Posts Tagged ‘queensland’

Sand Bubbler Crabs

Posted in Down Under, Science on 08/01/2009 04:24 pm by Mika

Scopimera inflata is an artist among crabs, creating beautiful patterns of tiny sand spheres while foraging for food. The crab scuttles from its hole, and begins rolling balls while sucking any algae and other nutritious goodies from the sand. The territory of each crab (and the extent of its patterns) changes each tide as the waves wash away the old sandy bubbles and deposit whole new worlds of microscopic food to devour; although the foraging patterns are non-ideal on a small, short scale, the beauty of sand bubble art optimizes for food for over larger areas and longer times.

Traces from the Sand Bubbler Crabs of Queensland.

Traces from the Sand Bubbler Crabs of Queensland.

I decided against submitting the crab art for the geology photography contest. They are trace fossils and biological cementing of sandy conglomerates and demonstrate dynamic geology over very short time scales, and I still think they’re pretty, but it’s hard to pick just one photo!

Hot Hot Heat

Posted in Life on 07/27/2009 09:44 pm by Mika

Like Terry Pratchett’s trolls, I don’t do well in heat. As the temperature climbs, my brain starts to melt. Needless to say, I was not terribly productive when I visited Queensland.

I was in Melbourne for the hottest day in its recorded history (over 45C), the hottest three consecutive days in a century, and the hottest week on record. For a while I was sleeping cuddled with gallon juice jug of frozen ice to keep cool. I’d link you to an entry outlining my adventures during that time, but I was so sluggish and brain-melty that I couldn’t figure out how to work the keyboard and didn’t write anything.

Vancouver’s in a Vancouver-style heat wave. We had a remarkable lightning storm during the fireworks earlier this week, and temperatures are regularly over 25C (breaking records at over 33C). As a troll, I’m only able to hold coherent conversations in the early hours or late at night. But I’m not the only one:

Due to the extreme heat, the department office will close at 3 pm until
further notice. Only one staff will man the office from 2-3 pm

The Australians are so laughing at us.

Goodbye, Port Douglas!

Posted in Down Under on 12/14/2008 05:05 pm by Mika

I’ve been missing sunsets — the sun just disappears somewhere “over there” each night, a highly pragmatic affair with little colour or drama. Last night the sky finally exploded with drama, a fantastic purple lightning storm.

Stormy sunset at Port Douglas

Stormy sunset at Port Douglas

Jess took off on her eternal December the 15th journey stateside this morning; so Magic & I are bailing out of Port Douglas and venturing into the unexplored north near Cape Tribulation. I’m excited, although unenthusiastic about increasing bug-density. Apparently, I am far tastier than Magic and can’t step outside without swarms attacking my toes. Unfair!

The storm cleared out the heat and humidity for a good three minutes after it ended, bringing temperatures down to something near perfect for me. We’ve concluded that Magic is fully photosynthetic (possibly a cactus), but I am some variety of fern or seaweed, frequently seeking water. It’s so hot here that I can’t even knit lace.

Kangaroos!

Posted in Down Under on 12/13/2008 12:58 am by Mika

Less than 5 min of credit left at the internet cafe, so have some photos! Stories next time I get online.

The Rainforest Habitat is incredible, and I also highly recommend it if you find yourself in Port Douglas. And the $2 for kangaroo food? The very best investment of my entire life, hands down, no questions asked.

Snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef

Posted in Down Under on 12/13/2008 12:26 am by Mika

Today we snorkeled the reef with Wavelength. These folks are excellent, and I highly recommend them if you find yourself in Port Douglas with a craving to see the reef.

Cute Boy, me, and Jess in our sting suits

Magic, me, and Jess in our sting suits

The sting suits are not optional. We hit a swarm of baby jellies; literally millions so thick there was no way to avoid them. Luckily they were all mildly irritating and not deadly, but the little punks even managed to sting me through the suit! Even the marine biologist was cussing them out, and told us she’d never seen them so thick (& that they hadn’t been around yesterday). A few stops in we reached turtle-territory, and finally the jellies thinned (disappeared!). Yet another reason to love turtles.

The water was absolutely crystal clear, visibility all the way to the bottom even in the deepest sites. I have no previous experience to compare to, but Jess says she’s never been out in such excellent conditions before. We saw pretty much everything you could imagine — jellies, clown fish, angelfish, turtles (both napping & fleeing the tourists), a few lazy sharks… I’m pretty sure I also saw a few domestic disputes & turf wars, and possibly someone aggressively acquiring his lunch.

Jess & I crashing after a hard day in the water

Jess & I crashing after a hard day in the water

More to come (in reverse chronological order) as soon as I refresh my internet charge card.

update: We weren’t the only ones wrestling with jellies!