The Beach, and Hardcore Science News.

My goodness.
I'm almost packed for our departure tomorrow morning...
And that means that in a little over 24 hours, I will be gazing upon Folly Beach, South Carolina.

*hyperventilates*




The South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary (or SAWS) is being voted on next Monday by the IWC.
This is a huge deal! Go Greenpeace!
This would protect the whales in the southern hemisphere from whaling.
Amazing!
Fingers crossed!

Humpback whale.

http://en.mercopress.com/2012/06/28/greenpeace-asks-iwc-for-historic-whale-sanctuary-in-the-south-atlantic







The U.S. resolves to take the lead in whale conservation?
This title's awesomeness speaks for itself.

Minke whale.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-resolves-to-take-the-lead-in-whale-conservation-2012-06-29







Scientists are just now thinking of this?
Yes, there are more fish than humans.
Yes, when they breathe they release C02 into the atmosphere.
Yes, they respirate more rapidly when they are in hotter temperatures, same as we do.
All of this information has led scientists to a rather obvious conclusion:
The fish of the world, by breathing more rapidly as a result of global warming, are making the situation worse.

Fish respiration.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120620133155.htm







GCA! GCA! GCA! GCA!
Ohhh my goodness.
The Global Conservation Act was passed today by both the House and the Senate.
This is the first global conservation strategy the U.S. has taken on.
I mean, wow.
Just wow.
Protecting our global environment is the most important thing the government could be doing, and this just makes me happy (as happy as when they passed the Shark Conservation Act in 2010).

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/global-conservation-act-introduced-on-capitol-hill-2012-06-29







Whale sharks. They're amazing.
Whoa.
Here are some pictures and information on a recent tagging expedition off the coast of Indonesia!

http://blog.conservation.org/2012/06/tagging-giants-studying-whale-sharks-in-cendrawasih-bay/







This is a (sort of) lovely tidbit from Ocean Conservancy.
If you wish, you may go and participate in their latest poll on ocean issues.
As for me, I couldn't choose...
It seems incredibly ridiculous to try and choose between "cleaning up trash", "protecting marine ecosystems like the Gulf of Mexico", "rebuilding fish populations", and "establishing marine protected areas"....
Because they are all part of the same issue:
THESE DANG HUMANS ARE DESTROYING THE OCEANS.

Baby Leatherback turtle.

http://theblogaquatic.org/2012/06/28/ocean-conservancy-wants-to-hear-from-you/







It's bad enough that there is oil drilling in the Arctic to begin with.
Now, the government is moving ahead with their offshore drilling program without properly understanding the vast and intricate ecosystem it really is.
*Sigh*

http://theblogaquatic.org/2012/06/28/now-more-than-ever-we-need-better-arctic-science/







Over 70 green sea turtles have washed up on the coast of Queensland, Australia for unknown reasons since last Friday.
62 of them were confirmed dead, and all of them were found in Upstart Bay.
No evidence of parasites or disease has been found.

http://phys.org/news/2012-06-mystery-mass-deaths-green-turtles.html






Pyura chilensis.
An interesting name for an interesting creature.
Pyura is the genus for a group of sessile ascidians (or sea squirts - a marine invertebrate that filter-feeds for sustenance) that live in low-depth coastal areas. 
This strange, rock-like sea creature is found off the coast of Chile and Peru.

http://grist.org/list/crazy-living-rock-is-one-of-the-weirdest-creatures-weve-ever-seen/

Sciiiiiience.