Filter Feeder Essay

On March 21st, our class went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The purpose of this trip was not only to explore Earth’s natural habitat’s, but it was also to gather information on our upcoming project and to gather information on how the community of St.Mary, affects the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The answer that we found out is one based off of what we eat. The Monterey Bay Aquarium released an app where it showed which type of seafood were lower in numbers than others. So, if plankton were very low in numbers, it is advised that we not fish for them or not eat as much of it. This shows based just off of what we eat, we can affect the numbers of in the ocean. Also, those plastic bags we buy at Target and Walmart, that we drop outside, drifts itself to the streams, which flow to rivers, which go to oceans, they are floating there, not doing much harm, until sea turtle comes by starts eating it, but gets tangled and choked in it, dies.

“Since the beginning of the industrial era, the ocean has absorbed some 525 billion tons of CO2 from the atmosphere, presently around 22 million tons per day” (Ocean Portal, n.d). This number is expected to increase forevermore as atmospheric carbon dioxide levels increase and the effects of Climate Change worsen. At first, the idea of our oceans absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere may sound great, however, scientists have been quick to learn otherwise. High concentrations of carbon dioxide in oceans can have detrimental effects on the ocean chemistry and marine ecosystems (Hardt; Safina, 2008). Marine ecosystems are greatly complex and depend on every marine organism to function properly, any change can put the whole ecosystem at risk. For example, the increase of carbon dioxide in our oceans is responsible for the dissolving of “brittle star” skeletal parts, which has in effect caused food scarcity for many fish, crabs, shrimp, and other starfish (Leu, 2013). Furthermore, these marine ecosystems are very important to humans- being the primary food source for millions around the world and having an economic market worth trillions of dollars (Hardt; Safina, 2008). Part of keeping these ecosystems safe is to understand how they work and how projected changes can harm marine organisms.

Marine pollution is not a new phenomenon, but our acknowledgement of its impacts and severity is relatively new, with the first laws and discussions to counter it only appearing in the 1950’s. For much of history, it was thought that the oceans were so large that any pollution created would be negligible and easily diluted (Marine Pollution). Since, countless research and laws have been implemented in order to preserve our marine ecosystems because of how crucial these ecosystems are to humanity.

Our delicate eco-system is struggling to maintain it’s complex equilibrium. The precarious state of our oceans are largely attributed to the climate changes that are on going throughout earth. Along with consistently rising global temperatures come many devastating consequences. Our atmosphere is not the only aspect of our environment that is heating. Global warming is melting polar ice caps, raising water levels in our oceans, and releasing carbon that has been trapped in ice for thousands of years. The warmer air temperature is heating the surface waters of the ocean and creating more frequent and more powerful storms. These warmer surface waters are being pushed under in the ocean conveyor belt and the overall affect is a rise in overall ocean water temperatures. Climate change has been estimated to effect 88% of cetaceans and endangering nearly 21%. More specifically, each of these changes have harmful, potentially deadly and lasting effects on Bottlenose Dolphins. Ultimately causing dangerous and toxic conditions leading to an increase of dolphin strandings and death.

Are the Web Filters at Your High School Too Restrictive? Web filters in many high schools are very restricting and placing a pause on a student’s learning. Some high schools may have websites that are completely blocked off but the administration does not realize that a student could use that website to help educate the student. The web filter system should be set up to where a notification will be sent to the teacher and the teacher will then approve or disapprove the website for the student. High schools say that the websites are blocked off because they are categorized as, games, inappropriate, forums, social media, and more.

After reading “Walking on Water” by Derrick Jenson, I became more aware of my life, in the sense that I need to take advantage of the remaining time I have left on earth doing something that I not only love, but is helpful to people surrounding me and our environment. With this new found inspiration, I feel that my “good work” can be found in data analysis with in marine biology. Many people today are so focused on the problems of today’s atmosphere and global warming that no one is paying attention to the problems arising in the oceans. Oceans are becoming too high in acidification and marine life is beginning to plummet. Given this information, I can apply my skills of creativity, ambition, persistence, and ocean/ earth systems knowledge.

6. ^ Impact from the Deep; October 2006; Scientific American Magazine; by Peter D. Ward; 8 Page(s)

Sophomore year of high school us students returned to school. We were all excited for class, and to use the technology that had been introduced in the years prior. I got into my first hour class and Mrs. Coster announced to the class, “Please go to schoology and open up the syllabus.” I opened up my chromebook and attempted to navigate to Schoology.com, but I did not have any success. I kept getting an error saying, “access denied due to education.” Having some knowledge about computers, I concluded that I was not logged into my lightspeed account. I turned to my friend and asked him, “Hey, do you know how we get our Lightspeed logins?” Matt replied, “Your username would be ‘l8vanvleet’ and your password would be your

