September 11, 2014
Ocean Roundup: Healthy Corals Mean More Sharks, Extinct Dolphin Found in Peruvian Desert, and More
– A new study shows that late-summer water temperatures near the Florida Keys are significantly warmer than they were a century ago. This temperature increase is causing slower coral growth, as well as increasing coral reef bleaching events. USGS News
– Researchers have found an extinct dolphin species in a desert on the coast of Peru from the Miocene, a period more than 16 million years ago. Researchers say it belongs to the squalodelphinids—an extinct family of marine dolphins that are related to today’s Ganges and Indus river dolphins—and forms these modern species’ first linkage to their ancestors. EurekAlert
– A new study found just how important healthy coral reefs are for shark abundance. Using remote underwater video stations, scientists found that healthy reefs “make good shark habitat,” and their health may be just as important to shark conservation as eliminating overfishing. LiveScience
– Scientists have uncovered the mechanisms behind the funny “Mexican-wave” style swimming patterns of lobsters and other crustaceans. They used mathematics to find that these species have a pattern of moving their ‘swimmerets’ to push themselves through the water column. Discovery News
– A growing dead zone in the Arabian Sea could be disastrous for 120 million people that depend on seafood from this Sea. This dead zone is so large that a plankton species suited to low-oxygen levels is moving in and disrupting food chains. Phys.org