Aquarium Audio
Hear Our Latest Aquacasts
Evolution of Sharks
Sharks: The Ultimate Survivors
Sharks are very successful and adaptive animals. They have been around for 400 million years. Learn more about their evolutionary history listening to the “Evolution of Sharks.”
Breakwater: Alternative 3
The world’s largest breakwater is under scrutiny.
The third alternative set forth by the Reconnaissance Study reconfigures the breakwater into three staggered sections. This increases the possibility for waves on the shore but also the likelihood of the need for mitigation for the Port and the THUMS Islands.
Breakwater: Alternative 2
The world’s largest breakwater is under scrutiny.
The second alternative set forth by the Reconnaissance Study removes the western third of the breakwater. This creates the possibility for waves to reach the shore and water quality improvements, but also the likelihood of the need for mitigation for the Port and the THUMS Islands.
Breakwater: Alternative 1
The world’s largest breakwater is under scrutiny.
The first alternative set forth by the Reconnaissance Study is proposed by long-time Long Beach resident and engineer Bud Johnson. This is the most cost effective alternative, but researchers think that it does not address the concerns for water quality, habitat improvements, and recreation.
James Wood
Cephalopods–Chameleons of the Sea
James B. Wood, PhD is the Aquarium of the Pacific’s director of education. He has published numerous peer-reviewed and popular papers on cephalopod behavior, life history, physiology, and husbandry. Dr.Woods is webmaster of The Cephalopod Page, one of the longest running biological web sites and is a founding executive member and board member for MarineBio.org. He has worked with the Census of Marine Life since 1998 and co-developed one of their pilot species databases–CephBase.
Purposeful Predators
You many think that the oceans would be a safer place for all life if top predatory sharks were gone, but just the opposite is true.
Top predatory sharks play a crucial role in the oceans ecosystems. Their predatory behaviors on sick, injured, and lesser predatory animals keep ocean food webs thriving. When you remove top predatory animals, the results can be devastating.
Breakwater
The world’s largest breakwater brings controversy.
Should the Long Beach breakwater be altered to bring back the popular beaches Long Beach enjoyed in the 1930s? A sea of debate surrounds this controversial issue.
A Toothy Situation
Taking a closer look at shark teeth
The very body part that makes sharks so intimidating is also what makes sharks so fascinating: teeth! From sharks that filter their food instead of biting to sharks that have jaws much like a nutcracker, you can learn a tremendous amount about a shark just by looking at its teeth.
Sibling Rivalry
Sand tiger sharks get a jump start on predation.
Sibling rivalry takes on a whole new meaning in the case of sand tiger shark reproduction. Discover how these embryonic sharks become experienced predators even before they are born.
Against the Flow
How fish larvae find a reef home.
Tiny drifters or determined swimmers? New research is discovering some startling information about how larval fish find and populate new reef ecosystems.
Cascade
The complex relationships between predators
Sea otters, bald eagles, and orcas are all Alaskan marine predators. These three very different species are linked through a complex series of relationships that reach across ecosystems and species.
Minerals from the Deep Sea
From science fiction to commercial opportunity
Deep sea mining, once the realm of science fiction, is now an impending reality. The impacts of mining on the organisms of the deep sea are poorly understood as fundamental research on this ecosystem remains to be done.
On a Rising Tide
Harvesting energy from tides
Tidal power provides a renewable energy source that is clean and reliable. Generators harvest the energy of moving water as tides flood and ebb. Tidal power generation requires suitable environmental conditions to be efficient and effective.
Cleaning Symbiosis - Do Cheaters Prosper?
Are cleaner fish tempted to bite their clients?
Parasites may be harmful to living organisms. A relationship called the cleaning symbiosis describes how some animals, the cleaners, remove parasites from other animals, the clients. Because of the close interaction between cleaner and client, a question arises: instead of picking off parasites, do cleaners ever bite their clients instead?
Black Sun, Blue Water
Atomic bombs and the life of a coral reef
Between 1946 and 1958 the United States exploded nearly two dozen nuclear bombs at Bikini Atoll. How has this affected the life of the coral reef over the last half-century?