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drplanktonguy.bsky.social
Warren Currie 🦠🦐
@drplanktonguy.bsky.social
37 followers 18 following 120 posts
Placeholder acct for Fedi bridging
Research Scientist GreatLakes,
Fisheries & Oceans Canada.
Personal SciComm account. Repost does not imply agreement.
🇨🇦 🇺🇸 Collaborative Open Science
Limnology Oceanography
Plankton Zooplankton FoodWebs Modeling
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drplanktonguy.bsky.social
Weekend #Plankton Factoid 🦠🦐
image/jpeg a scanning electron microscope darkfield photograph of a cluster of light blue oval algae cells with an enlarged outer diameter, making them look like inflatable boats. A scale bar indicates they are 2-5 microns long. Image by Jeremy Young CC-BY-SA 4.0.
January 3, 2026 at 2:33 PM
drplanktonguy.bsky.social
I haven't been actively installing feeders this winter with bird flu outbreaks in our rural area, but decided to put out a seed cylinder for the holiday. This resulted in a common, but new bird for me: a Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker.
#birding
A photo of a woodpecker clutching onto a seed cylinder with a laddered black back, yellow tinged belly and bright red head and chin. A photo of a woodpecker clutching onto a seed cylinder with a yellow tinged belly, bright red head and chin, and distinct black bib.
December 28, 2025 at 2:27 PM
drplanktonguy.bsky.social
The CCGS Amundsen is a Canadian research icebreaker run by the non-profit Amundsen Science at Université Laval and operated by Canadian Coast Guard. This past summer, the ship was able to navigate into areas previously off limits due to very thick multi-year ice (5+ yrs, 7 or more metres thick).
image/jpeg researchers in orange life suits take measurements on a snow covered ice sheet that extends into the distance. A red ship with a helicopter and Canadian flag sits in the background. Source: Amundsen Science.
December 28, 2025 at 1:51 PM
drplanktonguy.bsky.social
Weekend #Plankton Factoid 🦠🦐
image/jpeg a microscopic dark-field photograph shows an oval transparent clam-like organism with an orange interior, distinct eye-spot, and antennae extending to the front. Vargula hilgendorfii. CC-BY-SA 4.0 image/jpeg a glowing blue waves crashes on a tropical beach in Bonaire under a night sky. Bright intensely glowing spots in the waves appear like stars. Photo source unknown.
December 27, 2025 at 2:39 PM
drplanktonguy.bsky.social
Weekend #Plankton Factoid 🦠🦐
image/jpeg a series of 6 microscopic photos shows the revival of a dried inert form of a dark orange rotifer. The organism gradually extends into the adult form which is elongated with a pointed tail and ciliated mouthparts at the head. Stills from video taken by Christian Colin. http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/artsep08/wd-rotifer.html
December 20, 2025 at 2:36 PM
drplanktonguy.bsky.social
Weekend #Plankton Factoid 🦠🦐
image/jpeg a microscopic photograph of an almost completely transparent crustacean with long antennae extending to the sides, making it look like a winged insect. Source: https://cfb.unh.edu/cfbkey/html/Organisms/CCladocera/FLeptodoridae/GLeptodora/Leptodora_kindti/leptodorakindti.html image/jpeg the head of a Leptodora kindti shows long antennae extending forward and the eye taking up most of the tiny head. A scale bar of 200 microns gives the size of the eyespot, and makes clear how large this organism is. Source: https://cfb.unh.edu/cfbkey/html/Organisms/CCladocera/FLeptodoridae/GLeptodora/Leptodora_kindti/leptodorakindti.html
December 13, 2025 at 2:36 PM
drplanktonguy.bsky.social
Weekend #Plankton Factoid 🦠🦐
image/gif a microscopic video of an elongated clam-like animal extending its antennae and legs to swim. Dark structures inside the shell show the anatomy of the organism inside. CC-BY-SA 4.0 by ikjbagl image/jpeg side and top view of a yellow semi-transparent clam-like crustacean Eucypris pigra. At top is a left side view of the valve (shell) with extended appendages. Below is a top view clearly showing the hinge holding the two valves of the carapace together. Appendages emerge from on end of the open carapace. Source unknown.
