Oceanography/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| glow in water | 1/3/2012 | William Alevizon, Ph.D. |
| Q: Dr. Alevizon: I live in South Louisiana. It is duck hunting season right now down here and we have ... A: Hey Newman Interesting observation. I have no definitive answer for you, but some of the ... | ||
| Diodon and Darwin | 12/31/2011 | William Alevizon, Ph.D. |
| Q: Has it been verified that the report of Forres, whom Darwin refers to in his journal, is based in ... A: I totally agree - sounds like old Forres was smoking something strange. The mouth of Diodon is ... | ||
| Marine bio colleges/labs | 12/24/2011 | William Alevizon, Ph.D. |
| Q: Well im in the 10th grade, and have marine biology as my #1 job. I think the subject is the most ... A: Sounds like you know what you want to do. I know of several good marine biology undergrad programs ... | ||
| cuban ichthyologists | 12/22/2011 | William Alevizon, Ph.D. |
| Q: I will visit Cuba for a 2week vacation in early February. I'm a retired fish biologist near ... A: You must have graduated the same semester that I arrived at UCSB. As for the Cuban question, I never ... | ||
| Chemical biological adaptation in ocean rifts | 11/21/2011 | William Alevizon, Ph.D. |
| Q: Alevizon, I am a budding science fiction writer who likes to write with a basis in fact. I am ... A: First, good luck with your sci-fi novel - I am a long-time fan of the genre. As to your question, ... | ||
| Human perception of certain animals | 9/9/2011 | William Alevizon, Ph.D. |
| Q: Alevizon, I am wondering if you have an opinion as to why humans value different animals ... A: This is strictly my personal opinion and not based upon any hard evidence of which I am aware. I ... | ||
| shark attack | 9/5/2011 | William Alevizon, Ph.D. |
| Q: i hope you can answer this. I'm not really sure who to ask. This morning on the news I heard of ... A: Excellent question. With sharks, there is no practical way to know who the culprit was without ... | ||
| Great Barrier Reef | 8/8/2011 | William Alevizon, Ph.D. |
| Q: I am trying to find a population pyramid for any species in the great barrier reef for an ap bio ... A: The reason you can't find anything on this specific request is that it almost certainly does not ... | ||
| fossil | 8/4/2011 | William Alevizon, Ph.D. |
| Q: I found this what I understand to be a tube worm colony. I am sending a picture so you could ... A: There is no photo - link is brooken - please resend and I will try to help - also, please provide ... | ||
| coral | 8/2/2011 | William Alevizon, Ph.D. |
| Q: William Alevizon, Is a sea fan a type of coral? The Wiki article is ambiguous, calling it both ... A: Yes, sea fans are a type of coral, but a different type than those that form the foundation of coral ... | ||
| Places marine life choose to live | 7/22/2011 | William Alevizon, Ph.D. |
| Q: I was watching a special where they showed various marine life living in places that, to me, would ... A: Places that to most living things are "terrible places to live" are indeed harsh - but they have one ... | ||
| fish | 7/14/2011 | William Alevizon, Ph.D. |
| Q: My son caught a small fish in his net while we were on the beach at Panama City Beach, FL. I was ... A: The picture is blurry but I am 99.9% sure by your description and the photo that what you found was ... | ||
| octopus ink | 7/11/2011 | William Alevizon, Ph.D. |
| Q: Do all octopuses have the same ink color? What are the colors of octopus ink? Is octopus ink black, ... A: Each species of cephalopod produces slightly differently colored inks; generally, octopuses produce ... | ||
| sea turtle | 6/6/2011 | William Alevizon, Ph.D. |
| Q: Bill, Got your last email, hope these pics help! A: Hey mike After careful examination of all pics I am 99.9% sure this is a green sea turtle (Chelonia ... | ||
| sea turtle | 5/31/2011 | William Alevizon, Ph.D. |
| Q: Dr. Alevizon, First, I am a registered expert here myself, under aviation. My question is we were ... A: Mike Thanks for the added pix. That is NOT a hawksbill. I am not sure what it is now - it is ... | ||
| sea turtle | 5/31/2011 | William Alevizon, Ph.D. |
| Q: Dr. Alevizon, First, I am a registered expert here myself, under aviation. My question is we were ... A: I believe from what I can make out of the general shape, color and pattern of scutes that this is a ... | ||
| Squid. WHich is the biggest squid species? | 5/18/2011 | William Alevizon, Ph.D. |
| Q: Which is the biggest type of squid? All I heard was not specific and my classmates says that the ... A: The largest living squid in terms of mass is Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, known as the colossal ... | ||
