus giganteus.

The Christmas tree worm got its name because the spiral plumes that radiate from its main body resemble that of our fir and spruce trees that adorn our living rooms in December. These spiral plumes (also viewed as tentacles) are used for feeding and breathing. The Christmas tree worm prefer to feast on phytoplankton floating in the water nearby.

They do not move once they find a spot and nestle into burrows below the coral reefs they call home.

The tentacles sway in the water surrounding the burrow, but if a predator is lurking … the Christmas tree worm will hide completely.

Christmas tree worms live worldwide among warm, tropical reefs and can be orange, yellow, blue, or white. They typically do not exceed  1 1/2 inches in length.

Image (c) marine-bio.org.

Filed Under: Animal Homes, Cnidaria, Coral Reef Ecosystems, Test Your Knowledge Tagged With: , ,

What are the fastest fish in the sea?

April 18, 2012 by 6 Comments

Not too long ago, I provided an update on the fastest fish in the sea, the Indo-Pacific sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus). I thought it would be interesting to do some research on how fast this fish is in comparison to other animals on land and in the sea and create a graphic to illustrate it.  First, some notes, there are some outliers I left off the chart. For instance, the Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) at 325 miles per hour (mph), as well as pretty much the entire family of swifts (Apodidae) averaging a 106 mph flying speed. Also, I am certain there are many other species of terrestrial and flying animals that can be included in this list, I only added a few to compare. Please feel free to comment below or send me an email at info@beachchairscientist.com if you have something to add to the list!

THE LIST

Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) 200 mph
Swift (Apodidae) 106 mph
Sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus) 70 mph
Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) 70mph
Pronghorn antelope (Antilocapra americana) 61 mph
Striped marlin (Tetrapturus audax) 50 mph
Wahoo (Acanthocybium solandri) 48 mph
Southern blue fin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii) 47 mph
Yellow fin tuna (Thunnus albacares) 46 mph
Blue shark (Prionace glauca) 43 mph
Ostrich (Struthio camelus) 43 mph
Bonefish (Albula vulpes) 40 mph
Swordfish (Xiphias gladius) 40 mph
Tarpon (Megalops cyprinoides) 35 mph
Tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) 33 mph
Hawk moth (Sphingidae) 33 mph
Human (Homo sapiens) 27 mph

For more information I recommend The Travel Almanac and The Top 10 List.

Filed Under: Bony Fishes, Fish, Random Fun!, Sharks, Test Your Knowledge Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

What is oceanography?

March 30, 2012 by 3 Comments

If you take biology, physics, meteorology, chemistry, geology, geography and mix them all together (via the same concept as Ekman transport) you come up with oceanography. See this very concise infographic from the Sea Blog for a visual depiction of how it all comes together. Click here to understand the difference between a marine biologist and an oceanographer.

Filed Under: Ocean, People, Places, Test Your Knowledge Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

New ‘marine life encyclopedia’ launched

September 12, 2011 by Leave a Comment

I think there might be another great bookmark to add to your ocean facts files! Please spend some time reviewing this great new resource, a marine life encyclopedia, compiled by Oceana. Over 500 creatures, places, and concepts can be explored. The pictures are bright and colorful and the information is up-to-date and easy to digest. It seems fantastic if you want a quick answer to a question.

Even if you think you know all the answers, test yourself with this Ocean IQ quiz!

The content on the marine life encyclopedia site has been licensed to Dorling Kindersley, one of the world’s leading educational publishers.

Filed Under: Algae (Seaweeds), Animal Homes, Arthropods, Atlantic Horseshoe Crab, Beach, Biodiversity, Birds, Bivalves, Bony Fishes, Cephalopods, Cnidaria, Coral Reef Ecosystems, Crustaceans, Echinoderms, Egg Cases, Fish, Jellyfish or Jellies, Marine Mammals, Mollusks, Ocean, Penguins, People, Places, Plants, Random Fun!, Reptiles, Sea Turtles, Seashells, Sharks, Skates and Rays, Test Your Knowledge, Univalves, Weather, Wrack Line Tagged With: , ,

13 apps for your day at the beach

August 17, 2011 by 2 Comments

It’s time to get the most out of that last trip to the beach!

Whether you’re ready for a day out on the boat, lounging, beachcombing, catching some waves, or preparing a feast there is an app to get you more involved in your marine environment. Apps are not only a great way to learn something new on the fly but can be a useful tool for engaging one another in settings where you may not have common ground. (OK, at the very least apps settle many ‘discussions’.)

Here is a list of useful and rather attractive apps that can connect you to your inner marine biologist.

