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Moonlight spurs corals to spawn
2007-10-22 07:57:00
By the light of the silvery moon, corals get in tune, and soon, it's a spawning delight. While that silvery moon was written about people, the songwriter understood the motivation. Now, scientists think they may have found out how reef-building corals manage to coordinate their sex lives in moonlight bay. In late spring it's reef madness as corals release sperm and eggs into the water for a few nights after a full moon. But how do they know? Researchers led by Oren Levy of the Center for Marine Studies at the University of Queensland, Australia, studied corals on Australia's Great Barrier Reef.They report in Friday's issue of the journal Science that while corals don't have eyes they are able to sense changes in light — especially blue light — and respond to them. The corals contain ancient proteins called cryptochromes which react to light. Cryptochromes have also been found in mammals and insects where they effect the circadian clock that regulates the daily rhythms of li...
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Sea Cucumbers fast track organ regrowth by healing their wounds
2007-10-22 07:55:00
Sea Cucumbers are the champions of organ regrowth because they direct their wound healing abilities towards restoring their organs, according to research published in the online open access journal, BMC Developmental Biology. The discovery that Holothuria glaberrima uses similar cellular mechanisms during wound healing and organ regeneration gives us the opportunity to discover how to repair our own wounds and, perhaps eventually, how to regenerate body parts.The research was carried out by the investigators José San Miguel-Ruiz and José García-Arrarás, at the University of Puerto Rico. "Sea Cucumbers should be viewed as the tissue regeneration equivalent of the squid for our knowledge of nerves and Drosophila for genes and the genome. They can help us learn to fix ourselves," commented Professor Garcia-Arraras. "Many people, including scientists, regard sea cucumbers and other echinoderms like Sea Stars and Brittle Stars as bizarre, exceptional outcasts because of their regener...
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Sticky Mussels Inspire Biomedical Engineer Yet Again
2007-10-22 06:55:00
Mussels are delicious when cooked in a white wine broth, but they also have two other well-known qualities before they're put in a pot: they stick to virtually all inorganic and organic surfaces, and they stick with amazing tenacity।Northwestern University biomedical engineer Phillip B. Messersmith already has developed a material that mimics the strength of the bonds; now he has produced a versatile coating method that mimics the mussels' ability to attach to a wide variety of objects.Messersmith and his research team, in a study to be published in the Oct. 19 issue of the journal Science, report that a broad variety of materials can be coated and functionalized through the application of a surface layer of polydopamine.Potential applications of the simple and inexpensive method include flexible electronics, such as bendable and flexible displays, biosensors, medical devices, marine anti-fouling coatings, and water processing and treatment, such as removing heavy metals from co...
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Study Reveals Details Of Mussels' Tenacious Bonds
2007-10-22 06:50:00
When it comes to sticking power, marine mussels are hard to beat। They can adhere to virtually all inorganic and organic surfaces, sustaining their tenacious bonds in saltwater, including turbulent tidal environments. Little is known, however, about exactly how the bivalves achieve this amazing feat.In a paper to be published online the week of Aug. 14 by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a Northwestern University research team sheds new light on the adhesive strategies of mussels, information that could be used to develop adherents or repellants for use in medical implants.This is the first-ever single molecule study to focus on the key amino acid 3,4-L-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA), a tyrosine derivative that is found in high concentration in the "glue" proteins of mussels.The researchers, led by Phillip B. Messersmith, associate professor of biomedical engineering in the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, attached single DOPA amino acids to ...
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Deep Sea Discoveries Off Canada's East Coast
2007-10-19 09:19:00
Researchers from Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Memorial University of Newfoundland took part in an exciting survey of unexplored depths of the Atlantic Ocean during a three-week mission in July 2007। Deep water corals were a primary focus of the research.Researchers onboard the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Hudson surveyed deep water animal life off the coasts of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland using an underwater robot known as ROPOS (Remotely Operated Platform for Ocean Science). With ROPOS, they collected samples and images at depths of 2,500 metres; and transmitted live underwater video footage to researchers at various land locations.The mission revealed that life in these waters is much more diverse than previously realized. Researchers captured over 3,000 high quality photographs that displayed this diversity, including an octopus with large fins near its eyes, known as "Dumbo," a potentially new species of scallop, and a single-celled organism previously unknown in this region....
