SEAW ORDS TheMarineOption Program Newsletter
March 2021
Volume XXXVI, Number 3
Aloha, and welcome to the March issue of Seawords! This month, we'd like to invite you to participate in our fill-in-the-blank sea shanty challenge! To do so, go to page 18 and follow the instructions, then either visit our Instagram and DM us your finished product, or email it to us at seawords@hawaii.edu! Also in this issue, learn more about the sounds of the ocean on pages 12 and 22! Read about the intriguing discovery of olive ridley hatchlings in Hilo on page 4, or turn to page 20 to learn about how nutrient upwelling could help mitigate the impacts of climate change! W hat would you like to see more of in Seawords?Send in your thoughts, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @mopseawords!
Zada Boyce-Quentin, SeawordsEditor
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Contents 2: LETTER FROM THE EDITOR 4: OLIVE RIDLEY HATCHLINGS 8: CREATURE OF THE MONTH 12: FIN W HALESAID IN SEISMIC TECHNOLOGY 14: THE HISTORY OF SEA SHANTIES 18: MAKE YOUR OW N SEA SONG 20: CALCIUM CARBONATE & OCEAN CHEMISTRY 22: OCEAN SOUNDSCAPES 24: MOP EVENTS CALENDAR
Photo Credits Fr ont Page: Mauve stinger. By: prilfish, Flickr. Tabl e of Contents: Ctenophores. By: mark6mauno, Flickr. Back Cover : Nudibranch. By: Elias Levy, Flickr.
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Olive Ridley Hatchlings Found on Hawai?i By: Chloe Molou, UHH SeawordsLiaison
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Oliveridley hatchlings. Photoby: USAID Biodiversity & Forestry, Flickr.
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Some very exciting news made headlines in Hawai?i during the second week of February, 2021. As reported by both the Hawai?i Tribune-Herald and Hawai?i News Now, a rare olive ridley turtle nest in Ka?u was discovered by an Ocean View family on February 3rd. Six or seven stranded hatchlings were spotted by Jeremy, Jen, and Kian Van Arkel, trapped among the rocks and debris on the beach. They called the University of Hawai?i at Hilo Marine Option Program Sea Turtle Response Team and provided photos of the hatchlings for the team?s coordinator, Jen Sims. Sims did not really believe what she was seeing, but knew it was rare when she did not recognize the hatchlings. Hawksbill turtles normally nest on Hawai?i Island, so hatchlings are not an uncommon sight. However, it is certainly rare to see them this early in the year, as hawksbills only nest between May and November. Some green sea turtles have nested on Hawai?i Island, however, they too do not start nesting until May. As such, the discovery of any hatchlings was a surprise, especially once it was found that these were juvenile olive ridleys. The Van Arkels were advised by former director of the Hawai?i Island Hawksbill Project, Lauren Kurpita, to assist by looking through the debris and locating any more hatchlings that were stranded on the beach.
Oliveridley laying eggson thebeach. Photoby: Panegyricsof Granovetter, Flickr.
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An arribada of turtleson thebeach. Photoby: ClaudioGiovenzana, Wikimedia Commons.
The family helped release around 20 hatchlings into the water, with more beginning to emerge, in this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Kurpita arrived at the beach three hours after events had unfolded, and was able to excavate the nest, uncovering three dozen hatchlings that had been trapped by rocks. Olive ridley sea turtles are a threatened species under the United States Endangered Species Act, with one population nesting on Mexico's Pacific coast listed as endangered. Their populations reached a low point in the 1980s after being affected by the egg-harvesting and commercial shrimp industries, whose nets drown entangled turtles. While olive ridley turtles are known to inhabit Hawaiian waters, those in the Pacific Ocean nest in Central America in what is known as an arribada ? where thousands of female olive ridleys come ashore at the same time to nest; solitary nesting is much rarer. This is only the seventh olive ridley nest found in the Hawaiian Islands, and the third to be found on Hawai?i Island, with one being found in Hilo in the early 2000s. Why this uncommon occurrence took place is not known; however, it is certainly exciting to see these hatchlings!
