Blue-Green Algae

Blue-Green Algae

Most blue-green algae are inconspicuous, forming slimes or velvety coverings on any available surface. Some blue-green algae, not all of which are blue-green in color, are capable of surviving in extreme conditions that kill most other forms of life. Some give off toxins that are harmful or fatal to other forms.

Although it may seem a minor difference between green and blue-green, the names belie a tremendous difference in biology - these are actually photosynthetic Bacteria.

cyanobacteria

New Developments in Artificial Reefs

Pauline Marie reef
The Pauline Marie sinks slowly on the Atlantic City Reef.

By Evelyn DeWitt Myatt & Bill Figley, 1986

It's hard to imagine anything that could have looked more forlorn than the rusty old freighter whose proud seagoing days were a thing of the past. Floating idly at her berth awaiting her fate, she was a victim of nature's ravages that had left her beautiful only in the eyes of her old captain and crew. The Pauline Marie, however, was not destined to be the victim of a cutting torch that would turn her into a tangle of scrap steel. Instead, she was acquired by the New Jersey Artificial Reef Program and went down with dignity as an artificial reef in March 1985. She now provides continuing services from her watery grave in the Atlantic, some twelve miles off Atlantic City, and her appeal to marine life is undeniable. Her interior compartments now shelter fish and crustaceans; her decks now provide substrate for mussels, soft corals, and plant life; and her newfound productivity has put delicious seafood on many tables.

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