Oceans and Their Inhabitants

[AndyinPA]

Awesome in the correct word!

[Flatpoint High]

I love Attenborough

[RVInit]

[AndyinPA]

Cool!

[John Thomas8]

This person posts a good story every day:

[RTH10260]

Nature's batteries at the bottom of the ocean!

Just Have a Think
28 Jul 2024

Polymetallic Nodules. Never heard of them? Well there are trillions of them on the deepest sea beds of our oceans. Mining companies want to scoop them all up for the valuable elements they contain, like manganese, cobalt and nickel. But new research has demonstrated that those metallic constituents are causing a reaction that creates oxygen in the total absence of sunlight or photosynthesis. So...is it really a good idea to remove them?

[keith]

Dunno if the same thing, but I read back in the 60's they were thinking of mining nodules in the ocean floor, I think for manganese, but maybe molybdenum. It was gonna be cheap to collect them and the market was high.

Then they realised that if they went ahead the supply would quickly outstrip demand (like within months), the market would crash and cause chaos for decades.

[RTH10260]

[RVInit]

I think someone had already posted the documentary about the oarfish, but here it is again. It's very interesting. A scientist in scuba gear was cleaning off equipment off the coast of France, and suddenly, there it was. I highly recommend a watch.

[RTH10260]

Invasive Royal Crab: How This Species is Taking Over Northern Seas | SLICE EARTH | FULL DOCUMENTARY

SLICE Earth
15 Aug 2024

Introduced to Northern Europe’s shores by the Russians in the 1960s, the Royal Crab has been relentlessly expanding its territory, particularly along the Norwegian coast where it’s methodically colonizing the region.

This invasive species poses a significant threat to local ecosystems, disrupting the delicate balance of marine life. Scientists, deeply concerned about the ecological impact, are closely studying the Royal Crab's remarkable biology. Their goal is to understand the reasons behind its rapid and aggressive spread.

Documentary: Conquerors – Ep: The Giant Crab of Kamtchatcka
Directed by: Nicolas Gabriel
Production: ZED & Arte France

[Volkonski]

Very interesting. So Norway is torn between reducing the crab population to maintain biodiversity and maintaining the crab population for economic exploitation. Difficult balancing act.

[RTH10260]

[Estiveo]

[AndyinPA]

Killer whales? AKA orcas?

One time we went orca watching in the San Juan Islands out of Victoria. There were three pods there at the time. Once or twice a year, the three pods join up and have a get-together. We got to see about 90 orcas instead of 30. It was similar to this and absolutely awesome.