OCEAN

OCEAN 64

The editor’s choice article “Waste Water to Beer?” by researcher Abigail Eilar, explores new methods being adopted for brewing beer.

OCEAN 64 Our readers often ask where OCEAN comes from? This is the environmental education publication of Safe Harbor Environmental Services, an interdisciplinary environmental consulting group on Cape Cod. OCEAN is your publication. Please share it with friends who share your interests. This issue has a few unusual articles, not the least of which documents a snake falling from the sky, onto a woman mowing her yard, after which, she was viciously attacked not only by the snake but also by the hawk which had been carrying the snake! And check out our “Wastewater To Beer”.

-Gordon Peabody, Editor

OCEAN 64 Articles

Snakes Falling From the Sky?

Nature Finds Use for Plastic Trash

Can Seaweed Replace Lobsters in Maine?

Waste Water to Beer?

Editor’s Final Thoughts

A Cry for Kelp

Migration Changes Create Stress

Unusual Item Report: Gravity Batteries

Giant Hailstones

Battle of Beachfront Bureaucrats

OCEAN 63

Samantha Thywissen and Malcolm Fano were married on Cape Cod this summer, at a ceremony officiated by OCEAN Editor Gordon Peabody.

OCEAN 63 is the “Editor’s Issue”, providing some insight into who we are and a pet peeve from one of our first issues, regarding an ongoing Cape Cod problem. We have also included other articles from our Research Team, including one from our youngest but passionate researcher who lived with Manatees this summer. OCEAN is an advertising free, Environmental Education Publication, self-funded by Safe Harbor Environmental Services, a collaborative environmental consulting group on Cape Cod. Download and share back issues at WWW.SafeHarborEnv.com.

-Gordon Peabody, Editor

OCEAN 63 Articles

New Scrabble Word: Invasivorism

Not Sci-Fi Dept: Gigantic Snails

Living with Endangered Giants in Belize

Editor’s Final Thoughts

Saving a Lake in the Sky

Summer Intern Profiles

OCEAN Wedding

Editor’s Pet Peeve Department

OCEAN 62

This issue’s close to home article take a look at NetYourProblem.com a Cape Cod local started, for profit company that reuses and resells plastic from used fishing gear.

OCEAN 62 contains two, very unusual, in my opinion, articles. New England Coastal Fishermen have been plagued by invasive Green Crabs. Now, in an extraordinary development, a Fisherman is using them to create a unique Whiskey! In our "Close to Home" section, a local woman has been part of a for profit business recycling used fishing gear that might normally be abandoned. She is working on an expanding, National scale. OCEAN environmental e-newsletter is the educational publication of Safe Harbor, an interdisciplinary environmental consulting group on Cape Cod. OCEAN and our research team is funded by me, so you will never find advertising or solicitations. This is your newsletter, exploring innovative solutions and unusual problems. OCEAN is intended to be shared. Thank you for your support.

-Gordon Peabody

OCEAN 62 Articles

Florida Sargassum

Artificial Turf: Friend of Foe

The Fruitful Desert

Bother to Bottle

Harnessing Waves

Flesh Eating Bacteria

Gulf of Maine Records Second Hottest Year

Acrylic, Nylon, and Seaweed Plastic…? Oh My!

Close to Home: NetMyProblem.com

OCEAN 61

The editor’s choice article “Unique Concept in Green Energy” by researcher Abigail Eilar, explores the use of sand batteries for green energy.

OCEAN 61 shares an inside look at some of our Interns this year. We also recommend an unusual article regarding fish falling from the sky and the explanation leaves me unconvinced, my opinion. Living on Cape Cod, the concept of a “Sand Battery” also caught my attention. OCEAN newsletter never has advertising and never will, as it is self-funded, to be shared by our readers and their friends. Thank you to our Associate Editor Catie Urquhart and Research Coordinator Jessica Hillman and thanks to you, our readers for enjoying and sharing our efforts. Safe Harbor is a small, interdisciplinary environmental consulting group, located on Duck Creek Marsh, in Wellfleet on Cape Cod.

