1. AQUATIC BIODIVERSITY AP ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

2. AQUATIC BIOMES AQUATIC BIOMES ARE CATEGORIZED BY SALINITY, DEPTH, AND WATER FLOW AQUATIC BIOMES FALL INTO TWO CATEGORIES FRESHWATER AND MARINE FRESHWATER INCLUDE; STREAMS, RIVERS, LAKES, AND WETLANDS MARINE OR SALTWATER INCLUDE; SHALLOW MARINE AREAS LIKE ESTUARIES, CORAL REEFS, AND THE OPEN OCEANS

3. STREAMS AND RIVERS STREAMS AND RIVERS ARE CHARACTERIZED BY FLOWING FRESH WATER THAT MAY ORIGINATE UNDERGROUND, OR AS RUNOFF FROM SNOW AND RAIN. STREAMS ARE SMALLER AND TURN INTO RIVERS BUT AT WHAT POINT A STREAM BECOMES A RIVER IS NOT CLEAR. FAST MOVING STREAMS HAVE MORE DISSOLVED OXYGEN AND THIS SUPPORTS FISH LIKE TROUT AND SALMON. SLOWER MOVING WATER HAS MORE SEDIMENTS ON THE BOTTOM AND LESS OXYGEN WHICH SUPPORTS MORE ALGAE AND CATFISH.

5. LAKES AND PONDS LAKES AND PONDS CONTAIN STANDING WATER, AT LEAST SOME OF WHICH IS TOO DEEP TO SUPPORT EMERGENT VEGETATION.

6. FRESHWATER WETLANDS ARE AQUATIC BIOMES THAT ARE SUBMERGED OR SATURATED BY WATER FOR AT LEAST PART OF EACH YEAR, BUT SHALLOW ENOUGH TO SUPPORT EMERGENT VEGETATION THROUGHOUT. THEY SUPPORT SPECIES OF PLANTS THAT ARE SPECIALIZED ENOUGH TO LIVE IN SUBMERGED OR SATURATED SOILS. THEY INCLUDE; SWAMPS, MARSHES, AND BOGS.

7. SALT MARSHES ARE FOUND ALONG THE COAST IN TEMPERATE CLIMATES. THE SALT MARSH IS ONE OF THE MOST PRODUCTIVE BIOMES IN THE WORLD. MANY SALT MARSHES ARE FOUND IN ESTUARIES WHICH ARE AREAS ALONG THE COAST WHERE THE FRESH AND SALT WATER MIX. TWO THIRDS OF ALL MARINE LIFE SPEND RELY ON AN ESTUARY.

8. MANGROVE SWAMPS OCCUR ALONG TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL COASTS. LIKE FRESHWATER SWAMPS, THEY CONTAIN TREES WHOSE ROOTS ARE SUBMERGED IN WATER. MANGROVE TREES ARE SALT TOLERANT. THE TREES HELP PROTECT COASTAL AREAS FROM STORMS AND EROSION.

9. OCEAN CIRCULATION

10. OCEAN CONVEYER BELT

11. INTERTIDAL ZONE THE NARROW BAND OF COASTLINES THAT EXISTS BETWEEN THE LEVELS OF HIGH TIDE AND LOW TIDE.

12. THE OPEN OCEAN THE OCEAN IS BROKEN INTO ZONES DEPENDING ON HOW MUCH SUNLIGHT CAN PENETRATE THE SURFACE.

14. AQUATIC BIODIVERSITY WE KNOW FAIRLY LITTLE ABOUT AQUATIC BIODIVERSITY GUIDELINES THAT HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED 1. GREATEST MARINE BIODIVERSITY OCCURS IN CORAL REEFS, ESTUARIES, AND DEEP OCEAN FLOOR 2. BIODIVERSITY IS HIGHER NEAR THE COASTS DUE TO THE GREATER VARIETY OF PRODUCERS AND HABITATS 3. BIODIVERSITY IS HIGHER IN THE BOTTOM REGION OF THE OCEAN THAN IN THE SURFACE REGION BECAUSE OF THE GREATER VARIETY OF HABITATS AND FOOD SOURCES ON THE BOTTOM MARINE SYSTEMS PROVIDE A VARIETY OF IMPORTANT ECOLOGICAL AND ECONOMIC SERVICES. AN ESTIMATE PUTS THEIR VALUE AT ABOUT $21 TRILLION PER YEAR TWICE THAT OF ALL THE TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS. ABOUT 4 BILLION PEOPLE RELY ON THE SEAS FOR THEIR PRIMARY SOURCE OF FOOD.

