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Has global warming impacted ecosystems and biodiversity
How has global warming impacted biodiversity on our planet
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Running Head: Thermal Pollution
Riffling Thermal Pollution
Phoebus Tsai
Camas High School
Riffling Thermal Pollution Thermal pollution is harmful to aquatic ecosystems. They are caused when cool river water are drawn from the water source, run through a power plant, and then discharged back into the same source. This now heated water causes all kinds of mischief and damages to the health of the organisms in the aquatic environment and the environment itself. In an experiment, Gisela Lannig and Inna Sokolova of the University of North Carolina in Charlotte incubated oysters at one of three temperatures, 20°C, 24°C, and 28°C. The differing temperatures of the environment each group of oysters are exposed to in the incubator simulate thermal pollution in the oysters’ natural habitat. What they found was that "the rate of oxygen use, which can be an indicator of physical stress, was three times as high in oysters kept at the warmest temperature as it was in those kept at the coolest" (Raloff, 2005). This reveals that their environment could stress aquatic organisms with just a minute change in the temperature of the ecosystem. This stress could cause the health of an organism to deteriorate or even possibly death.
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The result was not good news for oysters that were in the warmest environment. Three weeks after the beginning of cadmium exposure, half of the oysters in the warmest environment were dead and those exposed at 24°C lost 6% of their population (Raloff, 2005). The good news is that all of the oysters in the coolest temperature survived. This could mean that the oysters are prepared for fluctuation in water temperature. However, if the water temperature was suddenly raised too high, there would be no time for the animals to adjust and the environment would then therefore be harmful to their
The data we found supported our original water hypothesis. My group and I believed that adding ammonium nitrate into our eco-column would ultimately damage the ecosystems. The increase in levels of minerals from the aquatic ecosystem also indicates that the entire column was being destroyed. Through this experiment, I have learned that too much nutrients and minerals within an ecosystem can be extremely harmful to the wildlife. Throughout this experiment the water in our eco column began to turn yellow because of a surplus of nitrogen and phosphorous in the eco-column. In some of the eco-columns of the other groups in the classroom, they had eutrophication in the early stages of their eco-column which resulted in the death of many of their
The bay's harvest and many of its other attractions bring tourists and in turn revenue for the area. Oysters and blue crab are a big part of the culture in the bay area. However, these organisms are in danger and need help. Description of the problem Eutrophication is a concern in the Chesapeake Bay. Eutrophication is caused by excessive amounts of nutrients.
During this experiment, there were three pH levels tested: consisting of 5, 7, and 9. The hypothesis was if the pH was closer to neutral or seven, then more of the brine shrimp eggs would hatch. This hypothesis was proven to be correct. The trials with a pH of 5 had no hatched eggs after 24 hours. The pH of 7 had results of 42, 234, and 150 - averaging to 142. The results of the pH 9 were significantly lower with 34, 115, and 81, with an average of 76. The more acidic solution was not a suitable environment for the brine shrimp, and they were not expected to hatch. This means that the ocean’s and lake’s pH levels needs to be controlled. Acidity levels that are too high could eventually kill ghe wildlife. The 7 pH is equal to a neutral alkalinity level; therefore, it was expected to have the highest amount of eggs hatch. According to brine shrimp hatching guides, they hatch best in neutral environments. The 9 pH definitely had fewer
directly into the air in a harmful form and are substances directly emitted from a
Car pollutants cause immediate and long-term effects on the environment. Car exhausts emit a wide range of gases and solid matter, causing global warming, acid rain, and harming the environment and human health. Engine noise and fuel spills also cause pollution. Cars, trucks and other forms of transportation are the single largest contributor to air pollution in the United States, but car owners can reduce their vehicle's effects on the environment. Car pollution is one of the major causes of global warming. Cars and trucks emit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, which contribute one-fifth of the United States' total global warming pollution. Greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere, which causes worldwide temperatures to rise.