Algae Blooms on Cape Cod

Healthy Flour

Deadly Rain in Death Valley

Intern Feature

Editor’s Final Thoughts

OCEAN 61 Articles

New Clam in the Neighborhood

"No Mow" Lawns

Crabs Living in a Time Warp

When Fish Actually Fell out of the Sky

Unique Concept in Green Energy

OCEAN 60

In Bird Safe Glass, Catie Urquhart, shares the importance of smart bird safe glass.

Editor’s Comments: OCEAN 60 is published for you, our readers, curious about innovative problem solving and interested in the environmental issues we share. Healthy communities need healthy resources, especially coastal towns. Right here on Cape Cod we are about to begin an extraordinary estuary restoration (See Tess Holland’s article on the Herring River). Abigail Eilar writes about a troubling (for me anyway), mysterious and a bit spooky, dolls washing onto Gulf Coast beaches. I am reachable for your comments at gordonpeabody@gmail.com. Advertising-free OCEAN is the environmental education publication of Safe Harbor Environmental, a small inter-disciplinary consulting group in Wellfleet on Cape Cod. Please feel free to share this issue with friends and colleagues. Thank you to our readers for your continuing support.

Innovative Bike Paths

Plant Plankton Changes?

Herring River Estuary

Bird Safe Glass

The Calm Before The Storm

OCEAN 60 Articles

Recycled Sports

Grass Bans

Washed Up Dolls

Foam in Polluted Waters

OCEAN 59

In Mechanical Trees, researcher Lindsey Stanton describes how man made trees can help reduce carbon in the atmosphere.

In Mechanical Trees, researcher Lindsey Stanton describes how man made trees can help reduce carbon in the atmosphere.

Welcome to OCEAN 59. This is the environmental education publication of Safe Harbor Environmental Consulting, a small, interdisciplinary environmental collaborative, located on Duck Creek Marsh, in Wellfleet on Cape Cod. You will find no advertising or solicitations in your newsletter, because it is yours to read, discus and share with friends, as Public Domain. Tess Holland’s article on icebergs having left behind tracks in the Florida Keys was pretty surprising but then, I had to read Lindsey Stanton’s article on Mechanical Trees twice. In this edition we are beginning a new series “CLOSE TO HOME," about some of the strategies and systems we use when working in or near protected wetland areas. These are also Public Domain. Thank you for supporting and sharing OCEAN.

Regards, Gordon Peabody OCEAN Editor

OCEAN 59 Articles 

Iceberg Tracks in Florida Keys                     Small Island Town, Big Challenge 

How Much is too Much?                              Mechanical Trees?

When the Road Drives the Car                     Ethiopian Banana Tackles Climate Change 

Close to Home: Saving Trees                        Close to Home: Re-using Trees

Editor’s Final Words 

OCEAN 58

OCEAN is the environmental education publication of Safe Harbor, a small environmental consulting collaborative, on Duck Creek Marsh in Wellfleet, on Cape Cod. Our researchers always surprise me with their discoveries: Lindsay Stanton documenting the 42,000 year old reversal of our magnetic field from an ancient buried tree; Tess Holland looked at the counter-intuitive concept of “Ropeless” Lobstering; OCEAN Associate Editor Catherine Urquhart’s troubling research about potential Radioactive discharge into Cape Cod Bay reminded me of when I attended College, where I was the only student using their Isotope Pit, researching biological magnification of Radioactive Isotopes between phytoplankton and zooplankton. Radioactivity doesn't disappear, it Bioaccumulates. Bioaccumulation of Radioactivity was not debatable at the time but maybe things have changed? OCEAN belongs to you, our readers and you have our permission to share. Regards, Gordon Peabody, OCEAN Editor

In Too Close to Home, researcher Catherine Urquhart

In Too Close to Home, researcher Catherine Urquhart looks into radioactive discharge.