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Mauvestinger floating. Photoby: Emma Birdsey, Wikimedia Commons.
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CREATURE OF THE MONTH: Pelagia noctiluca By: Anna Coffaro, UHM MOP Student MARCH 2021
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Jellyfish in the harbour of Rinella on Salina. Photo by: Paul Keller, Flickr
The month of March heralds a new creature feature, and we are excited to be spotlighting the purple-striped jelly! Otherwise known as ?the mauve stinger?or Pelagia noctiluca, this species is considered to be a true jellyfish, or part of the class Scyphozoa, because of its exclusivity to marine environments, and similarly to other cnidarians, its radial symmetry. P. noctiluca typically inhabits the tropical and temperate waters of the Mediterranean and Red Seas, as well as the Atlantic Ocean, but has also more rarely been sighted in warm waters of the Pacific Ocean,including off the coasts of Hawaii! This incredible invertebrate can be distinguished by its pink and purple coloration, and is adorned with stripes of magenta and sanguine spots which contain stinging cells called nematocysts. They are truly stunning to look at, resembling gestural, dangling Fuschia flowers, and are somehow even more remarkable when they illuminate. Yes, these purple jellies can really glow in the dark! In fact, their name in German colloquially translates to ?night light?for a scientific reason. Looking more closely at the Latin origins of P. noctiluca, its nomenclature indicates that it is an open ocean (?pelagia?) and night-dwelling (?noct?) light-producer (?luc?), meaning that these jellies have the ability to bioluminesce, or produce light, naturally. W hile their bioluminescence is known as a response to motion disturbance, the chemistry of the jellies?phosphorescence continues to be researched by scientists in the biomedical field, as their fluorescent proteins could possibly be useful in genetic studies pertaining to human protein movement or gene expression. 10 | Seawords
Jellyfish in the harbour of Rinellla on Salina. Photo by: Paul Keller, Flickr
P. noctiluca, though academically valuable in the controlled settings of a lab, is unfortunately notorious for scaring away tourists from beaches, especially in the Mediterranean region where it is known to form large blooms. As planktonic creatures that float adrift in the water column, they often form swimming aggregations, or shoals, that can extend up to 45 kilometers in length and involve thousands of jellyfish the closer they drift inshore! Drifting is easy for purple striped jellies, because their pulsating movements are restrained to a mostly vertical range of motion. Vertical migration patterns can thus be attributed to these pulsations, as well as changes in currents and search for food. Mauve stingers are carnivorous and typically consume zooplankton, other jellyfish, small fish, crustaceans, and eggs of other marine animals. For creatures without any organs, including a brain, one might wonder how catching these prey is possible! But P. noctiluca is adapted smartly! The umbrella-like mass of this species is bell-shaped and frilly-edged, strung with eight flexible, stinging tentacles and four ?oral arms,?or lobes hanging down from the mouth. These tentacles wield the previously mentioned ?nematocysts,?which contain immobilizing toxins and barbed filaments for trapping prey. This is the same machinery that can cause venomous, painful stings to humans! Most cases of these stings will normally result in a whip-like scar across the body, but in some rare allergic reactions, life-threatening conditions, such as anaphylaxis, can occur. But humans shouldn?t worry too much, because thankfully, the dense swarms and colorful beauty of P. noctiluca make them highly visible, and therefore allow people to clear the area upon sighting. Beauty is pain, as they say! MARCH 2021
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Fin whale. Photoby: ChrisBuelow, Flickr.
