Samantha Whitcraft
@tropicalselkie.bsky.social
Ocean advocate & adventurer; conservation biologist, explorer, photographer & writer. 2024 Inductee, Women Divers Hall of Fame.
Pinned
Hello, people on Bluesky! I'm liking the vibe here, so far. I'll be posting about conservation (species like sharks/manatees/whales and habitats like coral reefs), sustainable living & travel, adventure; and dogs, or course. See your around under the blue ocean or up in the Bluesky...
Please know that the American Medical Association has a YouTube channel where we can get accurate medical information and disease outbreak information; we're going to need it. 🧪
#PublicHealthMatters #BirdFluAwareness #BirdFlu
#PublicHealthMatters #BirdFluAwareness #BirdFlu
February 13, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Please know that the American Medical Association has a YouTube channel where we can get accurate medical information and disease outbreak information; we're going to need it. 🧪
#PublicHealthMatters #BirdFluAwareness #BirdFlu
#PublicHealthMatters #BirdFluAwareness #BirdFlu
Apple Maps it is.
In 2010 with #NOAA, I responded to the DeepWater Horizon oil spill; my feet & hands swelled/cracked from the Corexit exposure. But we found the whale sharks and orcas, alive, beyond the worst of the spill. That experience lives in my soul forever, filed under #GULFOFMEXICO.
In 2010 with #NOAA, I responded to the DeepWater Horizon oil spill; my feet & hands swelled/cracked from the Corexit exposure. But we found the whale sharks and orcas, alive, beyond the worst of the spill. That experience lives in my soul forever, filed under #GULFOFMEXICO.
February 11, 2025 at 1:42 AM
Apple Maps it is.
In 2010 with #NOAA, I responded to the DeepWater Horizon oil spill; my feet & hands swelled/cracked from the Corexit exposure. But we found the whale sharks and orcas, alive, beyond the worst of the spill. That experience lives in my soul forever, filed under #GULFOFMEXICO.
In 2010 with #NOAA, I responded to the DeepWater Horizon oil spill; my feet & hands swelled/cracked from the Corexit exposure. But we found the whale sharks and orcas, alive, beyond the worst of the spill. That experience lives in my soul forever, filed under #GULFOFMEXICO.
“Until wo/man learns to respect and speak to the animal world,
s/he can never know her/his true role on Earth." ~ Vangelis
🌎 #conservation #nature
s/he can never know her/his true role on Earth." ~ Vangelis
🌎 #conservation #nature
February 9, 2025 at 4:55 PM
“Until wo/man learns to respect and speak to the animal world,
s/he can never know her/his true role on Earth." ~ Vangelis
🌎 #conservation #nature
s/he can never know her/his true role on Earth." ~ Vangelis
🌎 #conservation #nature
Having heard #humpbacks' songs in the water (in #Tonga as wildlife guide w/ @oceanicsociety.bsky.social),
I concur.
"...the research points to fundamental similarities between their utterances and ours; a step toward understanding what it’s like to live as a big-brained mammal on the planet.” 🌎 🧪
I concur.
"...the research points to fundamental similarities between their utterances and ours; a step toward understanding what it’s like to live as a big-brained mammal on the planet.” 🌎 🧪
Humpback whale songs are structured like human language
Languagelike patterns in whale songs could make them easier for whales to learn
www.science.org
February 8, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Having heard #humpbacks' songs in the water (in #Tonga as wildlife guide w/ @oceanicsociety.bsky.social),
I concur.
"...the research points to fundamental similarities between their utterances and ours; a step toward understanding what it’s like to live as a big-brained mammal on the planet.” 🌎 🧪
I concur.
"...the research points to fundamental similarities between their utterances and ours; a step toward understanding what it’s like to live as a big-brained mammal on the planet.” 🌎 🧪
COOL! Now, can we prioritize getting 50% of all seamounts designated international, no-take marine reserves? #sharks #conservation #seamounts #MPAs 🌎 🧪
Seamounts have been likened to ‘oases’ of life in the deserts of the open ocean. This integrated study of tropical #seamounts suggests that high faunal biomass is sustained by exogenous energy inputs and that they act as aggregating 'hubs' for marine top #predators 🧪 @plosbiology.org plos.io/4hqrJoY
February 5, 2025 at 7:18 PM
COOL! Now, can we prioritize getting 50% of all seamounts designated international, no-take marine reserves? #sharks #conservation #seamounts #MPAs 🌎 🧪
I've always said: to marine life (especially #whales & #seaturtles) the worst four-letter words are "rope" and "nets" because of ever-present lethal threats from entanglement. Now, specifically designed traps that limit entanglements are readily available for fishermen to use and provide feedback. 🌎
On-Demand Fishing Systems are Available at “Gear Libraries” in the US and Canada - New England Aquarium
Fishers are borrowing and using this gear, then providing feedback to refine it.
