FLOWERS IN GROWTH (TIME LAPSE)

WITH MUSIC FROM LUKA VAN DEN DRIESSCHEN AND SO MANY WONDERFUL FLOWERS IN GROWTH AND TIME LAPSE . LINK: Youtube

Striking photos of bleached, dying coral

Corals are actually made up of many tiny organisms, including the delightfully named photosynthetic algae, zooxanthellae. (Sounds like the name of a space princess, right?)

Unfortunately, zooxanthellae are pretty sensitive to temperature. If the water gets too hot, they die, and all the color goes out of the coral. You can see that happening in this photo, taken off the Atlantic coast of Panama last month as part of documentation conducted by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Normally, the water where this coral lives is around 82 degrees F (28 C or 301.15 kelvin for the pedants). But, currently, the coasts of Panama and Costa Rica are in the midst of a warming event that's driving temperatures up to almost 90 F (32 C, 305.15 K). Bad news for zooxanthellae.

And bad news for the coral. Bleaching is the first step in a process that leads nowhere good.

Bleaching impairs vital functions of the coral such as reproduction and growth. With prolonged warming, corals begin to die releasing great quantities of mucous resulting in increasingly turbid waters. Oxygen levels may fall as bacteria and fungi proliferate. Anoxic conditions affect fish and coastal productivity.

See more photos, and read about the ongoing documentation.

Photo: Raphael Ritson-Williams, Smithsonian Marine Station, Via: Boingboing

Beautiful Bubble Coral

image credit

Bunches of grapes grown in a radioactive environment? The genetically modified eggs of some strange unidentified marine species? Or a fungal growth that would call for a hasty trip to the doctor?

Nothing of the sort. It's stunningly beautiful bubble coral. Don you're dark glasses; you're in for a feast for the eyes that might leave you dazzled. LINK: Presurfer

12 Incredible Time-Lapse Plant-Growth Videos

Plants grow too slow to see most of the time - making these videos seem like secret access points to a hidden world that operates at a radically different speed.

For those of you unfamiliar with plants (they’re a lot like pets, only lower maintenance) these 12 (!) time-lapse videos of plants and flowers growing and blooming should adequately acquaint you with their natural majesty. The only downside to plants is that they take a while to grow, but as you’ll see in these videos, it’s a beautiful process, which can be made all the more heart rending when paired with the right music.

Link, Via: Neatorama