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Drift Line Foam Could be Phytoplankton Remains
Every so often the surf zone is extra foamy and wave surge pushes gobs of it onto the beach. I even wrote a few words about it once – one of the first posts I wrote for theoutershores. It was just a...
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Have I Shown You My Chondrophore Collection?
Did you know beach combers collect sand-polished clam condrophores? Chondrophores are internal spoon- or tooth-shaped projections of the shell in some bivalves. Gaper clams (Tresus) are known for their...
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Pugettia gracilis Not Much of a Challenge in the First TOS Cryptic Crab...
Graceful or slender kelp crab, Pugettia gacilis, modestly decorated Yesterday, Pugettia gracilis was the subject of the first Cryptic Crab Challenge on theoutershores’ facebook page. Elaine Blok...
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Introducing Myself & theoutershores
I’m taking Blogging 101, and my first assignment is to write and publish a “who am I and why am I here” post. It might seem a little late for that, but I lean toward the comparative side of things, so...
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An Assessment and Explanation of theoutershores
Day 2 of Blogging 101, and I was asked to take a cold hard look at my blog’s title. I’ve been meaning to explain my blog’s title for a long time, but I haven’t been prodded into it until now. To meet...
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Quick, What’s This Worm?
Day 4 of my Blogging 101 class: Publish a post you’d like your ideal audience member to read, and include a new-to-you element in it. Okay ideal audience member…quick, what’s this worm? You don’t know?...
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thoutershores Finds Inspiration in a Photography Blog
I’m taking Blogging 101 and yesterday’s assignment had me surfing the web, exploring and commenting on new-to-me blogs. I happened to be browsing blogs on the Oregon coast, and I found one that made me...
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A Surfperch Sexfecta Journal
This is a guest post by Michael Westphal. It is his account of his field trip, executed on the central California coast with the sole objective of collecting six closely related sand-dwelling...
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How Stable the Starfish?
In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Finite Creatures.” This post is the Day 11 assignment for my Blogging 101 class. Sea stars, Pisaster ochraceus, a keystone species For decades we have...
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Drift Line
In response to The Daily Post’s weekly photo challenge: “Half and Half.” Another in a series of assignments for Blogging 101. This one is a photo challenge called Half and Half This spring, small blue...
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I’m Going to Eat You! Said the Seastar to the Barnacle
In response to The Daily Post’s weekly photo challenge: “Close Up.” Tiny starfish, Pisaster ochraceus, perched on a giant barnacle, Balanus nubilus This photo already appeared on theoutershores in...
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Before and After Sea Star Wasting Syndrome: Three Comparative Photos Show...
The most recent bout of sea star wasting syndrome has been with us on the west coast, USA, for a couple of years, so it’s worth asking if we see any changes in rocky intertidal communities. Below, I...
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Today Was a Good Day In the Surf Zone
In response to the Daily Post’s Weekly Photo Challenge, “Today Was a Good Day”. As suggested, I’m displaying a gallery with Mesh. I decided to pick a few photos from my last walk on the beach. They...
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Angles On a Landmark in the Sand
In response to The Daily Post’s weekly photo challenge: “From Every Angle.” My home beaches harbor long reaches of featureless sand; when you see a break in the routine, you take notice. The morning...
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Solving the Connection Conundrum in the Rocky Intertidal
In response to The Daily Post’s weekly photo challenge: “Connected.” In the surf zone getting knocked off your perch can be fatal. Residents of the rocky intertidal solve the connection conundrum in...
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Oral Disk of the Giant Green Anemone, Anthopleura xanthogrammica
An intimate view of the monochromatic oral disk surface of A. xanthogrammica. The flat topography of the disk is interrupted by a large opening though which food passes and undigested material is...
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Sand Cycles
On my home beaches and on beaches around the world, sand accumulates seasonally during calm weather and erodes during periods of more active weather and bigger surf. The ups and downs of sand...
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In the Rocky Intertidal Change and Stability Look Like This
In the rocky intertidal space is at a premium, so there’s lots of competition for it. Wherever there is competition, there are winners and losers, but disturbance can reset competitive outcomes by...
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Intertidal Boundaries
Just four photos portraying familiar beach and rocky intertidal boundaries. These boundaries frequently serve as frames of reference for my intertidal tales. Beach Boundaries A pioneering dunegrass,...
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The Pale Beach Hopper, Megalorchestia columbiana
It’s fall and outer coast beach hoppers rejoice. Algal drift washes ashore and hoppers are abundant and active in the drift line. Beach hoppers love fresh beach cast algaeThere is a lot of hopper...
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