Ocean Acidification

Ocean Acidification is the other carbon problem. Pollution from burning fuels and other sources emits into the atmosphere which touches the surfaces of all the Earth's oceans. 20 million tons of carbon dioxide mixes in the oceans everyday. The earth has been facing a steady climb in carbon dioxide level for a long time but it was very slight. Ever since the industrial revolution the climb in carbon dioxide levels has grown and it's starting to affect the creatures in the sea. 

Shells that the creatures of the sea have formed are starting to deteriorate. They don't have as much time to acclimate to the rise in carbon dioxide levels as they used to. Some plantonic and benthic organisms are starting to disappear. 

If we hope to save these sea creatures from disappearing, we need to "go green". We need to emit less pollution and take care of our oceans if we hope to save these creatures.

Plankton Pt. 2

There are two types of plankton: phytoplankton and zooplankton. Phytoplankton are the foundation of the marine food chain. They use photosynthesis to create food for themselves. There are two types of phytoplankton: diatoms and dinoflagellates. Diatom is the Greek word for "cut in two". Dinoflagellates resemble both plants and animals by propelling themselves with two flagella like animals and photosynthesizing like plants. Zooplankton are the primary consumers of the marine world. They feed on the phytoplankton. Then bigger fish feed on the zooplankton. Plankton are the building blocks of the marine food chain.

Killer Whale

Common Name: Killer Whale

Scientific Name: Orcinus orca

Habitat: Killer whales can be found in open ocean, but they're mostly found in coastal waters.

Reproduction: Killer whales give birth to only one baby. Only once was a killer whale recorded to have had twins. They start breeding when they're 14-15 years old. Babies nurse for a year and almost half of all baby killer whales die within the first year

Status: Killer whales are endangered but not close to being extinct.

Interesting Facts: 1) Killer whales are the largest member of the dolphin family. 2) They can travel up to 30 miles per hour. 3) The life expectancy for male killer whales is 50-60 years and 90 years for female killer whales.

Major Issues: One is the declining fish populations. Studies show that up to 90% of their diet is salmon. During the last 50 years, hundreds of wild runs of salmon have become extinct due to habitat loss and over-fishing. Toxic substances have accumulated in higher concentrations as they move up the food chain. Since orcas are at the top of several different food chains, they're more effected by this toxic exposure.

Why the killer whale?: I chose the killer whale because I didn't really know a lot about it and wanted to learn more about this interesting creature.

Plankton Race

For this "Plankton Race", we were told to make a "plankton" out of as many or as little of the things we were given that would take the longest to sink to the bottom of a jug of water. This taught us that plankton needed to sink the slowest or else they would die from lack of sunlight.

My partner and I created our plankton out of a toothpick, a rubber band, a fuzzy ball, and a thin square of flimsy plastic. The hardest part was getting a consistent time. The more we tested it, the wetter the toothpick became which made it sink faster. My partner and I ended up having the slowest time of 21.18 seconds. I wouldn't change anything about our design considering we had the slowest time.

HAB

HAB (Harmful Algae Bloom) is a rapid increase in the population of algae in an aquatic system. Algal bloom happens when environmental conditions are favorable for the development of algae to multiply their cells in high numbers. They can be any color, but the most common ones are red or brown, which are known as red or brown tides. Most algal blooms aren't harmful but some affect fish and humans in negative ways. These are known as Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs).

There are a number of different reasons algal blooms can occur. Nutrient enrichment of water is often the result of pollution and algal blooms. Water temperature is also related to the rapid production of algal cells. The warmer the water, the more likely algal blooms will form. One specie of HAB is Chaetoceros (shown above). Chaetoceros is a diatom with spines that can get stuck in fish gills which causes suffocation. 

There are many different steps the man is taking to prevent HABs. One is creating Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Marine sites, such as sanctuaries, fishery management areas, state conservation areas, and wildlife refuges are established to protect habitats and endangered species. MPAs also restore the health of marine ecosystems in areas jeopardized by habitat and species loss.

Currently 37 microalgal species have been documented in Gulf of Mexico waters. Scientists have discovered that the marine dinoflagellate, Karenia brevis, was responsible for the extensive blooms that have occurred in the region. These dinoflagellates produce potent toxins which have been responsible for killing millions of fish and causing shellfish poisoning in humans near the Gulf Coast. It's reported that a single red tide in the Gulf Coast of Florida costs about $20 million, including losses to the tourism industry, hotel suppliers, commercial fishers, and local governments for the expense of the beach cleanup.

Plankton

Plankton are a huge part of the ecosystem of the marine world. They are the foundation of the food chain of the sea. The zooplankton that feed on the phytoplankton are full of energy that is passed on to the larger sea creatures that eat them. Without plankton there wouldn't be any seafood for us to eat or fish or see.

There are two types of plankton I will be discussing today: Diatoms and Dinoflagellates. Diatoms are the most important phytoplankton as well as the most abundant type of photosynthetic organism in the ocean. They are single-celled and survive off the sun's energy. They can be found in salt water, fresh water, cold water, and warm water.

Dinoflagellates are the second most abundant type of photosynthetic organism in the ocean. They are almost all found in the ocean but some are found in fresh water. They have two flagella and some dinoflagellates cause harmful effects on marine life due to the toxins they carry.

Brittle Star

Scientific Name: Ophiuroidea

Adaptations: The brittle star has rarely poisonous spines on it's legs to help it move and some have eyes covering their bodies. It can camouflage in some cases. It can also reconstruct after a limb is severed which creates a whole new creature and it has intelligence of where to live and when to burrow.

Habitat: They are often found living under rocks during the day. However, when they are disturbed they can move quickly away using their spiny arms in a snake-like motion.

Endangered/Threatened?: As far as oceanographers can tell, brittle stars are not endangered, but with the rise in pollution and rising sea temperatures in the Great Barrier Reef they could become endangered.

Interesting Facts: They are the fastest kind of any star fish. There are around 2,000 species of brittle star which is more that any other group of sea stars.

Why did I choose this organism?: I've never seen an organism like it.