Healthy Water Makes Healthy Marine Life

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/08/us/deaths-of-manatees-dolphins-and-pelicans-point-to-estuary-at-risk.html (link to article)

The article “Deaths of Manatees, Dolphins and Pelicans Point to Estuary at Risk” by Michael Wines can be found in The New York Times and was published on August 7, 2013.

There has been a startling amount of deaths of marine in Florida's waters. It is feared that these under water environments are crumbling under the strain of years of pollution caused by Florida's 

rapid development. Brevard, on the Banana river,  is a focus of this development because of it’s 

many motels lining the beach, canal front tract homes, and even a golf course in the middle of the Banana river. Because of all of these attractions the bodies of water off Brevard are at a higher risk of pollution.

As said in the article “Death of Manatees, Dolphins and Pelicans Point to Estuary at Risk”, “Surveys in 2011 and 2012 by the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University concluded that estuary waters off Brevard contained 45 percent more nitrogen than is acceptable” It is devastating to hear that these large numbers of pollutants are in Florida's waters and it is because of Florida's development. This polluted water needs to be cleaned up so marine life can have a healthy environment. The source of this nitrogen is not definite but it is hypothesized that it came from sewage.

Algal Bloom

An estimated 100,000 septic tanks were put in during the expansion of Brevard. If a sewage pipe leaks it can release nutrients into the water, nitrogen. So, because of the increase in the number of septic tanks the amount of nitrogen released into Brevard’s bodies of water increases. Another big contributor to the high amounts of nitrogen in the water is from fertilizer (which is high in nutrients) runoff. As I stated above, there is a golf course in the middle of the Banana river. Golf courses are very big users of fertilizers because they want to keep their grass growing and looking good. This fertilizer makes the grass look good but not the river. When it rains this fertilizer is washed away, right into the river adding the the nitrogen in the water.

Tiny organisms called phytoplankton use this nitrogen in the water to photosynthesize, creating food(energy). There is so much nitrogen in the water and the phytoplankton continue to use this nitrogen so the phytoplankton grows rapidly. This rapid growth of phytoplankton is called an algal bloom. Experts suggest that heavy rainfall in 2011 caused the algal blooms in Florida's waters. This is because more rainfall means more runoff water that will carry nitrogen into the bodies of water.

These algal blooms can be harmful to the other organisms in this ecosystem. The phytoplankton need to perform photosynthesis in order obtain energy because they are autotrophs, meaning they make their own food. Large amounts of oxygen is being taken from the water because so many phytoplankton are performing photosynthesis. The oxygen is the water is being depleted and this can 

result in hypoxia, meaning there is low levels of oxygen in the water, or anoxia, meaning there is no oxygen in the water. This means that other organisms like fish do not get the necessary oxygen they need to survive.

Now, you might ask what this has to do with the deaths of manatees, dolphins, and pelicans. Scientists studying these deaths say they are puzzling. One of the best clues to this puzzle is the seaweed that replaced the sea grass of the body of water. The manatees seemed to be in good health when they died. But the scientists found out that, as said in the article, “The sole exception was their intestines, which showed evidence of severe shock or irritation. Autopsies showed that the stomachs of all three manatees were filled with macroalgae, mostly a fanlike seaweed called gracilaria.” They concluded that this macroalgae played a role in the deaths of these manatees. Although the reason they died is not definite yet the scientists are on their way to figuring out this marine life mystery.

It is very plausible that the reason for the sea grasses replacement by seaweed was because the seaweed flourished because of the large amounts of nitrogen in the water (like the phytoplankton). The seaweed might have flourished more that the sea grass and the seaweed seized control of resources in the water and left the seagrass with not enough to survive. When the manatees ate the gracilaria (fanlike seaweed) their intestines were irritated by this new food.

It is also logical that the dolphins and pelicans died because the fish were not getting enough oxygen (because the phytoplankton was using it up in photosynthesis) and were dying off. This leaves the dolphins and pelicans with not enough food and they will die off as well.

Dolphin in Banana River

Previously in biology class we learned about how runoff water and sewage pipes can cause nitrogen to get into bodies of water. Also how this nitrogen can cause lots of problems, like algal blooms and hypoxia. This article is a great real life example of the problems nitrogen in the water causes.

