Download Ocean Conservation

Jessica Allen · Ali Andrejasich · Casey
Comer · Meri-Tate Vaughan
Ocean
Conservation
GREAT BARRIER REEF AND CORAL BLEACHING
• CORAL HAS A SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP
WITH ALGAE
• RECEIVE 90% OF THEIR ENERGY FROM
ALGAE
• BLEACHING OCCURS WHEN THE ALGAE
LEAVES THE CORAL
• ALGAE GIVES CORAL ITS COLOR
• WHEN ALGAE LEAVES, ONLY THE WHITE
SKELETON IS SEEN
• CLIMATE CHANGE IS EXPECTED TO SPEED UP
CORAL BLEACHING
• ALGAE LEAVES THE CORAL BECAUSE OF
HEAT STRESS
• RISING TEMPERATURES CAUSE STRESS ON
THE CORAL
• OTHER STRESSORS, LIKE POLLUTANT
RUNOFF, CAN CAUSE CORAL STRESS
GREAT BARRIER REEF AND CORAL BLEACHING
• WORLD’S LARGEST CORAL REEF ECOSYSTEM
• MORE THAN 300,000 SQUARE KILOMETERS
• HOME TO A DIVERSITY OF MARINE LIFE
• 93% AFFECTED BY BLEACHING
• BUT THE GREAT BARRIER REEF HAS GONE
THROUGH 3 BLEACHING EVENTS IN THE
PAST 18 YEARS
• THIS KIND OF STRESS CAN CAUSE:
• DECREASED CORAL GROWTH
• NOT PAST THE POINT OF RECOVERY…YET!
• DECREASED REPRODUCTION
• IF CONDITIONS GO BACK TO NORMAL, THE
CORAL CAN REGAIN ITS ALGAE
• INCREASED SUSCEPTIBILITY TO DISEASE.
Farewell to Our Old Friend
• Born during the Miocene epoch
• Had many visits from explorers,
scientists, artists, and tourists.
• Beloved by all but most
importantly by Queensland,
Australia
• 25 million years old
• 1,400 miles long; 2,900 individual
reefs; 1,050 islands
• Home to nearly, 625 species of
fish, 3,000 species of mollusk,
450 species of coral, 220 species
of birds, and 30 species of whales
and dolphins.
• Only reef visible from space
• World’s largest living structure
• Survived by the the remnants of
the Belize Coral reef
Source: http://www.outsideonline.com/2112086/obituary-great-barrierreef-25-million-bc-2016
THE GREAT PACIFIC GARBAGE PATCH
• COLLECTION OF MARINE DEBRIS IN THE NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN
• SPANS FROM THE WEST COAST OF NORTH AMERICA TO JAPAN
• WESTERN GARBAGE PATCH (NEAR JAPAN) AND THE EASTERN GARBAGE PATCH (BETWEEN THE U.S.
STATES OF HAWAII AND CALIFORNIA)
• CONSIST TINY BITS OF PLASTIC (MICROPLASTICS), NOT AN ISLAND FILLED WITH TRASH
• WATER LOOKS LIKE CLOUDY SOUP
• BIGGER ITEMS
• DEBRIS CONSISTS OF PLASTICS BECAUSE THEY DO NOT BIODEGRADE
• PLASTIC BAGS, BOTTLE CAPS, PLASTIC WATER BOTTLES, AND STYROFOAM CUPS
THE GREAT PACIFIC GARBAGE PATCH
• 80% OF GARBAGE COMES FROM LAND-BASED ACTIVITIES IN NORTH AMERICA AND ASIA
• NO WAY TO MEASURE THE AMOUNT OF DEBRIS
• DENSER PLASTIC MAY SINK
• HARMFUL TO MARINE LIFE
• LOGGERHEAD SEA TURTLES OFTEN MISTAKE PLASTIC BAGS FOR JELLIES
• ALBATROSSES MISTAKE PLASTIC RESIN PELLETS FOR FISH EGGS AND FEED THEM TO CHICKS, WHICH DIE
OF STARVATION OR RUPTURED ORGANS.
• SEALS CAN GET ENTANGLED IN ABANDONED PLASTIC FISHING NETS, WHICH ARE BEING DISCARDED
MORE OFTEN BECAUSE OF THEIR LOW COST
•
“GHOST FISHING”
http://nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/great-pacific-garbage-patch/
Recycle!
MICROBEADS
• ARE NOT FILTERED OUT OF WASTE WATER THROUGH
TREATMENT PLANTS
• ATTRACT PCB’S (INORGANIC CHLORINE COMPOUNDS)
CAUSING THEM TO BE CONCENTRATED
• INGESTED BY MARINE LIFE
• HARM HUMANS THROUGH FOOD CHAIN
• MICROBEAD-FREE WATERS ACT OF 2015
• COMPANIES MUST STOP USING MICROBEADS BY JULY 2017
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/23/science/ban-on-microbeadsproves-easy-to-pass-through-pipeline.html?_r=0
ANIMALS
GLACIERS
•
MELTING GLACIERS DUE TO INCREASING TEMPERATURES
PRODUCE RUNOFF CARRYING EXTRA SEDIMENT IN THE
FORM OF SILT AND CLAY PARTICLES ENTER THE BENTHIC
ZONE IN THE OCEAN. THE BENTHIC ZONES ARE THE
AREAS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN NEAR
ANTARCTICA. THIS AREA CONTAINS SUSPENSION
FEEDERS WHO EAT TINY PARTICLES SUSPENDED IN THE
WATER. WHEN SEDIMENT GETS INTO THE WATER THE
ANIMALS CAN’T FILTER OUT THEIR FOOD.
POLAR BEARS
In order for polar bears to survive the arctic must be
covered in ice year round. If nations stop the burning
of coal and oil for energy in the next few decades,
scientists believe, Arctic summer sea ice will likely
disappear by 2050,and the region will become to warm
for the polar bears and the ice seals they eat. Arctic
Ocean ice pack has dropped by 40 percent overall
since the late 1970s
OCEANS RISING
one in six of the nation's threatened and endangered species
are at risk from rising sea levels, Left unchecked, rising seas
threaten 233 federally protected species in 23 coastal
