From Coastlines to Coral
Like many of the extraordinary women featured on this site, I fell in love with the ocean early on and fell hard. Declaring myself a future marine biologist by the time I was about 9 years old, I spent summers exploring the barnacle-ridden rocky tidal pools at Wingaersheek Beach in my home state of Massachusetts or catch-and-releasing crabs and invertebrates that were unfortunate enough to pass by my grandparents’ dock in Chesapeake Bay. I was happiest when I was saltiest, and that hasn’t changed.
Ida-Wenona Hendricks: A Collection of Personal Experiences by Black Women in Marine Science
Ida-Wenona Hendricks is a Tropical marine biologist, naturalist and budding taxonomist; she shares with us her journey as a Black African female marine biologist. Her unique experiences and the hurdles she has had to overcome in the industry. As a Namibian marine biologist Ida has faced repercussions for questioning neo-colonial practices in her home country. In addition, Ida is helping women of colour to protect their beautiful coils from saltwater in an eco-friendly way.
Diversity in Ocean Science: A Collection of Personal Experiences by Black Women in Marine Science
With the help of some inspiring, powerful and brilliant Black women, we have come together to share our stories of being Black women in marine science. I hope our stories and reflections inspire you. For some, this is the first time we have been able to share our experiences so candidly. For others, it is the first time we have been asked. We are making waves in this industry and are working hard to inspire future generations of women of colour in marine conservation.
Investigating Plastic Pollution: An Interview with Dr. Imogen Napper
Plastic derived from the Greek plastikos meaning ‘capable of being shaped or moulded’, is a long lasting, cheap and strong product that can be found everywhere. The miracle material with its ideal properties for manufacturing is at the heart of a global epidemic. The properties that once made plastic an ideal product also make it a gravely problematic one, a result of our throwaway culture. To date, over 300 million tons of plastic is produced each year, of which 8 million tons finds it’s way into our oceans yearly.
Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease: What is it and How Can You Help?
The first time I saw stony coral tissue loss disease, I knew it could mean the end of these beautiful coral reefs that I grew up with, unless we act now!”
Buried Treasure: Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems (MCE’s) of the Hawaiian Archipelago
The Twilight Zone was not just a hit TV series by Rod Serling. But the counterpart which shares its name, “Coral Reef Twilight Zone”, captivates audiences just as much.
The Reef Rescue Network: Restoring Life, Growing Opportunity.
I became aware of threats against the ocean as soon as I started scuba diving, whether it was seeing coral bleaching during a dive or discarded fishing nets covering coral reefs, my eyes were now open to what most will never see. The threats to our ocean are mostly hidden to humans and this is why it has been so devastating, and little has been done to stop it.
"Down Under"...Water: Jacinta Shackleton and Sea Turtles of the Great Barrier Reef
Jacinta Shackleton is a marine biologist and educator at Lady Elliot Island, located right on the Great Barrier Reef. You might recognize her name from her stunning work filming and photographing marine animals. Most notably, she is 1/~50 people to have seen and filmed an Ornate Eagle Ray.
Travelling the Tropics
Coral reefs, the cities beneath the waves only cover less than 1% of the Earth’s surface but are home to 25% of all known marine life. They provide us with food, protection, jobs and medicine, yet we destroy, damage and degrade these intricate ecosystems mercilessly. We have now decimated 50% of coral reefs worldwide. At this rate, they could all be destroyed come the end of the decade
Ocean Connectedness in A World of Injustice
World Ocean Day feels a little different this year. Heck, everything does. During this time of the COVID-19 pandemic, and a fight for racial justice, some us have retreated from others, some have sought creative ways to cope with lingering anxiety and the thought of the unknown, and some have taken their anger and sadness to the streets in the form of protests.
The Unintended Impacts of Tourism on Coral Reefs
Due to the safety precautions put in place to protect communities from the COVID 19 outbreak, there has recently been a collapse of the tourism industry. I thought this would be an excellent opportunity to reflect on the impact that tourism has on coral reefs.
Arctic Adventures – Microplastics with Tristyn Garza
Tristyn Garza is a graduate student at the University of West Florida, with a focus on microplastic pollution. Tristyn is working with samples from the Great Lakes to Antarctic identifying and categorizing microplastics. Learn more about her work and her research journey below!
Shedding Light on the Harmful Impacts of Oil: An Interview with Maria Rodgers
Maria Rodgers, a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Southern Mississippi’s Gulf Coast Research Lab, studies the responses of marine species to oil in the Gulf of Mexico. With an impressive six publications to her name, read further to unravel how Maria got to where she is now.
Marine Molecular Biology: An Interview With Yasmin Meeda
Marine biology is using the powerful methods of molecular biology to answer a variety of evolutionary and ecological questions. Meet Yasmin is a Marine Molecular Biologist studying at the University of Plymouth and the Treasurer for the Royal Society of Biology. Here is an insight to what life is like as a molecular biologist!
Searchin’ the Urchins – Ecotoxicology with Fengjia Liu
Fengjia Liu is a first-year PhD student with the University of Highlands and Islands and based at the Scottish Association for Marine Sciences (Scotland, UK). Her research focuses on ecotoxicology of sea urchins. https://www.sams.ac.uk/people/research-students/fengjia-liu/
From Junkyard to Coral Research: An interview with Assistant Professor Dr. Sarah Davies
Dr. Sarah Davies, an assistant professor at Boston University utilises molecular techniques to understand how reef-building corals adapt and respond to climate change. Her lab, ‘The Davies Marine Population Genomics Lab’, seeks to understand precisely how and why these responses occur. To date, Dr. Davies has over 30 publications and is an inspiring woman in her field. Continue below as she reveals her journey from junkyard to assistant professor.
The Most Powerful Creatures You’ve Never Seen
The microbiological organisms of the marine world create a splash way too big for their size. The feats of the tiny range from resourceful to beautiful and even frightening. Coccolithophores have been impacting our world since the day they first evolved. Here are the ways that microscopic creatures impact the marine world.
One With the Cetaceans: An Interview with Marine Biologist, Lisa Steiner
Lisa Steiner is the marine biologist for Whale Watch Azores, and has been since 1988! WOS Editor, Dana Tricarico dives into what brought Steiner to this archipelago, and what she has learned in the field of marine mammal science along the way.