WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTE : GLASS SQUID

WOODS HOLE CREATURE FEATURES GLASS SQUID 

Excerpt from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute Creature Feature page.

Glass squid - specifically, Chranchia scabra - get a rough reputation because of the small tubercles dotting their bodies (also called their 'mantle"). If they sense danger, this squid can transform into a lumpy ball by stuffing its bulbous head and tentacles into this mantle cavity.  They're also able to 'go dark' by instantly changing the color of their skin to black.  Scientists have noticed that glass squid release ink into their mantle when threatened, which may help them change color, or could act as a chemical weapon against hungry whales and seabirds.

Shape-shifting and camouflage aren't the only cool tricks up the glass squid's tentacles.  Light-emitting organs, or photophores, around their eyes help them see in the dark and scare away predators.  Females also sport photophores on the tips of their arms, which may be useful for attracting mates.

VERY SCIENTIFIC ARTICLE on ARTIC MELTING and SEA LEVEL CHANGE

WOODS HOLE OCEAN : ARTIC MELTING and SEA LEVEL CHANGE

This one is very scientific but you can read it...

EXCERPT: Sea level is a natural integral indicator of climate variability. It reflects changes in practically all dynamic and thermodynamic processes of terrestrial, oceanic, atmospheric, and cryospheric origin. The use of estimates of sea level rise as an indicator of climate change therefore incurs the difficulty that the inferred sea level change is the net result of many individual effects of environmental forcing. Since some of these effects may offset others, the cause of the sea level response to climate change remains somewhat uncertain. This project is focused on an attempt to provide first order answers to two questions, namely:

1) What is the rate of sea level change in the Arctic Ocean? and 2) What is the role of each of the individual contributing factors to observed Arctic Ocean sea level change? 

THE PLASTIPHERE : ARE THE MICROBES EATING THE PLASTIC? IS THERE DISEASE?

ACS -PLASTIPHERE - A NEW MARINE ECOLOGY COMMUNITY.

"The masses of plastic debris that float over large areas of the world's oceans have become new ecological communities that scientists have named the "Plastisphere." Their report in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology suggests that these novel habitats in the North Atlantic Ocean may harbor potential disease-causing microbes. Erik Zettler of the Sea Education Association, Tracy Mincer of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Linda Amaral-Zettler of the Marine Biological Laboratory explain that plastic has become the No. 1 form of ocean debris, causing serious concerns about its impact on the health of ocean communities."