www.neaq.org
February 5, 2025 at 2:57 PM
I've always said: to marine life (especially #whales & #seaturtles) the worst four-letter words are "rope" and "nets" because of ever-present lethal threats from entanglement. Now, specifically designed traps that limit entanglements are readily available for fishermen to use and provide feedback. 🌎
Sunday morning reminder of some good things in the world that we could all agree on: puppies, sunsets, laughter, music, friends, flowers, butterfies, and PANCAKES with all the toppings (or any brunch food, really). I am currently enjoying 3 of the above...hope you are too. 🥰
February 2, 2025 at 3:59 PM
Sunday morning reminder of some good things in the world that we could all agree on: puppies, sunsets, laughter, music, friends, flowers, butterfies, and PANCAKES with all the toppings (or any brunch food, really). I am currently enjoying 3 of the above...hope you are too. 🥰
WOW! Who knew that an obtrusive orange fungus could be a welcome sight, for a change? 🌎 #fungus
Orange bracket or shelf fungi - possibly chicken of the woods? (Laetiporus sulphureus) or related - growing on the dead trunk of a strangler fig tree, WildSumaco Wildlife Sanctuary, Ecuador. Photo from July, 2010.
February 1, 2025 at 6:42 PM
WOW! Who knew that an obtrusive orange fungus could be a welcome sight, for a change? 🌎 #fungus
Legit question: Why can't official documents (like Passports) have TWO sets of check-boxes - 1. Biological sex (M or F) and 2. Gender (M or F or X-other)? Wouldn't that address the confusion and fix the issue?
a colorful question mark is drawn on a piece of paper
ALT: a colorful question mark is drawn on a piece of paper
media.tenor.com
February 1, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Legit question: Why can't official documents (like Passports) have TWO sets of check-boxes - 1. Biological sex (M or F) and 2. Gender (M or F or X-other)? Wouldn't that address the confusion and fix the issue?
A new Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (@whoi.edu) study "found that there is a link between the decline of coral reefs and the population of fish. Researchers explain that there will be a substantial loss of marine life if the restoration of coral reefs is not prioritized." 🌎 #coralreefs
New study makes alarming prediction about the future of our oceans: '[It's] important to support ... with hard data'
A new study led by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution found that there's a link between the decline of coral reefs and the population of fish.
www.thecooldown.com
January 31, 2025 at 3:10 PM
A new Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (@whoi.edu) study "found that there is a link between the decline of coral reefs and the population of fish. Researchers explain that there will be a substantial loss of marine life if the restoration of coral reefs is not prioritized." 🌎 #coralreefs
FACTS: Feral or out-door, domesticated house #cats kill more wild birds (billions!), on average per year, than #windmills do.
SOLUTIONS: Use newer windmill designs (bladeless or VAWTs) that reduce #bird strikes; and increase public education/outreach about the dangers of letting kitty outside...🌎
SOLUTIONS: Use newer windmill designs (bladeless or VAWTs) that reduce #bird strikes; and increase public education/outreach about the dangers of letting kitty outside...🌎
January 26, 2025 at 2:02 PM
FACTS: Feral or out-door, domesticated house #cats kill more wild birds (billions!), on average per year, than #windmills do.
SOLUTIONS: Use newer windmill designs (bladeless or VAWTs) that reduce #bird strikes; and increase public education/outreach about the dangers of letting kitty outside...🌎
SOLUTIONS: Use newer windmill designs (bladeless or VAWTs) that reduce #bird strikes; and increase public education/outreach about the dangers of letting kitty outside...🌎
HOW DID I MISS THIS? #rightwhales #strongisland
When I was a girl, I often dreamt of #whales returning to Long Island Sound (where they once flourished, before the scourge of whaling) & where I played in the shallows & somehow deeply felt their century-long absence...this feels like that dream. 🌎
When I was a girl, I often dreamt of #whales returning to Long Island Sound (where they once flourished, before the scourge of whaling) & where I played in the shallows & somehow deeply felt their century-long absence...this feels like that dream. 🌎
New England Aquarium scientists spot dozens of unique North Atlantic right whales off Long Island
New England Aquarium scientists spotted more than 82 unique North Atlantic right whales - including 56 in one day - swimming together about 40 to 70 miles south of Long Island, New York.
