Tina Tennessen

Tina Tennessen
Tina Tennessen
Tina Tennessen

Tina Tennessen has a background in radio journalism and loves hearing a good story. She is a science writer, web editor, and a former radio producer. Before joining the Ocean Portal team as a web content and social media producer in early 2011, she held the position of Public Affairs Officer at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) in Edgewater, Md. While at SERC, Tina created and edited a news blog called Shorelines and publicized Smithsonian research and educational programs, generating press coverage and public attention for issues such as ocean acidification, hypoxia, invasive species, sea-level rise, shoreline development, and over-fishing. Tina grew up near five of Minnesota's 10,000 lakes and feels fortunate to be working among marine scientists who have dedicated their lives to understanding the underwater realm and the issues that affect it.

Collaborator Contributions

A rendering of an underwater marine scene from the Cambrian Period, featuring an arthropod, annelids, and other animals.

Cambrian Period (542 – 488 Million Years Ago)

The basic body plans of all modern animals were set during the Cambrian Period, 542 - 488 million years ago. Your friends, family, and pet turtle may not look much like the creatures here. But we and our fellow animals are heirs of these ancient ocean dwellers. Changes in Earth’s climate and ocean oxygen levels may have fueled rapid diversification during this period. Another possible cause may have been the interactions among the increasingly complex animals. Competition and predation often spark innovation. Not every Cambrian body plan was successful.

A rendering of an underwater marine scene from the Proterozoic Eon, featuring a creature that resembles a jellyfish and other organisms.

Ediacaran Community, Proterozoic Eon (2,500 - 542 Million Years Ago)

Earth’s first animals had soft bodies. This illustration shows a community of soft-bodied Ediacaran (edi-A-karan) animals. Some species resemble living ocean creatures. Others are unlike any known organisms and cannot be classified. Scientists have found fossils of these fauna in sedimentary rocks worldwide. Explore the ancient ocean in an image gallery or in our Ocean Over Time interactive.

 

<p>Paleobiologist Mark D. Uhen drills away rock to reveal the <strong><a href="http://ocean.si.edu/ocean-photos/bones-and-teeth-south-americas-oldest-fossil-whales">fossilized bones</a></strong> of Peruvian archaeocetes (ancient whales), in&nbsp;the Vertebrate Paleontology Department at the <strong><a href="http://museohn.unmsm.edu.pe/">Museo de Historia Natural de San Marcos</a></strong>. Uhen is a professor at George Mason University and one of the co-authors of&nbsp;<strong><a href="http://ocean.si.edu/blog/new-archaeocetes-peru-are-oldest-fossil-whales-south-america">a paper about South America's oldest known whales</a></strong>. See a rendering of what these whales may have looked like <strong><a href="http://ocean.si.edu/ocean-photos/eocene-whales-and-penguins-coast-peru">swimming off Peru's coast</a></strong>.&nbsp;</p>

Preparing a Fossil Whale Specimen

Paleobiologist Mark D. Uhen drills away rock to reveal the fossilized bones of Peruvian archaeocetes (ancient whales), in the Vertebrate Paleontology Department at the Museo de Historia Natural de San Marcos.

A scientific diagram containing photos and illustrations of the bones and teeth of fossil whales.

Bones and Teeth of South America's Oldest Fossil Whales

These are fossil remains of archaeocetes, ancient whales, from the Paracas Formation of Peru's Pisco Basin. Smithsonian paleobiologist Nicholas D.

Two researchers, looking for fossil whales, scan a rock formation in Peru's Pisco Basin.

Searching for Fossil Whales in Peru

George Mason University professor Mark D. Uhen and Dr. Matthew Lewin of the University of California, San Francisco, survey rocks of the Paracas Formation, in the southern part of Peru's Pisco Basin. The two were part of a team that discovered South America's oldest fossil whales, to date.

<p>Offshore Peru, during the <strong><a href="http://ocean.si.edu/ocean-over-time">Eocene</a></strong> (~56-34 million years ago), showing two archaeocetes (ancient whales):&nbsp;<em>Ocucajea picklingi</em>&nbsp;(above) and <em>Supayacetus muizoni</em>&nbsp;(below)<em>.</em></p>

Eocene Whales and Penguins Off the Coast of Peru

Offshore Peru, during the Eocene (~56-34 million years ago), showing three archaeocetes (ancient whales), along with a previously described fossil penguin.

A photograph of a bright blue-speckeled dinoflagellate bioluminescing at night.

Bioluminescing Dinoflagellate

Sunset? Time to glow! A biological clock triggers bioluminescence in the dinoflagellate Pyrocystis fusiformis. At dusk, cells produce the chemicals responsible for its light. Hear from marine scientists about what it's like to encounter bioluminescent animals in the deep sea. 

A graph of arctic ice coverage from 2011, showing data through September 7, 2011.

Arctic Sea Ice Extent Graph

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.

A photo of an oyster cage, out of the water, covered in sea squirts.

Sea Squirts Fouling an Oyster Cage

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. One region they've been examining closely is Alaska, where the cold coastal waters have been relatively free of invasive species.

A photo of a 2011 installation by artist Shih Chieh Huang, featuring his illuminated creations made from everyday objects.

The Bright Beneath, a 2011 Installation by Shih Chieh Huang

Artist Shih Chieh Huang creates work using plastic bags, household objects, computer cooling fans, LED lights, and other assorted materials.