May 5, 2024 - Observance of Memorial Day
The aquarium will be closed May 27th, 2024 in observance of Memorial Day. Normal operating hours will resume Tuesday, May 28th.
The aquarium will be closed May 27th, 2024 in observance of Memorial Day. Normal operating hours will resume Tuesday, May 28th.
Ocean heat is leading to such high rates of coral bleaching that scientist have declared Earth to be in its forth global bleaching event according the the U.S National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the International Coral Initiative. Corals can bleach due to a range of threats, but today the most pressuring issue is high water temperatures causing signficant stress on corals. Coral bleaching is when the small animals that consist of corals expel their symbiotic microbes. These microbes provide food for corals in the form of sugars through photosynthesis and the corals provide protection. However, when corals are stressed, they eject these microbes which is often a fatal move. Bleaching is not necessarily fatal, but it often is as the world is losing billions of corals on the world's coral reefs. At some points ocean temperatures have gotten so severe that the corals do not even have time to bleach as they are literally cooked by the high ocean temperatures.
As the green energy transition continues to march on in the United States. Scientist at Argonne National Laboratory have discovered a suprising benefit of solar pannel sites. Given the drammatic decline of pollinators in the United States, energy developers are seeding the grounds of their solar arrays with wild flowers. Now a five year study confirms that this approach is having major benefits to pollinators species and the surronding communities of such fields. Scientist at one such site in Minnesota have recorded a surge in native pollinators on the solar panel site. There has been significant pollinator die off over the past two decades as a result of pollution, pesitide use, and human development. The hope is as these seeding methods are replicated at other green energy sites accross the country will result in a rebound of native insect species.
Water is life. Given the need for fresh and clean water for a variety of purposes. Civil engineers and researchers from the University of California, Berkley at taking a page out of an ancient Mayan playbook. The Mayans used construcuted wetlands to maintain water quality and provide water for drinking and farming to their civilians. The Mayans in turn knew the water was clean due to the presence of water lilies given the senstive nature of the plants. They cannot grow in deep water and are sensetive to water mineral compisiton, acidity, and algea growth. Given that these constructed wetland do not require fossil fuels to clean water and are easy maintain, groups are looking to use constructed wetlands to clean pollution runoff into water ways and ensure water sources are usuable for people and wildlife.