| Increase in debris on California's coastline | 4/1/2011 | William Alevizon, Ph.D. |
| Q: I too have noticed a large amount of debris on the California coastline from my last Saturday's ... A: Are you sure it is bamboo? I have seen large patches of processed sugar cane (which looks a lot ... | ||
| cuban reef fish | 3/24/2011 | William Alevizon, Ph.D. |
| Q: I've done hours of research to identify a fish I saw while snorkeling off Pesquero Beach in Holguin, ... A: The only thing I can think of that even remotely fits your description would be a remora, a type of ... | ||
| Biology and Oceanography Degree | 3/16/2011 | William Alevizon, Ph.D. |
| Q: I am currently considering taking a Combined Honours BSc Degree in Biology and Oceanography. However ... A: I don't think the program you describe is too narrow at all - you could pursue any of a number of ... | ||
| Will there be an increase in debris on US west coast from Japan? | 3/14/2011 | William Alevizon, Ph.D. |
| Q: William: I am a professional journalist and have been asked to do research for a possible news ... A: I am actually a coral reef and fish ecologist rather than a physical oceanographer, but I think I ... | ||
| Movement of sea water | 2/28/2011 | William Alevizon, Ph.D. |
| Q: I am not sure if this question is something you may answer. If I asked wrong, I apologize for this. ... A: Re: "if they jumped out of a helicopter into the ocean, higher than 15 feet up, they would hit the ... | ||
| Biological oceanographer | 2/22/2011 | William Alevizon, Ph.D. |
| Q: First of all, I would like to thank you for willing to answer my questions. I'm now waiting for my ... A: Since you seem to like working outdoors and ecology, I would recommend that you pursue a degree in ... | ||
| Biological oceanographer | 2/18/2011 | William Alevizon, Ph.D. |
| Q: First of all, I would like to thank you for willing to answer my questions. I'm now waiting for my ... A: To help me answer your question, plase let me know what your current level of education is. Are you ... | ||
| Starry Flounder Air pocket | 2/7/2011 | William Alevizon, Ph.D. |
| Q: I am the husbandry director of a program at my high school that runs an aquarium. One of our tanks ... A: I am not an expert on aquarium issues or fish diseases. However, an excellent resource on such ... | ||
| Species name? | 1/24/2011 | William Alevizon, Ph.D. |
| Q: This is not a homework question. I'm not in school, I'm a graduate of college but have not had any ... A: The answer is - both are correct. I believe the fish you are asking about is the lionfish. Check ... | ||
| How do I start??? | 1/20/2011 | William Alevizon, Ph.D. |
| Q: my name is Faith. I am currently a junior in high school from Ft. Worth, TX. How do you begin to ... A: You would need to find a place in your area where some professional oceanographers work - colleges, ... | ||
| Fishing | 11/28/2010 | William Alevizon, Ph.D. |
| Q: What do you think about this: Ocean ecosystems are on the verge of collapse. The best way to save ... A: It may surprise you, but I believe this one actually quite easy to mount a credible debate against ... | ||
| oceans | 11/28/2010 | William Alevizon, Ph.D. |
| Q: How many oceans are there? A: There are five internationally recognized "divisions" of the Earth's ocean, which in reality is a ... | ||
| High School Education | 11/22/2010 | William Alevizon, Ph.D. |
| Q: my name is Briana and I am a sophomore in High school. I was wondering if you could tell me what ... A: While still in high school, it would be best to concentrate on those classes that will give you the ... | ||
| crustaceans | 11/6/2010 | William Alevizon, Ph.D. |
| Q: I'm working on a project for my marine biology class and i would like to incorporate into it how ... A: It is difficult to summarize how any particular group of animals has (individually) affected the ... | ||
| my idea for my science project | 11/1/2010 | William Alevizon, Ph.D. |
| Q: i thought of an idea it is a gauge that tells you the size of a fish the weight and if it it ... A: Tim Such a device does not exist. However, I do not think it would be possible to actually create ... | ||
| Marine Biology | 10/31/2010 | William Alevizon, Ph.D. |
| Q: I am starting my science project and i am thinking of ways of how i could make marine biologist jobs ... A: Sure. To me, the most helpful thing would be to try to work through the United Nations to get each ... | ||
| Coral identification | 10/6/2010 | William Alevizon, Ph.D. |
| Q: was wondering if you could help me identify some items that I believe may be a type of coral, ... A: From this additional information I would say that these are almost certainly coral fragments, ... | ||
| Coral identification | 10/5/2010 | William Alevizon, Ph.D. |
