Tag: oceans

• Impossible heights: Lighthouse of Thridrangar, Iceland

  

  Are you searching for your next getaway? There’s a lighthouse off the coast of southern Iceland that sits 120 feet upward on the highest of three steep rocks. It is one of the most remote lighthouses in the world.

  Constructed in 1939, the Thridrangar (Þrídrangar) Lighthouse, Þrídrangar means “three rock pillars,” is undoubtedly one of the most challenging lighthouses ever built.

  Given the swirling winds and crashing waves, climbing the precarious pillar to build the lighthouse must have been one Herculean task. The mountaineers climbed on top of each other’s backs to reach the cliff’s perch. There were no suitable helicopters at the time.

  Today, Thridrangar lighthouse is only accessible by helicopter for service needs. The helipad sits on top of a jagged rock that sticks out to the North Atlantic ocean.

  

  

  

  Wells Baum

  February 23, 2022

  Architecture & Design, Travel

  design, Iceland, Nature, oceans, Travel

• The spot where the Namib Desert meets the Atlantic ocean

  

  Where in the world can you see an infinite beach? Try the Namib Desert in Namibia, where some of the world’s tallest dunes meet the sea.

  The Namib Desert is the world’s oldest desert, going back at least 55 million years. While devoid of surface water, there are nearly a thousand miles of desert coastline on the Atlantic ocean where coastal winds have helped shape and shift massive dunes.

  The contrast between the land waves and sea waves, desert and the Namib-sand sea, is simply breathtaking.

  

  

  

  Wells Baum

  January 11, 2022

  Nature, Travel

  africa, desert, Namibia, oceans, sand

• These deep-sea anglerfish might as well be aliens

  

  Deep-sea anglerfish (Ceratiidae) remain one of the most intriguing mysteries of the ocean. Ugly and ghoulish with giant mouths and pointy teeth, only recently has video footage revealed the creature’s unique form of alienesque reproduction.

  The 3.5-foot females are most famous for their hunting methods, in which they use a fish rod-like appendage (the esca) on top of their heads. The lure is tipped with a luminescent fin ray to attract prey with their light. They also use the esca to attract mates.

  The much smaller one-inch parasitic male latches onto the female, injecting its sperm in exchange for nutrients. Hooked on for life, the two share a single respiratory and digestive system.

  The male atrophies, losing its eyes and some organs in the process. The dwarfed male never has to go hunting again, nor does the female have to mate — as they both find solace in the dark.

  The deep-sea anglerfish may be the weirdest looking and acting creatures on the planet.

  

  

  

  Wells Baum

  November 7, 2021

  Animals, Nature

  Aliens, anglerfish, fish, oceans