December 6, 2025 at 2:35 PM
drplanktonguy.bsky.social
Weekend #Plankton Factoid 🦠🦐
image/jpeg the feeding current of a copepod zooplankton is shown by lines of the path of water. Two circular gyres are formed at the ends of the antennae beside the head which focuses water current into the head of the copepod, highlighted in red. A scale bar indicates the animal is about 1 mm long. https://www.oceanlifecentre.dk/news/nyhed?id=ebaa37ec-c19f-482a-a7ea-b02e7553588d image/jpeg a diagram of a mouthpart (maxillae M2) is shown with long spines on the top and shorter ones on the bottom of one side which have protruding hairs to form a basket-like structure. Caption says Centropages velificatus and the scale bar suggests the entire structure is about 0.4 mm long. Taken from Mimi Koehl. 1998. 11(1), Oceanography. https://tos.org/oceanography/assets/docs/11-2_koehl.pdf
November 29, 2025 at 2:31 PM
drplanktonguy.bsky.social
Weekend #Plankton Factoid 🦠🦐
image/jpeg a collection of microscopic photos of organisms with a wide diversity of vase-shaped shells. Colour ranges from yellow to red to purple. A size bar indicates they are about 50 microns in width but can be many times longer. Taken from Dolan et al. 2013. https://www.wiley.com/en-us/The+Biology+and+Ecology+of+Tintinnid+Ciliates%3A+Models+for+Marine+Plankton-p-9780470671511
November 22, 2025 at 2:42 PM
drplanktonguy.bsky.social
I am glad this old shipwreck hasn't been entangled in equipment over the years. This zone of Lake Ontario regularly has active surveys using a variety of equipment, including bottom net trawls. Must luckily be in-between standardized stations.
image/jpeg a satellite image of Lake Ontario is dark blur against the brown of the watershed. MODIS NASA November 2009.
November 16, 2025 at 1:30 PM
drplanktonguy.bsky.social
Weekend #Plankton Factoid 🦠🦐
image/jpeg a man stands with a shovel against a huge pile of seaweed on a sandy tropical beach. Photo credit: Michael Owen 2015 Cancun Mexico. image/jpeg a map of the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt, shown in red along the equator from Africa to the Caribbean Sea, south of the Sargasso Sea. Typical ocean currents in the North Atlantic show the belt moves from east to west along the equator. CC-BY-SA 4.0. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.768470
November 15, 2025 at 2:36 PM
drplanktonguy.bsky.social
This is not good. The energy that is required to heat the volume of one of the world's largest lakes by an extra 3°C is enormous. Excellent comments by colleagues Jay Austin and Maggie Xenopoulos on the anomalous heating of Lake Superior.
image/jpeg a satellite image shows the dark waters of Lake Superior with the greens and bronze colours of the land surrounding it. Public Domain. MODIS satellite image.
November 11, 2025 at 1:41 PM
drplanktonguy.bsky.social
Weekend #Plankton Factoid 🦠🦐
image/jpeg a microscope image of several examples of an organism with two flagella showing distinctive purple, blue, yellow and white structures. Successive greyscale images show the cell structures highlighted by staining using NHS (protein), MTs (microtubules), Cetn (centrin) and DNA. Prymnesium faveolatum CC-BY-SA 4.0. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2025.09.027
November 8, 2025 at 2:53 PM
drplanktonguy.bsky.social
Weekend #Plankton Factoid 🦠🦐
image/jpeg a dark blue jelly-like creature with a tall transparent vertical sail at 45 degrees to its body is seen on a sandy beach. Photo by Brian Bull KLCC https://www.klcc.org/environment/2019-05-31/oregon-beaches-experiencing-blue-tide-of-velella-velella image/jpeg thousands of bright blue gelatinous creatures are seen covering a sandy beach. Photo from University of Oregon.
November 1, 2025 at 1:52 PM
drplanktonguy.bsky.social
Weekend #Plankton Factoid 🦠🦐
image/jpeg an illustration of the Arctic productivity cycle showing the sun rising higher in April to provide sunlight to support the growth of algae and phytoplankton. The summer sun drives production of dense bloos in June, leading to growth of grazing zooplankton which drives vertical flux of nutrients via fecal matter to the deep waters. Production gradually declines during as the phytoplankton use up nutrients and reduced sunlight. Illustration: Alexander Keck & Paul Wassmann (1993), modified by Frøydis Strand, NFH, University of Tromsø
October 25, 2025 at 2:22 PM
drplanktonguy.bsky.social
Weekend #Plankton Factoid 🦠🦐
image/jpeg a wide diversity of shapes of coloured glass shells are seen in a microscopic image. CC BY-SA 4.0.