www.boston25news.com
January 24, 2025 at 12:42 AM
HOW DID I MISS THIS? #rightwhales #strongisland
When I was a girl, I often dreamt of #whales returning to Long Island Sound (where they once flourished, before the scourge of whaling) & where I played in the shallows & somehow deeply felt their century-long absence...this feels like that dream. 🌎
When I was a girl, I often dreamt of #whales returning to Long Island Sound (where they once flourished, before the scourge of whaling) & where I played in the shallows & somehow deeply felt their century-long absence...this feels like that dream. 🌎
"...results revealed 66 percent of #coral colonies bleached by February 2024; 80 per cent by April. By July, 44 percent of bleached colonies died, with some coral genera, like #Acropora, experiencing a staggering 95 percent mortality rate." 🌎 #climatecchangeisreal
www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion...
www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion...
Cycle of coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef now at 'catastrophic' levels
Marine scientists at the University of Sydney have published the first peer-reviewed study of the 2024 mass bleaching on the southern Great Barrier Reef.
www.sydney.edu.au
January 23, 2025 at 4:00 PM
"...results revealed 66 percent of #coral colonies bleached by February 2024; 80 per cent by April. By July, 44 percent of bleached colonies died, with some coral genera, like #Acropora, experiencing a staggering 95 percent mortality rate." 🌎 #climatecchangeisreal
www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion...
www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion...
“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.
"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
January 21, 2025 at 9:01 PM
“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.
"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
It's not just the now infamous #smelt (that are anadromous, like salmon -- migrating from the ocean into freshwater to spawn); 1/4 of all #freshwater animals are now at risk of extinction, according to the #IUCN.🌎 How will manage our increasing needs for water while sustaining ecosystem function?
One quarter of freshwater animals at risk of extinction - IUCN Red List
Gland, Switzerland, 8 January 2025 (IUCN) – The largest global assessment of freshwater animals on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ to date has revealed that 24% of the world’s freshwater fish...
iucn.org
January 15, 2025 at 2:51 PM
It's not just the now infamous #smelt (that are anadromous, like salmon -- migrating from the ocean into freshwater to spawn); 1/4 of all #freshwater animals are now at risk of extinction, according to the #IUCN.🌎 How will manage our increasing needs for water while sustaining ecosystem function?
Finally, some good news for Hawaii! #climatechangeisreal
In a major win for communities working to hold Big Oil accountable for decades of climate lies, the U.S. Supreme Court today denied the oil industry’s request to review Honolulu’s climate deception lawsuit, keeping that case and others on track for trial. climateintegrity.org/news/view/su...
Supreme Court denies Big Oil’s attempts to escape accountability in Hawai`i | Center for Climate Integrity
Honolulu is primed to enter the full discovery phase in its climate accountability lawsuit against Exxon and other major polluters.
climateintegrity.org
January 13, 2025 at 9:35 PM
Finally, some good news for Hawaii! #climatechangeisreal
Grateful to Divers Alert Network (DAN) for years of excellent travel and emergency medical protection over my 30-year career (so far); and glad I got to share my positive experience with them via this interview, posted here: dan.org/membership-i... #everydiver #DAN #scuba
January 13, 2025 at 7:54 PM
Grateful to Divers Alert Network (DAN) for years of excellent travel and emergency medical protection over my 30-year career (so far); and glad I got to share my positive experience with them via this interview, posted here: dan.org/membership-i... #everydiver #DAN #scuba
Seeing all those firefighters arriving in LA from Mexico, to help battle these endless wildfires was the final straw; I lost it...tears of gratitude. #thankyoumexico
January 13, 2025 at 12:22 AM
Seeing all those firefighters arriving in LA from Mexico, to help battle these endless wildfires was the final straw; I lost it...tears of gratitude. #thankyoumexico
Three man-made things you can see from space:
1. China's Great Wall (cool)
2. Lights from squid fishing fleets (ugh)
3. Accumulated plastic trash on our beaches (omg)
1. China's Great Wall (cool)
2. Lights from squid fishing fleets (ugh)
3. Accumulated plastic trash on our beaches (omg)
Scientists can now spot plastic pollution on beaches from space
Humans pollute over 10 million tons of plastic trash into oceans every year. It's estimated that by 2030 that figure could reach 60 million.
