The blooming of the phytoplankton is dominated by chlorophyll and peaks around 20 May. The major phytoplankton forms are diatoms, in particular the genus "Thalassiosira" and "Chaetoceros". After the spring bloom the haptophytes of the genus "Phaecocystis pouchetti" become dominant.
Zooplankton is mostly copepods "Calanus finmarchicus" and "Calanus hyperboreus". "C. hyperboreus" is strongest in the Arctic waters. They are the main diet of most marine predators. The most important krill species are "Meganyctiphanes norvegica", "Thyssanoessa inermis", and "Thyssanoessa longicaudata". In contrast to the Greenland Sea, there are a lot of calcareous plankton (Coccolithophore and Globigerinida).
Shrimp of the species "Pandalus borealis" play an important role in the diet of fish, particularly cod and blue whiting. A special feature of the Norwegian Sea is large coral reefs of "Lophelia pertusa", which provide shelter to various fish species.
The Norwegian coastal waters are the most important spawning ground of the herring populations of the North Atlantic, and the hatching occurs in March. The eggs float to the surface and are washed off the coast by the northward current. Whereas a small herring population remains in the fjords and along the northern Norwegian coast, the majority spends the summer in the Barents Sea, where it feeds on the rich plankton. Upon reaching puberty, herring returns to the Norwegian Sea. The herring stock varies greatly between years. It increased in the 1920s owing to the milder climate and then collapsed in the following decades until 1970; the decrease was, however, at least partly caused by overfishing. The biomass of young hatched herring declined from 11 million tonnes in 1956 to almost zero in 1970; that affected the ecosystem not only of the Norwegian Sea but also of the Barents Sea.
Enforcement of environmental and fishing regulations has resulted in partial recovery of the herring populations since 1987. This recovery was accompanied by a decline of capelin and cod stocks. While the capelin benefited from the reduced fishing, the temperature rise in the 1980s and competition for food with the herring resulted in a near disappearance of young capelin from the Norwegian Sea. Meanwhile, the elderly capelin population was quickly fished out. This also reduced the population of cod – a major predator of capelin – as the herring was still too small in numbers to replace the capelin in the cod's diet.
Blue whiting ("Micromesistius poutassou") has benefited from the decline of the herring and capelin stocks as it assumed the role of major predator of plankton. The blue whiting spawns near the British Isles. The sea currents carry their eggs to the Norwegian Sea, and the adults also swim there in order to benefit from the food supply. The young spend the summer and the winter until February in Norwegian coastal waters and then return to the warmer waters west of Scotland. The Norwegian Arctic cod mostly occurs in the Barents Sea and at the Svalbard Archipelago. In the rest of the Norwegian Sea, it is found only during the reproduction season, at the Lofoten Islands, whereas "Pollachius virens" and haddock spawn in the coastal waters. Mackerel is an important commercial fish. The coral reefs are populated by different species of the genus "Sebastes".
Large numbers of minke, humpback, sei, and orca whales are present in the Norwegian Sea. White-beaked dolphins are in the coastal waters. Orcas and some other whales visit the sea in the summer months for feeding. They follow the herring schools within the sea. With a total population of about 110,000, minke whales are by far the most common whales in the sea. They are hunted by Norway and Iceland, with a quota of about 1,000 per year in Norway. In contrast to the past, mostly they are hunted for their meat, rather than fat and oil.
The bowhead whale used to be in the area. It almost disappeared from the Norwegian Sea after intense whaling in the 19th century, and was temporarily extinct in the entire North Atlantic. Similarly, the blue whale used to form large groups between Jan Mayen and Spitsbergen, but is hardly present nowadays. Seeing northern bottlenose whales in the Norwegian Sea is rare. Other large animals of the sea are hooded and harp seals and squid.
Important waterfowl species of the Norwegian Sea are puffin, kittiwake and guillemot.
Sargasso Sea
The Sargasso Sea is a region in the gyre in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is bounded on the west by the Gulf Stream; on the north, by the North Atlantic Current; on the east, by the Canary Current; and on the south, by the North Atlantic Equatorial Current. This system of ocean currents forms the North Atlantic Gyre. All the currents deposit the marine plants and garbage they carry into this sea.
The Sargasso Sea is 700 statute miles wide and 2,000 statute miles long (1,100 km wide and 3,200 km long). Bermuda is near the western fringes of the sea. The Sargasso Sea is the only "sea" without shores. The ocean water in the Sargasso Sea is different for its deep blue color and exceptional clarity. Underwater visibility is up to .
Portuguese sailors were among the first to discover this region in the 15th century. They named it after the "Sargassum" seaweed growing there.
The Sargasso Sea plays a major role in the migration of the European eel and the American eel. The larvae of both species hatch there and go to Europe or the East Coast of North America. Later in life, they try to return to the Sargasso Sea to lay eggs. It is also believed that after hatching, young Loggerhead Sea Turtles use currents, such as the Gulf Stream to travel to the Sargasso Sea, where they use the Sargassum as cover from predation until they are mature.
Kyoto University
, or is a Japanese university in Kyoto. It is the second oldest Japanese university. It is in the city of Kyoto in Kyoto Prefecture
was established on June 1897 as a part of the Imperial university system.
The College of Law and the College of Medicine were founded in 1899, and the College of Letters was established in 1906.
In October 1947, Kyoto Imperial University was renamed Kyoto University.
Kyoto University has the following schools.
Tokyo Medical and Dental University
TMDU has three campuses. One is the "Kounodai" (国府台) campus. The closest station to the campus is Ichikawa Station. Freshmen learn liberal arts and sciences there. By being on the outskirts of Tokyo, Kounodai campus is in a rich natural environment. The others are "Yushima" (湯島) and "Surugadai" （駿河台） campus. The closest station to the campuses is Ochanomizu Station. Upperclassmen learn their speciality there.
TMDU has faculty of medicine and faculty of dentistry. There are also two graduate schools, medical and dental sciences and health care sciences; four undergraduate faculties - medicine, dentistry, health care sciences and oral health care sciences; two university hospitals; an undergraduate college of liberal arts and sciences; and two research institutes, the institute of biomaterials and bioengineering and the medical research institute.
The university was founded under the name of "Tokyo National School of Dentistry" as the first dental education institution in 1928. Then in 1951, it was reestablished with the faculty of medicine as Tokyo Medical and Dental University.
In world university ranking in 2011-2012 of Times Higher Education, TMDU is the 276~300th place, the 35th place in Asia, the 10th place in Japan.
TMDU's education philosophy is:
To enter TMDU, students should pass 2 types of exams: the National Center Test for University Admissions and the university's own exam.
On Christmas Day, there are sparkling lights in the shape of a Christmas tree on M&D Tower.
…on your left side when looking from Ochanomizu Station.
…in the middle of M&D Tower and Dental Building.
…on your right side when looking from Ochanomizu Station.
John Cusack