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Tree Swallows are medium-sized birds with white underbellies and iridescent blue-green capes that run from their heads to their wing tips. They often live in flocks that can number hundreds of thousands of birds and just before sunset, these flocks will swarm around their roosting spots in great circles that resemble living tornadoes. In the [...]

Seabirds, such as auks, gulls, petrels, terns, and gannets, have spent tens of millions of years adapting to life on the ocean. Some species, such as the Sooty Tern, can spend years at sea before returning to land. The success of these species is dependent on the success of their food sources (such as fish [...]

Since the 1930s, when they were accidentally brought by ship to Mobile, Alabama, South American fire ants have been expanding their range and now live as far north as Delaware. Similarly, Argentine ants have recently been introduced to North America and are flourishing in the Southeast. Warming temperatures and increases in rainfall have occured throughout [...]

In the Amazon Rainforest, woody climbing vines, also known as lianas, are increasing in dominance throughout the Amazon Rainforest at a rate of 1.7 to 4.6 percent a year. Lianas harm the trees that they attach to and use as ladders, and are considered parasites. Carbon Dioxide (CO2) levels have risen from 280 parts per [...]

The warming trend over the last thirty years in the Eastern U.S. has coincided with changes in the behavior of migratory birds. Depending on each individual specieslifestyle, birds that breed in the northern U.S. and southern Canada may either delay or advance the date at which they begin their journey south in the fall. Because [...]

Over the last 40 years in the eastern U.S., there has been an increase in the frequency during warm months of 30-day periods when there is no rain. These dry spells now occur about twice as often as they did in the 1960′s. Rainfall events push water through municipal sewer and storm water systems. During [...]

In the late nineteenth and twentieth Centuries, much of the farmland in the Eastern United States was abandoned as the population became more urbanized. These abandoned farms reverted back to forest and many bird populations, including the Black-throated Blue Warbler, rebounded along with the woods. Now is the time of year when this bird makes [...]

Coral reefs provide food for billions of people. All of the benefits of coral reefs are being threatened by two trends: increasing ocean temperatures and increasing ocean acidity. Between 1955 and 199, world ocean heat content rose by 0.037 degrees Celsius. While this number may seem small, the same amount of energy it would take [...]

Just seaward of the Florida keys lies a 130 mile long coral reef that extends from Miami to the Dry Tortugas. This reef provides habitat for over 5,500 marine species and buffers Florida and the Keys from storm surges. A combination of rising ocean temperatures, increases in ocean acidity, and runoff from farms and developments, [...]

The largest fish in the world is the whale shark, a huge fish that can reach over 50 feet in lengh and can weigh several tons. Seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter (Source: Woods Hole Science Aquarium: Frequently Asked Questions. http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/faq/fishfaq1.html#q4.)

Did you know that the biggest toothed predator of the sea today is the Sperm Whale? These giant creatures, weighing from 30 to 60 tons, also have the largest nose and brain. Perhaps the most amazing thing about them is their fondness towards socializing with each other. Big families of sperm whales stay close together [...]

When soil particles or other organic particles are suspended in water, it can become brown and murky. Scientists measure turbidity to find out how clear the water is. High turbidity brown, murky water can block sunlight. Soil particles suspended in water also absorb heat, which can cause water temperature to rise, and particles can become [...]

Species that inhabit the deep sea have unique characteristics that help them survive the cold temperature and extremely high pressure of their habitat. Deep sea trenches can have pressure 1,000 times stronger than surface atmospheric pressure. Fish in these habitats often have lightweight skeletons, small muscles, and slower growth and reproductive rates. Since the fish [...]

One of the problems that some deep sea organisms face is the threat of extinction because of exploitation from humans. Many deep sea fishes and clams are popular in the U.S. food industry, as well as in other countries. These species have a long life span and a late maturation rate, meaning that they reproduce [...]

Microscopic organisms called dinoflagellates cause the sparkles that can sometimes be seen in the ocean, or along the wet shoreline, at night. These organisms flash a light (called bioluminescence) when the water around them is disturbed! Seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter (Source: World Wildlife Fund. Windows on the Wild: Oceans of Life, An Educators Guide [...]

There are many strange creatures living in the depths of the ocean. Hydrothermal vents are openings in the Earths crust at the bottom of the ocean that emit toxic, scalding hot chemicals like hydrogen sulfide. The animals living in the vents are in symbiotic (mutually beneficial) relationships with the bacteria that turn the hydrogen sulfide [...]

Greater than 70 percent of the world’s oxygen supply comes from phytoplankton in the ocean – more than is produced by the world’s trees. Every two or three breaths, remember to thank the ocean! Seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter (Source: SENEME chapter of NMEA.)

Have you ever wondered why some oceans are a dark greenish-blue color and why other oceans are colored a cyan blue? The reason is because the things living in the water reflect and absorb light. Water does a good job absorbing all colors except light blue, and because the atmosphere contains a lot of water, [...]

In the oceans, tiny creatures known as plankton ultimately feed all other ocean life. These plankton are classified as one of the following: phytoplankton, which are tiny, single celled creatures that rely on the sun’s light for energy; zooplankton, which are the microscopic grazers that feed on these phytoplankton; and bacterioplankton, which are single celled [...]

Not only are there hundreds of coral species in coral reefs, but reefs also provide habitat for over 4,000 species of fish and about 25 percent of marine life overall. Seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter (Source: NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program: http://www.coralreef.noaa.gov. International Year of the Reef 2008:http://www.iyor.org/reefs/benefits.asp.)