Bringing Bioluminescence into the Light

Bioluminescence, or cold chemical light made by living creatures, answers a simple question: how can an animal survive in the dark? Making its own light by which it can find food, attract mates or defend itself against predators is an easy fix. This phenomenon has evolved at least 40 times in evolutionary history—a clear indication of how important the trait is for various animals’ survival.
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World Oceans Day Event LIVE from the Galapagos!

The Living Oceans Foundation is pleased to present two live presentations from 
the Gal?pagos as part of World Oceans Day, June 8, 2012!
 
On the June 8, 2012 at 3:30PM EST, join the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans 
Foundation and the Ocean Project, featuring "Her Deepness" Sylvia Earle, on a 
live call to the research vessel Golden Shadow in the Gal?pagos.  This 
transcontinental conversation on coral reef research will include photos, videos 
and coral reef news direct from the sub-aquatic research site near Darwin 
Island. Dr. Earle and the science team will discuss current studies on rare 
coral reefs at the north of the Gal?pagos archipelago; how the Gal?pagos species 
respond to El Ni?o-driven temperature fluctuations; and why that may give us 
hope for corals? ability to be resilient to future climate change.

Visit www.livingoceansfoundation.org to view the live webinar or come downtown 
to the Smithsonian's Baird Auditorium in Washington, D.C. to watch LIVE with 
Sylvia Earle. 

In addition, at 10:00AM EST on June 8, LOF Chief Scientists, Dr. Andrew 
Bruckner, will be hosting an education webinar titled ?The Galapagos: A unique 
field laboratory to assess the effects of climate change on marine 
environments.? This webinar is open to all high school students, teachers, and 
members of the public. 

Both events will be streamed from the Living Oceans Foundation website. Visit 
www.livingoceansfoundation.org for more details. Details should be posted this 
week. A flyer is also attached.

Please distribute to others that may be interested.

Sincerely,

Eddie Gonzalez

Education Director
Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation
8181 Professional Place, Suite 215
Landover, MD 20785
240-624-2285

The world's second largest coral reef is under threat, off the coast of Belize.

National Geographic Video

The Belize Lionfish Project

Lionfish at The Terrace, Turneffe Atoll. Photo by Blue Harbor.

The spread of lionfish throughout the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Belize is being monitored by ECOMAR and our partners.  In December 2008 after the first lionfish was observed in Belize, ECOMAR raised the alarm and in partnership with the Belize Fisheries Department began educating stakeholders by distributing Lionfish Toolkits that included posters, dip nets and fact sheets. In 2010 ECOMAR partnered with COMPACT and GCFI to increase project activities and to reach a wider audience. In 2011 ECOMAR continued its outreach campaign with the production of many materials with one common message, "Eat Lionfish!"

Read more.....

Some Photos from Our January Visit to Turneff Flats...

 This is a Solitary Gorgonian Hydroid attached to the tip of a Sea Plume. 

Click on any photo to enlarge.

 This Flamingo Tongue was moving to a different Sea Fan for lunch.

A Pederson Cleaning Shrimp with eggs! Note the transparent body and legs.

Half Moon Caye at Lighthouse Reef is home to a Red-footed Boobie rookery. Magnificent Frigate Birds also nest on this caye.

Great Lakes ice cover down 71% since 1973

Ice cover on North America's Great Lakes--Superior, Michigan, Huron, Ontario, and Erie--has declined 71% since 1973, says a new study published in the Journal of Climate by researchers at NOAA's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. Read More....

Mapping Ancient Civilization

For a quarter of a century, two archaeologists and their team slogged through wild tropical vegetation to investigate and map the remains of one of the largest Maya cities, in Central America. Slow, sweaty hacking with machetes seemed to be the only way to discover the breadth of an ancient urban landscape now hidden beneath a dense forest canopy.
Read more....

Informational Meeting Tonight

An informational meeting will be presented Thursday, March 22, 2012 at the Science Resources Center, 10001 Route 60, Fredonia, NY at 7:00 PM.  For directions or additional information please call Helen Domske, Sea Grant Resource Agent at (716) 645-3610 or Garry Dole, Science Resources Coordinator, Erie 2 BOCES  at (716) 679-3419 or 800-344-9611 ext. 2598 (from 716 area code).

What is a Coral?

Check out these microdocs from Stanford...

And be sure to visit "For Teachers" on the home page.

Referendum Says No to Belize Offshore Oil Exploration

Yesterday was a busy day for the Coalition to Save our Natural Heritage 
as they held the People’s Referendum, as a way to give a voice to many 
who were silenced when signatures were rejected from a petition to host a
 national referendum. People came out by the numbers to vote and the 
results were released today at a press conference in the front yard of 
the OCEANA Belize office. Ninety six percent of the twenty nine thousand
 two hundred and thirty five voters came out, voted no to offshore oil 
drilling while the remaining four percent voted yes.

Read more at Belize Marine Trec 

Ocean Acidification

The Carbon Group at NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) works to advance our scientific understanding of the ocean carbon cycle and how it is changing over time. Take four minutes to watch this video presentation....

Participant Funding for Teachers

All awards have been assigned. Call to add your name to the waiting list....

 
TME has been successful in securing funding for five teachers attending the summer workshop. The award amount is $300 each and will be paid with the expectation of completing a Great Lakes Exotic Species activity with your class during the 2012-13 academic year. Please call 716-679-3419 or e-mail for more details. Funding awards will be to the first five eligible teachers submitting enrollment forms with a deposit for the trip.  Enrollment form may be downloaded from the list on the left side of this blog.

Trip Details Set!

The TME Workshop flyer with details and registration information is now available for download in the left margin. We will be staying at Turneffe Flats Resort on Turneffe Atoll in Belize, Central America. Trip dates are August 4-11, 2012.

The cost of the trip does not include airfare this year. Belize City Airport (BZE) is served by most US carriers and this will allow participants to choose their airline as well as flexible travel dates for trip extensions.

Participants may choose from either a snorkeling or diving package at the advertised price. A fishing option is also available for an additional fee. We do not have any grant funding for educators this year.

Please see the "Additional Info" section of the workshop flyer for a presentation date and contact numbers. If you are unable to download the flyer please email: Garrydole@aol.com.

Maybe this is the year you will take the plunge into tropical seas with TME!

TME 2012

Dates for Tropical Marine Ecology 2012 are August 4 to 11, 2012. We have considered several possible locations and now plan to use Turneffe Flats  at Turneffe Atoll in Belize. The final numbers are being worked out and the trip flyer should be available next week! (Jan 31, 2012) Feel free to call for advanced details (716) 679-3419.

Stay tuned for details and downloads....

Green Sea Turtle from TME 2011 trip.