OCEAN 58 Articles 

Safe Harbor Slope Stabilization used in UK

Counterintuitive “Ropeless” Lobstering 

Cargo Ships That Can Kite Surf 

Oyster Partnership Cleans up Hudson 

Too Close to Home 

Got Arachnophobia?

Healthier Cape Cod 

Feather in the Wind 

Impacts of Light on Insects 

Alaska Experiences Climate Whiplash 

Extraordinary Discovery in Ancient Buried Tree

OCEAN 57

Researcher Eliza Fitzgerald to looks into the ocean heating up in “Tropical Fish Found in Massachusetts Area”

This environmental education e-newsletter is written, with no advertisements or solicitation. In this issue I recommend the 3 video links you will discover, documenting a degree of inspiration we can all use. When it comes to drinking water, Cape Cod is spoiled, with some of the cleanest, sand filtered rainwater in New England. That being said, Researcher Lindsey Stanton discovered the unpleasant truth about the footprints of a “Miracle” firefighting chemical we use. New England sea water spends the entire year, within a very narrow temperature range. It takes a lot of energy to alter sea water temperature, so when news came in about “Our” ocean heating up, we asked Researcher Eliza Fitzgerald to look into it. Our articles are kept short, with references and links for more information. Thank you to our readers for their support in sharing OCEAN. 

Thanks, Gordon Peabody, OCEAN Editor.

OCEAN 57 Articles

Keep Healthy, Stay Informed

Know What we are Drinking 

Quiet Fisherman on Cape Cod Save Baby Scallops 

Can we Bring Back the Herring? 

The Road to Recovery: The Northern Redbelly Dace 

Innovative Ecosystem Research on Light 

Are Our Feet Heading into the Fire? 

Small Stuff, Big Problem 

Atmospheric CO2 Entering Oceans 

Will Maine Shrimp Sink or Swim? 

New Technology for Drinking Salt Water 

Tropical Fish Found in Massachusetts Area 


OCEAN 56

OCEAN Researcher, Lindsey Stanton, provides information on the plight of Vaquitas as researched and written about by Associate Editor Samantha Thywissen in the article “Vaquita & the Sea of Cortez”.

OCEAN Researcher, Lindsey Stanton, provides information on the plight of Vaquitas as researched and written about by Associate Editor Samantha Thywissen in the article “Vaquita & the Sea of Cortez”.

This remarkable issue of OCEAN 56 features our annual, Environmental Initiative Awards, this year going to two events, which we felt were profound, perhaps not in scope but with inspiration. We are also sharing Associate Editor Samantha’s well researched, heartfelt article on the extraordinary losses of Porpoises from Sea of Cortez By-Catch. We also are introducing new researcher Catherine Urquhart, who suggests we take note of troubling recent cloud tops, breaking records for heights and temperatures. We have written this newsletter for you our readers, with no advertising or solicitation, it only has value to us when we share it. Thank you for your support.

Fair winds, Gordon Peabody, OCEAN Editor.

OCEAN 56 Articles

Piecing Together the Microplastics Problem 

Vaquita & the Sea of Cortez

Endocrine Disruptor Used in Antimicrobial Products 

Japanese Cherry Blossom Bloom is Earliest in 1,200 Years 

2021 OCEAN Environmental Initiative Awards 

Staying Safe 

Red Flag in the Upper Atmosphere

Paving With Better Intentions 

The Uphill Battle With Microplastics 

Breakthrough Science Restores Sight Using Algae

Note From the Editor 

OCEAN 55

Tess Holland’s article “Living with Sharks” explores the possibilities and barriers to using drones to spot sharks.

Tess Holland’s article “Living with Sharks” explores the possibilities and barriers to using drones to spot sharks.

I remember Earth Day 1970, as if it were yesterday. I helped found an environmental group at College and trained student teachers to visit High Schools around NJ. With the elevated confidence bestowed on youth, I thought we had solved the problems. I was wrong of course but have continued trying. This issue of OCEAN features a most unusual bottle, in the good news department and in the less good news department we document a decision not to use drones to locate sharks near Cape Cod beaches. Thank you to our Readers who support our efforts. This is your newsletter and can be shared.

