CHAPTER 19 & 20 OCEANS IN JEOPARDY

Potomac Rappahannock York James Patuxent Patapsco Susquehanna Chester Choptank Nanticoke Pocomoke

THE CHESAPEAKE BAY largest estuarine system in the United States has a watershed of almost 64,000 square miles. This unique ecosystem also contains more than 1,500 square miles of wetlands that provide critical habitat for fish, shellfish, and wildlife; filter and process residential, agricultural, and industrial wastes; and buffer coastal areas against storm and wave damage.

THE CHESAPEAKE BAY Five major tributary systems--the Potomac, Susquehanna, Rappahannock, York, and James Rivers Major Problems facing the bay: Overfishing, Overharvesting, Nutrient Overload, Toxic Chemicals, Pollution, Habitat Destruction

“Clean Water Act” Reading and Questions

POLLUTION Ocean dumping  trash – 17 th annual Coastal Cleanup in September 2002  2.8 million lb. of trash and debris in 3 hours  1.3 million cigarette butts and filters  226,251 glass bottles  238,826 metal cans  2,529 syringes  61% of trash collected was plastic  82 animals found trapped in the debris

POLLUTION Ocean dumping (continued)  plastic  strength and durability of plastic make it one of the most hazardous materials in the sea  commercial dumping  garbage, sewage and toxic chemicals have been dumped into the New York Bight since 1890

GARBAGE ISLAND DOCUMENTARY

It is estimated there are more than 13,000 pieces of plastic litter on every square kilometer of the ocean surface. (1 Km=.6 miles)

THE WATERS OFF THE NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY COASTS WERE ONCE SO CONTAMINATED THEY WERE THE JOKE OF THE NATION. THE NY/NJ BIGHT WAS KNOWN AS THE "OCEAN DUMPING CAPITAL OF THE WORLD" DUE TO EIGHT OCEAN DUMPSITES. THIS MAP INDICATES THE LOCATION OF THESE OCEAN DUMPSITES.

POLLUTION Ocean dumping (continued)  military refuse  discarded military hardware and munitions  toxic gases and chemicals  radioactive wastes  disposal of radioactive materials in trench subduction zones has been proposed

In 1964, mustard gas canisters are pushed into the Atlantic Ocean off New Jersey. Millions of pounds were dumped this way.

HUNDREDS OF DOLPHINS WASHED ASHORE IN VIRGINIA AND NEW JERSEY SHORELINES IN 1987 WITH BURNS FROM TO MUSTARD GAS EXPOSURE.

POLLUTION Pollution via land and air  urban pollution  50% of the U.S. population lives within 50 miles of coastline (including the Great Lakes)  this population needs energy, industry and waste treatment  coastal seas and habitats are polluted by associated runoff from land  pesticides, fertilizers, gasoline, oil, sewage, chemicals used to treat sewage

POLLUTION Pollution via land and air (continued)  pesticides and toxic materials from industry  pesticides (e.g. DDT), toxic organic compounds (e.g. PCBs), heavy metals (e.g. mercury, lead, zinc, and chromium)  biological magnification—concentration of toxins in the tissues of animals as they are passed up the food chain without being broken down or excreted

POLLUTION Pollution via land and air (continued)  air pollution  sulfur dioxide from burning of fossil fuels can precipitate in water and lower pH  greenhouse gases (e.g. CO 2, methane) contribute to global warming  global warning is thought to cause coral bleaching, raise sea levels, killing corals that must remain close to the surface to obtain sufficient sunlight for zooxanthellae

POLLUTION Nutrient pollution  human wastes  disease agents  coliform bacteria, found in the intestines of many animals, are counted to monitor water quality  eutrophication – leads to blooms of phytoplankton and other marine microbes  increased productivity  sometimes, the addition of sewage and animal wastes can boost the productivity of a marine community

POLLUTION Nutrient pollution (continued)  agricultural wastes  fertilizers and animal wastes have effects similar to those of human wastes  pesticides are also found in runoff from farms

POLLUTION Controlling pollution  legislation was passed to prohibit dumping of sewage sludge or industrial wastes in the ocean after Jan. 1, 1992  largest threat is increasing coastal populations and improperly controlled commercial and residential development

THE 11 TH HOUR

POLLUTION Petroleum pollution  petroleum products  crude oil contains aromatic hydrocarbons and aliphatic hydrocarbons  aromatic hydrocarbons—molecules made up of carbon atoms in ring structures (e.g. benzene, naphthalen, cyclohexane)

POLLUTION Petroleum pollution  petroleum products  aliphatic hydrocarbons—straight-chain molecules (e.g. heptane, octane, nonane)  petroleum products are persistent, difficult for microbes to degrade, and toxic to organisms

POLLUTION Petroleum pollution (continued)  oil spills  largest oil spill in the U.S. was in March 1989, when the tanker Exxon Valdez ran onto a rocky reef 25 miles from Valdez, Alaska  largest and longest-lasting oil spill ever was in June 1979, when an offshore oil well in the Gulf of Mexico, the Ixtoc 1, blew out and caught fire  oil spills are deadly for marine organisms

POLLUTION Petroleum pollution (continued)  ecological effects of oil spills  effects on birds and mammals  effects on invertebrates and algae  community effects

BP OIL SPILL

210 million gallons far bigger than Exxon Valdez, making it the worst spill in American history. The National Wildlife Federation reports that already more than:  150 threatened or endangered sea turtles are dead  316 sea birds, mostly brown pelicans and northern gannets, have been found dead

POLLUTION Petroleum pollution (continued)  oil spill cleanup  oil booms and oil skimmers help to confine the spill to a smaller area and recover some of the oil  straw is used to soak up the oil, then burned  a bacterium genetically engineered to degrade crude oil is being tested

HABITAT DESTRUCTION Wetlands  provide nutrients, shelter and spawning grounds for a variety of marine organisms  have been drained, filled or dredged to provide more ground for industry, channels into ports/harbors, and beach- front real estate  legislation now protects wetlands, but the government continually changes the definition of “wetlands”

HABITAT DESTRUCTION Beaches  direct effects of beach use and development on marine life  disturbs nesting sites of birds, sea turtles and horseshoe crabs  destruction of habitat  interfering with natural processes  longshore currents—generated by waves that break at an angle to the beach, moving parallel to the beach  longshore transport process—transport of sediments by longshore currents

Oceans in Peril: Overfishing

AN OCEAN IN CRISIS The oceans are facing collapse due to overfishing. According to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization 75 percent of the world's fisheries are now either overexploited, fully exploited, significantly depleted or recovering from overexploitation.

Biggest single threat to marine ecosystems today is overfishing. Overfishing: catching so many fish that too few are left in the ocean to reproduce at rates that can sustain a healthy population Demand for fish is exceeding ecological limits with devastating impacts Overfishing results in profound changes in our oceans

A large yellow fin tuna being cut up. Yellow fin and big eye tuna may be commercially extinct in 3-5 years

BETTER CHOICES Alaska King Crab Catfish (farmed) Clams Crab: Blue, Dungeness, King Crawfish Halibut (Pacific) Mussels (Black, Green-lipped) Oysters (farmed) Pollack (Alaska) Prawns (trap-caught, Pacific) Rock Lobster (Australian) Salmon (Wild Alaskan) Scallops (Bay - farmed) Shrimp (US farmed) Squid (Pacific) Tilapia (farmed) Tuna: Pacific Albacore

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EPILOGUE Natural changes are small and occur over long periods of time Changes caused by humans can be instantaneous and involve entire marine communities Understanding the underlying patterns and processes of the sea allows people to use the sea’s resources without jeopardizing its environmental or economic value for the future