Anna Robuck
Saving seabirds: how mammal management has turned into seabird success
Seabirds and invasive species have been a poor mix for centuries, yet new research suggests seabird populations are bouncing back from invasive species damage. Read on to hear about seabird success following invasive predator removal on islands across the globe!
Awareness Inspires Conservation
Save the whales… save the ocean… but save the sharks? This is a mission that is still new, and often surprising, to many. The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy is working hard to conserve white sharks specifically, and in doing so has learned that they have to work to change public perception of this critically important apex predator.
Out of sight, but not out of mind: human created chemicals persist deep in the Arctic Ocean
Human created chemicals can be “too good” at their job, remaining persistent and/or toxic in the environment, well beyond the life span of their commercial use. Read on to explore how DDT was found at depths up to 2500 m in the Arctic Ocean by a team from Stockholm University.
Fintastic friends: even sharks prefer familiar faces
Researchers at the Bimini Field Biological Station Shark Lab investigated shark group preferences in juvenile lemon sharks, and the results are in: even sharks prefer their “friends” over strangers! Read on to learn more about these fin-tastic friendships.
Microplastics demystified: a review examining how these tiny plastics act in pollutant transfer
Paper: Lohmann, R. Microplastics Are Not Important for the Cycling and Bioaccumulation of Organic Pollutants in the Oceans—but Should Microplastics Be Considered POPs Themselves? 2017. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management 13, 460-465. DOI: 10.1002/ieam.1914 Not so fantastic plastic The development of plastic revolutionized daily life. We owe our convenient modern lifestyle to these polymers in […]
Sharks and other ocean top predators: unlikely allies in combatting climate change?
Sharks offer more to humans than just pretty toothy grins…check out this article to learn how sharks and other top predators may act to regulate carbon production in marine food webs, which may have implications for climate change dynamics.
Pollutants produced by poriferans: using genetics to fill in blanks about sponge chemical production
Although its easy to mistake a sponge for a furry looking rock, these invertebrates and the microbes that inhabit them have some surprising chemical abilities.
Looking into the crystal ball of statistics, or how number crunching debunks the natural variability argument skeptics love
Have that one relative who always argues that current climate change symptoms are part of natural variability? Check out this article and be prepared with some nifty statistics next time they try to make that claim!
Turn off some lights for the turtles: using statistics to make turtle conservation tangible
You’ve heard about “turn down for what…”; now check out this article and figure out exactly what you’re turning down for, or at least turning the lights down for! Turtles are impacted by light pollution; this article summarizes research framing this problem in an economic way.
Contaminant fingerprints in fat tell all
This tell-all exposé isn’t from the Maury Show…read on to learn about the use of a nifty chemistry technique that paints a picture of all the contaminants found in the fat of Brazilian dolphins, and what this means for you
Beyond Florida-bound: Birds tweak their winter travel plans in response to climate change
Seabirds are switching up their annual winter travels in response to climate change…read on to discover how researchers used museum displays, isotopes, and really expensive GPS tags to piece together this seabird story.
The sappiest oceanbites article you may ever read: one author’s ponderings about gratitude for the oceans
When I first saw the email stating that the oceanbites theme week would revolve around why we are thankful for the oceans, my mind flew back to my grade school celebration of the first Thanksgiving. We dressed up as Pilgrims and Native Americans, ate traditional dishes from the first Thanksgiving, and lined up to state […]
Rachel Carson had the right idea: DDT persists in unexpected ways in dolphins
Rachel Carson was right to focus her novel on the effects of DDT; DDT persists to this day in dolphins off the California coast in forms that are often not monitored by monitoring programs.
Finding Nemo was right: what you flush down the drain can impact ocean creatures
Microplastics + pharmaceuticals in your pee + increased temperatures = trouble for some fish
Not better together: complex pollutant soup spells trouble for marine phytoplankton
A group of international researchers have found that marine phytoplankton communities are susceptible to impairment from complex mixtures of organic pollutants found in oceanic environments.
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