Thousands of Brooding Octopuses off the Coast of Monterey, California

https://www.theweathernetwork.com/ca/videos/gallery/rare-thousands-of-brooding-octopuses-found-off-california-coast/sharevideo/5855861738001/most_popular

So many octo... octopi?

For any of you who remember Nature Nimbus' Hall of Fame (it's still there, just not with it's own tab!) but Monterey was where Ed Ricketts (marine biologist friend of author John Steinbeck) lived.

(Sorry for all the parentheses tonight)

Dear Divers --Sustainable Diving Practices

Hi guys... finally started a post-secondary Environmental Technician course so have been working on homework more than blog posts, but a couple publishable pieces coming soon!

In the meantime, for for ocean-lovers and divers (and aspiring ones), here is an article published by world nomads about safe diving practices:

https://www.worldnomads.com/make-a-difference/responsible-travel/planet/redefine-the-dive-10-tips-for-sustainable-divers?utm_source=worldnomads&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nomadsnews-73-oct-row&utm_content=button

If you've been reading Nature Nimbus for a while you might have already noticed some keen personal interest shown in diving. Spending time close to nature is probably the most natural way we come to deeply appreciate it (no puns intended); nature lovers don't typically need to be taught this. At the same time, even in ecotourism humans are known to accidentally leave a negative impact on what we love so much.

Also, some freedivers on Instagram have cautioned for those using dive scooters to also make sure they don't end up chasing aquatic wildlife (as tempting as it may be) to get as close to them as possible.

If you happen to be going on a trip whether it's diving or exploring nature some other way, a quick google or asking a local naturalist or expert can help in getting some simple tips to ensure we are respecting the beauty we have come to visit, and seek to become a part of in that moment.

Day-After-Earth-Day, Featuring: Plastic Pollution in the ocean

Happy Day-After-Earth-Day, all. It feels kind of like the day after coming home from a vacation, party, or seeing a friend you don't get to spend time with as often as you like. For treehuggers and nature-lovers it's close enough because we want every day to be Earth Day, so here's a day-after post to extend the inspiration and good feelings.

Within the last few years I've lived vicariously through divers who post photos and videos of their adventures having peaceful, voluntary interactions with wildlife. Divers on Instagram like @kimkertz and @its.krystalclear are inspirational not only as athletes and explorers, but artists and advocates for ocean conservation, and conscientious interactions with wildlife.

One of the biggest problems facing Earth's oceans is plastic pollution, so reducing consumption of plastic is always a great resolution to renew, and definitely one I intend on revisiting more this year.

Recently a newsflash hit explaining that the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is actually even more hug than originally estimated... it's now estimated to be three times the size of France. Plastic all around the oceans will keep floating, keep releasing toxins, and keep ending up inside the bodies of animals.

Doing things like remembering to bring reusable shopping bags in-store and remembering to bring a reusable water bottle, and coordinating everything to pack a litterless lunch make a difference. Personally, I know I have a hard time remembering things; I was notorious at an old workplace for forgetting my reusable water bottle at our booth.

The most practical things that have helped me include investing in a glass water with a bright orange cover; it's hard to forget, and easy to clean without gross smells last-minute if I forgot to the night before. (Sorry if that's TMI, it's true.) And for reusable shopping bags it's pretty easy; keep it in another bag. The thin, foldable ones that wrap up inside themselves nicely have been great to keep in a purse, and their very presence in my canvas bag helps serve as a reminder to bring other ones.

Here are a few links to more information if you're interested in reading more and seeing their visualizers (I highly recommend the video in link #2 in particular).
Sailing Seas of Plastic interactive map: http://app.dumpark.com/seas-of-plastic-2/
TWN how to really make a difference Earth Day feature: https://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/articles/what-earth-day-means-when-humans-possess-planet-shaping-powers/99911/
5 Gyres information on plastic continents and how to help: https://www.5gyres.org/ 

For this Earth Day, I resolve to remember what to do to reduce plastic consumption, and remember why I'm doing it (with the help of the divers and ocean photographers of instagram). What has inspired you this past Earth Day?

Hope you all enjoy basking in the Earth Day afterglow and carry it forward, lighting the way to better living.

Coral Pink and Peach

Some days I could sink a ship with my navy (blue) mood

Drag it down, such a downer in the dumps

While my coral peach

Feels so out of reach.

