By Nathaniel Kinsey Note: By the time this posts the USC Dornsife students, staff and faculty will be in Guam. Immediately before the launch of the expedition the group spent a week at the USC Catalina Campus learning the basics of collecting data along transects as well as intermediate diving skills such as working in two-foot visibility and deeper depths of 65 fsw...
By Kaitlin MogentaleIf you asked me what my greatest fear is while scuba diving, I wouldn’t hesitate with my answer-- the bends. The bends, or decompression sickness (DCS), is a decompression illness arising from the dangers of breathing compressed air at depth for prolonged periods, coupled with improper decompression or excessively rapid ascents.The most severe of symptoms are permanent CNS damage, and occasionally death...
By Nathaniel KinseyMarine ecosystem-based management (EBM) goes beyond politically drawn lines and looks at the many factors that go into effective natural resource management...
By Nicole MatthewsSolid waste disposal is a major environmental issue faced by countries around the world. For small islands such as Guam the problems that come with solid waste disposal are especially demanding due to the limited amount of space available and the close proximity to bodies of water that flow into the ocean.One dumpsite that has been a consistent source of pollution is the Ordot Dump...
By Emily Lu Birgus latro is the largest terrestrial arthropod in the world, in some cases having a leg span of over three feet and weighing over nine pounds.
By Miller ZouMarine and terrestrial ecosystems of the Indo-West Pacific are among the most biologically diverse regions in the world.
By Alyssa DykmanIn the cool waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean lies the California spiny lobster. The lobster, Panulirus interruptus , can be found on the rocky substrates of the coastal ocean floor between Monterey Bay, California and the northwestern coast of Mexico...
By Christina IrvinSirens are mythical, mermaid-like sea creatures that lure ships and seafarers into dangerous waters with their beauty and songs.
By Roxi AslanWhen diving in the Blue Cavern Marine Protected Area off Catalina Island, you can’t help but notice the red-brown warty sea cucumber Parastichopus parvimensis , which lies conspicuously on the sea floor below...
By Stephen HolleAs the global human population continues to increase, many organisms have had to adapt to the loss and fragmentation of their habitat by development.
by Madi SwayneEvery year, millions of people, including myself, make many millions of recreational scuba dives, very rarely with any ill effects.
By Austin HayWater is the oil of the future. It’s a phrase that’s often been repeated in the engineering classes I’ve taken at USC, but it couldn’t be truer than in the case of Palau...
by Gerry SmithDivers are at risk for a particular set of maladies that are generally caused by rapid changes in pressure. These include decompression sickness (DCS,) commonly known as “the bends”, and air (or gas) embolisms, which result in either gas bubbles in tissues where they don’t belong...
by Robert English and Jim Haw [At this writing, U.S. and Philippine forces are concluding their latest joint military exercise, a mock amphibious landing on Palawan Island...
by Max MartinezCoral reefs across the Indo-Pacific Ocean attract thousands of scuba divers from around the globe on an annual basis.
by Laura WalshOver one hundred and fifty years ago, Henry David Thoreau sparked a cultural movement with a paradox; an introspective, self-preoccupied book that taught the lessons of humility and human triviality...
By Kali StaniecYou can’t always tell from photos, but Garibaldi can give a mean staring contest. I have seen pictures of this famously highlighter-orange California State fish in countless books and brochures on Southern California marine life, but it wasn’t until recently that I realized how much more there is to this fish than meets the eye...
By Dawnielle TellezAlong the rocks of Big Fisherman’s Cove off Catalina Island, I wove in and out of the towering kelp beds as curious Sheephead and Garibaldi edged ever closer to me...
By Stephen Holle The United States Territory of Guam is the focal point of a military realignment strategy within the western Pacific Ocean.
By Iñaki Pedroarena-LealAs a student and developing scholar, I consider my transition from the classroom setting to the real world—as many mentors and peers matter-of-factly call it...
