The start of the 2018 hurricane season and recent presidential controversy have brought hurricanes back into the public eye. The first major hurricane of the 2018 season, Hurricane Florence, made landfall the morning of Friday, September 14th on the Atlantic coast of the Carolinas. To date, Florence has caused an estimated $38 to $50 billion
The annual upstream migration of salmons to their spring spawning habitat is fairly well-known. However, most people may not know that this behavior is common among other fish species as well, including sturgeons, American shad, and American eels. The distance that fish travel during migration can vary widely – some fish do not need to
I lived in Brunswick, Georgia for three years before moving up to the University of Georgia for grad school. Every chance I got, I would make the short drive to Jekyll Island to hike around the park's maritime forests and spend time on the beach. Fittingly called Georgia's Jewel, it truly is an amazing spot.
Famous astronomer and science communicator Carl Sagan said “The total number of stars in the universe is greater than all the grains of sand on all the beaches of the planet Earth.†As it turns out, not only was he right, but we are also running out of sand. Lack of Necessary Resource How do
Red Tide: Swimming not recommended. Shellfish harvest closed. Signs, such as in the associated picture, can be seen at many of Florida’s Gulf Coast Beaches due to a red tide. An excess of toxic microscopic algae in the water is causing a hazard to wildlife, human health, and local businesses. While the current bloom of
This piece is part of a “Double Takeâ€, where two parties argue on either side of a premise. A writer does not necessarily share the view they are arguing; instead, this is an exercise to fully flesh out a discussion. The premise: “Single-serve, plastic water bottles should be banned in the United States.†I am
This piece is part of a “Double Takeâ€, where two parties argue on either side of a premise. A writer does not necessarily share the view they are arguing; instead, this is an exercise to fully flesh out a discussion. The premise: “Single-serve, plastic water bottles should be banned in the United States.†I am
One would be hard pressed to take a walk through the Athens Farmers' Market in mid-summer, and not be struck by the bounty offered by Georgia farmers and producers. The wide variety of fruits and vegetables on display hold the promise of delicious meals to be had and flavors to be enjoyed. However, if not
In the previous post of this series, I pointed out how some current coffee farming practices often lead to clear-cut of rainforests, leaving less habitat for wildlife populations and thus threatening their persistence. “Well, that sounds pretty terrible,†you say, “but I'm not willing to give up the one thing that gets me out of
Continuing from my previous post, I want to talk about real life examples of climate change and its effects on the world around us. The idea for this particular post came to me when I was scrolling through Facebook and saw a video about a dead zone near the coast of Oman. It made me
Any true Athenian knows that summer means sweat, more sweat and (best of all) insects! Though summers filled with no-see-ums, mosquitoes, gnats and flies may cause you to despair of their class altogether, don't forget all the fascinating, beautiful and seemingly magical insects that make our existence possible. Whether you're an entomologist or not you
For my Master's research, I was fortunate to study avian ecology in Costa Rica where I developed a deep appreciation for the incredible bird diversity observed there. Other things that also stayed with me from the experience was the scenic coffee farms and the friendly farmers who not only let me work on their properties
