Author: sgriffi1

Aquatic Creatures Living In the Darkness of Our Oceans

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As stated in last week’s blog, the ocean can reach extremely deep depths. The average depth of the ocean reaches 12,100 feet. The deepest part of the ocean is called the Challenger Deep and is located beneath the western Pacific Ocean in the southern end of the Mariana Trench. Challenger Deep is approximately 36,200ft deep. 

 

While understanding these crazy depths, it’s important to note that sunlight stops lighting up the beautiful ocean when you reach 3,280ft! This dark level of the ocean is known as the “midnight zone.” Also, the pressure here is a little under 6000 pounds per square inch, so it takes some serious specialization to live down here.


These are all cool facts, but how are animals even able to see in complete darkness? Basically, these animals are blind, so they must rely on their physical bodies to feel around them. Due to the blindness, these creatures have no camouflage or bright colors. Because there is so little food, they have slow metabolisms, small muscles and grow very slowly. 

 

Here is a list of a Few Animals Living in the Midnight Zone:

  1. Anglerfish

This angry looking fish lives in the Atlantic and Antarctic oceans deep in the midnight zone. Worn only by females, their most interesting feature is a long piece of dorsal spine that hangs above their mouths like a fishing pole—hence their name. They use this spine to bait prey by using its lure of luminous flesh. Interestingly enough, their mouths are so big they can actually swallow prey up to twice their own size! 

 

  1. The Vampire Squid

Though it resembles both, the vampire squid is neither a squid or an octopus. Scientists have separated the vampire squid into its own special group. This creature has a staggering amount of eight arms and two tentacles. It does not suck or drink blood and instead gets its common name from its dark color and the skin that connects the arms, resembling a cape. It is surprisingly not a carnivore as it devours “marine snow”, which consists of bits of dead planktonic creatures. 

 

  1. Snipe Eel

This eel might be one of the weirdest looking fish you’ve ever seen! It has a long rope-like body with a curved upper and lower jaw. The jaws are covered with small pirate hooked teeth that help capture tiny shrimp as well as other crustaceans

 

Because we have only discovered 5% of the Earth’s Oceans, discovering new species like these incredible ones, are extremely important to the development of our world. As mentioned in last week’s blog, plastic has been found in the deepest parts of our oceans. This is why we need to do our part in stopping this spread and aiding in keeping our oceans clean! 

 

Written By: Skylar Griffin

Edited by: Kailyn Hayes

 

A New Species Found in 2020 Named After Plastic- Eurythenes Plasticus

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Image result for a new species named after plasticThroughout our time as humans living on the Earth, we have only discovered about 5% of the ocean. This leaves 95% of the ocean unexplored, as we are finding new species everyday. Most recently a species unearthed was named Eurythenes Plasticus…… sound familiar? 

 

Image result for mariana trenchEurythenes Plasticus is a new species of arthropod. It is a two inch shrimp-like animal found in the deepest trench on Earth- The Mariana Trench. The Mariana Trench reaches depths up to 36,000 ft as this new arthropod was found at a staggering 20,000 ft- This is crazy deep! Think of it this way: Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world reaching heights of 29,028 ft and the Mariana Trench is 36,000 ft!

 

Now, this discovery is cool and all, but why is this creature named after plastic? Sadly enough, this arthropod was named after plastic was found inside of its guts. Specifically, this plastic is called polyethylene-terephthalate. Polyethylene-terephthalate is a plastic commonly found in clothing, plastic bottles, and plastic food packaging.

 

The fact that plastic was found in a species 20,000ft deep in the ocean should be extremely alarming to us. In an article in the Earther, Alan Jamieson, the head of research that helped discover this species states, “We decided on the name Eurythenes plasticus as we wanted to highlight the fact that we need to take immediate action to stop the deluge of plastic waste into our oceans.”

 

If it hasn’t been apparent to you, let us just reiterate: plastic is taking over the world. It’s found everywhere, even 20,000 ft down in the Mariana Trench. If we don’t stop this spread of plastic, it will truly take over everything. 

Written by Skylar Griffin
Edited by Sofia Avila

Four Mind Blowing Facts about Pollution in our Ocean

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Welcome back Ocean Olympians! Today we’re going to list some eye opening facts regarding pollution in the ocean. We hope reading these terrifying facts push you to do more to help the ocean!