I believe that this is an important topic that should be recognized and changed. When I went to Florida over vacation last year I went on a dolphin tour and saw lots of dolphins in their natural habitat. I would like future generations to have the opportunity to have that experiences but in order for that to happen we need to cleaned up bodies of water in order to keep precious marine animals happy and healthy.   

Photo citations:  1. http://www.dep.state.fl.us/coastal/sites/banana/

2.  http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/A/AE_algal_bloom.html

3. ww.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g34145-d2055825-Reviews-Wild_Side_Tours-Cocoa_Beach_Florida.html

Could breathing kill you?

  Link to the article

   In China pollution levels have reached extreme levels because of their extremely fast economic growth.  The levels of air pollution in China are the cause of factories. In the article ”China’s Plan to Curb Air Pollution Sets Limits on Coal Use and Vehicles” in The New York Times written by Edward Wong  he writes about the increasing deaths in China because of pollution. This article was written in September recently after Chinas pollution had reached 40 times exposure limit recommended by the World Health Organization. They wrote” Ambient air pollution alone is blamed for hundreds of thousands of deaths each year”. This show that China's economic growth and increase in pollution is deadly because just breathing the air can kill you.

    The problem with pollution in China has reached extreme levels and should be brought down as soon as possible. One thing that had shocked me from the article was that in 2010 Chinas air caused about 1.2 million pre mature deaths. Also citizens in china have to deal with choking smog and high amounts of toxins that can deeply penetrate the lungs and enter the bloodstream and causing diseases. Now in China it is not uncommon to see someone walking around with a mask to help filter out the toxins in the air. Also many parents are starting to choose schools based on air filtration systems just to keep their kids safe from the pollution. Could you ever imagine having to constantly were a mask just so you could breathe safely? Lastly even if China met their goal to reduce the pollution levels will still be 2.5 times the amount recommended by the world Health Organization. In China it is unbelievable that pollution could reach a level that it is at.

     Pollution is not only a problem in China. In class we have learned that in America there is increased anoxia and hypoxia in environments due to run offs of fertilizers. These things cause algae blooms to form and bacteria have to decompose the large amounts of dead algae using large amounts oxygen in our waters and creating areas with anoxia and hypoxia. These issues may not have a direct impact on humans but these problems can cause many fish to die which is a major source of food in America. This might not be as big as the problem in China but it is still a major environmental issue that should be reduced in the U.S.  Both China and America have environmental issues that are being dealt with quickly.

     I could never imagine having to wear a mask just to go outside and be safe or to not be able to take a breath of fresh air. This is something the people in China will never get to do unless they stop the burning of fossil fuels and the large amount of economic growth that is causing it. The pollution is causing many deaths every year and it will keep increasing for a while. The pollution in China is a major problem and it should be reduced very soon because it can cause many problems to the citizens.

Electric Cars, Yea or Nay?

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/13/business/energy-environment/electric-cars-give-rise-to-a-recharging-industry.html?_r=1&

Have you ever seen anyone driving an electric car? Do you own one yourself? In the article A Recharging Industry Rises by MATTHEW L. WALD it talks about how electric cars and hybrids are becoming more common.  This article was published November 12, 2013 so it is fairly recent.  

Electric cars as you can assume are powered by electricity not Gasoline.  Also there are gasoline-electric hybrid cars. They are just what it sounds like, a cross between a gasoline-powered car and an electric car.

This article talks a lot about the ways to charge the batteries that make the cars run.  There are at least four ways to go about this. The first option is a regular 120-volt wall charger. This is the same one that you plug your alarm clock into. The second option is a 240- volt wall charger that will charge it a lot faster, but will cost a few thousand dollars. The third option is renting a parking space that has electricity. Finally the fourth and most expensive option is to use a 30,000 dollar super fast public charger, that will take only minutes! By showing the many charging opportunities the owners have the more electric cars they are going to sell.

The charging business is starting to blow up.  Two main companies that work with chargers are CarCharging and ChargePoint. CarCharging owns machines and give landlords a cut of their prophets.  ChargePoint sells machines and allows owner to decide how to distribute power.  Many parking lots are buying machines from ChargePoint because not only can they charge for parking but they can charge for charging the cars.

