Tag: coral reefs
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Photos from a rarely seen paradise
In the wake of John Bruno’s report from the Galapagos, I bring you happier news from the Equatorial Pacific, nearly five thousand miles farther west: there are still wildernesses on Earth. I was lucky enough to spend May and June in the engine room of a sailboat heading south from Honolulu, as crew with the…
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Coral reefs get the CSI treatment
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6TqPxxvWvc[/youtube] It’s a shame Sherlock Holmes never learned to Scuba dive because he could have put his sleuthing skills towards bringing in coral reef villains. Pioneers in the field of underwater forensic investigation are the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) and the Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL) who are working together on the Coral Reef CSI project.…
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Florida’s tiresome tire reef
Go for a dive a mile offshore from downtown Fort Lauderdale and you might find an enormous pile of old car tires, and not much else. The original idea in the 1970s was to transform them into an artificial reef – creating homes for all…
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Ove Hoegh-Guldberg on the state of the GBR
Dr. Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, Director of the Global Change Institute at the University of Queensland, has responded to Bob Carter’s recent characterization of the Australia’s Great Barrier Reef being in “fine fettle”, i.e., good health. What’s the current state of the GBR (i.e. is it really “in fine fettle”)? Despite being one of the best managed marine ecosystems…
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Forum on the Future of the Oceans
What do we really know about the current state of the world ocean, where it’s headed, and what can be done to keep it healthy in the long term? SeaMonster asked for answers from a diverse group of >60 distinguished experts at the frontlines of marine science, conservation, law, and policy at local to international…
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Ningaloo Reef gets World Heritage status
My 19th birthday was definitely one to remember. I spent the day swimming with whale sharks off Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia (Back then I was living in Exmouth for a few months working with a whale shark research group). At one point there were two whale sharks swimming around in circles, checking each other…
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Cuba journal: Day 7 – The Wall of Mouths
Day 7: Thursday 2 June Done. All over now but the last dregs of clean-up and packing. Five days in the “Gardens of the Queen”, and what a time it’s been. A journey back in time in both the state of society and of the Sea. In the last five days we’ve become accustomed to…
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Super tough corals of American Samoa
One of Dr. Steve Palumbi‘s Microdocs videos about his lab’s work with corals from Ofu Island reef in American Samoa that seem highly resistant to thermal stress. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R38NBEQGF_s&[/youtube]
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Cuba Journal: Day 4 – Pipin reef
Day 4: Monday 30 May This morning we dive at a site known as “Pipin” after the famous Cuban free diver. I am snorkeling and the day begins disappointingly since the buoy is in 15 m of water and overcast skies and somewhat murky water mean I can barely make out the bottom. But a…
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Herbivorous halos seen from space
Don’t mess with vegetarians – they can really leave their mark… These funky patterns were created by grazing reef critters venturing out from patch reefs in the Red Sea. Scientists spotted this phenomenon going on at the Great Barrier Reef from space using Google Earth images. Read more at Mongabay. Image downloaded from Google Earth…