There are numerous management plans in place for the upkeep and sustenance of the Biscayne Bay. The execution of these management strategies is undertaken by various agencies and groups. These plans are created through research and obtaining a full understanding on the issues at hand and how they must be addressed to prevent further problems. The main concerns that are managed relate to the biodiversity, water quality, the declining health and sustainability of ecosystems and the organisms and also improving public awareness.
The stormwater runoffs from the surrounding urban areas have increased the vulnerability of the bay to contaminants, however within the past 20 years, through good management practices, regulations and extended research
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With the adaptive management plan, uncertainties and cost are already evaluated, and decision matrices have been produced to plot the course of action. For example, the stressor metric is Salinity, the target has been listed as 10-25 PSU from shoreline to 100m offshore and there are three options for management: change operations to meet flow requirements to achieve salinity, increase flow from north Biscayne Bay Basin, evaluate additional factors affection flow …show more content…
When bad weather conditions exist, large amounts of water are released into the bay causing variations in the salinity and contributing to a decrease in water quality. Increased sediments and nutrients along with chemical pollution enter into the water at rapid rates. For example, after Hurricane Andrew, high turbidity, increased nutrients, pollutants such as, gas from damaged boats, along with dissolvable organic carbon, and persistent plankton blooms were observed within Biscayne Bay (Tilmant et al., 1994). Benthic communities also experienced high erosion, and burial and removal of organisms during Andrew and previous hurricanes (Thomas et al., 1962; Tilmant et al., 1994). When a natural catastrophe such as, a hurricane happens, the turbidity and surrounding damaged areas causes the bodies of water to move and mix. Large quantities of nutrients, pesticides, and bacteria from affected areas and other bodies of water alter the sediment movement. This variation causes an excessive amount of nutrients to enter into the bays, rivers and coastal areas which causes algal and plankton blooms. This threatens the life of organisms living in the bay, disrupts commercial fisheries and restricts recreational
cut back on the problems in the Bay. Scientists have given an unthinkable amount of attention to the Bay of the past several years and researchers from countless numbers of agencies and institutions have dove deep into the issues and studying every nook and cranny to create answers to every politicians’ questions. The biggest concern with the Bay, and the most concentrated ...
One of the Bays biggest resources is its oysters. Oysters are filter feeders which mean they feed on agley and clean the water. The oysters feed on agley and other pollutants in the bay turning them into food, then they condense the food down to nutrients and sometimes developed pearls. Filtering the water helps the oysters to grow, and also helps clean the Chesapeake Bay. One oyster can filter 50 gallons of water a day, Oysters used to be able to filter the Bay in about a week. However, these creatures are now scarce in the bay. The Chesapeake Bays Oyster (crassostrea virginica) Population has declined severely because of over harvesting, agricultural runoff, and disease. Now the Chesapeake Bay is becoming polluted without the oysters and the water is not nearly as clean as it once was. The Chesapeake Bay was the first estuary in the nation to be targeted for restoration as an integrated watershed and ecosystem. (Chesapeake Bay Program n/d). This report will show the cause and effect of the Chesapeake Bay's Oyster decline on the Bay.
The State of Florida’s marine ecosystems are in a constant pattern of change. Change is necessary in nature. Change is nature’s way of adaptation. While there are “occasional good” changes, the progressive major changes have a devastating negative impact to the Florida marine environment. There are several factors correlated directly to this negative change. Most of these factors are due to man. One cause is natural. It is the hurricane. Hurricane Season is from June to November (NOAA) each and every year. On average 11 named storms occur in the Atlantic Basin each year with 6 reaching hurricane strength and 50% of these becoming a major hurricane of category 3 to 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale (NOAA). Whether small or large, hurricanes cause damage and modifica...