One thing that this article does not mention is where the electricity comes from.  Most often electricity is made by power plants that burn fuels like coal. Although some is created by wind mills, nuclear power plants, solar fields and some others. But, the most common way is by burning fuels.  Isn’t the main reason that electric cars were made was to not burn fuels? The worst part is that a lot of energy is wasted getting it from the power plants to the outlets in your house.

In my opinion electric cars can be good or bad it really depends on your lifestyle. If you are traveling many miles each day than than a fuel efficient car might be the best because electric cars will not be able to drive far enough.  But if you only drive short amounts each day then you might think about an electric car. If price is a problem for you than a non-electric car might be better because they are cheaper.  Finally some people might not chose a electric car because of how they look.  All electric cars do not look like Priuses. For example a company called Tesla makes many cool looking cars that run just like a Prius.

A Tesla all electric car

A Ford Fusion Hybrid

Small Threats on Big Lakes

http://www.treehugger.com/clean-water/3-companies-commit-removing-plastic-beads-their-body-products.html

           In the article Scientists Turn Their Gaze Toward Tiny Threats to Great Lakes from The New York Times, John Schwartz talks about how tiny pieces of plastic can effect our environment and us.

Everyday millions of people get ready for their day by using different toiletries like face washes or toothpaste. What we don't know is that minute plastic beads are going through water treatment plants and into the Great Lakes. Fish and other aquatic animals eat them. Some fish may mistake them for fish food. The fish don't just eat the beads, but also the other pollutants on them. 

Plastic becomes covered in cancer-causing chemicals like PCBs. This is a concern because if people drink this water or consume any aquatic animals, they could also be drinking PCBs. 

Companies like Johnson and Johnson have decided to use natural alternatives instead of beads in their products. Johnson and Johnson stated "Our goal is to give consumers peace of mind that our products are gentle on people and gentle on the environment." Their goal is to make their products safe for humans and the fish that live throughout these Great Lakes. 

Doctor Mason, an environmental chemist at the New York State University, collected over 100 samples to look for beads and other debris. She found from her samples that beads make up more than 60% of the samples. 

Other scientists still believe this could link back to humans. Millions of pounds of fish are caught from Great Lakes yearly. They have found beads in the fish they catch, which means those poisons from the beads could end up in the body of the consumer. 

When reading this article it reminded me about when my biology class learned about how fertilizers pollute waterways. When it polluted the water it also hurt many fish. I can also connect this to my own life experiences. In the summer I go to Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. In some parts of the lake you can see how polluted it is. Sometimes you can even see dead fish floating around. 

My opinion on this topic is that it must be fixed. I agree with the Johnson and Johnson companies decision to change their products to natural substances. This change to their products could save the aquatic life from PCBs. I also think this pollution needs to be fixed for human health. It stated in the article that millions of pounds of fish are caught from Great Lakes. If we are eating there fish it could cause us to get the PCBs and get very sick. 

The Air is Killing Us and Our Surroundings

Air pollution is a big factor to people's everyday lives. In the article Air Pollution as a Heart Threat

in the New York Times by Deborah Blum published November 15th, 2013 she talks about how air pollution is threatening human health.

Air pollution is killing our cardiovascular system and we need to start helping our environment out to put a stop to this or decrease the chances of severely hurting our cardiovascular system. Scientist Dr.Adar tells us that the reason why our cardiovascular systems are dying.

Dr. Adar tells us that people’s cardiovascular systems are dying because "there are fine particulates adrift in the cloud of unfriendly gases shrouding many of our communities."These particulates adrift in the cloud of the gases can penetrate deep into the lungs and soon after embedding into the tissue of one's body and sets off a cascade of inflammatory effects. Eventually this would reach the circulatory system.

Many things we do every day we would never suspect they could lead to heart disease. Something as little as driving your car can lead to heart disease. The exhaust from your vehicle is harmful to humans that drive them and are near them.

Dr. Joel D. Kaufman, an epidemiologist at the University of Washington in Seattle states "There’s increasing evidence that there’s something about traffic-related pollution in particular." People who are stuck in traffic all the time getting to and from work everyday have a greater chance of having heart disease.

Depending on what type of vehicle you drive can increase your risk. People who drive smaller vehicles will penetrate deeper into the body. This is a big medical issue for many people and our environment. If we can all reduce our vehicle use then this horrible cloud particle will soon go away.