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More water works poetry: http://lunar-winds.blogspot.ca/search/label/water

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Fact about coral, 'Bleached' white coral does not equal dead coral: http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-great-barrier-reef-not-dead-20161014-snap-story.html

Picking the Right Fish in the Sea: Selecting Sustainable Seafood

For generations the  ocean has been both a source of awe
and inspiration as well as physical needs. 

Have you ever had the chance to watch a wave from the ocean roll onto the shore? Somewhere beyond the horizon and farther than you can see, all the right motions started that wave, and you can only imagine all the life and stones and forgotten wrecks that it passed over on its journey.

Sushi is a personal family favourite for making and eating,
but the imitation crab should be selected carefully.

The vast blue seas have long been a source of awe, inspiration, and resources for humans, but as with anything, unsustainable human activity can have serious consequences to marine wildlife and ecosystems (and by inevitable extension, to humans). While the practices place direct impacts on marine ecosystems, consumers have the power the either fuel that damage or reduce it back based on where we spend money.

If you are vegetarian or vegan than you have already eliminated that problem entirely in your case, but for fellow fish-eaters, some organizations have developed research tools to help select the right fish in the sea (for your plate).

Some people reading this may have stopped with the thought, "what about the wellbeing of the people who rely on fishing as a livelihood?" This is a valid concern regardless of how or what they catch. However, if the marine ecosystem collapses then the same fish populations they must draw from will be adversely affected as well as other species that are connected to it. Put simply: Hurt the fish, no fish to catch, no fish to sell, and no fish to eat.

Many people have depended on fishing for generations, but with changes in technology and fishing methods what once was a sustainable tradition has gone sadly overboard in many cases. It is for the long-term benefit of both humans and wildlife that we make more sustainable choices. 

"When the last tree has been cut, the last fish caught, the last river poisoned, only then will we realize that one cannot eat money." - Native American Saying (source: http://quoteinvestigator.com/2011/10/20/last-tree-cut/)

There are a number of online resources but here are a few that I have found to be particularly helpful which evaluate seafoods based on when, how, and what is being caught relative to sustainability. When using these to compare fish and other seafood products remember to check for the specific species, where it came from, and the method (eg. troll, wild, farmed). 


Sea Choice (http://www.seachoice.org/) is a nice and full online database with lots of straight-to-the-point charts. If you search something like "tuna" it is easy to compare various options all side-by-side, and if you would like more details you can click on the specific name.

This database is extensive and has easy-to-compare charts for comparing different variants which is good because one detail can make all the difference between 'good choice' and 'stay away'. When researching something like 'tuna' which renders a long list of results, the search function (control+F on Windows) can be very useful in highlighting specific criteria when evaluating a specific product.

Sea choice was also sourced for David Suzuki's Top 10 Sustainable Seafood Picks (http://www.davidsuzuki.org/what-you-can-do/food-and-our-planet/suzukis-top-10-sustainable-seafood-picks/). From the graphics to immediately listing "Ask For" and "Avoid" for each type, I love the intuitive layout of this list. It immediateky addresses questions people will probably have and this flow continues under "More>>" which includes not only cooking information and a recipe but things to learn about the animal itself.

Although it may not feel good to think about how the animal your are eating was once alive, it can encourage respect. Learning about the species as wildlife including the way it once looked and the things it would have done can help encourage deeper respect and appreciation for it.

Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch (http://www.seafoodwatch.org/) is another online database which like Sea Choice includes important details. Although details are not always given immediately, the strength of this one lies in the portability of a free app which does not require wi-fi once updates are downloaded (great for grocery shopping), and printable guides.  California rolls are a family favourite in our house for eating and a benefit when we make our own is being able to be more aware of the source of fish we use in it and make choices accordingly. If you like sushi, the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch also has a sushi guide.

If you're interested in reading more about sustainable eating, here is an older post with a few more tips. (http://naturenimbus.blogspot.ca/2014/10/world-food-day-some-tips-to-digest.html).

Elucidating Facts About Bioluminescence

The otherworldly, bioluminescent fauna of the twilight (or dysphotic) zone is astounding. A documentary series the Blue Planet features footage of creatures alien from our world on land from the way they were shaped, the way they moved, and the way they glowed.