The world we live in is so vast and exciting. Seventy percent of our world is liquid water we call the ocean. In the ocean there are many creatures that each are unique in their own way. However, it is possible that in our lifetime, many marine organisms will become endangered or possibly extinct. The loss of these mejestic marine creatures will be caused mainly because of human advancements in which fossil fuels are used to produce energy. Biodiversity is greatly affected by this increase in acidity. As the ocean acidifies, multiple social and economic issues arise. As humans, we rely on the ocean for almost everything. Much of our food, clothing, cleaning products and cosmetics come from the ocean. With the loss of

Since the beginning of the human race, people have flocked to the ocean. The largest civilizations were built in fertile, coastal areas. Oceanographer and professor at Stanford University, Mark Denny, opened up his book, How the Ocean Works: An Introduction to Oceanography, with the statement, “Throughout history, men and women have been drawn to the sea” (Denny 1). Here in Hawaii, this is especially notable. Hawaii was discovered by islanders who were adventuring across the sea, using it to feed them and working with the currents on their journey. Now, hundreds of years later, visiting the white sandy beaches and crystal blue waters of Hawaii is on nearly the whole world’s bucket list, but it might not be around for much longer. This would be devastating to the planet, as environmental expert Jennifer Weeks says oceans supply most of the Earth’s food and oxygen (Weeks). Not only does the sea provide the most basic necessities for survival, but it has also provided “...Anticancer and antiviral drugs based on substances produced by coral reef species...” (Weeks). Despite all the research that has been done, and is currently underway right this moment, we still know less about the ocean than we do about space! Elisabeth Mann Borgese, an expert in environmentalism, has written, “Our ignorance of the ocean is profound, and although we have learned much during the last hundred years, our knowledge of ocean processes and life in the oceans will remain forever incomplete” (Borgese 23). As Borgese said, it is impossible to learn all there is to know about the sea, but knowing what to do to fix the state of the world’s oceans is vital and attainable information.

Marine biologist play a key role in understanding climate change and identifying sustainable and profitable ways humans can use the sea and its resources. Marine biologist understand marine organisms needs in their habitats, ultimately helping protect species and reduce human threats. As experts in understanding marine habitats, marine biologist often form essential parts of relief teams. They respond to oil spills and chemical leaks, helping other scientist restore normalcy to local habitats. Sometimes, marine biologists influence other spheres, such as economics and law. They might analyze the effect of sonar on whales and seals, for instance, recommending best practices for reducing harm on those sensitive populations. Marine biologists understand how the ocean supports basic needs, and in turn relay that information to lawmakers, who establish protocols regarding human use of ocean waters and marine organisms. Marine biologist help develop ocean technology too, improving waste elimination, energy sourcing and extraction of key sources. A brief review of components of the marine environment, world food resources, climate control, air and water quality, transportation, and the ecosystem balance are important features that are studied by marine biology. So, understanding why marine biology is important is foundational to integrating a balanced approach toward management of the sea and proper stewardship of organisms,

According to Oceana, the agency in charge of protecting the world’s oceans, the number one pollutant in the North Pacific Gyre is still plastic. Oceana remains unsure of the quantity of plastic in the water. Our “need” for plastic has harmed innocent little creatures and ourselves as well when we should be searching for safer alternatives instead.

For many years humans have struggled to discover the deepest parts of the ocean and have also struggled with discovering space. We could not go really deep into the ocean, because humans can not withstand the pressure that the ocean produces. But now there is a robot that can reach the ocean floor called “The Benthic Rover”. With that new robot, scientist will be able to record how changes on the surface of the ocean will impact the marine animals below. “What is special about the rover is that we will be able to stay in the deep parts of the ocean for a really long time collecting seasonal changes data” (Engineer Alana Sherman). With Benthic Rover,

In the past few years the oceans have been absorbing more carbon dioxide and heat from the atmosphere. When fossil fuels are burned, the carbon dioxide that is put out into the atmosphere is absorbed by the oceans. These carbon dioxide levels have also produced excess heat that is also being absorbed by the ocean. This has caused there to be an increase in temperature of 0.18° Fahrenheit every ten years between the years of 1970 and 2010. This has resulted in things like coral bleaching, migration of sea life, the overflow of water in wetlands and ocean acidification. (Fujita, 2013) All of these issues go hand in hand with one another. For example, when coral bleaching happens, it results in the death of corals that feed the sea life. This then causes fish and other animals to migrate to the poles where the Arctic is melting. When the sea levels rise, this causes wetlands to “drown” and according to reports, “the sea has been rising too fast for wetlands to keep their blades above water.” (Fujita, 2013)

Since the beginning of the human race, the ocean has been a major source of food. People near the shores have been taking of advantage of the ocean’s rich and diverse source of nourishment for centuries, both as a source of food and a livelihood. However, since the dawn of the industrial age, humans have begun to take from the ocean more that it can give. As a result, the ocean can no longer provide the human race with the abundance that it once did. As technology rapidly advances, populations skyrocket, and global warming spreads havoc, the ocean’s biodiversity and once abundant supply of fish is dwindling, calling marine scientists and experts to race to find solutions that will restore the oceans health while battling world hunger.