One of our living planet's most productive and threatened ecosystems is the giant kelp forest. Here in California, the kelp forest is home to many species of invertebrates, fish, marine mammals and birds, providing food and protection. The kelp forest is particularly vulnerable to an overpopulation of sea urchins. In California, the sea urchin population is held in check (to some degree) by the sea otter population. However, in other parts of the world the grazing ranges of s

91.5cm long x 60cm wide (36in x 23.5in) The silent killers of many marine species are the ghost nets abandoned by fishing boats. As they drift with the ocean currents they entangle all in their way, leading to a slow, painful death. We need to take responsibility to make our oceans a cleaner, safer environment for all creatures. Materials- cotton, wadding, synthetics, thread, paint, fusible web Techniques- hand painting, machine applique, machine quilting

I’ve been told that if you find yourself in a stressful situation, you should stop and take ten deep breaths. Breathing will calm you, focus your mind and provide a pause for you to think before reacting. It works. I guess it shouldn’t be a surprise, breathing is the heart of meditation. One of my favorite forms of meditation is scuba diving. The silence below the ocean surface is surprising. When I am submerged, the only thing I can hear is my breathing. My rhythmic breathin

Inspired by an article in the New York Times this past summer about the bleaching of the coral on the Great Barrier Reef, I imagined myself diving there today. Great Barrier Reef 36"x24" Hand-dyed cottons Free-motion stitched This version of the Great Barrier Reef, created many years ago, is from a series about the Color of Place, an homage to seven geographic locations in Australia. These were the colors I remembered from my first dive there about two decades ago. Our worl

Rising temperatures have changed our oceans, filling them with ghosts. Some species die off for lack of food or because of the inhospitable environment. Others leave their typical habitat in search of cooler temperatures. Their absence alters the ecosystem. Sometimes we notice what's missing, like when coral dies and loses its color, or fisheries collapse and the industries that depend on them start to feel the impact. Still, we let those species go and learn to depend on ot

Many typhoons developed in 2018, but most of them turned northward and hit Japan instead of Taiwan. The weather condition is unpredictable in countries near the equator, making life a lot difficult. The most terrible situation is experiencing an earthquake followed by a tsunami, just like what happened in Indonesia recently. The photo shows a coast in Matsu, a small island of Taiwan which is geographically closest to China. It’s a safe island with few disasters and the weathe

When I was young in Argentina we used to go to the beach for our holidays. The beaches were on the Atlantic Ocean. They were golden, sunny, fine sand beaches. I loved jumping and playing in the water; sometimes there were big waves crashing over our heads. In the evenings I loved walking along the sea listening to the murmur of the waters. I saw the Pacific Ocean for the first time in Chile. I was attending a Summer School in a location opposite the coast. You couldn't swim t

I lived for 30 years as a navy 's wife. When I was a child, I thought that the sea was far away. The first place I married and lived was in a city near the sea The sea, which I thought was in the distance, turned into a place I could see every day after marriage, I opened the windows in the morning and saw the sea and sometimes walked the beach. After moving to Seoul, my husband and I often go to the sea. I went into the memories I had forgotten for a while. Thanks to Betty