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Fishing Ban Protects Largest Coral Reef In The Philippines
2007-10-18 14:02:00
Reef fish and other marine species can breathe easier with the introduction of a fishing ban around Apo Reef, the largest coral reef in the Philippines and the second largest contiguous reef in the world after the Great Barrier Reef।Under the ban, all extractive activities, such as fishing, and coral collection and harvesting, will be completely forbidden.“This ‘no-take’ zone will allow the reef and its residents ample time to recover from years of fishing,” stressed John Manul of WWF-Philippines.The 27,469-hectare Apo Reef off the coast of Mindoro Island is surrounded by mangrove forest, which serves as a source of food, nursery and spawning ground of several coastal fish and marine species, including sharks, manta rays, sperm whales and several sea turtles.In 1996, the reef was declared a national park, but enforcement proved lax and illegal fishing methods persisted.The park was once one of the world’s premier diving destinations, but years of fishing — including by...
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Scientists are studying insomniac zebra fish for clues about human sleep di
2007-10-18 11:24:00
Most fish do sleep, and as with humans, they don't always get the shut-eye they'd like। A new study shows pet zebrafish can become insomniacs—especially when scientists mess with their biology. Common aquarium pets, zebrafish have no eyelids and so scientists have wondered whether the fish get any sleep. The new research, detailed in the Oct. 16 issue of the journal PLoS Biology, suggests the fish do indeed take naps and can experience sleepless nights.The findings have implications for understanding human sleep problems. The neurological disorder narcolepsy affects about one in 2,000 people in the United States, plaguing them with excessive daytime sleepiness, interrupted nighttime sleep, bouts of muscle paralysis that cause a narcoleptic to collapse, and dream-like hallucinations during sleep.In past research, Emmanuel Mignot, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University, found that narcoleptic Dobermans and Labradors with a malfunctioning "hypocr...
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Conquest of land orgin in Shark genome
2007-08-16 12:55:00
Scientists at the University of Florida have identified genetic activity in sharks required for the development of hands, feet, fingers and toes in limbed animals। The finding shows what was thought to be a relatively recent evolutionary innovation existed eons earlier than previously believed, potentially providing insight for scientists seeking ways to cure human birth defects.When the first four-legged animals sprouted fingers and toes, they took an ancient genetic recipe and simply extended the cooking time, say University of Florida scientists writing in Wednesday's issue of the journal PLoS One.Even sharks -- which have existed for more than half a billion years -- have the recipe for fingers in their genetic cookbook -- not to eat them, but to grow them.While studying the mechanisms of development in shark embryos, UF scientists identified a spurt of genetic activity that is required for digit development in limbed animals.Previous work suggested that the transition from f...
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Undersea mission aids development of self-test for stress and fatigue
2007-08-16 12:51:00
An undersea mission simulating the space environment will provide data for development of tools to quickly assess stress, fatigue and cognitive fitness in preparation for performing critical mission tasks।“On exploration missions, quick, self tests could allow astronauts to assess how they are functioning from a cognitive performance standpoint as it relates to fatigue and stress,” said David F. Dinges, Ph.D., team leader of the National Space Biomedical Research Institute’s Neurobehavioral and Psychosocial Factors Team. “In this mission, we’ll gather data to help us refine the self tests and develop an interface component that provides immediate feedback to the user.”Dinges and his colleagues are gathering data during the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) 13 project which takes place in Aquarius, the world’s only underwater research habitat. Located near Key Largo, Fla., and 62 feet below the surface, Aquarius is owned and funded by the National Oc...
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Scientists Take Underwater Robot to probe deep oceans
2007-08-16 12:39:00
Using a novel underwater robot, University of Delaware marine scientists will help reveal the mysteries of the Black Sea's geology and maritime history, including ages-old shipwrecks, during an international expedition that is now underway।The Institute for Exploration and the Institute for Archaeological Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island's Graduate School of Oceanography are leading the mission, which will conduct geological and archaeological research in the Aegean and Black Seas--waterways that have served as major trade routes for centuries.Robert Ballard, professor of oceanography at the University of Rhode Island, and president of the Institute for Exploration, is the principal investigator on the research cruise, which will include a multidisciplinary team of scientists from several nations.“This is a truly exciting expedition that will shed light on important geological features in the Mediterranean while also uncovering vital information about ancient tra...
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Could Ocean Currents Change?
