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Geographical distribution plays a major role in our understanding of marine biodiversity. Some marine fish trematodes have been shown to have highly restricted geographical distributions, while some are known to occur over very wide ranges; however, very few of these wide distributions have been demonstrated genetically. Here, we analyse species of the genus Schikhobalotrema (Haplosplanchnidae) parasitizing beloniforms from the tropical west Pacific, the eastern Pacific and the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). We test the boundaries of these trematodes by integrating molecular and morphological data, host association, habitat of the hosts and geographical distribution, following a recently proposed and standardized delineation method for the recognition of marine trematode species. Based on the new collections, Schikhobalotrema huffmani is here synonymized with the type-species of the genus, Schikhobalotrema acutum ; Sch. acutum is now considered to be widely distributed, from the GoM to the western Pacific. Additionally, we describe a new species, Schikhobalotrema minutum n. sp., from Strongylura notata and Strongylura marina (Belonidae) from La Carbonera coastal lagoon, northern Yucatán, GoM. We briefly discuss the role of host association and historical biogeography of the hosts as drivers of species diversification of Schikhobalotrema infecting beloniforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Composting is the biological decomposition of organic materials, such as plant tissue, food scraps, paper, animal fodder, and wood chips. The end-product, compost, is a beneficial soil amendment because it can contain a diversity of beneficial microorganisms, has high nutrient and water-holding capacities, can increase total soil porosity, and contains essential plant nutrients that improve soil productivity. Coastal regions of the Gulf of Mexico, as well as the Atlantic and European shorelines, have witnessed a proliferation of brown seaweed (Sargassum sp.). When piled on beaches, tourism appeal is reduced, threatening the local economy. When amassed offshore, thick brown seaweed mats can hinder fishing. Excessive decomposition rates can lead to eutrophication, which threatens coastal areas economically and environmentally. Despite these problems, seaweed may be considered a valuable compost ingredient. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to conduct a market test to determine the potential value of a seaweed-incorporated compost to consumers in Texas and to identify attributes of likely consumers. A marketing survey was developed and distributed to gardeners in the central and south Texas regions. Contingent valuation questions measured participants' willingness to pay for the seaweed compost products. Participants were able to see, smell, and touch a sample of the compost while completing the survey. Despite 92% of respondents ranking themselves as inexperienced in compost behavior, results indicated a potential for a specialty, competitively priced seaweed-incorporated compost to be introduced to the market. Respondents were most willing to pay $4.00/ft³ to $5.00/ft³ for seaweed-incorporated compost. Additionally, participants who responded positively to buying local, buying compost in the past, having positive environmental attitudes, and buying American were more likely to pay more for the seaweed-incorporated compost. There was not an obvious pattern between willingness to pay for seaweed-incorporated compost and demographic responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the sulphur mine operation of Freeport Sulphur Co. in the Gulf of Mexico in 1960. This mine operation is considered to be the third biggest sulphur deposit found in the U.S. The procedures used by the company in mining and material handlings include the establishment of link between the operation and the mainland through broad-band microwave, the first system to process digital information for computers. As a beginner in the field of sulphur mining, the company is operating five sulphur wells.

THE SEAS HAD TURNED ROUGH as a sudden squall whipped up the winds enough to howl through the rigging. And with those winds came a powerful smell of oil. Soon I could see the characteristic rainbow sheen from my position on the rail of this fishing trawler. It was May of 2016, and we were in the Gulf of Mexico, about 16 kilometers off the southeast coast of Louisiana. · "Skimmer in the water," bellowed Kevin Kennedy, an Alaskan fisherman turned oil-spill remediation entrepreneur. Ropes groaned as the boat's winches lowered his prototype oil-recovery system into the heaving seas. As the trawler bobbed up and down, Kennedy's contraption rode the waves, its open mouth facing into the slick, gulping down a mix of seawater and crude oil. u The stomach of Kennedy's device, to continue the analogy, was a novel separator, which digested the mixture of seawater and oil. By virtue of its clever engineering, it excreted essentially nothing but water. At the top of the separator's twin tanks, the collected oil began to swell. When enough had accumulated, the oil was sucked safely into a storage tank. Then the cycle would begin again. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the author shares his experience of visiting Panama City, Florida, on the dunes beside the bluegreen Gulf of Mexico.

The article focuses on the examination by scientists of the Earth's most notorious space rock impact, Chicxulub at Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula to offer a detailed timeline of the dinosaur apocalypse. Topics covered include the revelation that an asteroid crashed unto the Earth's surface 66 million years ago, the growing evidence points to a supervolcanic accomplice that acidified the oceans and destabilized ecosystems, and the massive die-off in the Cretaceous and Paleogene periods.

The article confirms the rumor about the development of a one-system railroad route from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico in April 1945. According to Gulf, Mobile & Ohio (G.M. & O.) Railroad president I. B. Tigrett, the merger of the firm with another U.S. railroad firm Alton had been approved by Alton's bondholder committees. The merger involves the construction of the route as well as the transfer of the general mortgage income bonds of G. M. & O. amounting to 22,675,000 U.S. dollars.

