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In May of 2009, the missile-tracking ship General Hoyt S. Vandenberg was hauled out in the Gulf of Mexico. Planted explosives blew holes in the ship’s hull, and she sank to the bottom in just a couple of minutes. You can see the process in a time-lapse video. Deliberately sinking a ship sounds like an environmental crime on the surface, but the Vandenberg was carefully prepared: ten tons of asbestos and over 800,000 feet of electrical wiring was removed before she was sunk. The sinking was part of an environmental program to create artificial reefs where sea life -from coral and plankton to game fish- can live and reproduce.
The Vandenberg is certainly not the first ship to be deliberately sunk to create an artificial reef. The waters off the Florida Keys have become the grave site of the Coast Guard cutters Duane and Bibb and the U.S. Navy landing ship Spiegel Grove, and on the sandy bottom 20 or so miles out to sea from Pensacola lies an entire aircraft carrier, the U.S.S. Oriskany—the largest ship in the world intentionally sunk as an artificial reef. Dozens of World War II cargo vessels known as Liberty ships have been submerged, or to use the proper jargon, deployed, all along the Gulf, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts.
National Geographic tells us the history of artificial reef programs and how they are used to encourage marine life to flourish. Link
(Image credit: David Doubilet/National Geographic)
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The world’s largest aquarium is the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, which holds eight million gallons of water, with 6.3 million gallons in one exhibit alone! If this video is any indication, it may also be the prettiest. The song is “The Ballad of Winslow Homer” by The Dimes. Videography by Stillmotion. Link -via The Daily What
A new species of “squid worm” has been found 3,000 meters below sea level in the Celebes Sea east of Borneo. Not only is it is previously unknown species, it has its own newly coined genus as well.
Researchers, from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Massachusetts and the Scripps Institute of Oceanography in California named it Teuthidodrilus samae – a new genus and species. They said: “This illustrates how much we have to learn about even the large, common inhabitants of deep pelagic communities.”
In a series of exploration dives, researchers spotted the worm, slowly rising and falling in the water around 100m above the seafloor, where it feeds on passing plankton. The worm swims or treads water by waving hundreds of bristles that run along the length of its body on either side.
The 10 slender arm-like appendages that give the worm its unusual appearance are a combination of elongated gills and sensory organs. They are probably used to pick scraps of food from the “marine snow” of organic detritus that constantly falls to the seabed from above. Each is as long or longer than the whole of the worm’s body.
Watch the creature swim in a video at the Guardian. Link -via Metafilter
‘Purple Forest’ from MORPHOLOGIC on Vimeo.
In this video titled Purple Forest, you can see how the decorator crab makes its way in the world. By adding predictable detritus to its wardrobe, and after waiting for the currents to land an appropriate morsel of tasty goodness onto its shell, the unseen crab hooks his prey.
The unsuspecting isopod has no idea that it has landed upon an algae covered beast. Furthermore, it appears that the crab is not aware of the unexpected visitor until the isopod begins to explore its decorated exoskeleton. 50 seconds into the clip the isopod meets its fate with a few swift snatches of the crab’s claws. Without missing a beat, the crab continues scavenging amongst the rocks and algae. And life on the reef goes on…
Decorator Crab {Dive Gallery}
Photo: RevolverOcelot
In the Pacific Ocean and parts of the Red Sea, bubble coral can be found in varying species, colors and forms. They maintain their egg-like appearance during the sunlit hours (maybe an egg-like disguise?), then deflate at dark, manifesting finger-tentacles that feed on plankton, etc.
See more of this beautiful creature at Environmental Graffiti.
Previously on Neatorama: Great Barrier Reef: Gone in 20 Years
The coast of California, in particular, is home to one of the most spectacular kelp forests. Within the confines of this massive forest there lies an abundance of fishes, invertebrates and algae, marine birds and marine mammals.
(image credit: Timothy G. Laman)
From the Upcoming 
ueue, submitted by lannaxe96.
