A global shark conservation challenge from Palau and Micronesia

Posted on By David Shiffman 1 Comment on A global shark conservation challenge from Palau and Micronesia
Conservation, Science

Yesterday afternoon, the Presidents of Honduras and Palau challenged other world leaders to follow their example by protecting sharks. Both nations have banned shark fishing within their territorial waters, and they are encouraging other nations (both rich countries with fishing fleets and poor coastal countries) to do the same. This announcement was timed to coincide with a high-level United Nations meeting to review millennium development and global biodiversity conservation goals.

The two Presidents had this to say:

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Finding Melville’s Whale: Chapter 13 – Wheelbarrow

Posted on By Andrew Thaler 1 Comment on Finding Melville’s Whale: Chapter 13 – Wheelbarrow
Uncategorized

Chapter 13 of the classic Moby Dick by Herman Melville, summarized in verse. Read along with us and discuss this chapter or the book as a whole in the comments. Wheelbarrow The morning comes and Ishmael and Queequeg purchase passage to Nantucket, from where they will embark on their whale adventure. Aboard The Moss a … Read More “Finding Melville’s Whale: Chapter 13 – Wheelbarrow” »

Save the light bulb, not the planet: A sneak peak at how Republicans will run the House

Posted on By David Shiffman 17 Comments on Save the light bulb, not the planet: A sneak peak at how Republicans will run the House
Conservation

Political junkies like myself know that Republicans are expected to regain the House of Representatives following elections this November. The Democrats’ odds of keeping the Senate improved with the primary victory of corrupt Christine O’Donnell last week, but there is still a chance that the Republicans will retake the Senate. This isn’t surprising- the opposition … Read More “Save the light bulb, not the planet: A sneak peak at how Republicans will run the House” »

Chemistry of the Great Big Blue: Sedimentation

Posted on By Amy Freitag
Science

Sedimentation in the Chesapeake - look at the brown toward the headwaters. Found at nasa.gov

Rocks erode, travel down rivers and eventually in the form of small particles, settle in river deltas and estuaries. Even smaller pieces can be carried hundreds of miles into the ocean. It’s all part of the natural process of sedimentation, but like many other natural cycles, this one has been hijacked by human activities. Development, agriculture, channelization of streams, damming and many other practices change the natural course of sediment in the coastal oceans more than the ecosystem can handle.

These changes can either be a drastic increase in sediment runoff from upstream sources or a complete deprivation of naturally occurring deltas. In addition, many pollutants cling to these sediment particles so that changing the location of the sediment also shifts the location of pollution.

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