The usual mixed bag of marine science, trawled from the Google deeps. This week we have tales of eels, shrimp, fish and octopuses (ar at least one octopus, called Paul, who has had a significant impact on the social behaviour of a certain species of terrestrial apes).

Life at sea…

What’s so special about islands? For a long time islands have been held to be hot-beds of evolution, see, for example, the Galapagos Islands. But other than a muse for Charles Darwin, are they actually any more active in evolutionary terms than your back-garden? The latest report suggests that islands can end up with interesting colections of animals by chance, but there isn’t anything special about them – so no magical rules pushing evolution faster on islands than elsewhere. ScienceDaily (July 8, 2010)

Mollusc’s impact human behaviour: Apparently an octopus called Paul has been influencing betting on World Cup matches. Suite101, Jul 10, 2010

Dust on the water: The Bodélé depression in Chad is reported to be the source of an estimated 3M tonnes of iron and 60,000 tonnes of phosphorus entering the Atlantic ocean every year. This dry precipitation is very important for phytoplankton in the mid ocean, where nutrients are scarce. New Scientist 02 July 2010

Whale song, or not: In noisy environments whales sing louder, to get heard. Research on North American right whales now shows, however, that beyond a certain level of background noise, they simply give up… The good news is that they can maintain communications between individuals at moderate noise levels. ScienceDaily (July 6, 2010)

New life in Atlantic deeps: An Atlantic research cruise, involving ROV dives to between 700 and 3600m depth, reports ten new species. One of these discoveries is a new species of acorn worm (or enteropneust). ScienceDaily (July 6, 2010). Acorn worms have gill slits or pores, but no notochord, so have characteristics of both vertebrates and invertebrates. UK species are all burrowing, and very soft bodied, so difficult to extract from their habitat intact, though some species do inhabit sand in shallow water. From Hayward and Ryland Handbook of the Marine Fauna of North-West Europe, Pub. Oxford, 1995, p687.

Eel find my own way: Your textbook will show European eels migrating along the gulf stream (along with the oil? – see below!) from their spawning grounds in the Sargasso Sea. Recent oceanographic studies have covering the spawning grounds in some detail, however, and suggest that at least some eels may be following the subtropical counter current. This current cuts across the middle of the Atlantic from West to East, potentially shaving a great deal off the young eel’s journey. The work also links the current pattern in the Sargasso Sea area with the feeding opportunities available to the young eels, and suggests that recruitment success may be very dependent upon these current patterns, and so susceptible to climate changes. ScienceDaily (July 5, 2010)

Conservation issues

Conservation – what’s in it from me? This report, specific to the gulf states in the aftermath of the oil spill, finds that rural areas with high unemployment rates are less likely to support environmental regulations. Here many people see regulation as a threat to their livelyhood. By contrast, the Rocky Mountain counties have a growing economy based on recreation and natural amenities, and here environmental protection is not perceived as being in conflict with job creation. ScienceDaily (July 8, 2010)

It pays to be depressed (if you’re a shrimp): The pharmaceuticals we take to help us cope with modern life are finding their way into the sewers, and the sea. Fluoxetine, a common anti-depressant, changes the behaviour of shrimps, making them more likely to swim towards the light – and into danger! This effect is seen at typical discharge levels to rivers and estuaries. ScienceDaily (July 12, 2010)

Gulf oil spill

Couldn’t happen here? The MERMAID system has been deployed in the North Sea to provide early warning of pollution discharges. The system automatically detects oxygen, pH, nitrates and phosphorus, chlorophyll and a range of toxins. It is not clear from the report how many detector stations are currently online (i.e. whether or not the system offers comprehensive coverage of the North Sea). ScienceDaily (July 9, 2010)

How quickly can microbes digest the spill? An experiment has been started to see how quickly microbes in beach sands are able to digest the oil arriving from the spill. They will also evaluate the effect of dispersants on these microbe communities. ScienceDaily (July 8, 2010)

Oil spill over kill? It isn’t as bad as the environmentalists are making out! The last oil spill (Ixtoc in 1979) didn’t do any damage!!! In fact in the aftermath of the Ixtoc spill President Reagan slashed environmental program funding, so we don’t know how bad the Ixtoc spill was. He also introduced the Minerals Management Service – who gave the Deepwater Horizon a clean bill of health. The truth is that the fish will probably come back, it may even be the case that the oil spill is less damaging to some fish stocks than the current fisheries management practices. This does not, however, make the oil spill a good thing, even a defensible thing, or in fact anything other than a disaster. Andrew Leonard, salon.com, July 1 2010

