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Science

Life Below the Mooring Ball

Have you ever wondered about all those things growing on your mooring ball or pennant or hanging off your dock in the summer? Science writer Ruth Hill explains what they are and how to get a better look.

Cold Enough Yet? See the sea smoke

North Atlantic fishermen called it white frost or black frost. It is common in polar regions (where it is called Arctic sea smoke), but can form over any body of water if conditions are right. Catherine Schmitt explains the science of the winter phenomenon known as sea smoke.

Art Flotilla

Celeste Roberge, a Maine sculptor whose work can be found in major collections across the country, explores the world, looking for inspiration in the environment. When she finds it, there is no telling how it will eventually manifest itself in her art, which, while conceptual, also is tangible, engaging, and provocative. Art writer Carl Little takes a look at her work with seaweed.

Gray Seals Swim Back Into Maine

By the late 1960s, gray seals in New England were confined to a handful of isolated colonies. Seeing one was rare, akin to spotting one of the other now-recovered species, such as bald eagles or osprey. Their rescue was the result of the 1972 Marine Mammal Protection Act, and today, Penobscot Bay’s Seal Island is home to one of the East Coast’s largest colonies.

Mysterious Predators

Sharks play an important role in ecosystem maintenance. We take a look at the eight species found in the Gulf of Maine.

Frequent Fliers

Arctic terns migrate thousands of miles each year between Maine and the Arctic, but the route they travel is far from direct.

Unearthly Floating Objects

While it’s common to think of jellyfish as a nuisance, they are incredibly fascinating creatures. This according to Oceanographer Dr. Nicolas Record, who has been collecting reports of citizen sightings of jellyfish as part of his research.

Grand, Wild, and Terrific

Naturalist John James Audubon’s epic trip to Labrador in search of the Great Auk began in Maine.

Discovering The Cornerstones of Maine’s Mapping History

Fixed geographical benchmarks, established more than 150 years ago, are the cornerstone’s of Maine’s mapping history.

Forces to Reckon With

A first-of-its kind wind and wave stimulator at the University of Maine in Orono allows designers to test how marine vessels and sea walls will respond to weather conditions.

Why is the Ocean Blue?

Why is the ocean blue? Bigelow Laboratory For Ocean Sciences Senior Research Scientist Dr. William Balch tackles both the philosophical as well as the bio-optical angles.

Oh the Loons

Loons are a triple-threat in the bird world: they are stunning to look at, possess a supernatural voice, and are skilled predators of fish. Their presence on a lake means it is healthy.

Bird Blizzard: Snowy Owls

Why has the snowy owl, a species of bird normally considered at home in the high arctic, been making an appearance in the Midwest and New England?

Resilient Shellfish

Maine has a thriving oyster growing industry. Until recently most of these oysters were raised from commercial seed. As the industry has grown and coastal water temperatures have inched up, cultured oysters have begun to multiply on their own, particularly in the brackish waters of the Damariscotta River.

Water Ways: An Answer to Global Warming?

By Melissa Waterman - Could the tiny, gluttonous, carbon-dioxide-eating diatom really save the planet?