Photograph: © SAF — Coastal Care
Excerpts;
Between 10,000 and 100,000 microorganisms live on each single grain of sand, as revealed in a study by researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen. This means that an individual grain of sand can have twice as many residents as, say, the city of Fairbanks, Alaska.
Sand-dwelling bacteria play an important role in the marine ecosystem and global material cycles…
Read Full Article; Astrobiology (12-13-2017)
Contaminated Sand May Make Beachgoers Sick, New Study Say, (07-18-2015)
When beaches are closed due to pollution, a few fearless beachgoers may think that they are safe as long as they stay remain on land. But a newly published study say that even the sand may not be safe from dangerous bacteria, and can potentially recontaminate the water…
Digging in Beach Sand Linked to Increased Risk of Gastrointestinal Illness, EPA (01-06-2015)
MRSA: Bad Boy Bacteria, By Sharlene Pilkey (05-23-2010)
It used to be swimmers ear, (otis exterma,) and then it was swimmers itch (cercarial dermatitis) if you went to the beach, everybody got it at one time or another, but now there is a new bully bacteria hiding on supposedly pristine beaches world-wide…
Top Beach Hazards: How to Stay Safe on the Sand; Web MD (05-25-2017)
Six Grains of Sand, Maui; By Dr. Gary Greenberg
Every grain of sand is a jewel waiting to be discovered. That’s what Dr. Gary Greenberg found when he first turned his microscope on beach sand. Author and photographer Dr. Gary Greenberg is a visual artist who creatively combines art with science…
