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Goodbye to the Galapagos

June 19, 2012

The last day of research brought us to Urvina Bay on the west side of Isabela Island. In passing from Pueto Ayora around the southern end of Isabela, we followed the same route that Darwin took aboard the Beagle in …

An Interview with Peter Glynn

June 18, 2012

Written by Julian Smith

Peter Glynn, Professor of Marine Biology and Fisheries at the University of Miami, was one of the first scientists to study the coral reefs of the Galapagos. He’s the head of the U. Miami team on board the Golden Shadow, …

Triggerfish, Mussels and Coral

June 18, 2012

Written by Julian Smith

Iliana Baums, a marine biologist at Penn State University, explained her research last night after dinner. She’s looking at Porites lobata, a major reef-building coral in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and its identical-looking relative P. evermanni, and how they …

When Volcanoes Meet

June 18, 2012

Written by Julian Smith

Another day at Isabela Island, with two morning dives at C-shaped island called Tortuga, the remains of yet another in the chain of volcanoes… a partially collapsed volcanic cone (though much bigger than Devil’s Crown). Unfortunately, we found very little …

Corals and Carbon Dioxide

June 14, 2012

Written by Julian Smith

The Golden Shadow arrived at Puerto Villamil, on the southern end of Isabela Island, last night. It is the third-largest settlement, and the largest island, in the archipelago. Today we explored shallow lagoons near the town’s docks, in particular one …

El Nino in the Galapagos

June 12, 2012

Written by Julian Smith

You can’t talk about coral in the Galapagos without talking about the atmospheric phenomenon called El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Normally, west-blowing trade winds push warm waters into the western Pacific Ocean. Every four or five years on average, though, …

Corals in the Devil’s Crown

June 12, 2012

Written by Julian Smith

After just one dive at San Cristobal Island, the team decided the water was too rough, so the Golden Shadow moved on. We woke Monday to overcast skies at Floreana, the southernmost of the five inhabited islands. Monday brought three dives …

Heading South

June 11, 2012

Written by Julian Smith

This weekend marked the halfway point of the Galapagos expedition, both in time and in territory. After a week at Marchena, Darwin and Wolf, the latter two far to the north of the main group of islands, the ship will …

Darwin’s Theory of Evolution

June 8, 2012

Written by Julian Smith

The story of how these not-incredibly-attractive islands in the middle of the Pacific became world famous starts on December 27, 1831, when the H.M.S. Beagle sailed from Plymouth, England on a five-year round-the-world voyage. On board was an unpaid naturalist …

Galapagos Ocean Currents

June 7, 2012

Written by Julian Smith

Why are the waters around the Galapagos Islands so rich with marine life? It’s because the islands are in a very special spot. Oceanographically speaking, they are at the intersection of five major ocean currents. Along with the equatorial surface weather, these …