Ocean Blog
Swimming With SharksPublished by: Brian Skerry - Oct 13, 2011Lying in water only a foot deep, I watched the shark meander lazily through the mangrove, already exuding the confidence inherent of the supreme creature within its domain. It was hot here in Bimini, nearly 100-degrees and mosquitoes were thick and relentless, swarming on to any bare skin. Yet slipping my head just inches below the water’s surface I had entered another realm. I was absolutely transfixed watching these little sharks, perhaps 12 to 18 inches long; swimming beneath mangrove roots and over the muddy bottom with impressive deftness. |
 Caribbean reef sharks swim over a coral reef in the Bahamas.
© Brian Skerry, www.brianskerry.com
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Teaching Your Students About Marine Debris: a Classroom ActivityPublished by: Catherine - Sep 15, 2011Have you ever gone to your favorite coastal or lakeside beach and instead of having a fun day in the sun you were faced with a trove of trash? How heartbreaking it is to see waters and shorelines littered with items that you have at home, that maybe you’ve even recently thrown away. |
 A student decorates a reusable bag as part of "Design Your Own Bag," a marine debris activity hosted by the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.
Smithsonian Institution
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New Archaeocetes from Peru Are the Oldest Fossil Whales from South AmericaPublished by: Nicholas D. Pyenson - Sep 12, 2011The evolution of whales represents one of the great stories in macroevolution. It's a narrative that has mostly benefitted from an extraordinary series of fossils recovered from rocks around the world, including challenging field areas in Egypt, Pakistan, and India. |
 Offshore Peru, during the Eocene (~56-34 million years ago), showing two archaeocetes (ancient whales): Ocucajea picklingi (above) and Supayacetus muizoni (below). Carl Buell, http://carlbuell.com/ |
Arctic Sea Ice: A New Low?Published by: Tina Tennessen - Sep 8, 2011At a recent staff meeting a Smithsonian colleague mentioned that one of his pastimes this summer has been keeping tabs on the Arctic sea ice. The question that's on many Arctic-watchers' minds is whether or not the 2011 sea ice coverage will reach a new record low. |
 This graph of the Arctic sea ice coverage shows how close the year 2011 is to reaching a record-low. The graph contains data through September 7, 2011. The National Snow and Ice Data Center, which produced the graph, says we should know within a couple weeks if the ice extent drops below the previous record which was set in 2007.
National Snow and Ice Data Center
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Alaska Vulnerable to Invasive Species from Warmer WatersPublished by: John Barrat - Sep 1, 2011Alaska’s pristine coastline is ripe for an influx of invasive marine species such as the European green crab and the rough periwinkle (an Atlantic sea snail), warns a new study by a team of scientists from the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. |
 Invasive species can have a range of environmental and economic impacts. In this photo, sea squirts foul an oyster cage. Scientists at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center's Marine Invasions Lab study the movement and effects of non-native species around the globe.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
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A Guide to Earthquake Lesson PlansPublished by: Maggy Hunter Benson - Aug 25, 2011It isn’t everyday that a magnitude 5.8 earthquake strikes the East Coast of the United States. But on August 23, 2011, people from Georgia to New England felt the rumble and shaking of an earthquake whose epicenter was in Mineral, Va. The East Coast is historically a low risk zone. What exactly happened and how might educators use this event in the classroom? |
 This map of the magnitude 5.8 earthquake shows the ground motion of the shaking intensity that followed the earthquake. These maps are used for earthquake response, recovery, preparation, and planning.
United States Geological Survey
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Scientists Call New Eel Species A Living FossilPublished by: Johnny Gibbons - Aug 17, 2011Scientists at the Smithsonian and partnering organizations have discovered a remarkably primitive eel in a fringing reef off the coast of the Republic of Palau. This fish exhibits many primitive anatomical features unknown in the other 19 families and more than 800 species of living eels, resulting in its classification as a new species belonging to a new genus and family. |
 The Palauan primitive cave eel (Protanguilla palau) has an evolutionary history that dates back some 200 million years. Smithsonian ichthyologist David Johnson and colleagues described the new genus and species for the first time on August, 17, 2011 in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Jiro Sakaue
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On Biodiversity: Understanding its Meaning and ImportancePublished by: Cristina Castillo - Aug 16, 2011The ocean is home to a phenomenal diversity of marine organisms. They have evolved to inhabit warm waters near the equator and the icy waters of the Earth’s poles. Marine life takes advantage of the enormous volume the ocean comprises: from diatoms living near the sunny surface, to octopods living in the dark deep sea. |
 These mollusks and echinoderms are a teeny-tiny sample of the ocean's biodiversity. The Census of Marine Life estimates that there are at least one million species of plants and animals in the sea. Most of which have not been described. The nine animals in this photo were collected by Smithsonian researchers involved in the Deep Reef Observation Project.
Smithsonian Institution
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Searching for Cancer Drugs in the OceanPublished by: Jennifer Collins - Aug 9, 2011Ever since fourth grade I’ve wanted to explore the creatures and landscapes of the deep ocean in a submersible. It took awhile, but I finally got my chance this summer as part of the Deep Reef Observation Project (DROP). |
 Dr. Patrick Colin, of the Coral Reef Research Foundation in Palau, examines a sponge he collected off the island of Curaçao, in the Caribbean. Colin is conducting research for the National Cancer Institute and looking for sponges with properties that may lead to new treatments.
Smithsonian Institution
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An Intern Explores Ocean CareersPublished by: Brandon Adkins - Aug 4, 2011I’m a high school student interested in pursuing marine science. I have loved the ocean since I was 3 feet tall and only getting my feet wet at the beach. I’m a senior in high school, and over the next year I have the task of selecting a college, but I’m also thinking about my major and future profession. I know how hard it can be trying to figure out what career you would like to pursue especially with sports, school clubs, and television influencing your decision. |
 Summer 2011 Ocean Portal intern Brandon Adkins is determined to pursue a career in marine science. After researching a host of jobs in the field, he's thinking of becoming an oceanographer.
Smithsonian Institution
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