- Shadows Of The Ocean.🐋 Photo: @itookthisphotograph #oceanfilmtour #oceanlovers #underwaterphoto

Greta Thunberg, international climate activist.

An icon. 

But without primary producers (phytoplankton) there would be no krill

They’re krilly small and unassuming, but krill form the backbone of many ocean ecosystems! 

These tiny crustaceans consume phytoplankton, and in turn are food for whales, fish, and other marine animals. During their peak feeding times, blue whales can eat up to 8,000 pounds of krill each day! 

(Photo: Maps For Good, taken in Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary)

When wood turns into glitter

Many moons ago, in the area that is now Nevada ancient woodlands were living through events that would result in some stunning pieces that grace museums around the world. Some 14 million years ago in the Miocene, the area was thickly forested rather than displaying the arid environment of today. It was also much closer to sea level, since the area has been extensively uplifted since then, due to tectonic stresses caused by the subduction of the Pacific and Farallon plates under the North American one. The area also saw intense subduction related volcanism (ongoing along the USA’s west coast to this day), which periodically covered the forests in silica rich ash. As groundwater interacted with the magma below, weathering the layers of ash into clays, it dissolved silica, precipitating it when conditions such as temperature and pressure changed, replacing the ash covered trees with opal, sometimes so clearly that every cell is visible. While not really suitable for jewellery use due to its tendency to crack as it dries out (called crazing in the trade), these rare logs from the Virgin Valley of Nevada make for stunning collector’s specimens

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It may be winter in the Northern Hemisphere, but down in Antarctica, it’s currently summertime. This humpback whale migrated south to feast on the plentiful krill along the West Antarctic Peninsula.

Credit:  © Ari Friedlaender

Very cool. My lab group also works with Emiliania huxleyi and EhVs.

Changing main blog now. Everything before this is my study abroad experience in Costa Rica

These microscopic beauties are foraminifera—single-celled organisms that live in the ocean. Since they make their shell using oxygen from the water, as ocean temperatures fluctuate through time and change the type of oxygen in the water the shells’ structure also changes.  Paleontologists like the Smithsonian’s very own Brian Huber can use fossil foraminifera to track changes in Earth’s climate from over 540 million years ago.

Diatoms: Algae in glass houses

Check out my new post! 

http://becausephytoplankton.blogspot.com/2018/09/diatoms-algae-in-glass-houses.html

This seems like something everyone should know if they’re in the sciences and/or interested in reading scientific papers.

Stunning Footage of Sperm Whales Attempting to Communicate With Freedivers Using Clicking Noises