Greenland Shark Range Series
Greenland Shark Range Series
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2400 × 3000, digital painting series. If you arrange the works in a line, all the horizons line up! The locations in this series are based off the coasts and seas of the Greenland Shark's natural range. This is because I want others to see what the sharks can't above the water (they are often blind and cannot breathe outside of the water).
Arctic Ocean
Arctic Ocean
Viewed from somewhere in the middle of the Arctic Ocean. The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world’s five oceanic divisions, covering an area of approximately 14,060,000 km^2 (5,430,000 sq mi). It spans around the North Pole and is almost completely surrounded by landmasses!
Labrador Sea/North Atlantic
Labrador Sea/North Atlantic
Viewed from Fogo Island. The Labrador Sea (Labradorhavet in Danish) is an arm of the North Atlantic, and a marginal sea of the Atlantic. It contains the Northwest Atlantic Mid-Ocean Channel (NAMOC) which is one of the world's biggest turbidity current channel systems.
Baffin Bay
Baffin Bay
Viewed from the middle of Baffin Bay. It's recognized as a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean (sometimes the North Atlantic), between Baffin Island and the west coast of Greenland. It's mostly icebergs and floating ice (as you can probably see from the illustration). This one is my least favorite and I had a really hard time making it less 2d.
Barents Sea
Barents Sea
Viewed from the northern coast of Russia. It's a marginal and shelf sea of the Arctic Ocean, located off the coasts of Norway and Russia and is split between their territorial waters. The sea was made partly because of the Caledonian orogeny, which made Laurasia, which collided with Western Siberia. The colors in this are STUNNING.
Inner Seas on West Coast of Scotland and Northern Ireland
Inner Seas on West Coast of Scotland and Northern Ireland
Viewed from Inishtrahull. It's the most northerly island of Ireland and is made of mostly granitic gneiss, which is about 1.7 billion years old and currently the oldest rock in the Irish islands. I love the texture and color of the rock and it was hard to get it right (but I'm very happy with it).
North Sea
North Sea
Viewed from Revtangen. For some reason, a lot of Norwegian and non-Norwegian birdwatchers love the area. There is a birdwatching station called the Revtangen Ornitologiske Stasjon. I love the scenery and colors in this one--very calming.
Greenland Sea
Greenland Sea
Viewed from Jan Meyen, possibly from Puppebu. The island is volcanic, and has no permenant population. it has the web domain .sj (not in use) but uses .no (for Norway) instead. Very cool!! It has an awesome history.
Norwegian Sea
Norwegian Sea
Viewed from Røst, just off the coast of Norway at (67.5260230, 12.1102019). This one is my favorite and the sheep are adorable. The grass took a VERY long time to paint but it came out very well. Røst is a remote island located at the outermost edge of the Lofoten Islands, Norway, with a population of around 500 people.
Some of the sources used:
https://www.fao.org/faolex/results/details/en/c/LEX-FAOC105543/
https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/greenland-shark.html
https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/discover-fish/species-profiles/somniosus-microcephalus/
https://saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast/greenland-sharks-old-cold-and-fascinating
https://archive.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg1/en/ch5s5-3-2-1.html
https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/discover-fish/species-profiles/somniosus-microcephalus/
https://geerg.ca/greenland-shark/
Goals for the project:
Learn how to paint better water!
Sneak in research!
Educate people about the importance of preserving and protecting environments, areas, and marine life (especially sharks).
Illustrate a variety of coastlines and open oceans/seas.
Spread love for the oldest living vertebrate!!!
Fun Facts:
Greenland sharks are both scavengers, passive feeders, and active predators!
They are the longest living vertebrates on earth, with an estimated age range of up to 200-500 years!
They utilize TMAO- it prevents marine animals' proteins from being distorted by water pressure and dying. the deeper you got the more common TMAO (trimethylamine N-Oxide) is.
Other animals die of high concentration of TMAO. In humans it’s linked to cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance, renal dysfunction, cancer, stroke, inflammation, etc.
The deepest recorded sighting of a Greenland shark was at 7,218 feet (2,200 m) at the wreck of the SS Central America off the coast of Savannah, Georgia, in 1857 (MacNeil et al., 2012).
A 20-foot (6 m) long male Greenland shark was observed at a depth of 7,218 feet (2,200 m) in 1988, and another specimen of similar size was found near the continental shelf off the coast of Iceland!
Greenland sharks have been spotted as far south as North Carolina and even in the western Caribbean, and even the Gulf of Mexico that one time!
A parasite called Ommatokoita elongata often permanently attaches itself to the corneas of Greenland sharks (Somniosus microcephalus) and Pacific sleeper sharks, and is a 30 mm (1.2 in) long pinkish-white copepod. It blinds them almost completely, but shows that they can rely on their other senses to live.
Another bit about their eyes is that the cells in them don't regenerate, which means scientists can date them kind of like the layers in a tree!
They usually live 250-800 meters (820-2,620 feet) below the surface, and have even been spotted in waters as deep as 7,200 feet (2,200 meters)!
Greenland sharks have also been found in deep fjords far inland in the eastern North Atlantic.
Greenland shark meat is poisonous to humans if consumed fresh, but it’s considered an Icelandic delicacy when prepared through a traditional process involving rotting, compressing, and drying!
Expanding on the preparation for consumption, here are the usual steps (traditional)!
The shark meat is first cleaned and prepared, and then buried close to the sea to allow salty water to flood over it for several weeks (6-12 depending on the season), or in boreal forests to suck out the toxins. Afterward, the meat is dried for several months or even years, resulting in a significant loss of weight (around 30% during fermentation and 60% during drying, leaving only about 8% of the original meat). The modern method uses a large plastic container with drain holes to press out the fluids instead of burying it. The resulting fermented shark dish is called Hákarl in Icelandic, often served in small pieces after removing the brown crust that develops during the drying process!
The process sucks out the toxins (like TMAO and urea) and makes it safe to eat!
Dissected Greenland sharks have also been found to have remains of polar bears, reindeer, horses, and other large land mammals in their digestive systems (scavenging behavior)!
Thank you Somniosus Microcephalus!
Thank you Somniosus Microcephalus!
...and thank you for visiting my website! :)
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