15. HUMAN IMPACTS CAN BE SUMMED UP USING HIPPO HABITAT LOSS INVASIVE SPECIES POPULATION GROWTH POLLUTION OVERFISHING

16. WHY IS IT DIFFICULT TO PROTECT AQUATIC BIODIVERSITY WE HAVE SUCH A LARGE FOOTPRINT THAT THERE IS NOT A SECTION OF ANY WATERWAY THAT IS NOT TOUCHED BY PEOPLE DAMAGE TO THE OCEANS IS NOT REALLY VISIBLE, A DEAD OCEAN STILL LOOKS THE SAME TO US MOST PEOPLE ASSUME THAT WE CAN’T DAMAGE OR HURT THE OCEANS MOST OCEAN REGIONS DO NOT BELONG TO ANY ONE COUNTRY

17. PROTECTING AND SUSTAINING MARINE BIODIVERSITY WE CAN HELP O SUSTAIN MARINE BIODIVERSITY BY USING LAWS AND ECONOMIC INCENTIVES TO PROTECT SPECIES, SETTING ASIDE MARINE RESERVES TO PROTECT ECOSYSTEMS, AND USING COMMUNITY BASED INTEGRATED COASTAL MANAGEMENT WE CAN EDUCATE PEOPLE ABOUT WHAT IS HAPPENING AND HOW VALUABLE THESE RESOURCES ARE

18. NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL LAWS AND TREATIES CITES, MARINE MAMMALS PROTECTION ACT, ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT, WHALE CONSERVATION ACT, INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY, GLOBAL TREATY ON MIGRATORY SPECIES 1979, US WHALE CONSERVATION AND PROTECTION ACT OF 1976, 1995 INTERNATIONAL CONVECTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY

19. TURTLES SIX OF THE WORLDS SEVEN MAJOR SEA TURTLES SOME OF WHICH HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR 100 MILLION YEARS ARE THREATENED OR ENDANGERED SINCE 1989 THE US REQUIRED OFFSHORE SHRIMP TRAWLERS TO USE EXCLUSION DEVICES TO KEEP TURTLES OUT THEIR NETS TURTLES ARE WORTH MORE ALIVE THAN DEAD BUT MANY COMMUNITIES DO NOT REALIZE UNTIL THEY ARE GONE

20. MARINE SANCTUARIES PROTECTING MARINE SPECIES INVOLVES BOTH LEGAL AND ECONOMIC APPROACHES USING SCIENCE AND EDUCATION TO INFORM DECISION MAKERS AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC NATIONS CAN CONTROL WATERS UP TO 200 MILES FROM SHORE MPA ARE MARINE PROTECTED AREAS THERE ARE 1300 PROTECTED MPA’S IN THE WORLD BUT ONLY 200 IN THE US HOWEVER MOST OF THESE STILL ALLOW DREDGING AND RESOURCE EXTRACTION WHILE MARINE RESERVES ALLOW NO ALTERATION AND ATTEMPT TO PROTECT THE ENTIRE ECOSYSTEM THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS HAVE THE LARGEST AREA 140,000 SQUARE MILES NORTHWEST HAWAIIAN MARINE NATIONAL MONUMENT

