The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico turned one year old last week – but this was a birthday that no one celebrated. In addition to human lives, the spill has devastated ocean life: thousands of dead seabirds, stranded turtles, dead oyster beds, mysteriously disappearing dolphins, and plummeting crab catches have been observed.
Normally, a thick meadow of lush algae is what you´d expect to see in healthy, thriving ocean ecosystems, right? Actually, it depends on the species. It´s certainly not a good sign if that green carpet turns out to be Cualerpa taxifolia, one of the deadliest invaders of the Mediterranean.
We all know that our oceans are home to a dazzling and diverse array of animals like dolphins, whales, fish and corals. But have you heard of ghost shrimp, giant spiny lobster, yeti crab or xenophyophores? These are just a few of many recently discovered species in our oceans, unveiled by the Census of Marine Life. In a span of ten years, more than 6000 potentially new species have been discovered in this global effort to determine the extent of biodiversity in our oceans.
It seems there is no limit to the extreme environments these strange, brave creatures call home. Many nooks and crannies of our oceans are occupied – including rocky seamount slopes, deep ocean trenches devoid of light,
You may remember when we introduced you to our new office in Copenhagen. Well the good news keeps on coming!
A few days ago, we launched a 2 month long Baltic Sea expedition – and we want you to be able to share in the experience. That is why we’ve created a special section of our website that will include the latest pictures and updates, including on-board diaries, from our experts!
So here’s the deal: Oceana is participating in a contest hosted by National Geographic Germany – and we need your help for a chance to win €30,000 for our work to protect the Balearic Seamounts.
Since some of you may not speak German, we thought we’d give you a quick rundown of what you need to do to vote for our project: