Pic o’ the Week, World Ocean Day Edition: Emerald Ocean Dreamscape

An emerald wave crashes into the steel-blue sea, ocean water streams white down craggy coastal rocks, a seagull flies low, light fog blankets it all. This ethereal shot at Point Reyes by Paul Jimerson captures the exquisite beauty of our remarkable ocean. "It’s a favorite of mine, in part because it reminds me of that …

Thankful

I smile o'er the wrinkled blue­ Lo! the sea is fair, Smooth as the flow of a maiden's hair; And the welkin's light shines through Into mid-sea caverns of beryl hue, And the little waves laugh and the mermaids sing, And the sea is a beautiful, sinuous thing! --from The Sea Spirit, by Lucy Maud …

World Oceans Day – 6 Things You Can do to Celebrate & Help

"For whatever we lose (like a you or a me) it's always ourselves we find in the sea." - e.e. cummings Celebrate the oceans today, and do something: 1. Be ocean-creative today - add your ocean photo, poem, message to the Ocean Story - a boat that will be wrapped in these photos and messages and …

Pic o’ the Week: Technicolor Nudibranch

Nudibranch, Papua New Guinea. Photo ©Jan Messersmith Nudibranch, nudibranch, living in the sea.Bright flashing colors say, ”Don’t eat me!”--by Erin Nash  These mollusks without shells live in seas the world over, and come in all colors - even neons. National Geographic provides some quick nudibranch facts: "There are more than 3,000 known species of nudibranch, …

Pic o’ the Week: Spotted Scorpionfish

Spotted scorpionfish (Scorpaena plumieri), Florida Keys Can you tell where the oceanfloor ends and the fish begins? Terrific camouflage. Students from Missouri's Saint Joseph School District encountered this creature during their spring field study in the Florida Keys. In their words - "This spotted scorpionfish was photographed in shallow water off Burnt Point in the Florida …

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 …

Life in the Gulf’s Mississippi Canyon

Oil from the Deepwater Horizon's well is spewing 5,000 gallons of oil a day into the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico's Mississippi Canyon. Engineers try to build a dome over the gusher, while others work on digging a "relief" well nearby in a bid to stop the flow. Today we revisit some of …