Fin W hal es Aid in Seismic Technol ogy By: Brenna Loving, UH W indward CC MOP Student 12 | Seawords
Surveying the earth?s crust and seismic activity has been an expensive venture for marine seismologists, involving large air guns that send waves of sound directly into the ocean. The use of technology like this can also disrupt ocean life by creating harmful noise. However, with the help of some gentle oceanic giants, scientists might have a better opportunity to gain knowledge of the earth?s crust without such pernicious side-effects. W hile studying earthquakes off the coast of Oregon, Oregon State University?s professor John Nabelek and doctoral student Vaclav M. Kuna noticed that the signals they were receiving reflected the locations of nearby fin whales. They saw that after each whale call, there was a corresponding seismic reading from the earth. This is because the whale songs bounce off of both the surface and bottom of the ocean, travel through the earth?s crust, and come back as a reflection in the sediment, basalt layer, and gabbroic lower crust. After further surveys, it was revealed that a rough image of the ocean?s crust could be illustrated by pinpointing these whales?locations and correlating that back to the readings received from their calls from instruments on the surface. W ith this information, scientists can increase the accuracy of their maps of the ocean?s crust, analyze faults in the crust that correlate with earthquakes, and even analyze the amount of carbon storage available in the sediment. The use of fin whales?calls has multiple advantages. Fin whales are found all around the world aside from the polar regions, which means that there is a wide range of locations suitable for more detailed readings of the earth?s crust. Additionally, the call of the fin whale can be heard up to 600 miles, similar to that of a ship?s engine, and can result in crust imaging of up to 1.6 miles deep. However, the imaging that results from analyzing these calls is not as detailed or clear as scientists would like. This is due to the fact that the calls are limited in energy compared to man-made air guns that can transmit as many wavelengths as desired. A somewhat flat ocean floor below the whales is also required in order to get a clearer reading of their location and calls, which isn?t always possible. It is for these reasons that scientists are eager to supplement their traditional technology with these whale calls instead of solely relying on one or the other. Though we are far from eliminating the need for technology like the air gun, it is encouraging to discover that the beautiful and powerful calls of the fin whale help create a more detailed image of the Earth?s crust.
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The Histor y of Sea Shanties By: Zada Boyce-Quentin, UHM SeawordsEditor
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A viral video making the rounds on TikTok opens with a man singing the opening verse of 'The Wellerman', a sea song detailing the unending voyage of whalers who hope to return home soon. As the melody continues, others join in, harmonizing as they add their voices and instruments. The catchy tune has quickly captivated attention across the Internet, inspiring a resurgence in the popularity of traditional sea shanties. Shanties are typically defined by their heavy rhythm and a consistent melody throughout the piece. Many are call-and-response songs, with one person (the shantyman) leading by singing each verse and others chiming in at the chorus. For centuries, these songs were used to accompany and aid in work on boats; many tasks involved rhythmic, repetitive behavior such as hoisting sails or raising anchors. The beat of the song was a tool to coordinate motions between sailors and keep time, as well as instilling a sense of camaraderie among crewmates. W ork songs have been a part of history in nigh every culture; it is common practice even today for labor to be accompanied by singing or chanting. W hat we commonly think of as 'sea shanties' emerged in the early to mid-19th century on merchant ships; preceding this, many American and European sailors relied on call-and-response chants to keep time during coordinated tasks. During this time, some songs became prevalent, such as one called 'Cheer'ly Man', but it was far from common practice, and this song is widely considered a precursor to the genre. In lieu of singing, many naval ships and some merchant vessels had crewmates working to the beat of a drum, or otherwise to fifes and fiddles. Out at sea. Photoby: AliceRadford, Flickr.
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Ship from the1900s. Photoby: Harley Flowers, Flickr.