Thanks, Gordon Peabody.

OCEAN 55 Articles 

Rooftop Turbines 

Living with Sharks 

Fracking Problems Persist 

Evaluating Meat Alternatives 

Could CO2 be the New Jet Fuel  

Sharing the Beach with Shorebirds

Staying Safe (Part 5)

Better Bottles 

Batteries Made with Air 

Unusual Use for Lobsters 

Strange Looking Satellite 

Wet Weather Down Under 

OCEAN 54

OCEAN is happy to share some good news: Purdue University researchers have invented a white paint with cooling properties.

OCEAN is happy to share some good news: Purdue University researchers have invented a white paint with cooling properties.

Welcome to our 54th issue. OCEAN is your Environmental Newsletter, to be read and shared. Thank you to researcher Rae Taylor-Burns, for her article integrating complex, hemispheric energy systems to provide us with a simple explanation of why we had so many Hurricanes this season. We also have our continuing series of “Safe Suggestions During COVID”. One of the most upsetting articles we debated sharing: an aggressive, water borne amoeba that deteriorates brain tissue. Perhaps this can be balanced by some good news: Purdue University researchers have invented a white paint with cooling properties. Please enjoy this issue, we wrote it for you.

Regards, Gordon Peabody, Editor.

OCEAN 54 ARTICLES

Alternatives to Animal Products 

Getting Paid for Plastic 

Cool Paint Has Even Cooler Purpose 

Kelp Species Surprising Scientists 

Helpful Heat Powered Fans 

Safe Suggestions During COVID (Part 4) 

How Did We Lose 350 Elephants 

Another Broken Record 

Close to Home: Cape Cod 

Unwelcome Amoeba in Our Waters 

OCEAN 53

OCEAN is proud to highlight the work of one of our previous Safe Harbor interns, Charles Post. We share his extraordinary video “Sky Migrations”

OCEAN is proud to highlight the work of one of our previous Safe Harbor interns, Charles Post. We share his extraordinary video “Sky Migrations”

OCEAN 53 introduces some interesting videos we wanted to recommend and share with our readers. OCEAN is a self-funded, environmental education newsletter for Safe Harbor Environmental Services, a multidisciplinary, environmental consulting group on Cape Cod. This issue contains articles by OCEAN Researchers, ranging from “VANISHING BIRDS”; to “INNOVATIVE FLOOD PROTECTION”; to the “NURDLE APOCALYPSE” in New Orleans. We publish this newsletter for people with an interest in the environment and in climate action. Please feel free to share OCEAN with friends who share your interests. It is a Public Domain publication. Thank you.

~Gordon Peabody, Editor

OCEAN 53 Articles

Keeping Safe (Part III)

Eyes to the Sky

Lost Power?

Coastal Restoration Using Biomimicry

Innovative Flood Protection Product

A New River is on the Way

Tracking Anomalous Weather

Meteotsunamis are Real

“Nurdle” Apocalypse

Mystery Surrounds Loss of Birds

A Different Species and a Deadly Pandemic

Lobster with a Surprising “Extra”

Purses Belonging to Mermaids?

OCEAN 52

Lindsey Stanton’s article “Cape Cod’s Atlantis” explores the history of the vanishing island of Billingsgate.

Lindsey Stanton’s article “Cape Cod’s Atlantis” explores the history of the vanishing island of Billingsgate.

Editor’s Comments:

OCEAN 52 shares an extraordinary contrast, of how Cape Cod residents a hundred years ago experienced their island vanishing from beneath them and last month, a unique coalition of environmental groups, acted to save another island from development. We also began a new series on “Who We Are”, finding out who our Researchers are. My favorite article is about a humble group that found a way to make in-pavement driveway solar cells from used water bottles. This remarkable idea received our Environmental Innovation Award. OCEAN is the environmental education publication of Safe Harbor Environmental Services and is self- funded, with no advertising. We put this together for you, our readers, who are curious about local and large scale, environmental trends, anomalies and unusual events. This is a public domain publication and is yours to share. We begin with suggestions in our continuing series “Staying Safe”.

