Bright sunlight filters down through the clear Mediterranean waters off the coast of Spain, illuminating a lush meadow just below the surface. Blades of strikingly green grass undulate in the currents. Painted comber fish dart among clumps of leaves, and technicolor nudibranchs crawl over mounds. Porcelain crabs scuttle by tiny starfish clinging to the blades. A four-foot-tall fan mussel has planted itself on a rock outcropping. A sea turtle glides by. Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine now for just $12 This article is a selection from the December issue of Smithsonian magazine Spain: A blade of seagrass serves as refuge, habitat or nourishment for other organisms, from microalgae to crustaceans and worms. Like land grasses, these marine plants flower, and they harness photosynthesis to produce chemical energy, yielding oxygen. Their leaves aren’t held up by rigid stems, though; they float. (Shane Gross) This rich underwater landscape has been shaped by its humble covering, Posidonia oceanica . Commonly known as Neptune grass, it is one of about 70 species of seagrasses that have spread, over millions of years, across the globe’s coastal shallows, embracing and buffering continental shelves from Greenland to New Guinea. Seagrasses provide habitat for fish, sea horses, crustaceans […]
Latest Articles
These bioclimatic student dorms use low-cost, sustainable materials
In the tropical Vietnamese province of Dong Nai, Southeast Asian architecture firm T3 Architects has completed the Hippo Farm Bioclimatic Dormitories, a cost-effective...
Electric busmaker Arrival schedules first UK road trial
Electric buses built by Arrival, the UK-based manufacturer, will be tested on British roads for the first time later this year in a...
This home floats in a self-sufficient Amsterdam neighborhood
In a city characterized by fast population growth, Amsterdam residents are beginning to entertain alternative living situations. Enter Schoonschip, a sustainable floating neighborhood...
USPS cuts emissions with new delivery vehicle fleet
The United States Postal Service announced last week that it was awarded a multi-billion-dollar contract to update the postal delivery fleet. Oshkosh Defense...
How Siemens Energy Is Targeting the US Green Hydrogen Opportunity
Siemens Energy's Silyzer electrolyzer is part of a green hydrogen technology line the company is hoping will gain market share in the nascent...
11 Natural Lawn Alternatives
Laszlo Podor / Getty Images While lush, green lawns are nice, they do very little for the environment. In fact, because so many lawns...