This relates to what we were doing in class with the cardiovascular system. Our heart is a very important part of our body and keeps us alive everyday. In honors biology class we learned about how coronary heart disease occurs and how to cure it if you do end up getting it.

 

Not only does air pollution effect people it also effects other organisms around us.many animals habitats are being destroyed by this. The pollution is very bad for the water that the animals drink and therfore they will become sick.

I wanted to write about this article because I am very interested in the heart and it is very interesting to know that if we all work together we can put this pollution to an end and be healthy. Pollution is really hurting our human health and the environment around us.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/15/an-airborne-heart-threat/?_r=0

High Temperatures Hand In Hand With High Tempers

http://www.newsela.com/articles/climate-violence/id/748/

The article "Global warming could cause more wars, a study forecasts" by the Los Angeles Times, adapted by Newsela staff was written on August 5, 2013 and can be found on the Newsela website under the science section.  (As I learned about this new study, I read part of the actual recordings of information, where I connected it back to this article about the findings.  Everything quoted was from the original findings.)

Global warming is a very hot topic.  The thing that people rarely connect with climate change, is how us humans will respond to it.  Researchers have looked very closely on weather, economics, political science, as well as the human mind to form this idea and have come to the conclusion that as temperatures get higher, peoples tempers get higher as well.

Investigators of this study stated, "'We find strong causal evidence linking climatic events to human conflict ... across all major regions of the world,'"

When the researchers say this, they have done many tests to prove that when temperatures rise, it brings out the worst in people.  For example, investigators in Phoenix held traffic up and observed to see if people in cars without air conditioning were more likely to beep in anger to the vehicles with air conditioning.  After experiments like this and many others, they calculated personal violence could increase 8 to 16 percent.  There has been strong evidence that global warming and climate temperature rises can affect human behavior. 

Some of these temperature changes also changes agriculture, which decreases food source and hurts the economy because of increased food prices and less availability.  This plays a significant roll in the increase of violence around the world. 

Farming is a big part of economy, and without water and the right weather, many crops will not be able to grow.  In class, we learned how trees died when they got little rainfall and lived in very dry, hot places.  Although trees are not part of agriculture, this stands for all plants, and with a decrease in agriculture, the economy would drop resulting in violence.  I too can get aggravated when I am over heated, so I can relate to this theory.

Although there is thorough evidence supporting this theory, many people do not think global warming has an affect on the world wide increase of violence.  Halvard Buhaug, a professor in political science says,"'The study does not give a single example of a real conflict'".  This idea is one that could be a big eye-opener for many people, however there needs to be more experiments and research to back up this theory.  If more professors rose to this challenge, they could find more evidence of this theory.  

This is a very strong argument, and after a little further investigation, it could definitely make people think deeper about global warming.  This makes me wonder how far they could take this research.  What kinds of weather causes personal violence rather than wars and large scale group conflicts?  This article made me think about another side of global warming, and how it has a physiological impact as well.

Supersize Stress Could Equal Supersize "Fries"

 

A new study from St. Michael’s hospital shows that there might be a new link to childhood obesity- the parents and parental stress. A child who has extremely stressed parents can have a BMI of 2% more and gain weight 7% faster than children with parents who don’t have a lot of stress. the reason why this happens is not, clear, but doctors have some ideas.

 

Parents who are more stressed and worn out are more likely to do a lot less physical activity because they are too tired. Also, they are more likely to buy cheaper, quicker food because it takes a lot less time and effort. Children learn from their environment, so these children are getting less exercise and more unhealthy food. If your parents have more time and less stressed, then they will be more likely to take you to the park to get more physical activity and then cook you a nutritious meal.

Also, parental stress can be rubbed off on the kids. The kids may worry about their parent’s bad mood, and eat more and sit around more. This stress can lead to above average weight gain. This is especially worrisome, because the habits kids develop in these years will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

This article had similar ideas to the article by Craig Lambert we read in class, The Way We Eat Now. The article talked about different factors that contribute to being overweight and/or obese. It talked about how people eat fast food because it is quick cheap and easy and does not add stress. Also the article spoke about how kids sit around all day, on the computer and in front of the TV. This could be from parental stress. Adults do not have time or energy to take their kids outside, or even worry about their kids physical activity. With no motivation, the children continue sitting around and eating their way to obesity.

 http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/12/08/parental-stress-linked-to-childrens-obesity/62974.html

Coral Jewelry is Damaging the Environment

The article, "Reefs Suffer Amid Surging Demand for Jewelry Coral" can be found on the New York Times website.  This article was written by Yuriko Nagano and published on November 12, 2013.  It contains information about how Japanese and Chinese boats have been taking coral from oceans in an environmentally damaging way to fulfill high demands for jewelry coral.

