Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Learn about Marine Life

By Alexis Bracey


Oceans cover more than two thirds of the earth's surface, and they are very deep! Fish and other animals make their homes in all different parts of the ocean, even on the bottom, or sea floor. The ocean is also filled with lots of plants, which provide food, homes, and protection for ocean animals. A person who studies ocean life is called a marine biologist.

In 1960, a descent was made to 10,916 m/35,813 ft in the Challenger Deep external of the Marianna trench-the deepest known point in the oceans, 10,924 m/35,838 ft deep at its maximum, near 11 22'N 142 36'E-about 200 miles southwest of Guam. The dive was made in the bathyscape Trieste external built by Auguste Piccard, his son Swiss explorer Jean Ernest-Jean Piccard and U.S. Navy Lieutenant Don Walsh. The descent took almost five hours and the two men spent barely twenty minutes on the ocean floor before undertaking the 3 hour 15 minute ascent.

Another important dive was the Trieste. The Trieste's first dive was made in 1953. In the years following, the bathyscape was used for a number of oceanographic research projects, including biological observation, and in 1957 she was chartered and later purchased by the U.S. Navy. The Navy continued to use the bathyscape for oceanographic research off the coast of San Diego, and later used the Trieste for a submarine recovery mission off the U.S. east coast. The bathyscape was retired following the U.S. Navy's commission of the Trieste II external, and is currently on exhibit at the Washington Naval Historical Center external.

Most kinds of whales live in groups called pods. The pods are kind of like families. The older whales take care of the younger whales, which are called calves. Whales stay together in their pods for most of their life. Most kinds of whales live somewhere in the middle of the ocean so that they can quickly get to the surface since they need to go up for air a lot.

Fortunately, thanks to the work of past and present ocean explorers, the public is increasingly aware of these risks which encourage public agencies to take action and promote research. The efforts of public agencies using a multi-disciplinary approach, together with the efforts provided by numerous private marine conservation organizations that work on issues such as advocacy, education, and research, will help drive the momentum needed to face the challenges of preserving the ocean.




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