A major influence in the development of shanties as we know them today were African and Caribbean working songs. These roots can be seen in the rhythm and lyrics of some shanties, which became more musical over the first half of the 19th century and developed as a specific genre of song during this time. W ith the advent of steam-powered ships in the later years of the century, the kind of work being done on commercial ships changed and as such, shanties lessened in use gradually. Sea shanties were not the only music on ships at this time, however- also popular were ballads or other tunes, known informally as 'sea songs' and sung for pleasure during times of leisure. These may have been accompanied by instruments, and did not have as rigid a beat or structure as the shanties, designed to aid in repetitive work. The recent popularization of sea shanties speaks to the mindset of people around the world during these strange and unusual times. These songs were created to help sailors through not only backbreaking, repetitive labor, but the isolation and loneliness of life at sea. Music has been humanity's constant companion through every aspect of the human experience; these shanties capture the full range of life at sea, from terror to tedium to constant toil. As we currently navigate our own turbulent seas, we once again find distraction and amusement in these traditional songs. MARCH 2021
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Make Your O
Sea shanties have been sweeping the Internet recently- put your to create new lyrics for the song excerpts. Then email your favo @mopseawords for the chance to
The Wellerman Soon may the [PROFESSION] come, to bring us [FOOD] and [DRINK] and [COCKTAIL], one day when the [VERB ENDING IN -ING] is done we'll take our leave and [VERB].
Spanish
We'll [VERB 1] and we'll [VERB
[PLURAL PROFESSION], we'll [VE
salt seas, until we strike soundings i
from [CITY 1] to [CITY 2
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Own Sea Song!
own spin on these classic melodies by filling in the blanks below orites to us at seawords@hawaii.edu, or DM us on Instagram at o be featured on our social media!
Leave Her, Johnny Leave her, [NAME], leave her! Oh, leave her, [SAME NAME], leave her! For the [NOUN] is [ADJECTIVE] and the [PLURAL NOUN] don't [VERB], and it's time for us to leave her.
h Ladies
B 2] like true [NATIONALITY]
ERB 1] and we'll [VERB 2] all on the
in the channel of old [COUNTRY];
2] is [NUMBER] leagues.
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Bloom of coccolithophores. Photoby: NASA Goddard SpaceFlight Center, Flickr.
Globally, multiple processes are responsible for the cycling of various nutrients. One such process is nutrient upwelling, where very cold and nutrient-rich waters rise and mix with warmer and less nutrient-filled surface waters. The deeper water has an abundance of elements, such as nitrogen from fecal matter and calcium carbonate from dead organisms. This is commonly known as marine snow. W hen these nutrients are reintroduced into the upper layers of the ocean, many organisms seek out this material for their own use. Calcium carbonate, a chemically basic or alkaline compound, is a structural material that many plankton utilize for building their shells. Calcium-using zooplankton,such as copepods and pteropods, along with phytoplankton like coccolithophores, depend on nutrient upwelling to supply this material. As such, calcium carbonate is highly important to numerous species, and due to its high alkalinity, the cycling of this material can have drastic effects on worldwide ocean chemistry. The biggest impact takes place in the Southern Ocean, where the abundance of 20 | Seawords
Cal cium Car bonate & Ocean Chemistr y By: Al exandr ya Robinson, UHM MOP Student plankton that utilize calcium carbonate can actually help buffer against climate change. W ith the continued use of fossil fuels, the overabundance of atmospheric carbon dioxide can be dissolved into the ocean, making it the biggest sink on the planet. This has many consequences, including acidification events and overall oceanic temperatures rising. This is dangerous because ocean acidification threatens every species, especially those that live on coral reefs. That habitat sustains about 25%of marine biodiversity. Additionally, even small temperature changes can affect many species which depend on a narrow range of conditions to thrive. Coral reefs are currently under threat with the added stress from rising temperatures and acidification. But new research shows that the Southern Ocean could be key in helping regulate these climate change effects. W ith higher uptake of calcium carbonate by plankton in the Southern Ocean, the alkaline species spread across the globe which help buffer against acidification make nutrient upwellings in the Southern Ocean even more important.