In this article, the author discusses the condition of the Western Atlantic bluefin tuna population. The author cites the opposing views of several fishery scientists bluefin fishing. The author notes the two confirmed major spawning areas in the Mediterranean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. The author also explains the two opposing theories about bluefin fishing which are high-recruitment and low recruitment.

MARKETING is everything. Dinosaurs were introduced to the public in the 1850s, when life-size models of them were used to decorate the most popular tourist attraction in the world--London's Crystal Palace. And the creatures' spectacular lives were rounded with a spectacular death when it was demonstrated to the satisfaction of most palaeontologists that they were wiped out by a collision between the Earth and an asteroid. A paper in this week's Science purports to identify an impact crater as big as the famous" dinosaur killer" at Chicxulub, in Mexico. The presence of iridium--a metal rare at the surface of the Earth, but relatively abundant in meteorites--was the first clue pointing towards the dinosaur-killing impact. A Verneshot would, according to Dr Phipps Morgan, produce almost all of the evidence thought to indicate an asteroid strike: iridium (which would be brought up from deep in the Earth), shocked quartz, buckyballs, spherules--and big impact craters caused by the return to Earth of huge gobbets of material the explosion ejected. The idea that mass extinctions are caused by impacts from outer space has been one of the best marketed pieces of popular science--it has even inspired Hollywood movies. It would be ironic, indeed, if Dr Becker's Australian crater, on the face of things such eloquent evidence for the extraterrestrial nature of mass extinctions, turned out to be a crucial nail in that theory's coffin.

The article discusses oil-drilling company Transocean's strategy to fend off liability in connection with a 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Transocean has steadfastly denied any responsibility for the incident and issued an 854-page report that assigned blame to oil company BP Plc, which owned the well where the accident occurred. By one estimate total liability could reach $50 billion.

The article presents news briefs regarding U.S. politics as of the week preceding June 21, 2010. The political controversy surrounding the cleanup of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill is mentioned. The failed attempt within the Democratic Party to convince Senator Joe Sestak to resign his re-election bid is discussed. The research of author Joe McGinniss concerning a book on the Alaskan politician Sarah Palin is also addressed.

The article details five modest proposals to stop messing up the environment and save the planet. These proposals include re-icing the Arctic by making more salty Arctic ice, taming storms with cold water pumps that would cool the Gulf of Mexico to cut down on hurricanes, and growing super-trees in tree plantations that would undercut the demand for cheap rain forest wood.

The article looks at the role of knowledge and information technology in the oil business and presents the author's firsthand account of drilling for oil on Pompano, an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico. According to the article, the growing ingenuity of human beings is outpacing the earth's growing reluctance to relinquish its oil. The article discusses seismic imaging and Michael Zeitlin, the president and CEO of Magic Earth, a 3-D seismic visualization facility.

In this article author talks about chef Adam Evans who opened Automatic Seafood and Oysters in Birmingham in 2019 when a local scuba diver brought in red snapper from the Gulf of Mexico. Topics include considered that his approach improves the humanity and sustainability of the catch and improves the shelf life and flavor of the final product for the restaurant and its customers.

The article reports that the U.S. Army Corps. of Engineers held a public hearing concerning the construction of a straight deepwater outlet from New Orleans, Louisiana to the Gulf of Mexico. It states that two possible routes were suggested to eliminate the winding Mississippi River, and the Engineers Corp. is conducting a survey to determine which is the most practical. It also presents a map which depicts the proposed routes, and discusses its advantages to New Orleans and Mississippi Valley.

The article focuses on oil prospecting in Louisiana as of 1973. The author pays special attention to oil field exploration carried out by oil company Louisiana Land & Exploration (LL&E), the oil lands drying, and the company's plans to begin offshore prospecting. Details related to the oil exploring activity of inventor Henry Timken in the beginning of the 20th century are also provided.

The article focuses on the move of Interior Department in raising money for offshore gas drilling companies to bid on lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico. It cites several companies which are part of the lease including Pennzoil Offshore Gas Operators Inc. (POGO) Louisiana Land & Exploration Co. and Tenneco Inc. It mentions that the rise of gas drilling companies is grounded on the fact that natural gas prices have increased.

The article presents information on the efforts undertaken by the oil companies in the U.S. to acquire domestic and international oil leases. It states that the oil companies spent 98 million dollars for drilling rights in the Gulf of Mexico. It mentions that companies are optimistic about acquiring a bigger share in oil lease in the Gulf, that is going to be decided in December 1970. It includes the factors that are working in favor of domestic oil companies.

The article reports on a protest initiated by the officials of conservation group Sierra Club against San Francisco, California-based Standard Oil Co. in 1970. It states that the move is triggered by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico due to an offshore well managed by Chevron Oil, a subsidiary of Standard Oil. Moreover, it notes that the group planned to make legal actions to protect the right of the public to have a clean environment.

The article presents information about painter Jean Blackburn. Blackburn has deep roots in Florida, as her family has lived here for generations. She knows the residents and tourists of Sarasota, Florida, flora and fauna alike. While her color choices are high-keyed, they are more than suitable for depicting the bright light of Florida and the humid air of the sea. In one of her works Blackburn satisfied the desire for the perfect day, the fun sport activities that rejuvenate the spirit, and the bounty from the Gulf of Mexico that nourishes the body.