Killer whales and smoke on the water

Have you ever felt poisoned by car exhaust? Maybe in a tunnel or underground garage? That's how killer whales feel after a day of whale-watching.

Hard to believe? A new study shows that after a busy 12 hour day of nearly continuous whale-watching, killer whales suck in exhaust at levels that hurt.

Boat exhaust tends to hang on the water's surface, right where the whales breathe. And boats can be quite dirty since they're not subject to the same pollution control laws as cars. Combine this exposure with the behavior of sucking in a big breath, holding it and diving deep underwater where the pressure is high, and you have a recipe for sick whales.

According to the Vancouver Sun:

...under average conditions, killer whales have to breathe at least five times more carbon monoxide than is found 100 metres from a busy Los Angeles highway.

"That really surprised me — I didn't think it was going to be that high," said Lachmuth.

"It's because when you're out on the water there's an inversion because the ocean is so cold and in the summer the air is a lot warmer — the CO is sticking right at that interface and it's not moving vertically at all."

Ugh, I never would have expected such nasty pollution exposure for killer whales thanks to well-meaning whale watchers.

We already know that killer whales are the most contaminated wildlife on earth, thanks to eating a diet of contaminated fish. Now we can add exhaust to the list of harms.

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Compose your own whale song

Want to sing to a whale? Here's your (virtual) chance, click over to this website and use your keyboard to create and play a whale song. Also check out the tv commercial, it's fun.

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Ocean fertilization won't work

"Give me a half tanker of iron and I will give you an ice age." Thus spake John Martin, famously and wrongly.

He thought, correctly, that iron can stimulate ocean plants. But he thought, wrongly, that this would make the ocean suck up CO2 and blunt global warming.

This was an idea with teeth, according to a NASA biography, because it took an oceanographic hypothesis and turned it into a techno-fix for a big social problem.

Now a new report for policy makers finds that the oceanographic hypothesis has merit, iron can fertilize ocean plankton. But the geo-engineering hope was wrong, this process can't capture enough CO2 to make a difference. From the report:

Lead author of the report Professor Doug Wallace from the Leibniz-Institut für Meereswissenschaften (IFM-GEOMAR) says: "The published findings suggest that even very large-scale fertilization would remove only modest amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere over 100 years".

Too bad, it would be nice to have a solution in hand, even though ocean ecosystems would be put at risk. Then, at least, we could do something if we all start to Sizzle.

I knew John Martin, and it was interesting to watch this debate unfold over the last few decades. I suspect he's smiling at this news. His comment spurred a great adventure in oceanography, something he would be pleased to see.

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Hagfish eat with their skin

The slimiest thing on earth has a new distinction. Hagfish can eat with their skin.

If you've ever handled a hagfish you know you've touched something special. Hagfish slime abundantly and with abandon. Even stranger, hagfish can and do tie themselves in knots.

The latest news is that hagfish--which feed by burrowing inside of dead animals--can absorb nutrients through their skin. And not just a little bit, hagfish may be able to get as much food through their skin as from their gut.

Just when you thought you knew some strange stuff about the ocean, comes along another one even stranger.

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Oily bottom in the Gulf of Mexcio

Spilled oil remains a problem in the Gulf of Mexico. A new scientific study found ongoing problems with oil coating the ocean bottom and killing animals. Ugh.

As if that's not enough, too many baby dolphins seem to be dying in the region.

Meanwhile, deepwater oil drilling will resume, based on "proof" that we can do it safely. Forgive me for being skeptical. I know oil drilling will continue, but the idea that we can do it without spills is farcical.

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