Dreams of Ulops

A daydream is being distracted by your thought while awake. When Jim was bored with school, his mind would wander, and he would go to his special place. His favorite place was on the islands of Bonaire. There he played with his imaginary Leafy Sea Dragon friend, Ulops. The sea dragons are members of the seahorse family. They have a shape like a seahorse, with a long snout, tail, and unique fin placement. They also have lobes or leaf-like protuberances sprouting from their bodies. Although Ulops swam the seven seas, he would always come back and visit Jim. They would swim and dive for hours, occasionally exploring a cave. Eventually, Jim would catch himself daydreaming and return to reality.

When he dreams about swimming with Ulops, they would be in Bonaire, which consists of the big island of Bonaire and the smaller island of Tinapa Bonaire. Both of the islands have both marine and wildlife preserves. The ideal season for diving was during the dry season, which lasted from April to November, and the water temperature was usually 84F. This beautiful island was outside the hurricane zone. They had fun swimming in the fantastic coral reefs and observing more than 470 fish species. They also loved to check out the long-forgotten old shipwrecks.

When Jim was on the land walk, he would check out the variety of wildlife and flora. His favorite place was Washington Sabai National Park has over 10,500 acres and is a refuge for all the wildlife Bonaire offers. Some of the species include parrots, flamingos, and parakeets, and the reptile species include iguanas and four species of sea turtles.

Jim's long-term plans were to be a Marine Biologist. Towards that end, he studied biology. Throughout his school years, he still daydreamed about his friend, Ulops. He set his sights on his long-term dream of Marine biology, although he was finding it hard to pick a specific program he liked. He finally decided on the Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology and Sustainable Aquaculture. He chose to attend Unity College, which is a distance-learning school. He felt that with tuition and all that, this type of learning would help cut down on housing and other expenses related to living away from home.

Due to his adventures with Ulops, he was most interested in the Forces, Flows, and Waves of the Ocean. The ocean covers about 70% of Earth's surface. So, it's not surprising that it plays a large part in Earth's environment. As Earth warms, water in the ocean soaks up energy (heat) and distributes it more evenly across the planet. The ocean also absorbs carbon dioxide from Earth's atmosphere. The plants and animals there can get sick or even die if the ocean gets too warm. Of the over 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic manufactured since 1950, only 9% gets recycled, and only 10% of recycled plastic gets recycled a second time. A small, but the lion's share – 79% – winds up in landfills, littered in landscapes, or bobbing in our rivers and oceans. Plastic exposed to air makes up to 80 times more greenhouse gasses than plastic in water.

His next concern was the Form and Function of Unique Marine Ecosystems. These ecosystems contain high levels of dissolved salt and biotic, which are living and abiotic, non-living factors. Biotic factors include plants, animals, and microbes. Abiotic factors include the amount of sunlight in the ecosystem, the amount of oxygen and nutrients dissolved in the water, proximity to land, depth, and temperature. Types of estuaries are salt marshes, mangrove forests, coral reefs, the open ocean, and the deep-sea ocean.

Jim's next learning experience was Ichthyology and Fish Health. This course examines freshwater and marine fishes' diversity, behavior, and health. He will also learn about all global fish species, their anatomy, and physiology regarding survival and well-being.

Marine Mammal and Seabird Biology. They included the Humpback whale and the Sperm whale. He had also heard of the Harbor porpoise and the white-beaked dolphin. There are also the Harp seal and Bearded seal. Last but not least is the Walrus.

The Sea birds consist of six million pairs from 36 seabird species. There are five species: Brunish's guillemot, little auk, Atlantic puffin, northern fulmar, and black-legged kittiwake Colonies in the high-Arctic Archipelago have little auks, Brunish's guillemots, and kittiwakes. Little auks feed mainly on lipid-rich Calanus species, amphipods, and krill, while Brunish's guillemots and black-legged kittiwakes feed on polar cod, capelin, amphipods, and krill.

Having worked part-time all through high school. Jim was finally able to take the trip of his dreams. He decided to go to his favorite dream spot Bonaire. First, it was time to lay on the beach and get some sun. He sat for hours feeling the warm sun and listening to the sound of the waves as they crashed on the shore.

He felt the urge to go swimming and then have dinner. He was excited to get up in the morning and experience down in the forests. Nuovo is a bit of a drive, but vegetation is on both sides of the road. Then there is Groomer Scenic Overlook, one of Bonaire's most scenic. Seru Largo has panoramic views of both coastlines.

He saved the best for last. Suba diving on Bonaire was everything that he had dreamed about From the colorful fish and coral to the various other sea creatures that swam by.

His thoughts went once again to his buddy Ulops. He knew that once he finished his educational journey, he would be able to help all of the marine animals. Sometimes daydreaming can keep a person going.

Ulops

References

How Does Climate Change Affect the Ocean? | NASA Climate Kids. https://climatekids.nasa.gov/ocean/

What happens to all of our plastic trash once it enters the ocean?. https://oceana.org/blog/what-happens-all-our-plastic-trash-once-it-enters-ocean/

What abiotic factor determines the amount of light received by an .... https://int-tech-mtng.org/wildlife/what-abiotic-factor-determines-the-amount-of-light-received-by-an-aquatic-ecosystem.html

Animals Network Editors. (2017). Antelope. Retrieved November 4, 2017, from https://animals.net/antelope/

https://degrees.unity.edu/lander/unity-college-marine-biology/?trackid=19A2DAA1-0122-485C-AB44-ABF6439BBDC9&keyword=marine%20scientist%20program&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=Bingc&utm_campaign=EMS+MSPS%7CBS+Marine+Biology&utm_term=marine%20scientist%20program&utm_content=Marine%20Science&msclkid=faa1535cfbc817797f683014c389dea1

https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/marine-ecosystems

Animals Network Editors. (2017). Antelope. Retrieved November 4, 2017, from https://animals.net/antelope/

https://www.npolar.no/en/species/brunnichs-guillemot/

Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve. https://ecuador2008cuyabeno.blogspot.com/

https://www.barentsportal.com/barentsportal/index.php/en/status-2020/308-biotic-ecosystem-components-data-from-2019/marine-mammals-and-sea-birds-2018/1021-marine-mammals-and-sea-birds

https://infobonaire.com/dawn-in-the-forests-of-bonaire/