2007-08-16 12:37:00
Records from ice cores show that around 8,200 years ago the Northern Hemisphere's climate abruptly cooled। Many scientists link this event to the final drainage of Lake Agassiz, a large glacial lake covering much of central Canada that formed at the foot of North America's continental glaciers. This drainage is thought to have freshened waters in the northern Atlantic Ocean , slowing down the density-driven oceanic circulation that helps to distribute heat. Noting that an actual chronology of events must be established before scientists can speculate on causes of this cooling, Hillaire-Marcel et al. study oceanic records downstream from Lake Agassiz's flood discharge route. They find that the lake's drainage occurred between 8,500 and 8,350 years ago but that sea-surface and deep-current conditions, derived from oceanic sediment cores, lack significant concurrent changes in the northern Atlantic.Instead, the data shows that the 8,200-year-old cooling event was generated by sev...
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Pygmy Killer Whales put to death after beaching
2007-08-16 11:30:00
Three pygmy killer whales beached themselves at North Myrtle Beach on Wednesday and were so sick they had to be put to death, officials said। Two male whales, which are about the size of dolphins, were euthanized Wednesday morning, said Wayne McFee, of the federal Marine Mammal Stranding Network.Workers kept a third whale, a female, alive through the morning as they searched for a fourth whale reported in the area that was thought to be her calf. The fourth was not found and the female was euthanized shortly after noon, said Brian Williamsen, a spokesman for the city of North Myrtle Beach.Pygmy whales are toothed whales about the size of dolphins — 7 to 8 feet long — and can weigh 400 to 600 pounds."They are still in the dolphin family, but the common name for them is pygmy killer whales," McFee said. "They are not your large whales."The strandings were reported about 6:30 a.m. along a 14-block stretch of beach, Williamsen said."They did everything they could," he said, adding...
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Headless walruses alarm Alaska officials
2007-08-16 11:22:00
An unusually high number of walrus carcasses missing their heads and ivory tusks have washed up on beaches this summer, alarming wildlife officials. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service doesn't know whether the dozens of walrus carcasses counted along a 40-mile stretch in Norton Sound are part of a crime or whether sloppy hunters are responsible.Pacific walruses are not considered endangered but can be hunted only by Alaska Natives, who are required to use a certain amount of the animal or face fines for being wasteful. The tusks are often carved or used in native arts and crafts."There is no evidence that subsistence hunting is causing a problem," said John Trent, lead biologist with the Fish and Wildlife walrus program. "I think most people do try very hard. ... They absolutely depend on these animals."Non-natives can harvest walrus tusks if they find a carcass, but they can't profit from them. Officials said cases of a non-native illegally killing a walrus is unusual.In late June...
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Eating Fish: Good for Heart, Bad for Environment?
2007-08-16 11:17:00
Doctors recommend a good dose of salmon or tuna in the diet because of its benefits to the heart। But is it good for the environment? Surging demand for salmon in particular has been spurred in part by numerous studies touting the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, which are present in some kinds of fish. A study published in June in the American Heart Association journal Circulation said a diet with liberal servings of fish, nuts and seeds rich in such nutrients can help lower a person's blood pressure. Other studies have shown benefits to eye and brain development and preventing heart disease, Alzheimer's disease and eye disorders. Conservationists point out that while global fish stocks were getting hammered long before sushi became chic, health trends could add pressure to already vulnerable fisheries. "Over-fishing has predated the interest in omega-3 and healthy eating. But now there are places where it is certainly going to accentuate it," said Jason Clay, vice presi...
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Edible fish feasts beat Malaria
2007-08-16 11:12:00
The emerging threat of pesticide resistance means that biological malaria control methods are once again in vogue. New research published in the online open access journal BMC Public Health shows how Nile tilapia, a fish more commonly served up to Kenyan diners, is a valuable weapon against malaria mosquitoes.Annabel Howard and Francois Omlin from the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology in Nairobi, Kenya, introduced Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L.), to abandoned fishponds in western Kenya. The study, funded by the Government of Finland, BioVision Foundation (Switzerland) and the Toyota Environment Foundation, monitored pond life, comparing the restocked ponds with a control pond nearby.After 15 weeks the fish reduced both Anopheles gambiae s.l. and Anopheles funestus, the region's primary malaria vectors, by over 94 percent. The fish also decimated three quarters of the culicine mosquito population.The findings present a win-win situation for Kenyans, who c...
