Life & Ocean Science
According to National Geographic, this week was whale shark day! And who am I to argue? I personally have not yet had the pleasure of encountering them in the wild, but they are definitely one of my very favorite marine organisms. Seeing one of these gentle giants in person would complete my life! While their... Continue Reading →
Yes, I just used the term ‘boiling hot’ to describe the deep ocean. And no, it is not a typo. While the vast majority of the deep ocean is indeed very cold, that is not true for its entirety. Along major ocean basins lie long series of underwater mountains, or ridges. Along these ridges scientists... Continue Reading →
Not all sand is created equal. Depending on the location of the beach or dessert, it can be made from a wide variety of materials and in as many different processes. Sand can be made of quartz, basalt, garnet, silica, olivine, glass, coral, and more. It can be made from wind or water currents eroding... Continue Reading →
To round out my posts about coral disease, I thought I would choose a disease that hits close to home for the United States, and is one we do know a *bit* about. The paper I am summarizing today also happens to be co-authored by one of my favorite graduate professors, so shout-out to Dr.... Continue Reading →
To build on my last post about corals, a lot of recent research has attempted to study coral diseases. The fact is, there is just not that much known about what causes these diseases, how many diseases there are, and how they spread. What is known however, is that cases of diseases have been increasing... Continue Reading →
Continuing on with the theme of coral, here is another not-so-well known phenomena: Bleaching may lead to a change in the gene expression of corals’ immune systems As I mentioned in the previous post, coral bleaching does not equal death. If conditions improve, the symbiotic algae can/will return and the coral will continue. Sounds like... Continue Reading →
In honor of the recent buzz about coral reefs with Netlix’s newest documentary, Chasing Coral and various awareness weeks going around social media, I thought it would be the perfect topic for my first post! I really love corals, and I know I am not alone. Corals are some of the most popular marine organisms... Continue Reading →