Oil and politics mix well: The research fund established by BP to monitor the effects of the spill, worth $500M, is only to be spent with the agreement of Gulf State governors. While the usual peer reviewed process for vetting scientific proposals is not above reproach, this looks like an opportunity for graft… The Australian, July 7 2010

Computer animation predicts oil spill migration to mid 2011: This animation on YouTube was created by the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa. It predicts the movement of floating particles of tar on the prevailing currents in the Gulf, and out into the Atlantic. By day 360 particles are predicted to be into the mid Atlantic and spreading towards the coast of Europe. From SOEST publication date ca. July 6 2010 via ScienceDaily (July 6, 2010). The toxicity of any tar balls that make it across the Atlantic is likely to be very low, as most of the toxins in crude derive from volatile components that are quickly broken down by bacteria in warm waters. Still, it is likely that people living on the West coast of the UK and Ireland will see a reminder of the Gulf spill washed up on their beaches around this time next year…

New species under the spill: Two new species of batfish (related to anglerfish) have been described from the area of the spill. It is not clear that their range extends beyond the region affected by the spill, so they may be on for the record of shortest known living species. ScienceDaily (July 8, 2010)

What about all these other wells? The Spill reports that there are 27 000 abandoned wells in the Gulf of Mexico. These are in a range of conditions – some having been abandoned in the 1940’s. While they all represent leak risks, they are not inspected. Marine Conservation News, July 7th 2010

Exploration and exploitation

Deep sea mining: There is a collection of posts from Deep Sea News on this subject, prompted by a report that the Chinese Government is planning to start mining for base metals (copper, nickel and cobalt) at depths of 5000 feet (1.5 km). This isn’t an area I know much about, but as DSN says – put it on your radar! Deep Sea News, July 5th 2010

Don’t cook fish before their time: Farmed salmon are often reared in warm water hatcheries, as the higher temperatures speeds growth. Research is now showing, however, that higher temperatures cause disruption of bone and cartilage formation, leading to deformed fish. ScienceDaily (July 5, 2010)

Protecting fisheries in the Gulf:
A different gulf this time – Dr Mohsen Al-Husaini of the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR), is advising better enforcement of fishing regulations to stop the decline in stocks. Other threats to fisheries in the Persian Gulf do, however, include oil leaks from the petroleum industry, along with the usual chemicals and sewage waste problems. Arab Times July 2010.

No fish left in the Clyde? A new report suggests that the Firth of Clyde is so heavily over fished that it risks being emptied of almost all marine life. Fishing industry experts have strongly contested this claim, citing that fish stocks in the area are cyclical. The Firth stretches from Loch Fyne (ironically of the Fishbar fame) to the Mull of Kyntyre (there are no fishing allusions in this song). Herald Scotland 12 Jul 2010

Climate change

Honolulu declaration: Scientists call for limits to carbon dioxide output to reduce rate of ocean acidification, which is thought to be a threat to hard corals. Marine Conservation News July 5 2010

Cleaner water aids survival: Corals on the Florida coast are seen to survive high temperatures better if the water they are living in is not polluted. For many corals, however, the ‘double whammy’ of dirty water and increased water temperature has led to bleaching incidents. ScienceDaily (July 6, 2010)

Fluctuating sea levels in the Indian Ocean: This study shows that sea-levels in the Indian Ocean are behaving in a complex manner, but there is a sea-level-rise component, that appears to be related to increased carbon dioxide levels. The islands most threatened by sea level rises in the region are the Maldives – popular diving destinations for many in the UK. Here the study found a significant sea-level rise in the winter season. The Maldives are inhabited by 300 000 people, yet are on average only 5 feet above sea level. ScienceDaily (July 13, 2010)

The threat from methane hydrates: Methane hydrates are solids formed by reaction of the gas methane with water at high pressure and low temperature. Crystals of methane hydrate blocked the first collector system deployed by BP to mop up the Deepwater Horizon spill. In fact methane is generated by a number of natural processes at all depths in the ocean, but is commonly trapped as solid hydrates below 300m depth. This shallower reservoir of hydrates is a potential problem, as it is most susceptible to decomposition due to climate warming – releasing the methane gas back into the water column. Here it can cause microial blooms and eutrophication, but it is also a very much more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, so significant releases into the atmosphere could lead to a run-away feedback effect. From Deep-Sea News July 7th 2010.