Mystery Wave Hits Boothbay Harbor, Maine

This article reports mysterious waves, that scientists still don't have a name for, occuring in a Maine harbor last week. The last time a rogue wave like this hit Maine was in 1926. There have also been waves like this that have hit the Florida coast over 15 years ago. Overall it was an interessting article, especially since we're talking about waves in class.

You Have To Admit, It's A Pretty Neat Shot !!

Here is the winning picture of National Geographic's 2008 Best Wild Animal Photo, "Underwater World" category. The photo was taken by Brian Skerry, who was on assignment for National Geographic magazine off of New Zealand's Auckland Islands. To view all the winning photographs, just click here.

You Might Not Know This...

So here are some facts that I found while looking up information on sharks. I didn't know some of these and thought I would pass along the knowledge.

• Over 375 shark species have been identified, but only about a dozen are considered particularly dangerous.
  
• Three species are responsible for most human attacks: great white, tiger, and bull sharks.
• The largest shark is the whale shark, which can grow to 60 feet (20 meters) long.
• Among the smallest shark species is the deep water dogfish shark which measures less than 8 inches (20 centimeters) in length.
• Sharks do not sleep. Rather, they experience alternating periods of activity and rest.
• Some sharks must swim constantly to "breathe" oxygen from water passing through their gills. Other species can achieve this while stationary.
• Sharks are among Earth's most ancient animals. The fossil record dates ancestors of modern sharks to as far back as 400 million years ago.
• Sharks can replace lost teeth in as little as 24 hours and may use thousands of teeth over the course of a lifetime.

For these and other shark facts, click here.

Graveyard of Ancient Shipwrecks Found in the Black Sea

"In the depths of the Black Sea lies a landscape of eternal darkness. With no light and no oxygen in the sea's anoxic layer, no life can survive, except perhaps the ghosts of ancient mariners whose ships foundered thousands of years ago."

This article talks about two shipwrecks that have been found, and preserved, in the Black Sea. It is an interesting article, especially for anyone interested in archaeology.

Jaques Piccard Dies At Age 86.

On Saturday, November 1st, Jaques Piccard past away. He was a scientist and an underwater explorer. He, along with U.S. Navy Lt. Don Walsh, holds the record for the deepest dive ever carried out. On January 23, 1960, Piccard and Walsh went 35,800 feet (nearly 11 km) into the Mariana Trench. For more information about Piccard and his other achievements, click here.

Anyone Short On Cash?

If you're short on cash and have some spare time, here's a way that you could earn $20 million (US). Scotland announced, in April of this year, the Saltire Prize. What you have to do is come up with "spurring advances in marine renewable energy." As far as I've been able to tell, no one has won yet, but here's a chance to put your education to some use. For the full story from National Geographic, click here. For the story from Scotland's government, click here.

The T-rex of the Oceans

This creature, dubbed "the Monster", was dug up off of the Island of Spitsbergen, in Norway. It was first discovered in 2006. It is 150 million years old and measures roughly 15 meters in length. It's "A massive prehistoric sea reptile that was longer than a humpbakc whale and had teeth the size of cucumbers." It represents one of the largest marine reptiles ever known. For the full story, click here.