One, published in the journal Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, looked at the health of 19 loggerhead turtles near Cape Canaveral. Scientists gave these turtles complete check-ups (including blood tests) in 2006 and 2007 and tagged them with satellite transmitters. Half of the turtles migrated north (as far as New Jersey!); half stayed near Cape Canaveral. According to the New York Times, the researchers found

the animals had measurable blood levels of 67 different chemicals used in pesticides and other industrial products. The loggerheads that migrated had higher levels than those that stayed near Florida, confirming prior research that found more pollutants in turtles in northern latitudes.

Despite the large number of chemicals, the animals appear healthy. But the researchers admit that sea turtle health is hard to measure.

(The Academy’s own Wallace “J” Nichols and his colleagues published a study in March on the effect of plastic pollution on sea turtles. You can read more here.)

Another study, published in PLoS One, looked at the history of the oceanic cycle and the health of sea turtles in Japan and Florida. Again, using loggerheads as a barometer, this study looked at the nesting success of the animals. ScienceNow reports:

Together, the past and recent oceanic conditions explained about two-thirds—and as much as 88%—of loggerhead nesting activity.

The authors warn that while causes of nesting successes and failures may seem natural, human-influenced climate change contributes to these ocean cycles.

Finally, two Florida scientists were trying to figure out how to attach satellite tracking tags to teeny turtle hatchlings. The first two months is make-or-break time in the turtles’ lifecycle. To protect these animals, it’s important to understand the hazards they face during this time. Inspired by a good manicure (and really, who isn’t?), the scientists developed a method to adhere the tag so it will last two months and not harm or alter the turtle’s shell. Success! You can read more at Nature News.

Image: ukanda/Wikimedia

The findings are astounding and the images amazing! (Check out New Scientist and National Geographic for images and video of some of the stranger creatures catalogued.)

According to Scientific American:

The latest findings profile the diversity and distribution of known species in 25 important marine areas, including temperate, tropical and polar oceanic waters such as the Caribbean, Baltic and Mediterranean Seas as well as the Gulf of Mexico. The data provide a baseline for marine diversity that will be useful when assessing the future impacts of humans and nature on pelagic life.

The results from the marine areas show over 230,000 species, although scientists believe that there are more than a million more to be discovered. Japanese and Australian waters appear to be the most diverse, with about 33,000 species each.

The breakdown of life may surprise you. Science News reports that:

Big stuff… such as species of whales or turtles or sea lions, barely amounts to a drop in the oceanic bucket. Census data indicate that crustaceans are the largest chunk of known marine creatures, including crabs, shrimp and the unsung but ecologically crucial krill.

The full breakdown follows:

• 19% Crustaceans (including crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles),
• 17% Mollusca (including squid, octopus, clams, snails and slugs)
• 12% Pisces (fish, including sharks)
• 10% Protozoa (unicellular micro-organisms)
• 10% algae and other plant-like organisms
• 7% Annelida (segmented worms)
• 5% Cnidaria (including sea anemones, corals and jellyfish)
• 3% Platyhelminthes (including flatworms)
• 3% Echinodermata (including starfish, brittle stars, sea urchins, sand dollars and sea cucumbers)
• 3% Porifera (including sponges)
• 2% Bryozoa (mat or ‘moss animals’)
• 1% Tunicata (including sea squirts)

The remaining categories are other invertebrates (5%) and other vertebrates (2%). The scarce 2% of species in the “other vertebrates” category includes whales, sea lions, seals, sea birds, turtles and walruses. Thus some of the best-known marine animals comprise a tiny part of marine biodiversity.

These results are incredibly important so scientists can protect the life that is out there from various threats. Again, from Scientific American:

The researchers emphasize overfishing as the top threat to marine life worldwide. It impacts diversity and alters food webs in the sea by depleting the targeted, exploited species as well as reducing other animals commonly found in by-catch. Other threats of chief concern highlighted in the report are habitat destruction, pollution, invasive species and warmer waters due to climate change.

Image by Tin-Yam Chan, CoMarge

Female sea turtles bury their eggs in the sand and then leave, abandoning their offspring to fend for themselves once they hatch. Under normal circumstances, the hatchlings have a challenge making it safely back into the sea. The Academy’s Wallace J. Nichols, PhD, says that:

The current rule of thumb is that of 5,000 sea turtle eggs, we can expect one mature turtle.  Of course that varies widely for many natural and human-centered reasons.  But the message in the number is that protecting mature turtles is very important.

NPR’s Debbie Elliott spells out why a newborn turtle’s life can be so difficult,

Baby sea turtles already have a deadly obstacle course to navigate as they scamper from their sandy nests in the cover of night. Lights can confuse them as they try to find the ocean. Sea birds can swoop down and scoop them up. And, once they hit the Gulf of Mexico, sharks, fishnets and other predators await. Up to half of hatchlings don’t make it. Now the odds are even worse.

That’s due to the millions of gallons of oil that leaked into the Gulf of Mexico over the last few months. But thanks to volunteers, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, NOAA, FedEx and even NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, hatchlings are now making their way from the sand into the Atlantic Ocean.

Delicately retrieving the eggs from the shores of Alabama and the Florida panhandle, volunteers are gently packing them in Styrofoam containers and shipping them (temperature-controlled, of course) via FedEx to an undisclosed location within the Kennedy Space Center.

According to the LA Times,

Hatchlings have already emerged from a nest delivered earlier, said Jane A. Provancha, the contractor running the warehouse operation. On Saturday and Monday evenings, she released 56 baby turtles into the dark waters of the Atlantic and watched them swim away. Turtles from about 83% of the eggs in the first nest have emerged and swum out to sea, she said.

(Pictures of the successful release can be found in the 80beats blog from Discover.)

And the work continues. Again, from NPR:

In all, the government plans to move 700 to 800 clutches of eggs — by far the largest turtle nest relocation ever. Ingram says it’s a big experiment dictated by extraordinary circumstances.

Will the experiment work?  New Scientist reported conflicting responses in an article last week. We asked Nichols his opinion over email:

Moving any endangered species out of the oil’s path is a good idea.  The debate that surrounds moving sea turtles relates mostly to when (life stage) and where to release them.  Both decisions are complicated by unknowns, both in sea turtle life history and the dynamics of the spill itself.

He’s been to the frontlines of this crisis and will continue to do work there. You can follow sea turtles successes and failures on his website.

Working with locals, he’s organizing conservation efforts up and down the Pacific coast of Mexico. His work is amazing and inspiring.