Home Planet/Planetary and Earth Sciences/Oceanography

Picture of the Week: Cock-Eyed Squid

This activity is part of a Science Friday spotlight about cephalopods. Get involved using the hashtag #CephalopodWeek. In the midst of “the twilight zone”—the ocean realm ranging from 200-1,000 meters below the surface—roams this small cephalopod. This is a species of cock-eyed squid, whose scientific name, Histioteuthis heteropsis, means “different eyes.” “They have that one eye […]

Build an Earthquake Machine

Convection Can Be Pretty

How Can We Clean Up an Oil Spill?

Magnetic Turtle Navigators

Engineer a ‘Filter Feeder’

Objective: Students will engineer a water filter based on observations of manta ray feeding filters, then test its effectiveness Time: About 60 minutes Grades: 3rd -9th Subjects: Life Science, Engineering and Technology Topics: Structure and function, adaptation, engineering and design People use filters every day to separate solids from liquids or gases. For example, we […]

Picture of the Week: Fused Staghorn Coral

Marine biologist Colin Foord calls the fused staghorn coral seen above “a real survivor.” Foord first came upon a colony of the Acropora prolifera—a hybrid of staghorn (Acropora cervicornis) and elkhorn (Acropora palmata) corals—while diving around Miami’s Fisher Island in 2009. The discovery surprised him—he had seen staghorns and elkhorns before, and this coral looked […]

Sea, Temperature, CO2 Levels All Rise in 2013

Not surprisingly, greenhouse gas and sea levels rose in 2013, and warm temperature trends continued, according to the State of the Climate report released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.  “These findings reinforce what scientists for decades have observed: that our planet is becoming a warmer place,” NOAA administrator Dr. Kathryn Sullivan said in […]

Goodies From #CephalopodWeek

For the past few days, Science Friday’s Cephalopod Week has celebrated these amazing, beautiful, and mysterious creatures—and our friends at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, MBARI, as well as fans from all around the Internet, have joined us in the festivities. It’s been a fascinating, tentacle-filled week, but it’s nearly over. If you’re still looking for a […]