I recently went big-game hunting in the bay for a jawed and venomous predator reputed to be two meters long. I found, instead, this interesting spaghetti-sprouting Polychaete worm named Cirriformis, just 10 cm long, lurking in smelly sulfidic mud. This species eats black mud from which it extracts organic material. According to Kelly Dorgan of […]
Don Garlick
Don Garlick is a geology professor retired from Humboldt State University. He invites any questions relating to North Coast science, and if he cannot answer it he will find an expert who can. E-mail dorsgarlick@yahoo.com.
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Tsunami Terrors
Understanding the nature of tsunamis could save your life. They are usually caused by large earthquakes, coastal or submarine. You could expect timely warning of a tsunami generated thousands of miles away, but if our local Cascadia Megathrust is the culprit, the violent shaking would be your cue to head for the highest ground reachable […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
In Formation
The V-formations of honking Aleutian Cackling Geese that decorate our skies pose the question as to whether they fly in formation for social cohesion or to conserve energy. The reason military jets fly in V-formation is not to conserve energy, but to permit trailing pilots to remain in visual contact with the leading pilot. Fortunately, […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
The Ins and Outs of Tides
The Moon’s gravity decreases with distance, so it pulls unequally at the Earth and its oceans (arrows in the diagram). This tends to produce two tidal bulges: The Moon pulls harder on the closer ocean than it pulls on the solid Earth. And it pulls harder on the solid Earth than it pulls on the […]
Posted inMusic
Incredible Flight
In September of 2007 a one-pound Bar-tailed Godwit, designated E7, completed the longest non-stop flight ever recorded for a bird. This is her story. E7 hatched in the tundra of western Alaska. She dined on insects and then, after fledging, on marine life near the mouth of the Yukon River, storing an immense amount of […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
More Power to You
PG&E is planning an upgrade of its aging Humboldt Bay power station. It currently produces 135 megawatts from two steam turbine generators working at 35 percent efficiency (backed by two emergency 15-megawatt diesel-fired gas turbines). The new system would employ 10 reciprocating internal combustion engines running on natural gas, capable of producing 163 megawatts with […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Use Your Local Radar
A National Doppler Radar installation is conveniently located on Bunker Hill south of Ferndale. To see its value in forecasting rain or snow you should visit www.weather.gov/eureka. The following is an introduction to this amazing technology. Weather radar operates at two wavelengths, 5 cm & 10 cm, with ranges of 124 and 248 nautical miles. […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Can You Predict Rain?
Yes, by simply learning how to interpret available data. The best window into tomorrow’s weather is a movie which compresses several hours of satellite-observations into a few seconds: Google "Eureka Weather" and click Current Conditions — East Pacific — Infrared — Loop. After some experience you will be able to reasonably forecast our weather by […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Stick-Slip Slug Slime
Banana slugs evolved from snails, and both are classified as Gastropoda. The slugs’ deterrent slime permitted them to almost completely abandon the protective but cumbersome shells carried by their snail ancestors. A few predators manage to eat banana slugs despite their defensive production of copious mucus, but the process is disgusting to watch. Some potential […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Watts in Coffee, Pot and Brakes?
I am reading a full page ad in our local newspaper: "… miracle idea … heating bills hit rock bottom … miracle heater is a work of engineering genius … so advanced, you simply plug it into any wall outlet. It uses less energy than it takes to run a coffee maker. Yet it produces […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
What is Our Bedrock?
Our bedrock consists of an exceptional diversity of rocks spanning over 100 million years of history. The diversity is due to our location at the convergent boundary between continental and oceanic plates. To enjoy this diversity you should visit Trinidad Beach, where the "Franciscan" subduction complex consists of a mix of rocks from both plates. […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
The Shady Lives of Ferns
A human female is diploid, having paired maternal and paternal chromosomes. She is born with over a million haploid eggs with unpaired chromosomes. Each egg has the potential of being fertilized by a haploid sperm. A fern’s life cycle is more complex. It alternates generations between a large diploid “sporophyte” plant that produces haploid spores and a small haploid “gametophyte” plant, grown […]