The study investigated the effects in over 1,000 lakes larger than 10 acres, and in thousands of miles of streams. Acid rain was declared the cause of the acidity in 75 percent of the acidic lakes and about 50 percent of the acidic streams. (Source) When the water in a surface water is acidic, the fish population is effected in different ways. It can kill individual fish, or even completely eliminate a fish species. This leads to decreased biodiversity in lakes and streams that suffer from chronic acidity. Some plants and animals can tolerate acidic waters more than others, but even the ones who tolerate it are affected by the water changes. The plants and animals in an ecosystem are interdependent. If a species dies out from a waterbody, all of the others that feed on that species must search elsewhere for food. Generally, the younger fish are the most sensitive and if they do not die, they still may experience chronic stress, which leads to a lower body weight, and a smaller size. Acidic rain flows through the soil in a watershed, and aluminum is released from the soil into lakes and streams. The combination of the low pH, and the aluminum levels can be toxic to fish. Nitrogen specifically creates blooms of algae, both toxic and non-toxic. Nitrogen levels in water also lead to the loss of sea grass beds, and coral reefs. Episodic acidification occurs when we experience heavy downpours or melting snow. The precipitation can decrease the pH levels and leads to many fish deaths. The human population is affected because there is not an availability of seafood, and we are at risk for eating contaminated fish. Fishermen may lose their jobs or experience an economic crisis from acid
These changes in the Arctic and Antarctic in combination with other effects of anthropogenic climate change have direct impact on the state worldwide oceans. Sea levels are rising while average sea temperatures are doing the same. As a result from these changes, marine ecosystems are being altered. For example, sudden changes in ocean temperatures lead to coral bleaching, signifying the death of coral reefs and the marine populations that depend on them. Many species of fish have been forced to migrate closer to the poles where cooler water temperatures still preside. (Hassol, 2004) Ocean acidification is also a result of climate change. Because of increase amount of CO2 emissions, the oceans have absorbed large amounts of CO2. While the oceans’ CO2 uptake has slowed the process of climate change, oceanic acidity
Sea plants and marine animals are a necessary part of our ecosystem. They are a food source for humans and many other species. They help humans in many ways that people would have never thought of. As said by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, “Pollution can also make corals more susceptible to disease, impede coral growth and reproduction, and cause changes in food structures on the reef.” Corals are a food source and are a home to many marine animals. And when pollution changes the coral, it can have a tremendous impact on every marine animal. Deaths of marine animals are high, “Over one million seabirds are killed by ocean pollution each year. Three hundred thousand dolphins and porpoises die each year as a result of becoming entangled in discarded fishing nets, among other items. One hundred thousand sea mammals are killed in the ocean by pollution each year” (Rinkesh). This shows that a lot of sea animals are dying due to the polluted water every year. The oil that is “... spilled in the ocean could get on to the gills and feathers of marine animals, which makes it difficult for them to move or fly properly or feed their children. The long-term effect on marine life can include cancer, failure in the reproductive system, behavioral changes, and even death” (Rinkesh). This shows that oil causes many problems for animals and causes them to have poor health. The toxic substances that are let into the ocean kill a lot of animals every year and that should
This research paper will notify the reader what ocean pollution is, what causes it to happen, why it’s such a big problem, how it has harmed the marine life in the past, and what has been done to
Climate Change is any substantial change in climate that lasts for an extended period of time. One contributor to current climate change is global warming, which is an increase in Earth’s average temperature. Plants and animal species throughout the world are being affected by rising temperatures. Many plants are flowering earlier now than they once did; animals, such as the yellowbellied marmot, are emerging from hibernation earlier; and many bird and butterfly species are migrating north and breeding earlier in the spring than they did a few decades ago, all because of slight changes in temperature cues. (Shuster)
Oroian, Viman Oana I. "Damaging Effects of Overall Water Pollution." BioFlux (2010): 113-15. Web. 16 Apr. 2014.
Global warming is an increase in the earth's temperature due to fossil fuels, industry, and agricultural processes caused by human, natural, and other gas emissions. This results in an increased evacuation of greenhouse gases. “Short-wave solar radiation sinks into the Earth's atmosphere and warms its surface while long-wave infrared radiation emitted by earth's surface is absorbed, and then re-emitted by trace gases.” (2)
all the time. The greenhouse effect is a natural process that keeps the earth at temperatures that
Environmental operations and other human activities are major causes of stress on natural ecosystems. Of the many sources of surface water pollutants, agricultural activities have been identified as major contributors to ecological stress, which affects all ecosystem mechanisms. In water, agricultural contaminants are most noticeable when they produce instant, dramatic toxic effects on aquatic life. When the ocean is being polluted, it not only affects the species underwater, but it affects the people living near the water. “Marine pollution has been studied under the following groupings of effects; harm to living resources, hazards to human health, reduction of amenities and interference with other users of the sea”, (Cole, 17). Products thrown into the water will eventually come back to shore. There are several different ways to examine the inputs of pollution into our ecosystem. Ocean pollution also deals with the diseases that are spread through contamination from oil spillage, sewage and especially runoff. Heavy metal contamination is a growing issue as well. Mercury levels in certain seafood species, especially in tuna, are currently above average and even some places around the world have tried to warn the people from consuming it. Ocean pollution can overpower marines’ life, and alter food web dynamics. It can also endanger human health and result in great economic loss for fisheries, tourism workers and others.
In Asian countries such as Korea, Japan, and China’s pollution directly correlates to the effectiveness and direction the government turns. The Korean government has taken many progressive steps in order to lessen the pollution over the years. While the Japanese government in response to the nuclear crisis after the 2011 tsunami, dumped 2 million gallons of radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean (Yang 23). The Chinese government has not done much to stop pollution and is named by World Bank in 2007, 16 of the world's 20 most polluted cities are in China. Pollution is negatively affecting the countries of Korea, Japan, and China by causing illnesses for the people and wildlife and thus causing political unrest.