Bioluminescence is a type of chemiluminescence which is when light is emitted during a chemical reaction and in chemiluminescence very little heat is emitted. This means that this sophisticated method of producing light is also very energy-efficient (perhaps someday technology will be mimicking these animals' efficiency). Bioluminescence Webpage gives a very clear and brief explanation: the chemical luciferin (either produced internally or obtained trough food) reacts with oxygen and is catalyzed by another chemical luciferase, resulting in the production of oxyluciferin and light from the atom going into an excited state.

So these animals use internal chemical reactions to make themselves glow brilliantly... but why? Here are a few thing bioluminescence is used for:

1. To see in the dark.

Very little light reaches the dysphotic zone in the ocean, so being able to glow can help animals see other organisms sharing the waters. Bioluminescence is different from bioflorescence which requires light to be absorbed from an external source in order to produce the glowing effect, so these animals wouldn't need to rely on external sources of light in their dark world. This might seem like an obvious reason, but the colour of the light also matters; many animals in the twilight zone glow blue or green, and that's because blue light will travel the farthest which can help the individual see more, whereas red lights do not travel as far, which can be helpful for finding food, but this also means that they would be more easily spotted by predators. Some animals have the ability to control their glow, but not all of them.

2. As a lure.

If you've seen Disney and Pixar's animated film Finding Nemo, then you've probably seen a enactment of the luring effect of a pretty little light on an angler fish... with some artistic license taken. The angler fish uses a little bioluminescent lure to attract smaller fish and other potential prey into its vicinity so that the angler fish can catch its prey by surprise.

3. For defense.

There are different ways in which bioluminescence is used in defense. Comb jellies/ctenophores have what is called sacrificial tags; when a part of one of the jellies is bitten off, the part remains glowing within the digestive tract of the predator, exposing the predator's location while a shrimp, Acanthephyra purpurea, ejects a blue bioluminescent cloud when it is attacked to protect itself (read more in Switek's article/post in the reference list). Other animals that can control the visibility of their bioluminescence can sometimes also use the glow to confuse predators. The glow of a firefly also warns predators of the bad-tasting chemical catalyst lucibufagens that the firefly is filled with.

Photonic camouflage is a unique type of bioluminescence, and the hatchetfish is one example. To avoid having a silouhette that can be spotted by predators, they adjust photophores on their stomachs which emit light to camouflage with the colour of the light/environment behind them. 

p.s. Scroll to the bottom of the page for an interactive demonstration by feeing 10 bioluminescent fish... however, one has photonic camouflaging (it is the exact same colour as the background). Like the hatchetfish, this fish is very tricky. Try to find the camouflaged fish, and don't forget to share your result in the poll that will be up for the rest of the month (the fish will still be there after the month is up, though). 
          Hint: The fish will follow your mouse until you drop food in.

4. To communicate.

Although this is not their only method of communicating, fireflies are also an example of this one; when they are attracting a mate, males and females will flash signals with their bioluminescent abdomen to communicate with each other. 

There is so much to bioluminescence this only scratches the surface of one of the most brilliant characteristics of a deep part of the ocean. If you're interested in further I found the websites in the reference to be great sources, and the the Blue Planet was awesome.

References

Bioluminescence Webpage. Chemistry of Bioluminescence.The Bioluminescence Webpage. Retrieved January 16, 2014 from http://biolum.eemb.ucsb.edu/chem/

'Docmo'. Animals the Glow: the Science of Bioluminescence. http://docmo.hubpages.com/hub/Animals-that-Glow-The-Science-of-Bioluminescence

National Science Foundation. December 30, 2011. What Glows Beneath: Illuminating Mysteries of the Unseen. Live Science. Retrieved January 16, 2014 from http://www.livescience.com/17685-glow-coral-oceans-nsf-bts.html

Office of Naval Research. Ocean Water: Optics. Office of Naval Research and Science Technology. Retrieved January 16, 2014 from http://www.onr.navy.mil/focus/ocean/water/optics1.htm

Scientific Amierican. Shining Examples: 10 Bioluminescent Creatures that Glow in Surprising Ways [Slide Show]. http://www.scientificamerican.com/slideshow/bioluminescent-avatar/

Switek, Brian. Glow Little Spewing Shrimp, Glow. January 23. 2012. Wired Science. Retrieved February 12, 2014 from http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/01/glow-little-spewing-shrimp-glow/