Beneath Pearl Harbor: Young Reader Edition

NEW BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT: Have you ever wondered what it looks like under the waters of Pearl Harbor? The USS Arizona is the most well-known battleship sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on December 7, 1941. In this book, you can explore the USS Arizona alongside National Park Service scuba divers, who use diving as a tool to study and preserve the ship. Learn about one of the most historic shipwrecks of all time through narrative and stunning photographs. Available globally with Ingram’s worldwide print and distribution program.
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USFWS Pacific Region •

Wisdom, the World’s Oldest Known, Banded Wild Bird has a new chick!

Wisdom checks in with her newest chick. Photo credit: Naomi Blinick/USFWS Volunteer On a remote atoll in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the world’s oldest known, banded bird just became a mother again. Last December, volunteers and staff at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge and Memorial documented that Wisdom, a Laysan albatross at least 66 years old, had returned to the atoll and was incubating an egg with her mate.
Island Conservation •

A Tiny Reason to Celebrate on Midway Atoll

Laysan Albatross flock to the wildlife refuge on Midway Atoll every year to nest. Among them is Wisdom, who shocks the world by hatching young well into old age. Each year, her visit to Midway is widely celebrated. She is a beacon of hope for an atoll that has suffered extensive ecological destruction. She has recently hatched yet another chick, to everyone’s delight. Wisdom, aged at least 66 years old, is estimated to have hatched between 30 and 35 chicks in her lifetime. She and her mate Akea
The Safina Center •

Fishing Gear 101: Harpoons and Spears – Selective Stabbers

Consumers often ask us to describe various types of fishing gear and explain which ones cause the most destruction to the ocean. Another frequent question is why our seafood ratings for a particular species differ depending on the fishing method used. To help answer these questions, we decided to create a Fishing Gear 101 blog series. In this series, we describe how common types of gear work, what they catch, how they affect ocean wildlife and habitats, what technologies or regulations can help
NPS-Cape Cod National Seashore •

The Piping Plover - Cape Cod National Seashore (U.S. National Park Service)

The piping plover is a small, stocky, sandy-colored bird resembling a sandpiper. The adult has yellow-orange legs, a black band across the forehead from eye to eye, and a black ring around the base of its neck. Like other plovers, it runs in short starts and stops. When still, the piping plover blends into the pale background of open, sandy habitat on outer beaches where it feeds and nests. The bird's name derives from its call notes, plaintive bell-like whistles which are often heard before the
NPS-Cape Cod National Seashore •

Green Crabs - Cape Cod National Seashore (U.S. National Park Service)

The green crab, Carcinus maenas, is native to Europe. It has become a prominent component of shallow marine and estuarine waters of the northwest Atlantic and many other locations around the world. Green crabs can reach >100 mm width (approximately 4 inches) and are notorious for their high shellfish consumption rates. Nevertheless, they have generalist, opportunistic diets that can affect the structure of the surrounding communities. Green crabs have wide tolerance for salinities and water temp
Autodesk Redshift •

Reality Computing: Even Better Than the Real Thing?

Imagine taking a snapshot of any object and then creating an exact, physical copy. Even if it’s underwater? Thanks to Reality Computing, that’s what startup The Hydrous is doing to help better understand endangered coral. One recent five-day underwater expedition garnered more than 27,000 photos, 2 TB of data, and photo captures of more than 100 corals. These will then be used to create exact, interactive 3D-model replicas for scientists and educators to study and preserve the reefs.
NPS-Cape Cod National Seashore •

Water Quality - Cape Cod National Seashore (U.S. National Park Service)

In freshwater kettle ponds, increased nutrient inputs can lead to algal blooms, low oxygen in the water, and changes in thermal layer formation. In brackish and salt waters, nutrient enrichment leads to a cascade of events, including algal blooms, low oxygen conditions, loss of seagrass meadows, and fewer invertebrates and fish. Changes in climate, as well as mercury and other particles deposited from the atmosphere through wind and rain, contribute to declining water quality across the region.
DivePhotoGuide •

Under the National Parks: The Channel Islands

Under the National Parks: The Channel Islands With all the amazing dive destinations lurking on the edge of the globe and our imaginations, it can be hard to believe that even our own backyards can be an underwater photographer’s paradise. In 2011, I spent the summer with the US National Park Service’s Submerged Resources Center (SRC) as part of an internship through the Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society (OWUSS).
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