Kids Investigating Sea Solutions (KISS)

If you want to discover some of the amazing things about the sea, what makes it wonderful, how you can contribute to keeping it safe for the plants, animals and organisms that live there, you may want to watch these pages for news, art and information.

http://www.ausmepa.org.au/kiss/

Here are some of the KISS craft ideas that teachers loved at the teachers resource exhibition in Brisbane.

www.ausmepa.org.au

BOOK: Global warming and climate change: what Australia knew and buried - then framed a new reality for the public

Here is a book that may be of special interest to those who have followed the climate change and green house story over the last 25yrs.  For high school teachers it represents a wealth of information for framing a debate.

www.ausmepa.org.au

Guide to the Sea Snakes of the Kimberley Coast of Western Australia

Technical Report: Guide to the Sea Snakes of the Kimberley Coast of Western Australia

Ruchira Somaweera · Kate Sanders

ABSTRACT: Australia’s Kimberley coast has the world’s highest recorded diversity of sea snakes supporting more than one third of all known species, with at least three species found only in this region. Sea snakes occupy varied habitats in the Kimberley, ranging from deeper offshore waters to shallow coral reefs and mangroves. Some Kimberley species have extremely small distributions and are considered critically endangered or endangered. For example, the Short-nosed Sea Snake (Aipysurus apraefrontalis) and Leaf-scaled Sea Snake (Aipysurus foliosquama) have disappeared from offshore Ashmore and Hibernia Reefs and are now known only from scattered records along the northwest coast.

This guide illustrates all know species and also summarises information on their biology and conservation. Some of these species even occur in Perth waters, mostly as vagrants.

Printed copies are available through the Department of Parks and Wildlife
http://www.dpaw.wa.gov.au/..

www.ausmepa.org.au

Fresh-water algae for “organic” food ingredient production in cities

Algae farming for food ingredients is coming to cities. It is an important part of future urban aquaponics.  

Qponics Limited directors are now planning to hold a breakfast lecture meeting soon at the Brisbane Technology Park Conference Centre to further outline a joint venture now planned for fresh-water algae for “organic” food ingredient production in Brisbane, Australia, and in the United Kingdom. 

The latest news release (click here) outlines what Dr Graeme Barnett, CEO and Managing Director of  Qponics Limited, will be talking about – fresh-water, urban algae farming for vegetarian-quality omega-3 oils and proteins grown from clean organic wastes and from clean carbon dioxide wastes.

So, next year Brisbane warehouses close to suppliers of waste organic matter and waste carbon dioxide, will start to have algae production plants.

For more information visit  www.qponics.com

http://www.qponics.com/images/Media_Releases/Qponics_-Media_Release_FINAL_August_21_2015.pdf

   


www.ausmepa.org.au

Irukandji Jellyfish

World's deadliest fishing - Irukandji Jellyfish

 

The Nature of Science

www.ausmepa.org.au

50 Shades of Nudibranch by Earth Touch

Those readers who love nature will find Earth Touch a great place to visit online at http://www.earthtouchnews.com/home/
and they even have a Wild Oceans section with interesting collections like this one.



Well done, Earth Touch and Wild Oceans.

Thanks

www.ausmepa.org.au

SEA TURTLE; art & craft project

Sea turtles start out by hatching from eggs under the sand of a beach. They risk their lives as they race to get to the sea. They spend years at sea and when a female is old enough she returns close to where she was born to lay her own eggs.

In this activity we will make a mother turtle.

What you need:

·        Card or manila folder

·        Scissors

·        Glue

·        Texta, black and green

·        Photocopy templates to use as guides

·        Optional, use of onion skin to create shell pattern

 

What to do:

·        Using the illustrations as a guide cut an egg shaped piece of card or manila folder

·        Using the cut out as a guide draw the turtle head, body, tail and flippers

·        Colour the scaly skin using a green texta

·        Colour in two eyes with a black texta or paint

·        Cut out pieces of card or onion skin and decorate the top of the shell

·        Cut out the pieces of card to create the breast plate on the underside of the shell

·        Put the head, flippers and tail template between the upper shell and the breast plate

     ·        Secure with glue
 


 You can see AUSMEPA art activities on their new Kids Investigating Sea Solutions webpage here 

www.ausmepa.org.au