What If We Told You That A Group Of Gelatinous Animals Helps Control The Planet’s Climate? Your Disbelief

Evo-Devo (Despacito Biology Parody) -  A Capella Science

This is how we go from single cells to people.

Baby loggerhead turtle at home in the sargassum in the Gulf Stream current, where it will spend roughly 5 years, finally being large enough that many animals won’t be able to eat! Sea Turtles have a very difficult life, most of which never make it to maturity and reproduce! Our own existence here on earth as a species is responsible for the death of many beautiful creatures including the sea Turtles, due to mistakes of the past! We have the knowledge, technology and some the drive to fix this, but will we make necessary changes to put our beautiful planet into a sustainable direction? I MOST DEFINITELY WILL! Please join me as our planets future and all creatures are dependent on it! Be the change the world needs! @jim_abernethy #beautiful #babyturtle #gorgeous #cute #precious #underwater #saveturtles #saveoceans (at Jim Abernethy’s Scuba Adventures & Marine Life Art Gallery)

Ocean heat waves increasing

This is a map showing a huge pool of warm surface water that formed in the North Pacific Ocean from 2013-2015. This pool of warm water was so stagnant that many weather scientists and forecasters casually started referring to it as “The Blob”, and it took the monster 2016 El Niño event to force the extra warm water to disperse. This huge pool of warm water likely contributed to some of the extreme weather events that hit North America in that timespan, as there was nothing like it in the North Pacific Ocean in the available weather records. Although this event was unprecedented in this location, newly available science shows that this type of event is happening with increasing frequency around the world as a result of the warming triggered by human release of greenhouse gases.

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Turtle by TomMeyer

As it is Halloween here’s a still unsolved natural mystery.

Located in Judge C.R. Magney State Park, Minnesota, there is an unsolved geological mystery nicknamed The Devil’s Kettle. Mid way along the Brule River that runs through the Park the river splits in two to go around an outcrop of rhyolite. Here’s where it gets interesting, the split flows produce 2 waterfalls along side each other. The eastern flow drops around 15m (50ft) into a pool and continues off down stream. The western flow however drops 3m (10ft) into a pothole disappearing underground.

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Some pictures of the diversity and beauty of dinoflagellates, coccolithophorids, and diatoms. :]

Phytoplankton

The word phytoplanton comes from the greek words phyto (plant) plankton (made to wander) And what they do for the world is amazing! They are a great example of doing SO much even though they are small. Without them we wouldn’t have enough oxygen. The fish and sea life would all most definately die, which would effect food for humans and land animals. It would effect cultures and peace in general, because without sea life many beliefs and practices would be effected as well. Without them the sea animals wouldn’t be able to “breathe”.  A good way humans can make sure to keep the phytoplankton around is by making sure we don’t litter, or pour harmful chemicals into the ocean that could kill them. A great place to learn more about this is here:

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Phytoplankton/

http://save-as.org/GreenNews/News/phytoplankton-the-oceans-vital-force-is-dying-out_1675

http://www.savethesea.org/plankton.html

But without primary producers (phytoplankton) there would be no krill

They’re krilly small and unassuming, but krill form the backbone of many ocean ecosystems! 

These tiny crustaceans consume phytoplankton, and in turn are food for whales, fish, and other marine animals. During their peak feeding times, blue whales can eat up to 8,000 pounds of krill each day! 

(Photo: Maps For Good, taken in Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary)

What a Nut!— Invasive Species Week

This ctenophore (a stingless jellyfish-like animal) called a sea walnut is native to the east coast of North and South America. In 1982, it was discovered in the Black Sea, where it was transported by ballast water. It subsequently spread to the Caspian Sea. In both places, it multiplied and formed immense populations. The sea walnuts contributed to the collapse of local fisheries because they feed on zooplankton that the commercial fish also consume. Mnemiopsis leidy has also been discovered in the Mediterranean, Baltic, and North Seas.

Photo Credit: Marco Faasse, World Register of Marine Species