October 18, 2025 at 1:33 PM
drplanktonguy.bsky.social
Weekend #Plankton Factoid 🦠🦐
image/png a microscopic image of a spherical yellow organism filled with green dots and having numerous spines radiating from the surface. A scale of 50 microns indicates the sphere is about twice that measure. James L. Van Etten, Irina V. Agarkova, David D. Dunigan CC BY-SA 4.0. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Viruses-12-00020-g001_Chlorella_Virus_(C).png#mw-jump-to-license image/jpeg a black and white diagram of a spherical cell with many radiating spines. The interior of the cell has many dark or white inclusions. Source unknown. 1888. Public Domain. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ott%C5%AFv_slovn%C3%ADk_nau%C4%8Dn%C3%BD_-_obr%C3%A1zek_%C4%8D._035_wb.jpg#mw-jump-to-license
October 11, 2025 at 1:50 PM
drplanktonguy.bsky.social
Weekend #Plankton Factoid 🦠🦐
image/jpeg a mostly transparent elongated organism with hooked antenna on the head and a wide fan of spines at the tail floats in the water. CC BY-SA 4.0. image/jpeg what looks like dark clouds of smoke emerge from a tropical lake as seen from a rocky coast. From Scott Cable. http://wearthefoxhat.us/malawi-lake-flies/ image/jpeg a photograph of a fly insect with long legs, two dark eyes, and incredibly fuzzy large antennae. Phantom Midge Chaoborus crystallinus by Tony Pattinson https://www.quekett.org/resources/article-archive/bsw-2017/bsw17-phantom-midge. image/jpeg a diagram showing the mechanical work of pH-sensitive resilin to control buoyancy of Chaoborus hydrostatic air-sacs. Acidic reduces buoyancy by contracting the air-sac volume. Alkaline does the opposite. From McKenzie et al. 2022, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2022.01.018
October 4, 2025 at 1:47 PM
drplanktonguy.bsky.social
Weekend #Plankton Factoid 🦠🦐

This is the phyllosoma larva of a Spiny "Rock" Lobster, which can spend as much as a year drifting in the plankton.
#MarineBiology #science
image/jpeg a darkfield micrograph of a spider-like transparent crustacean larva with extremely long legs and bulging stalked eyes. CC BY-SA 4.0
September 27, 2025 at 1:49 PM
drplanktonguy.bsky.social
Weekend #Plankton Factoid 🦠🦐
image/jpeg a darkfield microscope image of a translucent wedge shaped crustacean zooplankton with 4 sets of spiny legs, a dark red eye spot and two distinctive pointed horn spines at the head. CC BY-SA 4.0. image/jpeg a group of cream coloured barnacles are attached to grey rocks. They are closed tight. Northern Acorn Barnacles, Ryan Hodnett CC BY-SA 4.0.
September 20, 2025 at 1:47 PM
drplanktonguy.bsky.social
Weekend #Plankton Factoid 🦠🦐
image/jpeg a microscope photograph shows a spherical orange egg with a spiky surface. Calanoid diapause egg. image/jpeg a microscope photograph shows a semicircular object with two inner dark ovals covered by a tough coating and a long spine to one side. Ephippium of Daphnia. Janek Lass CC BY-SA 4.0 image/jpeg a microscope photograph of a shrimp-like organism with long antennae carrying a dark egg filled sac on the tail. Calanoid copepod female CC BY-SA 4.0 Franz Neidl. image/png a microscopic photograph of a transparent ovoid crustacean zooplankton carrying a distinctive large dark egg in a chamber on its back. Daphnia carrying an ephippium. James Grover.
September 13, 2025 at 1:46 PM
drplanktonguy.bsky.social
Weekend #Plankton Factoid 🦠🦐
Side by side images of a distinctly triangular microscopic organism. On the left is a microscope image of a brown, mostly transparent bell shape with organelles inside and cilia around the edge (CC BY-SA 4.0). On the right is an anatomy diagram of the same organism with labels of: apical sense organ, ciliated ridge, inhalent chamber, and corona at the bottom. Taken from Hayward & Ryland (1998). image/jpeg a clump of bright yellow-orange feathery balls are seen in an underwater photo on a reef. Bryozoans at Kreef Reef, Peter Southwood (CC SA 4.0)
September 6, 2025 at 1:51 PM
drplanktonguy.bsky.social
So anyone at the beach around eastern Toronto GTA will be noticing significantly colder water due to an UPWELLING resulting from recent prolonged winds from the NW.
This process is explained in a recent video for Lake Michigan from 13 News western Michigan.
image/png a surface water temperature map of Lake Ontario shows mostly yellow and orange colours of about 20C except for bluish-green colour along the northern coast from Toronto to the east of 10-12C. Sept 1 2025. Image from NOAA Coastwatch.
September 1, 2025 at 5:15 PM
drplanktonguy.bsky.social
Weekend #Plankton Factoid 🦠🦐
image/jpeg two microscope images of a golden brown coloured algae cell on the left and a black and white SEM image on the right showing the distinct grooves, one lateral, on vertical where the flagella are located. Images from NOAA and WHOI. image/jpeg photo of a person on a beach which has extensive piles of brownish white foam. Photo from ABC Caroline Horn. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-17/waitpinga-beach-foam-investigation/105060888
August 30, 2025 at 1:49 PM
drplanktonguy.bsky.social
Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland has a serious cyanobacteria bloom problem and doesn't look like it will improve anytime soon. The system is hypereutrophic, with more than half of the phosphorus load coming from agriculture, but also a large contribution from aging wastewater treatment plants.
August 30, 2025 at 12:19 PM