Monday 11 March 2013

Books!!

Last Summer, I was introduced to a most fascinating book called The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Ocean, from Dorling Kindersley. I searched high and low for the book in every bookstore I came across, and not one had it (oh how I miss Borders)! Then, about a week ago (8 months from the original sighting no less), I finally found the prized possession in my local Waterstones. Cue the sudden appearance of my inner "Golem".


I tell you, this book is such a valuable part of my library! Never have I found such a comprehensive book for marine biology, especially with such detailed science.

Well, later that week, I bought some charms and beads so I could make myself a new bookmark (my old Eragon bookmark is sadly still MIA).


I chose emerald and aqua crystal beads since emerald is my birthstone (Yay! Go May!) and aqua crystal simply looks beautiful. The fish is of course because I love fish! Making the charm for the book mark was not so hard as when I usually make charms, since I also bought a new set of pliers to attach the metal loop at the top.

Making the charm
The finished charm before attaching to the bookmark
Ok, this may actually be nicer than my Eragon bookmark,
which is saying something since the other had a dragon!
In it's rightful place on my brand-spanking new
marine biology book

Sunday 10 March 2013

On the Path to Marine Biology

In order to become a Marine Biologist, some wise person told people to go out into the great unknown and gain a university degree. Among my various travels spanning many far off lands from Portsmouth in the South to Bangor in the West, I chanced upon Newcastle University, in the distant land of Tyne and Wear.  

We first visited the university at the end of last June, at a general open day. I fell in love with the course and city. The Angel of the North greeted us as we left the motorway, and after that, the wonderful sights just kept on revealing themselves.

The Angel of the North
The Tyne Bridge
The Olympic Symbol on the Tyne Bridge
The campus was simply beautiful (helped, of course, by the fabulous weather). There was so much to see; and for such a small city, the campus was so huge!

The Old Quadrangle
The University's logos through the ages
And so I submitted my application. And I waited... And waited... And then, after what seemed to be eternity and a day (in truth: about fifteen days), I got my offer! So after the initial jubilation quieted down, I set about making preparations for my next venture to the great North.

The second time we visited Newcastle was last Wednesday, for an applicant open day. Whilst I cannot say the weather was as beautiful as June (though surprisingly warm for the time), the day convinced me more of my destination for the next three years. Visiting the Dove Marine Laboratory on the North Shields was spectacular, as I got to see (and hold) many species I'd be learning of.

Edible Sea Urchin (Echinus esculentus)
Common Starfish (Asterias rubens)
The underside of the starfish
Edible Crab (Cancer pagurus)
Random species of Hermit Crab
I'll let you know which when I'm a Marine Biologist :D
So all in all, a most wonderful day that convinced me of where I'd like to spend the next three years learning about this wonderful science. Now to just get back to studying to get that place! 

If you wish to see the university for yourself, here are the links:

Sunday 3 March 2013

Some Seas Sparkle

My first post is about a species that was featured in the news a few weeks ago for closing one of the worlds most famous beaches, Bondi Beach in Australia.

Name: Nociluca scintillans
Common Name: Sea Sparkle   
Type of Organism: Single Cell Eukaryote (Protist)

Species: Algae (Kingdom: Dinoflagellate)

Image from Google (TM) 

These minute creatures are typically anywhere from 200µ to 2000µ at their widest point (so only about 0.2mm to 2mm). So how did they manage to close 2 beaches in Sydney?
Well, during rare occasions, when cold water rapidly rises to the surface (bringing plenty of nutritious plankton with it), large blooms of Sea Sparkle appear.

Bondi Beach during the most recent bloom
(Image from The Telegraph website. Photo by William West)

These large blooms contain millions upon millions of these single cell algae, which turn the ocean red with their bioluminescence, giving rise to their nickname of 'Red Tides'. The Bioluminescence is caused by chemical reactions involving tiny organelles called scintillons, which produce light as a by-product. Beaches frequented by humans are closed during these events as large amounts of harmful ammonia is excreted by the blooms.

Sources:
BBC News
Wikipedia
Google Images
The Telegraph
Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Ocean (produced by DK)