Plans

Becca and I will be meeting soon to plan the upcoming season of NOSB. So, if you guys have any concerns or comments please let us know them soon.

The Changing Sea

I will be posting an article up here soon from Discover magazine about the gyre of trash that circulates in the pacific ocean

SCOTUS rules that maritime cases punishment ($) must be equal to the damage

Know this case and it's ramifications, It is sure to be at either Great Lakes or National level next year

http://money.cnn.com/2008/06/25/news/companies/SCOTUS_exxon/index.htm?iref=topnews

Time for an update

Here is the way I am seeing next year working. Becca, a class will not work because you can only get credit in what it is (i.e. science elective) and you would need it set up and approved before school starts, something Ron is not that familiar with. However, if you wanted to do something like books of the sea (20,000 leagues, Moby Dick, etc.) you could call Chris and ask him about that.

I am willing to coach again next year, probably sticking to our once a week schedule of meetings. If we get a team early (I would like you to advertise this the first day (ask Wayne about that)) I would be willing to try and schedule practices with teams in the area (buckeye valley mainly) and probably be able to provide transportation. Furthermore, I am planning on chatting with parent board about getting you guys letter jackets (we can design special Linworth ones)

Any questions feel free to IM me (agrab0ekim), email me (barga.24@osu.edu) or call me (614-595-5387)

p.s. we should change the time to Eastern

News Update

Alright, so as of now, Rachel, Melissa and I are definite team members. I talked to Tyler today and he said he will most likely not be on the team next year. Though he also said he would be part of the team if we really need someone. I talked to Ron about doing a class on Ocean science today and he didn't seem totally opposed, it would be great if I could get an English credit for helping teach the class, making it much more of a possibility, but I don't know how credit works in terms of teaching classes.

I still have not heard from any of you about your thoughts on summer practices....feedback?

Ocean Zones

In an attempt to 'organize' the ocean, it has been divided up into several sets of zones. In my opinion, this just complicates things even more, but hey, my opinion doesn't matter.



Light Zones



Sunlit(euphotic) Zone: Top Layer of ocean, photosynthesis occurs here. 90% of ocean life lives here. Approximately down to 600 feet deep.





Twilight(disphotic) Zone: Middle ocean light zone, not possible for photosynthesis to occur, no plants, only animals adapted to life with little light. Approximately from 600 feet to 3000 feet.





Midnight(aphotic) Zone: Deepest ocean zone, no light penetrates here, very high pressures. Approxinately from 3000 feet down

Taxonomy

Well, as biology is my strong point, I figure I'll start out there. And where better to start than taxonomy? Here is the general guide;

Important Marine Classifications
1. Kingdom Monera (or Prokaryotae)
2. Phylum Cyanophyta - benthic cyanobacteria

3. Kingdom Protista
4. Phylum Chlorophyta - benthic green algae
5. Phylum Chrysophyta - planktonic diatoms
6. Phylum Pyrrophyta - planktonic dinoflagellates
7. Phylum Phaeophyta - benthic brown algae (such as kelp)
8. Phylum Rhodophyta - benthic red algae

9. Kingdom Plantae
10. Phylum Traecheophyta - true plants
11. Class Angiospermae - flowering plants (sea grasses, mangroves, reeds and rushes)

12. Kingdom Animalia
14. Phylum Porifera - sponges
15. Phylum Cnidaria - jellyfish, corals and anemones
16. Phylum Mollusca
17. Class Polyplacophora - chitons
18. Class Gastropoda - slugs, snails and limpets
19. Class Bivalvia - clams, oysters, mussels and other bivalves
20. Class Cephalopoda - octopuses and squids
21. Phylum Arthropoda
22. Class Crustacea - shrimp, crabs, lobsters, copepods, barnacles and krill
23. Phylum Echinodermata - sea urchins, sea stars, brittle stars, sea cucumbers and sand dollars
24. Phylum Chordata, Subphylum Vertebrata
25. Class Chondrichthyes - sharks, skates and rays
26. Class Osteichthyes - bony fish
27. Class Reptilia - marine turtles, iguanas, crocodiles and sea snakes
28. Class Aves - penguins, albatrosses, pelicans, cormorants, gulls and puffins
29. Class Mammalia - sea lions, seals, walruses, sea otters, whales and manatees


See, wasn't that fun? As a general review, remember

Kids Prefer Candy Over Fresh Green Salads

Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species



Take this example I pulled from Wikipedia, the taxonmy of modern humans:
Dominion: Terroa (uses double-helix DNA to store hereditary information and creates proteins using the twenty left-handed amino acids)
Domain: Eukarya (organisms which have cells with a nucleus)
Kingdom: Animalia (with eukaryotic cells having cell membrane but lacking cell wall, multicellular, heterotrophic)
Phylum: Chordata (animals with a notochord, dorsal nerve cord, and pharyngeal gill slits, which may be vestigial)
Subphylum: Vertebrata (possessing a backbone, which may be cartilaginous, to protect the dorsal nerve cord)
Class: Mammalia (endothermic vertebrates with hair and mammary glands which, in females, secrete milk to nourish young)
Cohort: Placentalia (giving birth to live young after a full internal gestation period)
Order: Primates (collar bone, eyes face forward, grasping hands with fingers, and two types of teeth: incisors and molars)
Family: Hominidae (upright posture, large brain, stereoscopic vision, flat face, hands and feet have different specializations)
Genus: Homo (s-curved spine, "man")
Species: Homo sapiens (high forehead, well-developed chin, skull bones thin)