ecosystem

Increasing Warming causes Ecosystem Change along the Northeastern Shelf

By Ashley Mickens ⋅ January 30, 2020 ⋅ Post a comment

Are the tropics coming to the Northeast coast of the US? Freidland and his team seem to think so. A recent study shows how the Northeastern shelf region may experience tropicalization in the near future. Ashley MickensI recently graduated with a degree in Environmental Earth Science and Sustainability from Miami University of Ohio, and I’m […]

Deep Sea: The Final Frontier

By Ashley Mickens ⋅ December 31, 2019 ⋅ Post a comment

With the decade drawing to a close, it is a good time to look toward the future and start thinking about what the next decade holds for scientific discovery. Star Trek has popularized the idea of outer space as “the final frontier.” But what if it’s really the deep sea? Ashley MickensI recently graduated with […]

Antarctic krill retreat to icy terrace homes for the winter

By Veronica Tamsitt ⋅ December 6, 2017 ⋅ Post a comment

An international research time dives beneath the ice in Antarctica’s remote oceans to understand how krill larvae make use of sea ice to survive the winter and make it to adulthood. Veronica TamsittI’m a PhD student at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla California. My research is focused on the Southern Ocean circulation and […]

Orca vs Narwhal

By Megan Chen ⋅ June 12, 2017 ⋅ Post a comment

Orcas are natural predators of narwhals, but they are seasonally kept at bay by Arctic sea ice. As the Arctic becomes increasingly ice-free, killer whales are arriving earlier and hanging out longer in narwhal habitat. How do narwhals fare? Read more to find out! Megan ChenI graduated with a Masters of Coastal & Marine Management […]

7 Reasons to Give Thanks For Our Ocean

By Megan Chen ⋅ November 21, 2016 ⋅ One comment

This Thanksgiving, let’s give pause and reflect on reasons to be thankful for the ocean! Megan ChenI graduated with a Masters of Coastal & Marine Management from the University of Akureyri in Iceland, and am currently working at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History in Ocean Education. I am interested in smart and […]

Cascading Effects From Geoduck Expansions

By Kari St.Laurent ⋅ September 23, 2016 ⋅ Post a comment

An ecosystem model predicts how the Puget Sound ecosystem could be affected as the popular geoduck aquaculture industry increases. Including mediating affects, such as changes in predator refuges, allowed ecosystem-wide changes to be uncovered. For example, a decrease in seabirds was predicted due to shifts in prey populations resulting from the anti-predation guards for geoducks. […]

Picky Eaters: how the feeding preference of lobsters may be slowing the return of California kelp forests.

By Gordon Ober ⋅ February 21, 2014 ⋅ Post a comment

There is a well-documented link between increased sea urchin abundance and the overall decline of kelp forest ecosystems. Too many urchins create what are called urchin barrens, devoid of the habitat forming kelps and lacking overall community diversity. Controlling the sea urchin population is vital to kelp recovery and this can happen through natural predation. […]