CWL

Sea Pens, New Zealand

Soft corals called sea pens, usually found at depth, and a blue cod appear in shallow waters in New Zealand’s Long Sound reserve, where tannin-stained water blocks light. When disturbed, sea pens emit a greenish light and can deflate, retreating into their bulbous feet.

Photograph by Brian Skerry

scinerds:

Why dull, brown corals light up like Christmas when you shine blue light on them

Louise Murray has spent a decade photographing corals - most of which appear dull and brown to the naked eye.

But when the photographer shines a blue torch on them, ‘It’s like the difference between walking down Oxford Street at midnight in June, and walking down when all the Christmas lights are on.’

‘It blows you away completely the first time.’ Murray works with scientists who believe the weird effect could be a sort of ‘sunscreen’ to help protect the animals from being bleached.

Aquanauts Assemble: Coral Restoration

Several years ago (June, 2008), scientists participated in an eight-day mission in which they were living and working at 60 feet (18 m) below the sea surface in order to determine why some coral colonies survive transplanting after a disturbance, such as a storm, while other colonies die out.

Coral reefs worldwide are suffering from the combined effects of hurricanes, global warming, increased boat traffic, and pollution. As a result, their restoration has become a priority among those who are concerned about their health.

Using as a home base the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Aquarius, an underwater facility for science and diving located in Key Largo, Florida, a team of “Aquanauts” is working to protect coral reefs from this barrage of threats by investigating ways to improve their restoration. The photo above shows an aquanaut building a “coral garden” with transplanted colonies.

Summary and Photography by Iliana Baums

ohscience:

Porites lobata (lobe coral), live specimen displaying tissue pigmentation response with red fluorescence (12X) (via Nikon Small World - 2011 - James H. Nicholson)

There’s still time to sign up for our Picturing Science event!

On Thursday, July 7 our Tumblr followers are invited to view this and other beautiful images created for scientific research. View our new photo exhibition Picturing Science, go behind the scenes to cutting-edge research labs, and meet Museum scientists. (Beer and wine is on us). Sign up here for your chance to attend!

Pictured here: These corals contain fluorescent molecules, which absorb green light and then emit light at a different wavelength. Research associate in the Museum’s Division of Invertebrate Zoology David Gruber uses bioflourescence imaging to take close-up images of corals, which form part of his research into the patterns and functions of fluorescent proteins—some of which have been co-opted as important tools in biomedical research.

anoceanactivist:

The Florida Keys Reef - U.S. Marine Protected Area

The islands in the Florida Keys span 126 miles (200 kilometers) and are home to the most extensive living coral reef in the United States, and the third largest on Earth.

Just south of the Florida peninsula, the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary covers 3,708 square miles (9,600 square kilometers).

The region receives more than 4 million visitors a year who come to dive, explore coral reefs and shipwrecks, and fish.

Beyond tourism, the Keys support a nearly 20-million-pound (9-million-kilogram) harvest of seafood and marine products annually. In an effort to protect the ecological and commercial resources in the park, the area was designated a national sanctuary in 1990.

(Photograph by Emory Kristoff)