Holiday Zen: the sea’s glittering lights

A favorite sea phenomenon - bioluminescence, or the living lights of the ocean. Kick back and enjoy a moment of deep sea wonder in this holiday season: http://youtu.be/XD7thJVRKmQ It never gets old for many, including Dr. Edith Widder, who studies bioluminescence in sea creatures: "During my first open ocean dive, I went down to 800 feet and …

Pic o’ the Week: Bathypelagic Ctenophore

Photo © David Shale, courtesy University of Aberdeen It looks like a molar tooth drenched in gold, or maybe a metallic mylar birthday balloon. But this is a bathypelagic ctenophore, photographed near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in the Atlantic Ocean. The 'bathypelagic zone' is the layer of the ocean about 3,000 - 13,000 feet deep, sometimes called "The …

Pic o’ the Week: Transparent Sea Cucumber, Gulf of Mexico

A transparent sea cucumber, photographed 1.7 miles down (2,750 meters) in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Scientists found this transparent sea cucumber, Enypniastes, creeping forward on its many tentacles at less than 1 inch (2 cm) per minute while sweeping detritus-rich sediment into its mouth. From LiveScience; photo by Larry Madin, Woods Hole Oceanographic Inst.  The …