Greetings!
Happy World Oceans Day! This month, we would like to join the world in celebrating World Oceans Day on June 8th! In honor of this year's theme "Youth: The Next Wave for Change" we would like to challenge kids of all ages to learn two facts about the ocean and pass it on. Not a kid? You're just a baby compared to the youngest ocean - the Atlantic Ocean is ~150 million years old. You can play too. Let OGL get you started with some fun, educational and downright weird facts...
And, as always, follow our expeditions and other news from the marine world on our Facebook and Twitter pages!   |
| Learn two facts, tell two people! |
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 | Microscopic algae help us breathe easy.
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Ocean Fact#1: Most of the oxygen in our atmosphere comes from the ocean. Not that we don't love our rainforest, but 70% of the oxygen on Earth comes from algae (plants and plant-like bacteria). Algae produce about 330 billion tons of oxygen each year. Even if you're in the middle of a desert, you're still breathing ocean air.
Ocean Fact #2: Lionfish, Tiger Cowries and Water Bears Oh My! There are more kinds of animals in the ocean than on land. Scientists divide the tree of life into branches called phyla. Thirty-three of the thirty-four animal phyla are found in the ocean while only fourteen are found on land. The biorepository at OGL contains 22 phlya representing the majority of life in the ocean. Go ahead and explore our online catalog to see if you can find members of specific phyla.
 | | Lionfish (Phlyum Chordata), Tiger Cowry (Phlyum Mollusca) and Water Bear (Phylum Tardigrada). |
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| | C. exigua is mainly found in the Gulf of California. |
Extra Credit Fact #3: Cymothoa exigua got your tongue? This parasitic crustacean enters through the gill of its fish host and replaces its tongue (ouch!). Surprisingly this alien does not seem to hurt the fish, which lives an otherwise normal life as the parasite feeds off the mucus and blood in the mouth. This is the only known case of a parasite completely replacing a functional organ! C. exigua is not harmful to people though it may bite you! Have some interesting ocean facts you want to share with the OGL community? Email them to info@oglf.org and we will post some of our favorites on our website. Want to do more? Visit the World Oceans Day website (www.worldoceansday.org/) and check out their events link. |
OGL Open House -June 23rd
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Food and drinks provided!
Save the Date!
June 23rd, 4:30-6:30pm
OGL and Artcorps will be hosting a Spring Open House. Stop by for refreshments and to learn more about two great non-profit organizations.
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| Coming Soon... |
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OGL connects with the Association of Marine Laboratories of the Caribbean!
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| OGL presented its plans at AMLC Conference to archive marine species.
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Next month, we will report on the 35th Scientific Conference of the Association of Marine Laboratories of the Caribbean (AMLC).
The meeting provided opportunities for sharing research experiences and discussing cross-cutting marine conservation issues, as well as a platform for capacity building and research collaborations.
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DONATE TO OGL
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Want to help OGL document and preserve the spectacular genetic diversity of our world's oceans? Visit http://www.oglf.org/Support.htm
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