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What is seaweed used for?

May 14, 2009 by Leave a Comment

Agar is a form of red algae. It can be used as the agar gel that lines the bottom of scientists petri dishes. Agar is also a stabilizer for some foods, including ice cream (not Breyers’). It is also a stabilizer in cosmetics and paint.

Carrageen, from a red algae called Irish moss, is also used in food. It helps in foods that needs ingredients to be suspended prior to refrigeation. For instance, it is in chocolate milk to make certain the chocolate does not sink to the bottom.

Kelp, a leafy green algae found in the Pacific, is used as a fertilizer in some parts of the world.

Betcha didn’t know many different types of seaweeds have been used in medicine that help treat tuberculosis, arthritis, influenza, the common cold and some worm infections.

Also, algae is a major source of oxygen and the very important beginning of the ocean food chain.

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Filed Under: Algae (Seaweeds)

Why do I always see so many dead crabs along the shoreline?

February 19, 2009 by Leave a Comment

Rest assure those crab skeletons are not all dead crabs. They are the molts from the animals. Crabs, lobsters, horseshoe crabs, and many other crustaceans go through a molting phase and the old shell is basically washed up in the wrack line.

The wrack line is the deposits from the ocean after the tide has gone back out to sea. It’s often defined by seaweed that entangles lots of fun ocean treasures such as sea beans, old leathery sea turtle eggs, and sometimes marine debris. It’s my favorite spot to explore!

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Filed Under: Algae (Seaweeds), Atlantic Horseshoe Crab, Beach Tagged With: , , ,

How does coral bleaching result?

December 22, 2008 by 1 Comment

Coral bleaching is due to the fact that the algae part of the coral reef ecosystem can no longer photosynthesize properly – therfore, losing the “reef” structure and the corals remain white – since the zooxannthellea are not around (that’s the algae – and responsible for the color of the coral). This occurs due to a lack of sunlight – mostly from a build up of substances (usually, man made – on the surface of the ocean).

Filed Under: Algae (Seaweeds), Coral Reef Ecosystems

What is the second largest reef in the world?

December 22, 2008 by 2 Comments

Interesting question.

The top three largest coral reef ecosystems in the world are:

1) Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia

2) Belize Barrier Reef

3) Florida Keys Reef Ecosystem

A coral reef ecosystem relies on teamwork between the coral animal (a type of cnidarians) and an algae called zooxannthellea.

Filed Under: Algae (Seaweeds), Coral Reef Ecosystems

Is seaweed really a “weed”?

July 15, 2008 by 2 Comments

Actually seaweed is a term given too many different types of marine plants that grow in the ocean and none of them are weeds, in the sense that we would try to get rid up them with a weed killer.

The basic scientific term would really be algae. Algae (Red, brown, or green) are a very large single celled phytoplankton.

Phytoplankton in the world’s oceans is extremely important due to their immense numbers.
Did you know there is more phytoplankton producing oxygen and absorbing the carbon dioxide than there are trees on the land?

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