AUDUBON FIELD GUIDES: Audubon Fishes of the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico and Audubon Fishes – A Guide to North American Fishes include photos, geographic ranges, and concise yet detailed descriptions of appearances. Coming soon is the field guide for the Mid-Atlantic shoreline. ($9.99)

OCEANOGRAPHY STUDY GUIDE: If you are into fun oceanography trivia and want to learn more about the geography of the sea than download this app. It isn’t an endless list of “did you know?” facts but rather a large range of topics with well written articles for the serious beach chair scientist. ($4.99)

OFFICIAL APP OF ISSF: The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) was founded in 2008 when leaders of industry, scientists and environmental champions voiced concern over the future of tuna fisheries. This app provides a glossary of terms, videos, and a list of the status of stocks. (Free)

SEA TURTLE APP: This app was created by the Sea Turtle Conservancy and allows you to follow read the latest on sea turtle news but much more exciting you can track the global migration of different sea turtles with interactive satellite tracking maps! (Free)

Enough sitting around – it’s time to get out there and do something:

MOBILE APP FOR IGFA: The International Game Fishing Association created an app for weigh station locations, angler rules and regulations, customizable quests, and advice for trip planning. What more does a sport fisherman need?

MARINE DEBRIS TRACKER APP: This collaboration is brought to you by the Southeast Atlantic Marine Debris Initiative. The reporting of where you find marine debris can help to focus and prioritize federal efforts. The app uses GPS and allows you minimal work of sorting through lists of common marine debris. (Free)

CRAB APP: This app is an offshoot from the marine wild lab and allows you to collect horseshoe crab species data that will be used in scientific research. Horseshoe crabs are of enormous importance to 1) the drug industry due to their blood, 2) to fisheries for bait, and 3) to migratory shorebirds for its eggs.  (Free)

TIDE GRAPH: I found out that there are many, many apps out there to help you monitor the tides. Tide Graph will work for both coasts in the US and provides graphs to help you see how the tide changes over the day and the month. ($1.99)

If you are preparing a feast or gorging on some dockside seafood:

SEAFOOD WATCH: For years the Monterey Bay Aquarium has produced adorable pocket-sized regional cheat sheets so you can get a quick overview of what species are considered over fished or not in your neck of the woods. They continue to produce this application for your iPhone and use GPS tracking to discover where you are so you can get the most relevant information. (Free)

PROJECT FISHMAP: Monterey Bay Aquarium also gets you more involved by asking you to submit information when you find a restaurant or market that advocates sustainable seafood. As the map grows you can see what spots you’ve not uncovered in your neighborhood. (Free)

FISHPHONE APP: With one quick text (example: “fish salmon”) to 30644 Blue Ocean Institute will fed you intel on your species of choice. For instance, they’ll rank the sustainability and toxicity levels and send an overview of its conservation status. (Free)

SAFE SEAFOOD: This app takes information from ten different seafood rankings (including Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Environmental Defense Fund) to create its list. The app outlines choices in an easy to review “best to worst” list. I particularly like that fish with multiple different market names are listed by each of common name too. ($0.99, but 10% of the proceeds go to EDF)

I am certain I missed many wonderful apps. Please do not hesitate to email at info@beachchairscientist.com to share!

Added October 27, 2011: An app for water quality and to get the most up-to-date grade for your beach presented by Heal the Bay in California.

Filed Under: Fish, Ocean, People, Places, Random Fun!, Sea Turtles, Test Your Knowledge Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Test your knowledge: Alphabet soup

June 21, 2011 by Leave a Comment

See if you can guess what these marine-related acronyms stand for with the clues provided.

AFS: Organization of fisheries professionals. Seattle is hosting their conference this year.
BCS: A nice and funny blogger who enjoys making marine science entertaining (and it has nothing to do with college football).
CBP: A regional partnership that has led and directed the restoration of one the most diverse estuaries since 1983.
ICCAT: An inter-governmental fishery organization responsible for the conservation of tunas (and tuna-like species) in the Atlantic Ocean and its adjacent seas.
MSP: Concept that allows multiple users of the oceans to coordinate (or plan) decisions for a sustainable future.
NEPA: Signed into law on January 1, 1970 this Act set out to “assure that all branches of government give proper consideration to the environment prior to undertaking any major federal action that could significantly affect the environment.”
NOAA: No, no, no … It’s not National Offshore Aquaculture Act of 2007 … it’s the other one. This federal agency oversees the oceans. They also oversee the atmosphere as well (i.e., hurricanes, climate, etc).
PFD: Please bring one of these for every person on your boat this summer.
SAV: Beds of this are important habitat for many species that use estuaries as nursery grounds.
VIMS: College that runs (through SeaGrant) BRIDGE (teacher-approved marine resources).

Related articles
Test Your Knowledge: NOSB Biology (beachchairscientist.wordpress.com)
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Beach trivia

June 14, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Can you name the world’s longest beach (at 76 miles long!)?

Want to find out the location of the famous beach from the movie “From Here to Eternity“?

Did you know that a beach on the west coast of Florida is the top spot to find seashells in the U.S.?

You can learn all these facts and a whole lot more with this interactive beach quiz from National Geographic. Have fun and please let us know if you learn anything particularly surprising or fun.

Filed Under: Beach, Ocean, Random Fun!, Test Your Knowledge