Jewelry coral is a form of jewelry that is in high demand in Japan and China, and is very popular.  This type of jewelry is made with real coral, which can only be harvested underwater in reefs.  However, the price has increased dramatically over the past few years, giving sellers of this popular jewelry high profits.  Because of these high prices, many people have begun harvesting the coral illegally in environmentally damaging ways, simply to make more money.

These coral poachers have been getting their coral by using drag nets, which destroy the entire ecosystem around the coral reef.  By doing this, they are ruining the habitat of many fish that are highly prized in Japan, such as the Japanese Amberjack and Akamachi.  Without a good place to live, these species of fish will eventually decrease and people won't be able to enjoy this type of food anymore.  In addition to fish, the poachers are also destroying the habitats of other sea creatures, and are decreasing the amount of coral in these areas.

The global price of jewelry corals per year is 5 to 6 million dollars, based on the quality of the coral.  Noriyoshi Yoshimoto, president of the Precious Coral Protection and Development Association, says,"The price of jewelry coral varies widely, depending on the shade of color, the size and the quality of the coral."  This proves that in order to make more money, the poachers would make sure they harvest the best coral possible, which could take a long time and could destroy more of the reefs than taking the coral they find first, no matter how bad the quality.  Thankfully, illicit coral fishing is being worked on by the Taiwanese government, in hopes that this business will soon be put to a stop.

I think this article makes some very good points.  The damage to the coral reefs is becoming too much, but there is a limited amount Japan and China can do about it.  The demands for this type of jewelry is excessive  and in order to fulfill their countries' needs, the governments have no choice than get more coral.  The only measure that can be done to slow down this process is stopping coral poachers from taking more coral than necessary in an unauthorized way.  This process reminds me somewhat of what is happening in South America to the Amazon Rainforest.  Lots of poachers are cutting down trees in addition to the factories that had been doing so beforehand.  This multiplies the number of trees being cut and will damage the environment faster.  

This article also reminds me of something we learned in Biology class.  We learned that an ecosystem can be ruined by way of removing just one type of organism, instead of many different types at once.  Removing or decreasing the population of coral from the coral reef environment will also lower the populations of animals that live in coral or hide in it from predators. It will also increase the populations of organisms who eat animals previously living in the coral reef ecosystem because they would no longer have a home and would have no means of protection.  With constantly decreasing amounts of coral because of coral poachers and jewelry companies, this whole ecosystem will eventually be destroyed.  

Reading this article has completely changed my view of where products come from.  Purchasing coral jewelry is a task most people wouldn't think twice about, but it actually is harvested by poachers or companies, and its population is slowly decreasing because of this.  The same is true for other products, especially wood.  Sometimes, the harvesting of objects cannot be decreased a lot, like coral, because the demand is so high, but anyone can help with this by not buying as much of it to lower its demand.  Thanks to this article, I will now think more deeply about where different items come from, because they could be harvested illegally or harming the environment.     

Article Link:  http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/13/fashion/reefs-suffer-amid-surging-demand-for-jewelry-coral.html?pagewanted=2&_r=0&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1386639508-zTLJhoLuhULdl7/xagfz0A

Photo Link:  http://www.serranojewelry.com/coral.htm

More Problems to Come for Polar Bears

The article ‘Arctic development ‘a new menace to polar bears’’, written by an unknown author, from News.net, published on December 4, 2013, discusses how, in addition to the current climate change, oil exploration and sea traffic in the Arctic are disturbing the polar bears’ environment.  

As Canada's Environment Minister, Leona Aglukkaq, said, ‘"Today we face new challenges with the ship traffic increase and the oil and gas development.”’

The added economic activities, along with global greenhouse gas emissions, are causing the Arctic ice to melt faster.  This is a huge threat to polar bears, as ice covers are necessary in order for polar bears to hunt seals, which are their main food source.  Habitat change, like loss of ice and permafrost, would also effect female bears’ maternity denning.