| Q: was wondering if you could help me identify some items that I believe may be a type of coral, ... A: These fragments certainly have some of the characteristics of weathered pieces of broken coral ... | ||
| Can I become a marine Biologist | 9/26/2010 | William Alevizon, Ph.D. |
| Q: I am only in High school, and I have a few jobs but my two dream jobs are very different, Acting ... A: Katie If its Vancouver you want, then UBC is your best bet. "The Department of Zoology at the ... | ||
| Can I become a marine Biologist | 9/26/2010 | William Alevizon, Ph.D. |
| Q: I am only in High school, and I have a few jobs but my two dream jobs are very different, Acting ... A: First, let me begin by answering your 2 most basic questions, with some qualifications discussed ... | ||
| Sea Shell Identification | 9/16/2010 | William Alevizon, Ph.D. |
| Q: I found this beautiful shell in Cape May, NJ It looks like it has baby shells attached to it. Can ... A: Wish I could help but from the photo I can't see that much. Perhaps if you could take a close up ... | ||
| Cant identify a fish caught in Cape Cod, Ma | 9/6/2010 | William Alevizon, Ph.D. |
| Q: The other day I saw A small fish swimming along with a piece of floating seaweed. Black with yellow ... A: What you have there is a young (juvenile) species of Ecehneis, most likely the live sharksucker ... | ||
| Sea monsters | 9/3/2010 | William Alevizon, Ph.D. |
| Q: Sorry if my topic's a bit off, maybe a long way off, but I just want to ask if I could find a ... A: I have not had much better luck than you in finding the resource you seek. The most promising ... | ||
William Alevizon, Ph.D.
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
Many areas of marine biology, although my special areas of expertise are coral reefs, fishes, and ecology.
Experience
30 years of teaching (university level, graduate and undergraduate) in general biology, marine biology, coral ref ecology, ichthyology. 30 years of research on coral reefs and the ecology of marine fishes.
Many peer-reviewed publications in international scientific journals on these subjects. and several popular books.
Publications
1994. Pisces’ Guide to Caribbean Reef Ecology. Gulf Publishing, Houston.
1994. Beachcomber’s Guide to Florida’s Marine Life. Gulf Publishing, Houston.
1989. (with L. Greene) Comparative accuracies of visual assessment methods for coral reef fishes. Bull. Mar. Sci. 44:899-912.
1989. (with J. Gorham) The effects of artificial reef deployment on nearby resident fishes. Bull. Mar. Sci. 44:646-661.
1988. (with B. Blonder) Prey discrimination and electroreception in the stingray Dasyatis sabina. Copeia 1988:33-36.
1985. A ten-year cinematographic comparison of reef biota off Key Largo, Florida: 1974 vs. 1984. Final Report to U.S. National Marine Sanctuary Program (NOAA), Washington, D.C.
1985. (with R. Richardson, P. Pitts, and G. Serviss) Coral zonation and patterns of community structure in Bahamian reef fishes. Bull. Mar. Sci. 36:304-318.
1985. (with R. Richardson, S. McCarthy, and J. Gorham) Use of man-made reefs to concentrate grunts (Haemulidae) and snappers (Lutjanidae) in Bahamian waters. Bull. Mar. Sci. 37: 3-10.
1984. (with D. Landmeier) Variability in the population structure of four western Atlantic parrotfishes. Env. Biol. Fish. 10:149-158.
1983. (with D. Colton) Feeding ecology of bonefish in Bahamian waters. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 112:178-184
1983. (with D. Colton) Movement patterns of bonefish (Albula vulpes) in Bahamian waters. Fish. Bull. 81:148-154.
1983. (with S. Freeman) Aspects of territoriality and habitat distribution in the fairy basslet (Gramma loreto). Copeia 1985:829-835.
1981. (with D. Colton) Diurnal variability in a Bahamian reef fish assemblage. Env. Biol. Fish.6:341-345.
1975. (with M. Brooks) The comparative structure of two western Atlantic reef-fish assemblages. Bull. Mar. Sci. 25:482-490.
Education/Credentials
Ph.D. 1973. Ichthyology and Marine Ecology. Marine Science Inst., Dept. Biological Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara CA
M.A. 1971. Ichthyology and Marine Ecology. Marine Science Inst., Dept. Biological Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara CA
B.A. 1969 (Biological Sciences) California State University, Fullerton, CA
Past/Present Clients
Government of the Bahamas
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY
URI DAMES AND MOORE, MIAMI
METROPOLITAN WATER DISTRICT OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES
Government of Honduras
GOVERNMENT OF MALAYSIA
Government of Nicaragua
DADE CO. DEPT OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
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