What is a forest without trees or a coral reef without coral? Neither a forest nor a coral reef. Entire ecosystems are made possible by the living flora that define them; they provide shelter and hunting grounds for the animals which live in them. But what happens when the building blocks of these ecosystems are […]
Can a new way of looking at ocean temperatures help determine where fish like to hang out? Austen BlairAusten Blair is a MS candidate at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography. While his current research focuses on the influences of wave fields in a hurricane-wave-ocean model, he enjoys the many interdisciplinary opportunities […]
Real estate in the open ocean is a hot commodity. This research shows how enthusiastically fish and invertebrates take advantage of new habitat. Sarah GiltzI am a doctoral candidate in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Tulane University. My research focuses on the larval dispersal and development of the blue crab in the Gulf of Mexico. […]
Cement, limestone, and even old barges are being used in the northern Gulf of Mexico to build additional habitats for several fish species. These recycled, man-made structures, also known as artificial reefs, have been piling up off the coast of the U.S. for the last 50-some years. While these rubble piles may look random, time […]