MetaFilter posts tagged with Oceans

There are fewer microbes out there than you think

Blasdelb — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 09:01:36 -0800

There are fewer microbes out there than you think. New estimate reduces the number of microbes on Earth by around half. Current consensus: Kallmeyera J, Pockalnyc R, Adhikaria RR, Smith DC, & D’Hondtc S. 2012. Global distribution of microbial abundance and biomass in subseafloor sediment. in press - doi: 10.1073/pnas.1203849109. [ABSTRACT] [FULL TEXT PDF] Previous consensus: Whitman WB,Coleman DC, & Wiebe WJ. 1998. Prokaryotes: The unseen majority. PNAS 95(12): 6578-6583 [FULL TEXT HTML] [FULL TEXT PDF] Related: Slo-mo microbes extend the frontiers of life Community in the deep seabed uses so little oxygen that it is no longer clear where the lower bound for life lies. Geomicrobiology: Low life The boundaries of biology reach farther below Earth's surface than scientists had thought possible. Amanda Leigh Mascarelli delves into how microbes survive deep underground.

Under Pressure

Cash4Lead — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 06:54:42 -0800

Infographic on lakes, oceans, and what lies beneath. (SLXkcd) (Previously)

Google StreetView For The Ocean

Bora Horza Gobuchul — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 11:36:52 -0800

The Catlin Seaview Survey is using panoramic cameras to take interactive photographic journeys of the world's most spectacular (and endangered) oceanic environments, starting with Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Via. (See if you can find the sunken Australian flat-iron gunboat!)

Seeking the elusive call of the endangered Cthulhu

Burhanistan — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 19:34:33 -0800

Listening to the Deep-Ocean Environment allows you to access ambient ocean noise feeds from around the globe. [via] The [via] link gives an excellent summary of what LIDO is all about, as well as the issues researchers have come up against with the US Navy. Also check out Neptune Canada's similar projects.

Don't Baby Don't

gerryblog — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 11:06:14 -0800

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced Wednesday afternoon that the Obama administration will not allow offshore oil drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico or off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts as part of the next five-year drilling plan, reversing two key policy changes President Obama announced in late March. Drilling will continue in other parts of the Gulf of Mexico under new safeguards. Previously.

"Life in plastic, it's fantastic"

Burhanistan — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 10:44:31 -0800

The Plastics at SEA: North Atlantic Expedition is currently studying an area in the Atlantic Ocean similar to the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch". [via] Previous posts on Metafilter.

From the highest mountain tops...

Melismata — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 09:44:09 -0800

Our amazing planet. I could study this all day.

Birth of an Ocean

homunculus — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 11:30:29 -0800

Birth of an Ocean: The Evolution of Ethiopia's Afar Depression. "Formation of an ocean is a rare event, one few scientists have ever witnessed. Yet this geophysical nativity is unfolding today in one of the hottest and most inhospitable corners of the globe." [Via]

New Reef Creatures Found in Australia

homunculus — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 15:05:26 -0800

Hundreds of New Reef Creatures Found in Australia. Hundreds of new marine creatures have been discovered in three Australian reefs by CReefs, a census of coral reefs which is part of the Census of Marine Life, a ten-year initiative to assess global ocean diversity.

MarineBio

netbros — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:00:48 -0800

The ocean gives us life. It gives us oxygen, the rain, food, excitement, wonder, and mystery. The ocean buffers the weather and helps regulate global temperature. It manages vast amounts of our pollutants, contains all kinds of amazing creatures, and supports all life on our planet. But, the ocean is just now beginning to be understood and with that understanding comes the increasing realization that the ocean is in trouble. Marine conservation efforts are outnumbered by the problems. MarineBio is here to call attention to those issues and to provide information to inspire the actions necessary to address them.

49 unusual creatures with whom we share the planet

bijou — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 22:06:34 -0800

25 Weirdest Animals. See also: 24 bizarre creatures of the deep. Not responsible for nightmares related to the viperfish, the oarfish, or the star-nosed mole.

Life-size blue whale

homunculus — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 18:10:44 -0800

Life-size blue whale. A Flash project from the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society. And in other news: Secret Language of Whales Revealed! [Via MammalFilter.]

And thanks for all the fish.

jfwlucy — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 11:22:07 -0800

There will be virtually nothing left to fish from the seas by the middle of the century if current trends continue, according to a major scientific study. What IS our planet going to look like in 50 years? Can there really be no more fish by then? I can't even begin to imagine this.