www.tiogapublishing.com
January 12, 2025 at 11:26 AM
Three man-made things you can see from space:
1. China's Great Wall (cool)
2. Lights from squid fishing fleets (ugh)
3. Accumulated plastic trash on our beaches (omg)
1. China's Great Wall (cool)
2. Lights from squid fishing fleets (ugh)
3. Accumulated plastic trash on our beaches (omg)
Today, Jan. 11, is International Gratitude Day. Despite an incredibly difficult start to 2025, I still have so much to be grateful for - my dogs, my dear friends, my lovely tiny house, and access to affordable healthcare via "Obama-care". Yet, my thoughts return to the people of LA...
January 11, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Today, Jan. 11, is International Gratitude Day. Despite an incredibly difficult start to 2025, I still have so much to be grateful for - my dogs, my dear friends, my lovely tiny house, and access to affordable healthcare via "Obama-care". Yet, my thoughts return to the people of LA...
Yup; that's survival math right there...
Let’s get one thing straight: the cost of the Green New Deal is far less than the cost of losing our planet to the climate crisis.
January 10, 2025 at 7:08 PM
Yup; that's survival math right there...
Reposted by Samantha Whitcraft
Based on the excellent discussion with colleagues @rarohde.bsky.social, @timosbornclim.bsky.social, @richardabetts.bsky.social and others, which you can read in the comments, I’m updating the third line of this post to:
“We (not the planet: it’s a human choice) currently sit at 1.2-1.4C of warming”
“We (not the planet: it’s a human choice) currently sit at 1.2-1.4C of warming”
No, the world has not breached the 1.5C global warming target.
It’s a climate target - which means it’s an average that must be sustained over at least a decade.
We currently sit at 1.2 C. Which is already very bad.
The science is clear: every bit of warming matters, every action matters.
It’s a climate target - which means it’s an average that must be sustained over at least a decade.
We currently sit at 1.2 C. Which is already very bad.
The science is clear: every bit of warming matters, every action matters.
World breaches 1.5C global warming target for first time in 2024
https://www.ft.com/content/fd914266-71bf-4317-9fdc-44b55acb52f6
https://www.ft.com/content/fd914266-71bf-4317-9fdc-44b55acb52f6
January 10, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Based on the excellent discussion with colleagues @rarohde.bsky.social, @timosbornclim.bsky.social, @richardabetts.bsky.social and others, which you can read in the comments, I’m updating the third line of this post to:
“We (not the planet: it’s a human choice) currently sit at 1.2-1.4C of warming”
“We (not the planet: it’s a human choice) currently sit at 1.2-1.4C of warming”
While working at the @universityofmiami.bsky.social, my lab studied coral reefs' connectivity (mostly of larval tropical fishes) but the basic concept is the same: good conservation planning needs to fully understand connectivity and leverage it. It really matters.
phys.org/news/2025-01...
phys.org/news/2025-01...
Coral reefs' surprising recovery linked to close neighbors
Research on Scott Reef off Northwest Australia has shown that local coral connections help boost the resilience of remote atoll reef systems following bleaching and storms.
phys.org
January 10, 2025 at 2:23 PM
While working at the @universityofmiami.bsky.social, my lab studied coral reefs' connectivity (mostly of larval tropical fishes) but the basic concept is the same: good conservation planning needs to fully understand connectivity and leverage it. It really matters.
phys.org/news/2025-01...
phys.org/news/2025-01...
I think I met her once; the summer I worked at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge and banded 1,000 albatross (Laysan & Blackfoot); what an honor!
She's 74 — and expecting: Wisdom the albatross astounds once again ❤️
Wisdom is thriving in America — Wisdom the albatross, that is. The Laysan albatross is now at least 74 years old, and she recently laid an egg at the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in the Pacific Ocean.
Wisdom is thriving in America — Wisdom the albatross, that is. The Laysan albatross is now at least 74 years old, and she recently laid an egg at the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in the Pacific Ocean.
She's 74 — and expecting: Wisdom the albatross astounds once again
It started in the Eisenhower era: Every year, Wisdom, a Layan albatross, has returned to her nesting grounds on the Midway Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.
buff.ly
January 10, 2025 at 2:14 AM
I think I met her once; the summer I worked at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge and banded 1,000 albatross (Laysan & Blackfoot); what an honor!