The Maryland Blue Crab is an essential part of the Chesapeake Bay; from the food chain of the creatures in the water, to the business side of the thriving demand for the crab during the hot summer months, but there is no denying the fact that the crab is just as important alive as it is when it is being harvested by local fisherman. By becoming more informed of the impact the crab has on Maryland’s bay and on the people who live around it, people can take bigger steps in making sure the crab will always be around for decades to come.
The Chesapeake Bay is the nation’s largest estuary with six major tributaries, the James, the Potomac, the Susquehanna, the Patuxent, the York, and the Rappahannock Rivers, feeding into the bay from various locations in Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia (Chemical Contaminants in the Chesapeake Bay – Workshop Discussion 1). These areas depend on the Bay as both an environmental and an economic resource. Throughout the last 15 years the Chesapeake Bay has suffered from elevated levels of pollution. Nitrogen and phosphorous from wastewater treatment plants, farmland, air pollution, and development all lead to reduced water clarity and lowered oxygen levels, which harm fish, crabs, oysters and underwater grasses (Key Commission Issues 1). There are other types of pollution in the bay such as toxic chemicals, but because nutrient pollution is the most significant and most widespread in the Bay its effects are the most harmful to fisheries. Nitrogen and phosphorous fuel algal blooms which cloud the water and block sunlight from reaching underwater grass beds that provide food and habitat for waterfowl, juvenile fish, blue crabs, and other species (Blankenship 11-12). Algae plays a vital role in the food chain by providing food for small fish and oysters. However, when there is an overabundance of algae it dies, sinks to the bottom of the Bay, and decomposes in such a manner that depletes the oxygen levels of the Bay (11). The reduced oxygen levels in the Bay reduce the carrying capacity of the environment and these “dead areas” sometimes kill off species that can not migrate to other areas of the Bay, such as oysters (11). Increased abundance of algal blooms also led to the overabundance of harmful and toxic algae species and microbes such as the microbe Pfiesteria, which was responsible in 1997 for eating fish alive and making dozens of people sick (12). The heightened awareness of diseases that can be contracted through consumption of contaminated fish also has an economic impact. Therefore, the excess levels of nitrogen and phosphorous have fueled an overabundance of algal blooms, which has reduced water clarity and lowered oxygen levels, affecting many species within the bay and ultimately the industries that rely on these species.
First the causes of the dead zone will be introduced. Large contributors of excessive nutrients will be discussed. There is not one source to blame the Chesapeake Bay dead zone is a large problem with many variables that effect each other. Next the pressure that is put on the bay and its organisms will be discussed. A picture of what you might find out in the dead zone will be painted. The reality of the rapidly declining organism populations will be understood. Third, the possible solutions will be explained. Since this is a multiple variable problem there are many potential solutions that may or may not work. Last the lack of action will be observed. There are many solutions that could bring the bay back to life but the cost and lack of effort fr...
In February of 2010, a woman named Dawn Brancheau died while working as an animal trainer at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida. There has been a large amount of debate about the circumstances surrounding her death—some say she slipped and fell, while others say that she was dragged in by one of the orcas, Tilikum. The controversy over her tragic death brought this question to the surface: should parks like SeaWorld be closed down for safety reasons? While this argument has been going on for a long time, the death of Brancheau spurred a wave of debates about whether the park should be allowed to remain open. On one side, people believe the parks should be shut down and the animals should be released from captivity in an effort to protect the animals and the humans. On the other side of the argument, people believe the parks should be kept open because of the benefits they offer to the world in education and conservation. In light of SeaWorld’s recent transitions, I believe the park should remain open to the public.
The Chesapeake Bay plays host to an astonishing amount of plant and animal life, providing much of our fish intake for species that aren’t being overfished. For the species that are being overdrawn, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation is working to restore the populations, and it’s going well thus far. Another theme that is endangering the marine life populations as well as the health of the human population is the massive amount of polluti...