Fact #1: Over 8 million tons of garbage enters our ocean each year

According to Passport Ocean, over 8 million tons of plastic is deposited into our ocean every single year! This amount of plastic is “equivalent to emptying a garbage truck of plastic into an ocean every minute.” 

To grasp the reality of this fact the article “Simple Math Problems,” ” has made this crazy plastic statistic more comprehendible by comparing it to being the same as “two Empire State Buildings every month going into the ocean.” 

It might difficult to imagine that making a couple of changes in your daily life can help lower pollution and have a positive impact, but it really can. 

Fact #2: Pollution easily contaminates your seafood causing possible serious health issues

Think about it, pollution affects thousands and thousands of fish everyday. With that being said, it’s very possible that the seafood you eat contains some sort of plastic contamination. 

That sushi you ate last week could cause some serious health issues for your future. Don’t you want to be able to eat seafood without having to worry if it could hurt you? 

 

Fact #3: There is an island of garbage two times the size of Texas in the middle of the Pacific ocean

 

According to Passport Ocean, “the number of floating plastic pieces outnumbers total marine life six to one in the immediate vicinity.” 

This island grows bigger and bigger everyday. 

 

Fact #4: There are now many dead zones in the ocean

What are dead zones? Dead zones are extremely scary because these places have no marine or plant life. Imagine, parts of the ocean completely void of life. 

Why are dead zones formed? Well, you guessed it- pollution. Due to pollution, low oxygen levels are formed in certain parts of the ocean creating dead zones. 

There are over 500 dead zones in the ocean, covering a similar size to the united kingdom. 

 

Most Common Items Found in the Ocean 

  • Cigarettes 
  • Food/Candy Wrappers
  • Plastic Bottles
  • Plastic Bags
  • Caps and Lids 
  • Beverage Cans
  • Straws and Tableware

 

These facts are extremely alarming considering that nothing is getting better. Our fish continue to consume plastic, the garbage island continues to grow larger, and dead zones continue to increase. 

If we all start making changes in our daily routine such as recycling or buying less plastic products, we could contribute to making a positive change in our oceans. 

 

Written by Skylar Griffin

Edited by Emily Ram

These Animals are Dying Everyday because of our Pollution

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Image result for dolphin affected by pollution

The ocean is the largest ecosystem on Earth! It is extremely important due to the fact that it provides us with food, aids us in balancing our climate, and produces over half of the world’s oxygen. So, how is it possible that we humans continue to use it as our dumping sight- killing over one million animals every year? 

 

This is list of just a few of the animals that are killed by our pollution everyday:

1. Whales and Dolphins 

Whales and dolphins often mistake crustaceans, fish, etc for plastic. Whales especially have large mouths, leading to an intake of large amounts of trash unknowingly. In one case a marine expert dissected an already deceased whale to find that it had “88 pounds of plastic waste jammed into its belly.”  Most plastics are pretty light in weight, so the fact that there was such a heavy amount in one whale is crazy! 

 

2. Seabirds 

One million seabirds are killed by pollution every year. The plastic that is consumed by seabirds can take up almost the entire storage of their stomach, causing extreme starvation. According to the Center of Biodiversity, “It’s estimated that 60 percent of all seabird species have eaten pieces of plastic, with that number predicted to increase to 99 percent by 2050.” 

 

3. Sea Turtles

Image result for cutting plastic soda ringsWhile turtles are also known to be killed from ingesting plastics, they are widely affected by fishing netting and plastic soda rings. These pollutants become wrapped around the turtles neck and shell making it tough to breath and move around. A way of helping this issue is to make sure to cut your plastic soda rings before you throw it away. While you may be throwing it in a trash bin there is still a possibility of it ending up back in the ocean. Cutting soda rings can aid with other marine life as well. 

 

Whether it’s recycling your own plastics or volunteering for ocean cleanup, just small gestures everyday can help our oceans immensely. When you’re debating on throwing a piece of trash on the ground or waiting for a recycling/trash bin, think back to these animals and how that one piece of trash could affect them. 

 

Written by Skylar Griffin, revised and edited by Kailyn Hayes