Paris Stefanoudis: what do the oceans mean to me

Hello fellow MOOCers,

 

today I am going to tell you a bit about what the oceans mean to me. This is also part of your activities for the first week of Exploring Our Oceans (1.8. “What do the oceans mean to you?”), and I have to admit that I am astonished by the different perspectives and views people have for this wonderful “habitat”.

 

Waves

Figure 1. The power of waves.

 

Waves are in perpetual movement. They shape the coasts around the world. Some people ride them. Some people are scared of them. Some people love watching them from a safe distance. But no one is indifferent towards them. Waves have always fascinated me. They are both scary and mysteriously beautiful at the same time. They captivate me. They have my fullest attention. They are of the most iconic aspects of the ocean to me.

 

Wildlife

Figure 2. A typical coral reef.

 

What would the oceans be without its inhabitants? This is difficult to answer, but in any case it would be much more boring. From large fishes to tiny algae, from ancient sponges to fairly recent sea otters, oceans are teeming with life. A coral reef (Figure 2) is a typical example of a biodiversity hot spot in the oceans.

 

Benthic foraminifera

Image 3. Photomicrograph of some calcareous benthic foraminifera.

 

Ok, I admit it benthic foraminifera are not the first thing that pops up to most people’s mind when they think about the oceans. To be fair, before I started my PhD I was not one of those people as well.

However, benthic foraminifera are and have been iterally everywhere in the oceans, and become more and more abundant as one goes deeper. They might not be as charismatic as larger marine mammals, but they do have beautifully complex and elaborate “tests” (shells), are incredibly diverse and play an important role in the carbon cycle. You don’t need to be a foraminiferologist to adore these wonderful sea creatures.

 

Image credits

Image 1: http://hdwallpapersfit.com/ocean-waves-hd-wallpapers.html

Image 2: http://www.wallpaperup.com/22477/animals_fishes_underwater_oceans_seas.html

Image 3: http://gallery.usgs.gov/photos/03_27_2014_gkb4Frq11X_03_27_2014_6#.Vd2UVZdvmiw