THE ROSS SEA PROJECT : JOHN WELLER ARTIST, ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST

UNIVERSITY OF BOULDER (COLORADO) NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM  check out this beautiful site and John Weller

Excerpt:  

John Weller: Artist Statement

It had been a long time since I cried in public. But on October 28th, 2016, I was not the only one openly weeping in a stone fortress in the center of Hobart, Tasmania, as I witnessed 24 Nations and the European Union establish the world’s largest marine protected area in the Ross Sea, Antarctica.

I had been a professional photographer for 6 years when I first heard about the Ross Sea. The effort to protect it would consume the next 12 years of my life. It started for me in 2004 when I read a paper by Antarctic ecologist David Ainley, who outlined the story of the Ross Sea, identifying it as the last large intact marine ecosystem left on Earth. This idea—that we had but one pristine place left in the entire ocean—got under my skin. It was an itch that I couldn’t scratch, and I eventually called David. We met some weeks later and committed to work together to build a campaign for a marine protected area in the Ross Sea...

THE LAST OCEAN : ANTARTICA'S ROSS SEA PROJECT : SAVING THE MOST PRISTINE ECOSYSTEM ON EARTH

A fantastic book (think of it when gifting!) full of adventure and amazing photography.  Some of the subjects... way more than I could put in labels... Emperor Penguins, Adelie Penguins, Minke Whales, Killer Whales,  The Ross Ice Shelf, McMurdo Research Station, Shakelton's Hut (circa 1908 - a historical monument to survival), underwater Antarctica, Weddell Seals....

HOW SEALS USE THEIR LUNGS TO DIVE DEEPER AND THIER INCREASED CAPACITY TO USE OYGEN.

THE FORMATION OF SEA ICE... BLUE ICEBERGS... 

BY THE EARLY 1970's THE WHALE POPULATION HAD PLUMMETED BY 90%.

THINKING

 

HELLO

A rowboat to be used in a lake in the big ocean.  Not for nothing that I tagged this one with the term Delicious Fiction. Generated by AI through Freepik...

HISTORIC DIVERSITY : MILLENNIA OF UNIQUE LIFE : CHANNEL ISLANDS NATIONAL PARK

Excerpt:  The northern Channel Islands were home to Native Chumash communities for at least 12,000 years. The eight islands and their encircling waters host over 2,000 species of animals and plants – 145 found nowhere else on Earth. Often referred to as the Galapagos of North America, isolation over thousands of years and the mingling of warm and cold ocean currents has given rise to this rich biodiversity. Today, five of the islands, their submerged lands, and the waters within one nautical mile of each island are protected as Channel Islands National Park, which was established in large part to protect these unique natural and cultural resources. Enjoy this virtual presentation about the diverse history, geography, and unique flora and fauna of the islands and the people who protect them.

TIDE POOLS

 

HUMAN NOISE DROWNS OUT HUMPBACK COMMUNICATION

HUMAN NOISE DROWNS OUT HUMBACK COMMUNICATION 

In this Newsweek article, we learn that the whales cannot make sounds out of their biologically possible range though their sounds can travel great distances through the water.  The trouble is not just noise but that the big ships make sounds in the same range, which can be confusing.

BEAUTIFUL WHALE : BRYANT AUSTIN PHOTOGRAPHER GETS UP CLOSE TO WHALES

STUDIO COSMOS : BRYANT AUSTIN PHOTOGRAPHER 

Humpback, Sperm, and Minke Whales up close....

A beautiful book!

All those fish hiking a ride...

Such intelligent eyes!

ELEPHANT SEAL TALES : FORTY YEARS OF MONITORING AT POINT REYES

MONGABAY : MARINE PROTECTED HABITATS ALLOW BIODIVERSITY and WILDLIFE TO FLOURISH

MONGABAY COM 

Excerpt:   A growing body of research demonstrates that MPAs – and fully protected no-take zones in particular – can have real impacts in conserving biodiversity and enabling wildlife to live and flourish. In California, researchers have found clear evidence that California’s investment in MPAs is already making a difference. Environment California Research & Policy Center and Azul’s recent report “Changing the Tides: How Marine Protections Cultivate Ocean Life,”  has highlighted examples of marine ecosystem recovery in five of California’s most iconic MPAs.

The Point Lobos State Marine Reserve, in particular, provides a compelling success story of California’s ocean conservation efforts. Located off the coast of Monterey County, countless generations of sea otters, sea lions and harbor seals have long flocked to Point Lobos’ rocky shoreline. More than 300 species of birds thrive above the cold water corals that populate its rocky reefs. Beneath the water, vast eelgrass beds and kelp forests house abundant fish species, including California halibut and rainbow sea perch, and Dungeness crabs and brittle sea stars on the sandy seafloor.

CALIFORNIA CHANNEL ISLAND and MARINE PROTECTED AREAS EXPANSION PROPOSED

SBCK OUR WORK ADVOCACY click for the details and how you might get involved!

The Santa Barbara Channel is protected by a network of 19 MPAs, five along the coast and 14 surrounding the Channel Islands. Each MPA was designated to set aside a particularly special area of the marine environment to create a robust network of protection covering over 350 square miles.

There is now a drive to expand these areas: KEYT NEWS SANTA BARBARA 

Excerpt:  Last year, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) publicly released the first 10 year comprehensive review of the MPA Network, and how to prioritize management of the area. It included 28 adaptive management recommendations and potential changes spanning 2023 to 2033.

... the proposal could impact commercial and sport fishing off Anacapa Island, Santa Cruz Island and, Santa Rosa Island by expanding current restrictions.

THERE ARE MANY SUNKEN CITIES AROUND THE WORLD....

I posted about three of them.  

Can you find more?  

Do you agree that the cities sank?

- Siren