On a Lifelong Journey to Learn my Place
Back in 2007, my brother and I noticed a mysterious golden sheen under a stump along Mosquito Cove trail. Some years later, the mystery was resolved, but until this week I had still not observed the golden sheen again. A couple of days ago while hiking Mosquito Cove trail with my kids, I checked under … Read more
Photo linked from the Earth Observatory page (larger versions available there) After recent observations of the greening of Silver Bay and the suggestion that the cause was a coccolithophore bloom, I was interested to see the photo above on NASA’s Earth Observatory page. This particular entry discusses an imaging showing two different kinds of plankton … Read more
Looking somewhat like dark brown over-cooked spaghetti draped over the barnacle encrusted rock of the high intertidal on Magic Island, the aptly named rubber threads (Nemalion helminthoides) were new to me. As far as I can tell at this point (still early in my learning about marine algae), there is not really anything else they … Read more
Recently the water in Silver Bay has been exceptionally green, almost like it was seeing glacial run-off. I recall this happening last year as well, and at the time I noticed it I wondered if maybe it was dust from all the blasting and rock work being done on Sawmill Creek Road and for the … Read more
When I was young, there were many occasions I spent playing down on the beach between Totem Park and the Sitka Sound Science Center. Although I saw many things, there are not too many that I remember noticing and/or being aware of during my childhood. Although I wouldn’t have been able to tell you any … Read more
Sea Cauliflower (Leathesia marina) seems to be a relatively easy to identify seaweed with relatively thick flesh growing in lumpy masses. It was abundant at John Brown’s beach early this summer, though I’ve not been familiar with it long enough to have a sense of how common it is more generally in the area. The … Read more