One of the Bays biggest resources is its oysters. Oysters are filter feeders which mean they feed on agley and clean the water. The oysters feed on agley and other pollutants in the bay turning them into food for them, then they condense the food down to nutrient and developed things like pearls.Filtering the water also helps the oyster to grow. One oyster can filter 50 gallons of water a day, Oysters used to be able to filter the Bay in about a week. However these creatures are now scarce in the bay. The Chesapeake Bays Oyster (crassostrea virginica) Population has declined severely because of over harvesting, agricultural runoff, and disease. Now the Chesapeake Bay is becoming polluted without the oysters and the water is not nearly as clean as it once was. The Chesapeake Bay was the first estuary in the nation to be targeted for restoration as an integrated watershed and ecosystem. (Chesapeake Bay Program n/d). This report will show the cause and effect of the Chesapeake Bay's Oyster decline on the Bay.
Excessive nutrients from agriculture, development, and industry are harming the Chesapeake Bay. These excessive nutrients harm the habitat for many of the bays species. On top of the habitat being depleated, overfishing and diseases are also hurting the bays species. Nutrient loads can be reduced with the help of lawmakers to put a cap on the emissions allowed in the environment. If this is done the dead zone will start to recede, but the time and money need to be spent in order to save the bay.
Jamaica Bay or also known as Dead Horse Bay has a toxic past filled with pollution and decaying carcasses (Roberts,2010). For over a decade, Jamaica Bay has been the main dumping site for waste treatments plants, oozing contaminants from a nearby landfill, runoff from the Belt Parkway and airplane fuel (Roberts,2010). To address this issue of pollution, finding the source of the contaminate would help reduce the continuous depletion of Jamaica Bay. One contaminate in particular has been an issue and it has proven hard to get rid of. Plastic waste litters the estuary and the bay area. The source of the plastic waste is the Combined Sewer Overflow(CSO). The discharge or overflow
Semaphore is a classic Adelaide beach supporting many facilities. However, this would not be the case if coastal management was not put into progress. Coastal management is a way of supporting the world’s coasts, by using many techniques from construction of structures in which prevents wave energy from reaching the shore to planned strategies. Factors of this includes; rising sea levels, erosion, long and short term drift, sand movement and marine biology. The importance of coastal management is quite significant as it will help to prevent coastal erosion. In addition to this, without coastal management the world will be affect economically, environmentally as well as socially. Without the strategies involving the management of the coast,
Guinotte, J. M. and Fabry, V. J. (2008), Ocean Acidification and Its Potential Effects on Marine Ecosystems. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1134: 320–342. doi: 10.1196/annals.1439.013
Nowlis, J., Roberts, C., Smith, A., and Siirila, E., 1997, Human Enhanced Impacts of a Tropical Storm on Nearshore Coral Reefs: Ambio, v. 26, no. 8, p. 515-521.
The oceans need to be protected because it is where life began and if not taken care of, life as we know it will end. When dangerous substances go into the ocean, ecosystems are suffer and become endangered along with lives of people and of marine life. Surfrider Foundation recognizes the importance of protecting and preserving the quality and biodiversity of the world's coasts because they are truly irreplaceable. There is also historical evidence of ocean pollution being present in the past, but the problem still lingers today. Heal the Bay discovered that,“Did you know there is a DDT and PCB hot spot off the coast of Palos Verdes? This superfund site (which indicates it's one of the most polluted places in the United States), is left over from a 1930's era chemical plant. Because DDT takes so long to break down in the marine environment, it persists to this day, contaminating certain species of fish. There are also highly polluted sediments in the Long Beach area, a sign of the heavy shipping in the port. Heal the Bay works on developing effective capping and removal plans to keep those toxins from spreading” (Heal the Bay). DDT is still highly concentrated in the South Bay area and still contaminating different species of fish. Even after more than 80 years DDT, a toxic insecticide, is still very concentrated and during upwellings, DDT particles come back up and continue to harm marine life. If humans are careless about what is thrown on the floor or sprayed on lawns, it can lead to disastrous affects when it comes to the condition of the ocean's ecosystems, and can endanger life itself leading to a problem that only we can mend.