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Ocean Soundscapes By: Haley Chasin, UHM MOP Student Anthropogenic influences have changed natural ecosystems across the world, even in the most remote locations. Since the Industrial Revolution, noise has increased substantially, as silent places became busy cities powered by machines. Noise in the ocean comes from ships, ocean construction, sonar, and seismic surveys, among other things. Ocean sound pollution has been a big problem in many aquatic areas, so much so that it can influence the main functions of many organisms, including food location and communicating with one another. A study done by Pellegrini et al. (2021) showed that a vulnerable cetacean species called Lahille?s bottlenose dolphin (Tursiopstruncates gephyreus) used fewer whistles and clicks when boats were near. The Lahille?s dolphin uses clicks and whistles for a technique called cooperative foraging. W ith more noise, their clicking and whistling noises decreased, negatively impacting their normal behaviors.
Bottlenosedolphin. Photoby: Gregory 'Slobirdr' Smith, Flickr.
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UAV over thesea. Photoby: Official U.S. Navy Page, Flickr.
Sound has also been used in scientific experiments to better gauge its effects on various species.The aim of these studies is to better understand which technologies may have the fewest adverse effects on the denizens of an ecosystem. For example, some studies have shown that using drones, or UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) could more severely affect animals on land as opposed to in the ocean. W hen using drones, Laborie et al. (2021) showed that pinnipeds, which haul out on land to molt, rest, and nurse their pups, were more affected by the drones than were a population of southern right whales (Eubalaena australis), because UAV noise does not travel as well in water. Understanding these technologies' influences on different species of animals enables scientists to study which methods of research are more or less disruptive to different types of animals. Since the start of COVID-19, noise level has been reduced significantly in the oceans, giving the oceans some breathing room. As a result, larger animals have recently been seen in waterways where they haven?t been active for generations. Scientists have found out that marine animals respond quickly to anthropogenic changes, whether positive or negative.This realization is important because it shows that we have an opportunity to do better in the future to make these changes permanent and reduce our effect on important marine soundscapes.
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M OP Even t s Calen dar
M ARCH Su n .
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TBA: UH M an oa Wat er Saf et y Pr esen t at ion by Liv Wh eeler
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Sea turtle. By: Nate Steiner, Flickr.
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6 UH Hilo: Wh ale Beh avior Su r ver ys in Keau k ah a
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UH M an oa: Han au m a Bay Talk s 6:30-7:30PM
13 UH M an oa: M OP Han gou t 10-11AM
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UH Hilo: M OPpor t u n it ies CPCe Wor k sh op
KUHIO DAY No Sch ool
UH M an oa: Cor al Nu r ser y Pr esen t at ion 10-11AM
For more information about events, contact UH Manoa MOP: mopsc@hawaii.edu UH Hilo MOP: uhhmop@hawaii.edu
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Vol u m e XXXV, Nu m ber 6 Editor : Zada Boyce-Qu en tin Dr. Cyn th ia H u n ter (em in en ce gr ise) Jeffr ey Ku wabar a (em in en ce gr ise) Seawor ds- M ar in e Option Pr ogr am Un iver sity of H awai ?i , Col l ege of Natu r al Scien ces 2450 Cam pu s Road, Dean H al l 105A H on ol u l u , H I 96822-2219 Tel eph on e: (808) 956-8433 Em ail : <seawor ds@ h awaii.edu > W ebsite: <h ttp:/ / www.h awaii.edu / m op> Seawor ds is th e m on th l y n ewsl etter n ewsl etter of th e M ar in e Option Pr ogr am at th e Un iver sity of H awai?i. Opin ion s expr essed h er ein ar e n ot n ecessar il y th ose of th e M ar in e Option Pr ogr am or of th e Un iver sity of H awai?i. Su ggestion s an d su bm ission s ar e wel com e. Su bm ission s m ay in cl u de ar ticl es, ph otogr aph y,ar t wor k , or an yth in g th at m ay be of in ter est to th e m ar in e com m u n ity in H awai ?i. an d ar ou n d th e wor l d. All photos ar e taken by M OP unless other wise cr edited.