Today
students learned about light in the ocean and how far light travels
down. The amount of light transmitted depends on the turbidity (clarity)
of the water. Different colors of light travel different lengths. Blue
travels the farthest, but red, orange and yellow do not travel far.
Because red does not travel far, these organisms appear black.
After
discussing bioluminescence (organisms that can produce their own light)
we looked at brief video clip about it that is a little old and then a
TED talk by David Gallo that
is more recent. Gallo's talk showed the organisms in more accurate
color and in motion. His talk also showed some amazing footage of
cephalopods like cuttlefish and octopus performing magical feats of
mimicry and camouflage. You should definitely follow the link and watch
this video stream.
His
talk was based on research by Dr. Widder. We looked at some of her
photos and you can learn more about her work and see her presentation
here.
When
it comes to deep sea creatures - some bioluminesce and some don't.
People are fascinated with the gulper eel, a four foot long eel that has
a HUGE jaw. It has such a big mouth so that it can eat anything it
comes in contact with because in the deep ocean, meals may be far and
few between. More information about the gulper eel and other deep sea
creatures can be found at
Sea & Sky's Website.
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