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Estimating local Tsunami wave height from Great Earthquakes
2007-08-16 11:10:00
The massive 9.2-magnitude Sumatra-Andaman earthquake on 26 December 2004 generated a tsunami that propagated throughout the Indian Ocean, killing more than 250,000 people.By contrast, the nearby 8.7-magnitude Simeulue-Nias earthquake on 28 March 2005 generated a small tsunami that caused only a few casualties. Though these earthquakes occurred in similar tectonic settings, their tsunami were markedly different, highlighting the need for reliably determining tsunami hazards from earthquake geometry.Using geodetic and stress accumulation studies, McCloskey et al. model about 100 different complex earthquake ruptures in this area and calculate their sea-floor displacements and resulting tsunami wave heights. They find that, for locations close to the earthquake source, the timing of tsunami inundation is independent of the earthquake magnitude and slip distribution.However, the maximum tsunami wave height is directly proportional to the vertical displacement of the rupture. Because str...
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Microbial contamination of Oyster at USA
2007-08-14 13:38:00
The FDA is warning consumers not to eat raw oysters harvested from an area of the southern tip of Hood Canal [Mason County] in Washington [state] after an outbreak of illness caused by _Vibrio parahaemolyticus_।Symptoms of the illness, called vibriosis, include watery diarrhea, often with abdominal cramping, nausea, vomiting, fever, and chills. Usually these symptoms occur within 24 hours of ingestion and last no more than 3 days. Severe disease is rare and occurs most commonly in people with weakened immune systems. Those who believe they have experienced these symptoms after consuming raw oysters should consult their health care provider and contact their local health department.Raw oysters harvested from "growing area 6" in Hood Canal from 3 Jul2007 and after, have caused at least 6 people to become ill in California and Washington। Additional reports of illness are being investigated by the states. To date, records indicate that raw oysters from the area were distributed to ...
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Deep Ocean's most turbulent areas has big impact on Climate
2007-08-13 12:20:00
More than a mile beneath the Atlantic's surface, roughly halfway between New York and Portugal, seawater rushing through the narrow gullies of an underwater mountain range much as winds gust between a city's tall buildings is generating one of the most turbulent areas ever observed in the deep ocean। In fact, the turbulence packs an energy wallop equal to about five million watts -- comparable to output from a small nuclear reactor, according to a landmark study led by Florida State University researcher Louis St. Laurent and described in the August 9 edition of the journal Nature.The study -- an international collaboration of scientists from the United States and France -- documents for the first time the turbulent conditions in an undersea mountain range known as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. It provides never-before-seen evidence that deep water turbulence swirling in the small passageways of such mountains is generating much of the mixing of warm and cold waters in the Atlantic Oc...
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New genetic approaches unveil cryptic microbial algae in reef coral
2007-08-13 12:10:00
"This work shatters the popular view that only a small percentage of corals have the potential to respond to warmer conditions by shuffling live-in algal partners..." van OppenCoral geneticists from the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) are closer than ever before to unravelling the 'hidden' microscopic dynamics of reef coral।Dr Madeleine van Oppen and Jos Mieog (PhD student) from AIMS say their new highly sensitive genetic technique- 100 times more powerful than conventional methods - has provided the first evidence that many corals store several types of algae, which can improve their capacity to cope with warmer water temperatures. "Simply, when conditions warm the more heat tolerant algae provide back-up, become more abundant. Some algal types impart greater resistance to environmental extremes," says Mr Mieog. Since the discovery of this 'shuffling' effect some years ago there has been much debate amongst marine scientists, many suggesting it is an infrequent ...
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Turtles visit crowded beach
2007-08-13 12:06:00
Tony Tucker, program manager for Mote Marine Laboratory's Sea Turtle Research Conservation Program, prepares to put a dive computer on a green sea turtle that crawled on the beach Sunday morning on Casey Key, but failed to lay eggs। Mote is doing research on sea turtles, which includes putting satellite tags and other tracking devices on the marine animals. The red light is used because sea turtles cannot see it as well and it does not disorient them. Where's Sweet Pea?Friday night, the female green sea turtle came ashore on Casey Key, decided for some reason not to lay her eggs — that's what scientists call a "false crawl" —and returned to the Gulf of Mexico.On Saturday, she was about 2 miles offshore, came ashore at 12:30 a.m. Sunday for another false crawl, went about a mile offshore Sunday, came ashore again Sunday night for her third false crawl in three days, and Monday was close to shore about 4 miles north of her Sunday landing site. Andrew West/news-press.comA gree...