How poeple and animals use sound in the sea

persona non grata — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 22:35:54 -0800

How poeple and animals use sound in the sea

Ship Tracker

mr_crash_davis — Sat, 15 Jul 2006 21:18:48 -0800

Where all my ships at?

Gulf Stream weakening

homunculus — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 12:50:17 -0800

Atlantic currents show signs of weakening, according to a new study from the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton. I just hope these findings don't provoke the nightmare scenario of a sequel.

Sethu digs for dugongs

RedEmma — Mon, 04 Jul 2005 14:14:49 -0800

600 arrests over Sethusamudram Ship Channel. That seemed like a lot. So I was curious about why. Turns out, they're going to dredge up the sea floor so big ships can have a short cut. Fisherfolk and others think it's probably a pretty bad idea.

it's all about the fish

sfenders — Tue, 14 Sep 2004 11:49:44 -0800

The Starving Ocean : A large collection of articles by Debbie MacKenzie on the death of the ocean. The idea is that removing most of the fish from the sea might be sort of bad for the marine ecosystem as a whole. Her writing style is a bit kooky, but she has been right on some points (ie. the Grey Seal thing). Oh, and fishing is also responsible for the rise of atmospheric carbon dioxide.

Chat Room

mcgraw — Fri, 07 May 2004 09:30:12 -0800

Microscopic fragments of plastic are a "major pollutant", floating in the ocean, settling on seabeds, and washing up onshore - with unknown consequences for marine ecosystems, according to a new study. "We've found this microscopic plastic material at all of the sites we've examined," [lead researcher] Dr Richard C Thompson [of University of Plymouth, UK] said. "Interestingly, the abundance is reasonably consistent. So, it suggests to us that the problem is really quite ubiquitous."

Guidelines for Low-Impact Tourism Along the Coast of Quintana Roo

johnnydark — Sat, 03 Jan 2004 05:02:30 -0800

Guidelines for Low-Impact Tourism Along the Coast of Quintana Roo "Conserving the natural landscape and enhancing the scenic beauty of tourism development contributes to the high quality of coastal habitat, one of the area’s principal attractions." Warning: PDF format!

just keep swimming just keep swimming

ZachsMind — Sat, 15 Nov 2003 22:53:06 -0800

His name is Jean-Michel Cousteau! [dramatic chords] His father's name was Jack something, and like his father, Jean-Michel believes by working on things like Finding Nemo he, "can reach a far larger audience through entertainment in popular media than through innumerable press conferences, summits and reports. That is not to say that prestigious conferences and notable studies are irrelevant. They are critically necessary to validate the condition of the world’s oceans and bring opinion leaders together to share ideas and shape the collective political will." With this new sea-lebrity (haha! get it?), he hopes to help young people change the world. ...Well I just thought that was like totally rad and wanted to share with the virtual blue.

Davey Jones' Locker

Irontom — Thu, 29 May 2003 08:35:21 -0800

The treasures of the sea. A fascinating look at underwater archeological sites in France. The Cosquer Cave is particularly enthralling due to the art and the difficulty in getting to it. (warning - annoying frames and popup info boxes that don't work so well in Mozilla) [More inside...]

killer kitty litter

specialk420 — Thu, 08 May 2003 12:05:28 -0800

Sick sea otters on the west coast and killer seaweed in the Mediterranean, and California as well. What can we do to help save our oceans and seas?

Canada's forgotten weapons of mass destruction.

Caffine_Fiend — Mon, 13 Jan 2003 10:47:48 -0800

Canada's forgotten weapons of mass destruction. Shortly after the end of World War II, the Canadian navy began to dispose of its surplus chemical weapons by dumping them off the shore of Atlantic Canada. Large quantities of chemical agents, including mustard gas, were loaded onto barges and scuttled at undisclosed locations. Over 50 years later, some of these military dumpsites have become lost due to poor record keeping. With increasing offshore oil exploration and a commercially successful shellfish industry, there's a possibility that these forgotten chemical agents could return to the coasts of "Canada's Ocean Playground".

The UN Atlas of the Oceans

homunculus — Tue, 25 Jun 2002 11:46:56 -0800

The UN Atlas of the Oceans provides information on a wide range of topics relating to the world's oceans, such as geography, economic uses and environmental issues (here's a BBC article about the atlas.) Another nice site about the oceans is the Blue Planet web companion to the gorgeous Discovery/BBC TV series of the same name. Sadly, the threat to coral reefs may soon rob the oceans of some of their more spectacular biological diversity.