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Marine Life Of New York–New Jersey Harbor Estuary
The New York–New Jersey Harbor Estuary has a variety of flora and fauna. Much of the harbor originally consisted of tidal marshes that have been dramatically transformed by the development of port facilities. The estuary itself supports a great variety of thriving estuary, estuarine aquatic species; contrary to popular stereotypes, New York Harbor and its adjacent, interdependent waters are very much alive, and steadily recovering from pollution; ecologically it is true that these waters were once dead or extremely toxic but after 45 years of cleaning the estuary is in a much better state than it has been in a hundred years. Tide, Tidal flow occurs as far north as Troy, New York, Troy, over 150 miles away. The salt front (dilute salt water) can reach Poughkeepsie, New York, Poughkeepsie in drought conditions and is present in the lower reaches of the Raritan River for most of the year. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Callinectes Sapidus
''Callinectes sapidus'' (from the Ancient Greek ,"beautiful" + , "swimmer", and Latin , "savory"), the blue crab, Atlantic blue crab, or regionally as the Chesapeake blue crab, is a species of crab native to the waters of the western Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, and introduced internationally. ''C. sapidus'' is of considerable culinary and economic importance in the United States, particularly in Louisiana, the Carolinas, the Chesapeake Bay, Delaware, and New Jersey. It is the Maryland state crustacean and the state's largest commercial fishery. Due to overfishing and environmental pressures some of the fisheries have seen declining yields, especially in the Chesapeake Bay fishery. Unlike other fisheries affected by climate change, blue crab is expected to do well; warming causes better breeding conditions, more survivable winters, and a greater range of habitable areas in the Atlantic coast. Whether this will have negative effects on the surrounding ecosystems ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Northern Rock Barnacle
''Semibalanus balanoides'' (common barnacle, common rock barnacle, northern rock barnacle) is a common and widespread boreo-arctic species of acorn barnacle. It is common on rocks and other substrates in the intertidal zone of north-western Europe and both coasts of North America. Description Adult ''S. balanoides'' grow up to in diameter, and are sessile, living attached to rocks and other solid substrates. They have six greyish wall plates surrounding a diamond-shaped operculum. The base of the shell is membranous in ''Semibalanus,'' unlike other barnacles which have calcified bases. When the tide rises to cover the barnacles, the operculum opens, and feathery ''cirri'' (modified thoracic appendages) are extended into the water to filter food from the seawater. When the tide falls, the operculum closes again to prevent desiccation; the reduction from the primitive condition of eight wall plates to six is believed to decrease water loss even further by reducing the number o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ivory Barnacle
''Amphibalanus eburneus'', the ivory barnacle or American acorn barnacle, is a species of acorn barnacle in the family Balanidae. It occurs on the east coast of North America, the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. Description The ivory barnacle is a medium-sized, cone-shaped sessile barnacle with a white test composed of fused plates. It has a diamond-shaped operculum protected by a hinged lid formed from two triangular halves each consisting of two plates, a tergum and a scutum. It can grow to a height of but most individuals are much smaller. This barnacle can be confused with the white bay barnacle (''Balanus improvisus'') but that species is smaller, only growing to a height of . Another similar species is the striped barnacle (''Balanus amphitrite'') but that has vertical pink lines on the test. Distribution and habitat The native range of the ivory barnacle extends from Nova Scotia to the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico but it has extended this range as a result of fouli ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Portly Spider Crab
''Libinia emarginata'', the portly spider crab, common spider crab or nine-spined spider crab, is a species of stenohaline Stenohaline describes an organism, usually fish, that cannot tolerate a wide fluctuation in the salinity of water. Stenohaline is derived from the words: "''steno''" meaning narrow, and "''haline''" meaning salt. Many fresh water fish, such as g ... crab that lives on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of North America. Distribution ''Libinia emarginata'' occurs from Nova Scotia to the Florida Keys and through the Gulf of Mexico. It lives at depths of up to , with exceptional records of up to . Description ''Libinia emarginata'' is roughly triangular in outline and very heavily calcified, with a carapace about long and a leg span of . The whole crab is khaki, and the carapace is covered in spines and tubercles, and, as with other decorator crabs, often clothes itself in debris and small invertebrates. Reproduction Mating takes place, and eggs are prod ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lady Crab
''Ovalipes ocellatus'', known as the lady crab, is a species of crab from eastern North America. Other names for it include the leopard crab or Atlantic leopard crab due to the leopard-like rosette patterns on its shell, the calico crab (not to be confused with '' Hepatus epheliticus''), or ocellated crab. It has a shell long and only slightly wider, which is covered in clusters of purple spots. It occurs from Canada to Georgia, and lives mainly on molluscs, such as the Atlantic surf clam. Taxonomy ''O. ocellatus'' was first described by Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Herbst in 1799, as ''Cancer ocellatus''. In 1898, Mary Jane Rathbun moved the species to her new genus ''Ovalipes''. Description The carapace of ''O. ocellatus'' is slightly wider than long, at wide, and long. This distinguishes it from other crabs in the family Portunidae, which often have elongated lateral spines. The carapace is yellow-grey or light purplish, with "leopardlike clusters of purple dots", and 3–5 s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Citizen Science