states. due inundation of the islands where SPECIES live,
the disappearance of the beaches where they lay their eggs
THE inundation OF the waters AND beaches where
HABITATs are and where they feed, due to the beach
reduction from rising seas.
TURTLES
Plastic can be mistaken as food for turtles. Smaller pieces of
plastic are more toxic and when it gets absorbed into the body of
the turtles.Bigger pieces of plastic takes up the stomach space and
they will not be able to consume food, leading to starvation.When
plastic gets trapped in the turtles, the harmful decomposition of
debris produces gas in the stomach. The trapped gas cause turtles
to float and it may either lead to starvation or them becoming easy
prey for other animals.Turtles also sometimes get trapped in
plastic items and are often unable to release themselves out of it,
causing them to sometimes starve or affect their development and
growth.
PLASTIC
http://www.attn.com/videos/11411/us-secretary-state-john-kerry-why-we-cant-ignore-our-oceans
WHAT IS THE
GOVERNMENT DOING?
The Ross Sea in
Antarctica
• The Ross Sea protection agreement was
between 24 countries.
• Consists of 600,000 sq feet of protected area
for 35 years
• Has a general “No-Take” policy which
includes animals and minerals.
• Protects against commercial fishing
• The Ross Sea is home to a huge population
of the world’s krill which are carried on
currents around the earth.
• Krill are a staple food for whales and many
other animals rely on this small food source,
including humans
• The Ross Sea is home to:
• 38% of the world’s Adélie penguins
• 26% of Emperor penguins
• more than 30% of Antarctic petrels
• 6% of Antarctic minke whales
• 30% of “Ross Sea” killer whales.
SAVE THE PENGUIN!
BISCAYNE NATIONAL PARK
• Established in 1980
• Mostly submerged 172,924
acres in the northern part of
the Florida Keys
• Herbert W. Hoover, Jr.
played a huge role in the
creation of Biscayn National
Park. He funded the
successful campaign that
eventually lead to the
National Park
• The reef is part of the world's
third longest coral reef.
• Home to Dolphin, turtles and
pelican along with many
species of fish
•
Established by President Obama July 19, 2010
•
Allows for public input to ensure local and regional needs are heard
•
Promotes cooperation between federal, state, tribal, and local offices
•
Has made a commitment to help protect and maintain healthy waterways including the ocean, costal and
the Great Lakes.
•
Provides a “Top-Down” approach which allows for guidance in all federal agencies to “prioritize
protection of the ecosystem.
THE NATIONAL OCEAN COUNCIL
EXECUTIVE ORDER 13547
WHAT ARE PRIVATE
COMPANIES
DOING?
EDIBLE SIX-PACK RINGS
• Edible, made from barley
left over after beer
production
• 100% Biodegradable
• Could end up saving
companies money
• It is estimated that 90% of
seabirds have come in
contact with plastic and
most have ingested some
• Could save the lives of
countless marine life
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
 Recycle
as much as you can!
 Use
natural cleaning products such as vinegar, baking soda, and lemon.
Just because you don’t live by the ocean doesn’t mean the chemicals
don’t end up there.
 Refrain
from going to all you can eat seafood bars. It has been estimated
that the oceans have lost up to 90% of the large predatory fish that we
usually eat, due to overfishing
 Buy
environmentally friendly clothing: fabrics such as Rayon, polyester and
nylon have plastic microfibers that are released ever time it is washed. That
is Nearly 1,900 microfibers down the drain! LITERALLY! Instead buy highquality natural fabrics such as linen, hemp or soy silk.
 If
you can REUSE it DO IT!

Keep reusable shopping bags with you in your car and your purse!

Don’t use the produce bags, instead put all of your produce in your
reusable shopping bag. It is estimated that Americans dispose of
about 10 plastic bags per week. That’s 480 bags per person per
year!

If you forget your trusty shopping bags and are forced to use a bag
opt for the brown paper bag. If worst comes to worst (it happens)
and you have to take the plastic, make sure to repurpose the them
when you get home.


Trash can liners, dog waste disposal, packing fragile objects. If you really
need another way to use your plastic bags….
There is always
Pinterest!
SHOP SMART!
You get a
fish! You get
a fish!