~Gordon Peabody, Editor

OCEAN 52 Articles

Turning Up The Heat

Heatwaves In The Arctic Circle

OCEAN 2020 Innovation Award

Unwelcome Company

Dispatch From Alaska

Staying Safe (Part II)

Cape Cod’s Atlantis

Cape Cod Island Saved From Development

Breathing African Dust

What’s Going On With Victoria Falls?

OCEAN 51

Lindsey Stanton’s article, “A 2nd Cup of Coffee”, describes a very unique recycling concept to reduce food waste and create biodegradable coffee mugs so you can feel extra good about reducing waste while enjoying a cup of coffee.

Lindsey Stanton’s article, “A 2nd Cup of Coffee”, describes a very unique recycling concept to reduce food waste and create biodegradable coffee mugs so you can feel extra good about reducing waste while enjoying a cup of coffee.

Editor's Comments:

The scale of our unprecedented, Worldwide Viral event may reach every one of us. I wanted OCEAN 51 to include some thoughts for consideration, under a new topic, “STAYING SAFE” which we will be continuing in future issues. As we move beyond our Hallmark 50th Issue, I am proud of the team of researchers who write up our various topics. In future issues we will be recognizing some of them individually. In this issue, I recommend Rae Taylor-Burn’s insightfully researched article exploring a mysterious, Northern Africa Locust plague. My other favorite topic in this issue: Lindsey Stanton’s “A 2nd Cup of Coffee”, a very unique recycling concept. Thank you for reading and sharing OCEAN.

~Gordon Peabody, Editor

OCEAN 51 Articles

Staying Safe

Building with Trash

Pacific Ocean Systems Affect Hurricanes

Close to Home

2nd Cup of Coffee

Interruptions in Recycling

What are Boomerang Bags?

Flowers Hinder Bugs, Help Crops

Understanding Reef Safe Sunscreen

Traveling Locusts Link Nations

OCEAN 49

Innovative vehicle that emits only water

Innovative vehicle that emits only water

Editor’s Comments:

This issue is dedicated to young people our researchers have discovered around the world, who are stepping up to try and make a difference. We can ask nothing more from them, or of ourselves. Safe Harbor's experiment with Whale disentanglement research is included, as well as some women surfer film makers who discovered some inspirational children trying to make a difference in "paradise".

~Gordon Peabody, Editor

Ocean 49 Articles

Vehicle emitting only H2O

Sargassum in the Caribbean

Blue Crabs in Florida

Indonesian students tackle microplastics

Low-tech ropeless fishing gear

Clean water from sunlight

OCEAN 48

In California, the Sierra Nevada range saw a 200% increase in snowpack this year

In California, the Sierra Nevada range saw a 200% increase in snowpack this year

Editor’s Comments:

This 48th issue recognizes a young person who is making a difference and some innovative ideas we believe deserve support. We also want to share dispatches from our recently relocated Associate Editor and a previous Intern who has been spending time underwater in the Bahamas, with sharks.

~Gordon Peabody, Editor

Ocean 48 Articles

“Trash Girl” United Kingdom

Red tides in Norway

Rising temperatures, melting icebergs

Clean water from thin air

Puffin die-off in Alaska

Sierra snowpack increases by 200%

Marine debris surface skim

Algae curtains

Sink & toilet combination

OCEAN 47

Jenifer Wilcox, the author of a new book on capturing carbon from the atmosphere. She also has a 14-min TED talk about the topic.

Jenifer Wilcox, the author of a new book on capturing carbon from the atmosphere. She also has a 14-min TED talk about the topic.