Citizen science (CS) (similar to community science, crowd science, crowd-sourced science, civic science, participatory monitoring, or volunteer monitoring) is scientific research conducted with participation from the public (who are sometimes referred to as amateur/nonprofessional scientists). There are variations in the exact definition of citizen science, with different individuals and organizations having their own specific interpretations of what citizen science encompasses. Citizen science is used in a wide range of areas of study, with most citizen science research publications being in the fields of biology and conservation. There are different applications and functions of citizen science in research projects. Citizen science can be used as a methodology where public volunteers help in collecting and classifying data, improving the scientific community's capacity. Citizen science can also involve more direct involvement from the public, with communities initiating proj ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Atlantic Horseshoe Crab
The Atlantic horseshoe crab (''Limulus polyphemus''), also known as the American horseshoe crab, is a species of marine and brackish chelicerate arthropod. Despite their name, horseshoe crabs are more closely related to spiders, ticks, and scorpions than to crabs. It is found in the Gulf of Mexico and along the Atlantic coast of North America. The main area of annual migration is Delaware Bay along the South Jersey Delaware Bayshore. Their eggs were eaten by Native Americans, but today Atlantic horseshoe crabs are caught for use as fishing bait, in biomedicine (especially for ''Limulus'' amebocyte lysate) and science. They play a major role in the local ecosystems, with their eggs providing an important food source for shorebirds, and the juveniles and adults being eaten by sea turtles. The other three extant (living) species in the family Limulidae are also called horseshoe crabs, but they are restricted to Asia. Names and classification This group of animals is also known ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ghost Crab
Ghost crabs are semiterrestrial crabs of the subfamily (biology), subfamily Ocypodinae. They are common shore crabs in tropical and subtropical regions throughout the world, inhabiting deep burrows in the intertidal zone. They are generalist species, generalist scavengers and predators of small animals. The name "ghost crab" derives from their nocturnality and their generally pale coloration. They are also sometimes called sand crabs, though the name refers to Sand crab (other), various other crabs that do not belong to the subfamily. Characteristics of the subfamily include one claw being larger than the other, thick and elongated eyestalks, and a box-like body. The differences in claw sizes, however, are not as marked as in male fiddler crabs. The subfamily includes 22 species in two genera. Taxonomy Ocypodinae is one of two subfamily (biology), subfamilies in the family (biology), family Ocypodidae, the other being the fiddler crab subfamily, Ucinae. Both subfamilies ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the Eastern Shore of Maryland / Eastern Shore of Virginia and the state of Delaware) with its mouth of the Bay at the south end located between Cape Henry and Cape Charles (headland), Cape Charles. With its northern portion in Maryland and the southern part in Virginia, the Chesapeake Bay is a very important feature for the ecology and economy of those two states, as well as others surrounding within its watershed. More than 150 major rivers and streams flow into the Bay's drainage basin, which covers parts of six states (New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia) and all of District of Columbia. The Bay is approximately long from its northern headwaters in the Susquehanna River to its outlet in the Atlantic Ocea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cadmium
Cadmium is a chemical element with the symbol Cd and atomic number 48. This soft, silvery-white metal is chemically similar to the two other stable metals in group 12, zinc and mercury. Like zinc, it demonstrates oxidation state +2 in most of its compounds, and like mercury, it has a lower melting point than the transition metals in groups 3 through 11. Cadmium and its congeners in group 12 are often not considered transition metals, in that they do not have partly filled ''d'' or ''f'' electron shells in the elemental or common oxidation states. The average concentration of cadmium in Earth's crust is between 0.1 and 0.5 parts per million (ppm). It was discovered in 1817 simultaneously by Stromeyer and Hermann, both in Germany, as an impurity in zinc carbonate. Cadmium occurs as a minor component in most zinc ores and is a byproduct of zinc production. Cadmium was used for a long time as a corrosion-resistant plating on steel, and cadmium compounds are used as red, orang ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Polychlorinated Biphenyl
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are highly carcinogenic chemical compounds, formerly used in industrial and consumer products, whose production was banned in the United States by the Toxic Substances Control Act in 1979 and internationally by the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants in 2001. They are organic chlorine compounds with the formula C12 H10−''x'' Cl''x''; they were once widely used in the manufacture of carbonless copy paper, as heat transfer fluids, and as dielectric and coolant fluids for electrical equipment. Because of their longevity, PCBs are still widely in use, even though their manufacture has declined drastically since the 1960s, when a host of problems were identified. With the discovery of PCBs' environmental toxicity, and classification as persistent organic pollutants, their production was banned by United States federal law in 1978, and by the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants in 2001. The International Agency ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