Some people, like Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, believe that we should develop in the Arctic.  He tells students, ‘“We must develop (the Arctic).’”  

Meanwhile, others, like general director of the World Wildlife Fund, Jim Leape, don’t agree.  He says, ‘“We should not be allowing the development of oil and gas exploration in the Arctic.”’  He adds, ‘“There is no company in the world that has the technology to contain disasters.”’

This issue relates to what we studied during our ecology unit this year.  As we learned, if one species becomes extinct, the species that was eaten by the extinct species will become overpopulated.  If the polar bears were to become extinct, seals would become overpopulated.  This would lead to many more problems.  For example, there may not be enough of whatever the seals eat to feed the growing population.

It also has to do with what we learned about Global Warming during the Carbon Cycle unit.  Just as we learned in class, this article describes how combustion of fossil fuels by humans leads to rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, eventually resulting in Global Warming.

This issue is definitely controversial.  I believe they should not develop in the Arctic.  They should try to push off the extinction of polar bears, not speed it up by increasing oil exploration and sea traffic.

I feel strongly that the Arctic should not be developed.  The people who want to develop there seem to be only concerned on how it benefits themselves, not about how it will effect wildlife there, specifically polar bears.  

http://www.news.net/article/694534/

http://www.humanevents.com/2011/08/11/global-warming-link-to-drowned-polar-bears-melts-under-searing-fed-probe-2/

CO2 Increases Urchins Race for Survival

Sea urchins are fast adaptors, and they must adapt quickly in order to live in the changing ocean conditions. The article SEACHANGE Can Sea Life Adapt?  by Craig Welch, published November 2 2013 explains how and why these sea urchins in Santa Barbara are adapting. What seems to be causing this change is high-CO₂ levels in oceans.

These levels are increasing because “The oceans are absorbing a quarter of the carbon dioxide emitted by burning coal, oil and natural gas.“ This means that one fourth of the CO₂ that humans and factories give off end up in the oceans.  Increasing CO₂ makes oceans more corrosive and also reduces the amount of carbonate ions which is vital in building shells and skeletons.

In result of these increasing conditions it seems that the sea urchin body often got smaller. To commercial fisher Bruce Steele this does not sound good. He brought it to scientist attention, and they did further research, but so far there does not seem like there is a solution at this moment.

It is easy to tell that the author thinks this is a serious problem and not just a conspiracy. He added many details that backed up the claim of how high-CO₂ contributes to sea urchin adaptation; including a diagram along a written explanation of water ‘upwelling’ that effects CO₂. He also added further species that have been affected with high CO₂ levels. This shows he was very firm in his belief.

Although he had his point clear, the use and placement of his back up explanations made the article confusing. The author put the other species explanation in a place where you are not sure of which species he is talking about, the sea urchins or one of the others. Also the placement of the diagram and explanation of upwelling made the ending choppy and hard to follow.

This article reminded me of the movie The Lorax that we have watched in class. Once the pond next to the Thneed factory was polluted the fish had to leave. The fish could not live in the polluted water so in order to survive they have to leave. In the sea urchins case they cannot walk away from their home like the Humming Fish, but their way of surviving is adapting to the increasing levels of CO_2.    

Also, in class we have learned a lot about the carbon cycle and what humans contribute to it. Burning of fossil fuels release more carbon into the atmosphere, creating many negative effects like the one in this article. We have learned that there are ways humans can help decrease this problem like using less energy, and having factory emissions modified. If we had taken more precautions the sea urchins may not have needed to adapt as quickly.

This topic took me back to elementary school days, learning about the evolution of man. Even though sea urchins are not changing as slow and dramatically as man did, they are still adapting and evolving to their environment.  If a rise of CO₂ can permit such a fast change of the sea urchin, imagine what will happen when even more environmental problem arises.