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Arctic sea ice 'lowest in recorded history
2007-08-13 12:00:00
Sea ice in the northern hemisphere has plunged to the lowest levels ever measured, a US Arctic specialist said Friday, adding that it was likely part of the long-term trend of polar ice melt driven by global warming। University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana Arctic climate expert William Chapman told AFP that Arctic sea ice had plunged to new lows some 30 days before the normal point of the annual minimum.He also said that with a lower ice cover and fewer clouds this year, the waters of the Arctic are being exposed to more intense sunlight, further warming them."As of yesterday and today ... we have set a historical low for sea ice in the northern hemisphere," he said.Chapman, a researcher on Arctic meteorology of the university's Department of Atmospheric Sciences, wrote Thursday in the online publication "The Cryosphere Today" that the new record comes a full month before the historic summer minimum typically occurs during the first or second week of September."There is still a m...
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Officials fear spread of invasive Quagga mussel
2007-08-13 11:58:00
An invasive mussel that made its way west of the Rocky Mountains seven months ago is spreading rapidly, just the scenario most feared by officials running water systems supplying millions of people across the Southwest। The thumb-sized quagga mussels, which can clog pipes and gum up waterworks, have already been discovered in lakes Mead, Havasu and Mojave on the Colorado River and in two major aqueducts that supply water to Southern California and Arizona.Officials announced this week that they had also found tiny quagga larvae in Lake Powell on the Arizona-Utah border, although no adults have yet been found. Most interior lakes have staved off infestations — for the time being.Quagga mussels, close cousins of the better known zebra mussels, are almost impossible to totally exterminate. The small clam-like creatures damage local aquatic life and can cause millions of dollars in damage to water facilities. They also damage marinas and boat motors.The big fear is that the mussels ...
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Penguin travel tracked by Satellite
2007-08-10 12:49:00
You could understand if a half-dozen Magellanic penguins developed a "big bird is watching" phobia before this month is over, but the surveillance really will be for their own good।University of Washington scientists will attach satellite tracking devices to the backs of six penguins that have been treated at two centers in northern Argentina after their feathers were fouled with oil. The birds will be released into the Atlantic Ocean and their movements traced using satellites and the Internet.The idea is to plug a critical gap in the knowledge of the Magellanics' annual life cycle, their movements on the journey from their winter feeding grounds back to their breeding colonies along the southern Argentina coast and the Islas Malvinas, or Falkland Islands."We're missing that information. We know what happens when they leave the breeding grounds but we don't know what happens on the return trip," said Elizabeth Skewgar, a University of Washington doctoral student in biology."We...
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Indo-Pacific Coral Reefs Disappearing More Rapidly Than Expected
2007-08-10 12:47:00
Corals in the central and western Pacific ocean are dying faster than previously thought, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers have found। Nearly 600 square miles of reef have disappeared per year since the late 1960s, twice the rate of rainforest loss. The reefs are disappearing at a rate of one percent per year, a decline that began decades earlier than expected, the researchers discovered. Historically, coral cover, a measure of reef health, hovered around 50 percent. Today, only about 2 percent of reefs in the Indo -Pacific have coral cover close to the historical baseline"We have already lost half of the world's reef-building corals," said John Bruno, lead study author and associate professor of marine ecology and conservation in the department of marine sciences in UNC-Chapel Hill's College of Arts and Sciences.The study provides the first regional-scale and long-term analysis of coral loss in the region, where relatively little was known about patterns o...
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Microbes from human wastes result in beach closures
2007-08-10 12:43:00
Just when you thought it was safer to stay out of the water। Microbes that result in beach closures and health advisories when detected at unsafe levels in the ocean also have been detected in the sand, according to a recent study by a team of Stanford scientists.Published in the July 1 issue of Environmental Science and Technology, the study found that sand at beaches all along the California coast contained some level of fecal indicator bacteria। Moreover, when the researchers looked closely at the sand quality at a popular beach in Monterey, Calif., they found evidence of human waste-raising doubt about the commonly held belief that some fecal indictor bacteria occur naturally in the sand and are therefore benign.The team was led by Alexandria Boehm, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford, and included Kevan Yamahara, Blythe Layton and Alyson Santoro, all graduate students in Boehm's lab and co-authors of the study. They collected samples of s...