Editor’s Comments:

This 47th issue offers some of our research on close to home and far away issues, including insights into unexpected mysteries and some unique innovations. We have also included a section on “CHASING ZERO”, tracking sometimes mysterious changes in Carbon news. We are also grateful for recent dispatches: from Dr. Robert Mayer Arzuaga, from the University of Puerto Rico, who is restoring Hurricane ravaged beaches in Puerto Rico and had some great news about the Biomimicry sand restoration system they were using, which was developed on Cape Cod; and from Keegan Burke, previous Safe Harbor Intern, who is now waking up at 3:30 AM and carrying Bear Spray, in Legendary Yellowstone National Park.

~Gordon Peabody, Editor

Ocean 47 Articles

Carbon Sequestration

Trash wheel in Baltimore

Human plastic consumption through filter feeders

EU bans single-use plastics

Warming water off Maine

“Avocado plastic” innovation

Hydrogen powered trains

Seabird and dolphin deaths in Peru

Disappearing baby penguins

Hurricanes relocating

OCEAN 46

Magellanic penguins are becoming stuck in their southern feeding grounds, and losing a disproportionate number of females because of it.

Magellanic penguins are becoming stuck in their southern feeding grounds, and losing a disproportionate number of females because of it.

Editor’s Comments:

Though it seems we may not need any more climate records to be broken in the near future, they are appearing nonetheless. Our readers are entitled to the truth about events happening on this tiny planet, yet we still debated sharing the Australia Weather article by OCEAN Researcher Rae Taylor Burns. Another article featured in this issue describes Pacific crab Fishermen asking 30 fossil fuel companies to bear consequences of changes in their fishery. We are also glad to share some good ideas of making plastic bags from sea weed and using nets over outfall culverts to trap plastic before it reaches our Oceans.

~Gordon Peabody, Editor

OCEAN 46 Articles

Sea Level Rise

Flooding and fires in Australia

Kelp Farming

Economic cost of storms

LED low energy boat lights

Fishermen sue over climate change

Changing penguin habitats

Invasive trees in Arizona

Catching plastic in drainage pipes

Plastic bags from seaweed

OCEAN 45

The Mid-Atlantic coast after Hurricane Florence, a thousand year hurricane, whipped through the area.

The Mid-Atlantic coast after Hurricane Florence, a thousand year hurricane, whipped through the area.

Editor’s Comments:

Our original goal in publishing OCEAN newsletter, was to share solutions for shared environmental problems. Our "Close to Home" article on page 3 is a successful example of our initial goal. We were pleasantly surprised this fall, when our NOAA contact informed us that the successful "Biomimicry" sand restoration system we developed on the Ocean beaches of Truro, Cape Cod, was now being used to restore Hurricane ravaged dunes in Puerto Rico! Other articles share intriguing reuse of once problematic waste in the Almond industry, why some algae becomes toxic, an in depth look at our larger storms and how to "de-orbit" space junk.

~Gordon Peabody, Editor.

Ocean 45 Articles

Manmade space debris

Puffin decline

New use for almond product waste

Storms in Venice

Biomimicry on Cape Cod dune

Harmful algal blooms in Pacific

14-year oil leak in the Gulf

1000-year hurricane on East Coast, USA

Storm surges

OCEAN 44

Innovators in Ghana create electricity from root vegetables

Innovators in Ghana create electricity from root vegetables

Editor’s Comments:

Our Ocean-Atmosphere environmental systems are not just linked to each other but connect all the plants and animals together in those systems. Some of our articles in OCEAN 44 confirm these relationships. Many of us in New England consider mussels the “Poor Man’s Oyster” but recent research in the UK is disturbing. Another article I did not want to read is Lauren Goodwin’s “wake up” article on plastics getting trapped in the stomachs of seabirds, contributing to their starvation. We are also sharing an “unable to sleep at night” article about the mysterious proliferation of lizards in Florida.

~Gordon Peabody, Editor

Ocean 44 Articles

Plastics causing starvation in seabirds

Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Red tides in Florida

Hot rain

Rising temperatures in the Gulf of Maine

Sunscreen harms coral reefs

Invasive rats infesting reefs

Space debris

Eating invasive Green Crabs

Humans eating plastic from mussels

Electricity from root vegetables