Ocean acidification has taken up an unlikely mascot: the shelled pteropod. While “charismatic megafauna,” the large creatures that pull at our heartstrings, are typically the face of environmental problems—think polar bears on a shrinking iceberg and oil-slicked pelicans—these tiny sea snails couldn’t be more different. They don’t have visible eyes or anything resembling a face, diminishing their cute factor. They can barely be seen with the human eye, rarely reaching one centimeter in length. And the changes acidification has on them are even harder to see: the slow disintegration of their calcium carbonate shells.
Archive for the 'Art' Category
The Simon Mace Gallery welcomes NW sculptor, David Eisenhour, for the month of August.
Eisenhour’s elegant sculptures emerge into bronze, elevating the microscopic pteropod, while echoing the universal spiral. Each pteropod in the series exhibits progressive signs of degradation. An evolutionary tale is spun, an omen of portent for Planet Earth.
This series is informed by David’s study of ocean acidification and the effects on the flora and fauna. Relatively new research shows increased levels of carbon dioxide has been absorbed by the oceans, gradually altering the pH balance and disrupting the life cycles of shell-forming marine animals. Proven to inhibit shell development, higher acidity threatens many species, especially those closer to the surface.
Amazing sea butterflies are the ocean’s canary in the coal mine
Published 16 May 2013 Art , Web sites and blogs ClosedThe chemistry of the ocean is changing. Most climate change discussion focuses on the warmth of the air, but around one-quarter of the carbon dioxide we release into the atmosphere dissolves into the ocean. Dissolved carbon dioxide makes seawater more acidic—a process called ocean acidification—and its effects have already been observed: the shells of sea butterflies, also known as pteropods, have begun dissolving in the Antarctic.
Tiny sea butterflies are related to snails, but use their muscular foot to swim in the water instead of creep along a surface. Many species have thin, hard shells made of calcium carbonate that are especially sensitive to changes in the ocean’s acidity. Their sensitivity and cosmopolitan nature make them an alluring study group for scientists who want to better understand how acidification will affect ocean organisms. But some pteropod species are proving to do just fine in more acidic water, while others have shells that dissolve quickly. So why do some species perish while others thrive?
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“Tipping Point” to be shown at the San Francisco International Ocean Film Festival
Published 20 February 2013 Art , Science , Web sites and blogs ClosedFriday 8 March 2013, 1 pm
“Tipping Point”, France, Laurence Jourdan, 54 min
An intelligent look at the emerging science of ocean acidification, that is shot in dramatic ocean locations from the tropics to the arctic, this film follows scientists on a sensitive, compelling and ultimately hopeful journey, into one of the marine environment’s most imminent challenges. —PW
Seaweek embraces $50,000 Ocean Art Challenge
Published 12 December 2012 Art , Web sites and blogs ClosedThe $50,000 Ocean Acidification Art Challenge is now open to all Victorian students Years 9-12.
Australia’s largest environmental art show, it has been created to stimulate a deeper understanding of Ocean Acidification and to encourage wider environmental responsibility.
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The art of marine science: collaborating with art students to create outreach and education tools on ocean acidification in the Florida Keys
Published 20 November 2012 Art , Science ClosedThe main objective of this study is to continue collaborative efforts with Ringling College of Art and Design students to create new outreach products on ocean acidification that will increase awareness about the impacts of ocean acidification on Florida coral reef ecosystems.
The pteropod project: sea butterflies, climate change, and art (text and audio)
Published 15 November 2012 Art , Media coverage ClosedYou’ve no doubt heard of the butterfly effect. Well, Gareth Lawson of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution has his own version: the sea butterfly effect. As carbon dioxide emissions build up in the atmosphere, some of it is absorbed by the ocean, where it turns to acid – a phenomenon known as ocean acidification.
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Funded by Eye On The World Natural Images, Ocean Ark Alliance is hosting Australia’s largest environmental art show at the Melbourne Aquarium on 22 October 2012. This has been created to stimulate a deeper understanding of ocean acidification.
Specific topics include the impact of ocean acidification on coral reefs, southern seas, polar seas, marine life, coastal communities & economic wealth.
Open to all Year 9 -12 students, this Victoria-based pilot is the start of what the Ocean Ark Alliance hopes will become a national and international initiative
The other CO2 problem animation now available in Spanish and Italian
Published 9 March 2012 Art Closed
The other CO2 problem animation, originally made by the Ridgeway School (Plymouth, UK) students in collaboration with EPOCA is now available in Spanish and Italian. The translations were performed by Spanish and Italian students and supported by the MedSea project. The video is also available in French.
Click on the images to watch the videos.
Le dessin animé produit par les élèves de l’école Ridgeway de Plymouth (Royaume-Uni) et les chercheurs du Laboratoire Marin de Plymouth (financé par EPOCA) vient d’être traduit en français par des élèves du collège Charles III de Monaco avec le soutien d’EPOCA et de l’Institut océanographique de Monaco. Il est disponible sur YouTube.
The “Tipping Point” documentary won the “Best Scientific Movie” award at the Mediterranea film festival that took place in Antibes (France), 31 March-3 April 2011.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is conducting research on ocean acidification in polar, temperate, subtropical, and tropical regions including the Arctic, West Florida Shelf, and the Caribbean. Project activities include field assessment, experimental laboratory studies, and evaluation of existing data. The USGS is participating in international and interagency working groups to develop research strategies to increase understanding of the global implications of ocean acidification. Research strategies include new approaches for seawater chemistry observation and modeling, assessment of physiological effects on organisms, changes in marine ecosystem structure, new technologies, and information resources. These postcards highlight ongoing USGS research efforts in ocean acidification and carbon cycling in marine and coastal ecosystems in three different regions: polar, temperate, and tropical. To learn more about ocean acidification visit: http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/ocean-acidification/.
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Acid Test: The Global challenge of ocean acidification (movie)
Published 25 September 2009 Art 1 CommentACID TEST, a film produced by NRDC, was made to raise awareness about the largely unknown problem of ocean acidification, which poses a fundamental challenge to life in the seas and the health of the entire planet. Like global warming, ocean acidification stems from the increase of carbon dioxide in the earth’s atmosphere since the start of the Industrial Revolution.
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Margot Spindelman’s paintings depict the physical landscape as an exploration of a parallel human, interior terrain. Color, muted or clamorous, and dashed or looping lines, interact with organic forms that enforce or subvert the horizon to engender seductive paintings that recreate the landscape as a painted, invented world.
Continue reading ‘Margot Spindelman, The Ocean and The Road (exhibition)’
