Latest Biological oceanography Stories
USGS Tiny sea creatures no bigger than a thumbtack are being credited for playing a key role in helping provide healthy habitats for many kinds of seafood, according to a new study by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and U.S. Geological Survey. The little crustacean “grazers,” some resembling tiny shrimp, are critical in protecting seagrasses from overgrowth by algae, helping keep these aquatic havens healthy for native and economically important species. Crustaceans are...
redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports - Your Universe Online Instead of being an isolated occurrence, a record-breaking 2011 algae bloom in Lake Erie could be a harbinger of things to come, researchers report in this week's online early edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The hazardous algae bloom – the largest in the recorded history of Lake Erie – was likely caused by long-term changes to farming practices in combination with weather...
Lawrence LeBlond for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online Carbon dioxide is the leading driver of disruptive climate change on a global scale. And without the help of some organisms in the natural world the global climate could be a lot worse than it is now. Now, new research shows that trillions of plankton near the surface of warm waters are more carbon-rich than previously believed. These researchers, led by scientists at the University of California-Irvine, suggest that the tiny...
A European consortium develops a novel technology to monitor and control harmful algae blooms. ZOETERMEER, The Netherlands, March 14, 2013 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- The patented LG Sonic MPC ensures fast and efficient algae control by combining online water quality monitoring, telemetering and ultrasonic technologies to provide the state-of-the-art treatment against algae and cyanobacteria in ponds, lakes and dams. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130314/CG77499) Under the...
AlphaGalileo Foundation To study the effects of ocean acidification, ten huge plastic containers called mesocosms are placed in the Gullmar Fjord in Sweden. The project is unique: mesocosms of this size have never been used for such a long period of time. The experiment is part of a worldwide research project, and includes researchers from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. This is the largest and longest experiment on the impact of climate change on marine ecosystems that have been...
North Carolina State University When Gulf of Mexico algae don't get enough nutrients, they focus their remaining energy on becoming more and more poisonous to ensure their survival, according to a new study by scientists from North Carolina State University and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The study shows that harmful and ubiquitous Karenia brevis algae, which cause red tide blooms across the Gulf of Mexico, become two to seven times more toxic when levels of...
Brett Smith for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online A red algae bloom, also known as Red Tide, is currently killing a record number of manatees living off the coast of Florida. Last week, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) found an average of 10 dead manatees a day and some observers said the phenomenon doesn’t appear to be receding. A toxin produced by the red algae affects the nervous system of the manatees causing them to drown. "This is probably going...
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution A continental-scale chemical survey in the waters of the eastern U.S. and Gulf of Mexico is helping researchers determine how distinct bodies of water will resist changes in acidity. The study, which measures varying levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other forms of carbon in the ocean, was conducted by scientists from 11 institutions across the U.S. and was published in the journal Limnology and Oceanography. “Before now, we haven't had a very...
redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports - Your Universe Online Researchers at the Plymouth University Marine Institute have developed a new smartphone app that they claim will allow regular folks to help scientists track the impact of climate change on phytoplankton. In a statement released Friday, the university reports that scientists are concerned that the tiny organisms, which are at the bottom end of the marine life food chain, could be decreasing in numbers due to increasing sea...
San Francisco State University Nitrogen in ocean waters fuels the growth of two tiny but toxic phytoplankton species that are harmful to marine life and human health, warns a new study published in the Journal of Phycology. Researchers from San Francisco State University found that nitrogen entering the ocean -- whether through natural processes or pollution -- boosts the growth and toxicity of a group of phytoplankton that can cause the human illness Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning....
Latest Biological oceanography Reference Libraries
Ocean acidification is the name that was given to the ongoing decrease in the pH of Earth’s oceans, a cause of the uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. About 30 to 40 percent of the carbon dioxide that is released by humans into the atmosphere dissolves into the lakes, oceans, and rivers. To maintain the chemical equilibrium, some of it reacts with the water to create carbonic acid. Some of these extra carbonic acid molecules react with a water molecule to provide a...
A salp is a barrel-shaped, free-floating tunicate (any living organism which has a saclike body enclosed in a thick membrane or tunic with two openings or siphons for the ingress and egress of water). It moves by contracting which pumps water through its body. The salp strains the water with internal feeding filters as it goes through the body. It consumes phytoplankton that are strained from the water. Salps are common throughout equatorial, temperate, and colder seas. They are most...
The South American pilchard, Sardinops sagax, is a sardine of the Family Clupeidae, the only member of the genus Sardinops, found in the indo-Pacific oceans. Their length is up to 15.75 in (40 cm). It has a number of other common names: Australian pilchard, Blue pilchard, Blue-bait, Californian pilchard, Chilean sardine, Japanese pilchard, Pacific sardine, and Southern African pilchard. The South American pilchard is a coastal species that forms large schools. Coloration is blue green on...
