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Environmental Problems • Pollution • Climate Change Marine Pollution • The introduction into the ocean by humans, substances that changes the physical, chemical or biological environment Plastic Pollution Video on the Problem: http://vimeo.com/21786927 One solution:: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxVNhiBqGU&feature=related Fig. 15-27, p. 367 Each year 240 million gallons of used motor oil are dumped in storm drains…22x the amount spilled by Exxon Valdez Fig. 15-28, p. 368 Marine Pollution • Bioamplification – even small amounts of pollutants can have large effects • DDT example Stepped Art DDT in fish-eating birds (pelicans) 25 ppm DDT in large fish (needlefish) 2 ppm Concentration has increased 10 million times DDT in small fish (minnows) 0.5 ppm DDT in small zooplankton 0.04 ppm DDT in water 0.000003 ppm Fig. 15-32, p. 371 Marine Pollution • Eutrophication – Excess nutrients in water also lead to problems • HABs • Oxygen depletion Determining Causes of Earth’s Climate Change • Paleoclimatology • Proxy data – indirect evidence using natural recorders of climate variability – – – – – – Sea floor sediments Coral deposits Glacial ice rings Tree rings Pollen Historical documents © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Natural Causes of Climate Change • Solar energy changes, Variations in Earth’s Orbit, Volcanic eruptions, Movement of Earth’s Plates • Linked to Pleistocene Ice Age, Little Ice Age, Medieval Warm Period • Recent change unprecedented – More likely result of human activity than natural causes © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Global Warming: Causes • “Green house effect” Fig. 15-40, p. 378 Global Warming: Causes • Green house gases (chloroflourocarbons =CFCs, methane, CO2, water vapor) • Increasing CO2 – Deforestation & burning fossil fuels Table 16.01 Today – CO2 highest it has been in 10 million years Fig. 15-31, p. 326 Ice Core Data © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Global Warming • The 8 warmest years have occurred since 1998 • Earth’s surface temperature has risen 0.8°C (1.4°F) in last 140 years. © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Fig. 15-43, p. 380 Series of videos from National Science Foundation http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_re ports/degree/how_do_we_know.jsp Changes in the Oceans Changes in deep-water circulation • North Atlantic especially sensitive • Melting glaciers • Warmer surface waters © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Changes in the Oceans Polar Ice Melting • Arctic amplification • Loss of more than 2 million square kilometers (800,000 square miles) of Arctic sea ice in last decade • Loss of ice = enhanced warming due to lower albedo © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. The North Pole 1996 Fig. 15-33, p. 327 Changes in the Oceans Polar Ice Melting • Arctic ice melting affects polar bear survival. • Food sources are dwindling for human Arctic dwellers. – Marine species migration © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Changes in the Oceans • Rising Sea Level – already occurring • Main contributors: – Melting of Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets – Thermal expansion of ocean surface waters – Melting of land glaciers and ice caps – Thermal expansion of deep-ocean waters © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Global Sea Level Rise © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. The Maldives in the Indian Ocean – 80% pop. live only 1m above sea level Rising Sea Level • Severely affect areas with gently sloping coastlines – U.S. Atlantic and Gulf Coasts • Models predict rise between 0.5 and 1.4 meters (1.6 and 4.6 feet) by year 2100 • Affects coastal ecosystems like corals © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Coral Bleaching Linked to Increased Temperatures Fig. 14-15, p. 340 Changes in the Oceans Ocean acidity increase • Some atmospheric carbon dioxide dissolves in ocean water. – Acidifies ocean • Threatens calcifying organisms – – – – Coccolithophores Foraminifers Sea urchins Corals © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Organisms Threatened by Increased Marine Acidity © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Global Climate Change: Solutions? • Alternative energy Fig. 15-9, p. 355 Fig. 15-10a, p. 355 Fig. 15-10b, p. 355