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Iron Fertilization Of Oceans: A Real Option For Carbon Dioxide Reduction?
2007-08-10 09:34:00
Over the last weeks, commercial efforts have been launched to manipulate a portion of the Pacific Ocean to increase the uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide by artificially enhancing phytoplankton activity। A research vessel is currently sailing to the Galapagos Sea to seed an area larger than Puerto Rico with tonnes of iron, to stimulate the CO2 sequestration into the deep ocean. However, such iron fertilization is also a way of generating carbon offsets, whereby CO2 polluters can buy "ecosystem restoration credits" and shrink their carbon footprint.The diatom Chaetoceros dichaeta. A dominant species during an algae bloom artifically caused by enhancing iron concentrations (EIFEX). (Credit: Image courtesy of Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research) This experiment is based on the fact that in about one-third of the surface ocean, the growth of phytoplankton is limited by the lack of iron; a well researched phenomenon. However, a valuable question to raise is to wha...
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Most Polluted Beaches In US Identified
2007-08-09 11:51:00
The water at American beaches was unsafe for swimming a record number of days last year, according to the 17th annual beach water quality report released by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)। Using data just collected from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the report, “Testing the Waters: A Guide to Water Quality at Vacation Beaches ,” tallied more than 25,000 closing and health advisory days at ocean, bay and Great Lakes beaches in 2006. The number of no-swim days caused by stormwater more than doubled from the year before.“Vacations are being ruined. Families can’t use the beaches in their own communities because they are polluted. Kids are getting sick – all because of sewage and contaminated runoff from outdated, under-funded treatment systems,” said Nancy Stoner, director of NRDC’s water program.In addition to compiling data on 3,500 U.S. beaches, the report this year takes an especially close look at the nation’s highest risk beaches – tho...

Spain hauls in eight tons of jellyfish from beaches
2007-08-09 11:44:00
Spain has launched a campaign to investigate and collect a plague of jellyfish on its coastline, and so far has collected eight tons of them, the Environment Ministry said on Tuesday. The ministry's "Campaign for the Study and Detection of Groupings of Jellyfish " has attracted 200 volunteers who are being specially trained to study the jellyfish and find out what attracts them to the coastline."A vigilance network has been created to detect banks of jellyfish and predict their possible arrival on beaches," the ministry said in a statement.The increase in jellyfish, a nuisance for holidaymakers in the Mediterranean in particular, is believed by climate experts to be due to warmer sea temperatures and the reduction in predators such as tuna and turtles.
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Coral reefs dying faster than expected
2007-08-09 11:43:00
Coral reefs in much of the Pacific Ocean are dying faster than previously thought, according to a study released Wednesday, with the decline driven by climate change, disease and coastal development। Researchers from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill found that coral coverage in the Indo-Pacific — an area stretching from Indonesia's Sumatra island to French Polynesia — dropped 20 percent in the past two decades.About 600 square miles of reefs have disappeared since the 1960s, the study found, and the losses were just as bad in Australia's well-protected Great Barrier Reef as they were in poorly managed marine reserves in the Philippines. "We found the loss of reef building corals was much more widespread and severe than previously thought," said John Bruno, who conducted the study along with Elizabeth Selig. "Even the best managed reefs in the Indo-Pacific suffered significant coral loss over the past 20 years."The study, which examined 6,000 surveys of more th...
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Penguin response to problem of pollution
2007-08-09 06:23:00
Penguin guano in the Antarctic is adding to organic pollutant problems there, according to a report to be featured in a Royal Society of Chemistry publication।Adrian Covaci at the University of Antwerp, Belgium, and colleagues found unexpectedly high levels of organic pollutants in the soil around a colony of non-migratory Adelie penguins in the Antarctic.Concerns about organic pollutant levels in the Antarctic have led to intensive studies into how they reach this remote region, said Covaci। The pollutants originate from man-made sources such as organochlorine pesticides and brominated flame retardants, he explained. The routes through which they normally travel are air and ocean currents. Recent studies have shown that migrating birds can also transport organic pollutants to the Antarctic in their body tissues, added Covaci. Covaci’s study shows that non-migratory penguins are also redistributing organic contaminants on a local scale, resulting in levels 10 to 100 fold highe...
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