Welcome Aboard The Nautilus Expedition Live!

We had a surprise visit from a Vampire Squid last night, perfect timing for the end of #cephalopodweek. Check out this eerie video as it drifts into the cameras of the ROV Hercules. Beautiful! http://www.nautiluslive.org/video/2014/06/27/visit-vampire-squid

Imagine a surprise visit by a Vampire Squid.  Well, that probably won't happen to most of us.  BUT, now through October 8, 2014, you can watch live exploration of the Gulf of Mexico's deep water exploration, "The 2014 Nautilus Expedition."

Back to that Vampire Squid business.  This is what surprised the scientists today, June 27, 2014:

What is really cool about the Nautilus Expedition live website, is you can send a question to the explorers in the control room and receive a live response to your question.

So, budding oceanographers, see you aboard the Nautilus!

The Nautilus 2014 Field Schedule

Tidepools Missing Sea Stars this Summer

Sea Star feeding on mussels.
  Susanne Skyrm/Marine Photobank.

Imagine exploring tide pools along the Pacific Ocean coastline and not seeing any sea stars (starfish--but they are not really fish).  Sea stars are the colorful stars of the tide pool.

We reported earlier that sea stars are dying all along the Pacific Coast.  Scientists think that "sea star wasting disease," may be caused by warming waters.  

If you come across sea stars in a tide pool this summer, let them be.  Please don't poke them or pick them up to have a closer look.