 

http://apps.seattletimes.com/reports/sea-change/2013/nov/2/can-sea-life-adapt/

 

 

Rising Seas: Submerged Cities

The article Rising Seas: How They Change Our Coastlines from National Geographic Magazine addresses the growing issue of the rising of sea levels due to global warming. We saw last year during hurricane Sandy the devastation that flood waters and strong currents can bring upon coastal communities. Well, this may be a glimpse into the future due to the growing heat of our planet. The sea level didn’t change that much for almost 2,000 years, the real change started in the 19^th century when the earth began to get warmer. We have begun to slowly alter our planet with fossil fuels and flooding like seen during Sandy could become less unusual for coastal areas. As a result of releasing CO² and other fossil fuels into the atmosphere we have raised the Earth’s average temperature more than one degree and the sea level 8 inches over the past century. What we have done cannot be reversed, even if everyone in the world stops burning fossil fuels now, the existing gases would heat up the Earth for centuries to come. In May, the concentration of CO² in the atmosphere was at 400 parts per million, which is the highest since about 3 million years ago. Global warming influences the sea level in two ways. One is thermal expansion, water grows in volume as it heats up, and the second is that the ice on land is slowly melting. Primarily mountain glaciers have been melting so far, but scientists are concerned about the giant ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica. Scientists have determined that both Greenland and Antarctica together have lose about 200 billion metric tons of ice annually, which could cause the sea level to rise about 3 feet by 2100. “In the last several years we’ve observed accelerated melting of ice sheets in Greenland and West Antarctica,” says Radley Horton, a research scientist at Columbia University’s Earth Institute in New York City. “The concern is that if the acceleration continues, by the time we get to the end of the 21^st century, we could see sea-level rise as much as six feet globally instead of two to three feet.” If we were to melt all the 5 million cubic miles of ice on Earth, which would probably take more than 5,000 years, the sea level would be raised about 216 feet, the average temperature on earth would be about 80 degrees, and deserts would expand greatly. Many coastal cities could be under water such as Boston, New York, London, Venice, Beijing, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and just about the entire state of Florida.

               I, as many others do, see this as a big problem. We may think that this isn’t going to affect us because all of this is going to happen in 5,000 years and we will all be dead. But, it will affect us now. Sea levels have already started to rise and the temperature has already begun to increase. We learned in biology that CO² can’t be created and can’t be taken away, it just changes form. Right now, we are burning fossil fuels at an alarming rate and unnaturally increasing the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. We can’t reverse what we have already done, but we can put an end to the fossil fuel burning. If we find alternative sources of energy, we can stop this problem from getting even worse. We all want our future generations to live in a cool, green planet instead of a dry, hot one.

Fish Are Becoming Sluggish Swimmers

http://www.picture-newsletter.com/corals/coral-22.jpg

The article “Reef Fish Find It’s Too Hot to Swim” was posted on ScienceDaily on November 27, 2013. The author of this article was not listed.  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131127110613.htm

We've all experienced those scorching summer days that make us want to lay on the couch all day. It seems that humans are not the only creatures with this reaction to high temperatures. This article describes the results that researcher Dr. Jacob Johansen collected regarding large reef fish and the change in their behavior due to ocean warming.

Johansen stated, “Global warming is reducing the swimming ability of most fish.” This means that, due to the warmer climate, fish are choosing to swim less.  Fish rely on swimming to survive in the aspects of hunting and finding mates. If aquatic animals continue to decline in their amount of swimming, it could be a serious threat to the environment of coral reefs. Johansen described the fish’s behavior as “lethargic”. There’s a lot less swimming taking place, and the little amount of swimming that takes place is executed at a much slower rate.

Because fish are swimming slower and within smaller ranges this threatens the future distribution of species. If the fish only allow themselves to swim at a certain rate for a limited amount of time, they can’t get very far. This causes certain species to clump up in certain areas so that they can reproduce easily without having to swim long distances.

Professor Morgan Pratchett said the decline of swimming "may directly influence where we will find these species in the future and how many we are able to fish sustainably." I’m predicting this to be a problem because the human race has proven itself to be very good at cutting back on destructive behavior.

I think that this article shows a terrible truth to global warming. We will try to adapt to the drastic change in temperature, but that doesn’t mean other species will be as accepting to the change. If we continue on effecting the environment as we are now, there are unlimited aspects of life that will be negatively affected. 

Who would have guessed that fish, who live their lives in bodies of water, would suffer from the rising temperature.

The article finishes with a list of doctors experimenting to see if the fish will be able to eventually adapt to the new temperatures, or if they’ll have to move the fish to cooler waters. This will be a temporary fix that brings up this question: what happens when we run out of cooler waters?