22. COMMERCIAL WHALING COMMERCIAL WHALING WAS BANNED IN 1970, BUT THERE ARE EFFORTS TO OVERTURN THE BAN A MORATORIUM ON WHALING WAS IMPOSED BY GOVERNMENTS OF MANY NON-WHALING COUNTRIES IN 1986 THIS HAS DRAMATICALLY INCREASED THE POPULATIONS OF WHALES JAPAN, NORWAY, ICELAND, AND RUSSIA CONTINUE TO WORK TO OVERTHROW THE BAN WHALES ARE MAMMALS AND MUST COME TO THE SURFACE TO BREATHE AIR, THEY ARE INTELLIGENT ANIMALS WITH A LOT OF VALUE TO US THE CETACEANS ARE BROKEN INTO TOOTHED WHALES AND BALEEN WHALES BASED ON WHAT THEY EAT MANY PEOPLE FEEL WE SHOULD NOT KILL WHALES FOR ETHICAL REASONS

24. MARINE FISHERIES OUR OCEANS ARE BEING OVERFISHED AND WE ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING MANY FISH SPECIES FOREVER SOME STRATEGIES THAT CAN BE USED ARE: FISHERY REGULATIONS- SET CATCH LIMITS WELL BELOW POPULATION ESTIMATES ECONOMIC APPROACHES-NO SUBSIDIES, CHARGE FEES, CERTIFY SUSTAINABLE COMPANIES PROTECTED AREAS-ESTABLISH NO FISHING AREAS & MORE INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT AREAS CONSUMER INFORMATION- LABEL SUSTAINABLY HARVESTED FISH BYCATCH (USE WIDE NETS SO SMALL FISH AND ANIMALS GET THROUGH) AQUACULTURE FISH FARMS FOR CONSUMPTION NONNATIVE INVASIONS- DON’T ALLOW NONNATIVE SPECIES TO COME IN

26. OVERFISHING BY 2050 OUR FISH SUPPLIES WILL COLLAPSE 90% OF LARGE PREDATORY SPECIES ARE ENDANGERED OR GOING EXTINCT 27 MILLION TONS OF FISH OUR THROWN OUT EACH YEAR 80% OF REMAINING FISH STOCKS ARE OVEREXPLOITED AND IN DANGER OF COLLAPSE MANY FISH ARE USED FOR FERTILIZERS, VITAMINS, FISH FEED FOR AQUARIUM USE COMMERCIALLY EXTINCT FISH CAN NO LONGER BE FISHED

27. RESTORING WETLANDS COASTAL AND INLAND WETLANDS ARE IMPORTANT RESERVOIRS OF AQUATIC DIVERSITY AND THEY PROVIDE ECOLOGICAL AND ECONOMIC SERVICES DESPITE THEIR VALUE THE US HAS LOST HALF OF ITS WETLANDS SINCE 1900 WETLAND LOSS WILL CONTINUE TO GET WORSE WITH SEA LEVELS RISING DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE US POLICY IS ONE OF MITIGATION YOU CANNOT DESTROY A WETLAND UNLESS YOU BUILD ONE OF EQUAL VALUE ELSEWHERE

28. THE FLORIDA EVERGLADES MANY PEOPLE ARE UNDER THE ASSUMPTION THAT BECAUSE IT IS A NATIONAL PARK IT IS OK, BUT 90% OF THE WADING WATER BIRDS HAVE DISAPPEARED AND UP TO 75% OF OTHER SPECIES THAT USED TO LIVE THERE ARE GONE THE WATER THAT USED TO FLOW TO THE EVERGLADES HAS BEEN TAKEN FOR DEVELOPMENT FLORIDA IS TRYING TO FIX IT, BUT WITH SO MANY COMPETING FOR THE WATER NOTHING HAS REALLY BEEN DONE YET

29. THE GREAT LAKES AT LEAST 162 NONNATIVE SPECIES HAVE INVADED THE GREAT LAKES SINCE THE 1920’S COLLECTIVELY THE GREAT LAKES ARE THE WORLDS LARGEST FRESHWATER RESERVE THE GREAT LAKES ARE ALSO HAVING PROBLEMS WITH OVERGROWTH OF ALGEA

30. WILD AND SCENIC RIVERS ACT PASSED IN 1968 IT BECAME THE NATIONAL WILD AND SCENIC RIVERS ACT IT PROTECTS RIVERS AND RIVER SEGMENTS WITH OUTSTANDING SCENIC, RECREATIONAL, GEOLOGICAL, WILDLIFE, HISTORICAL, OR CULTURAL VALUES. WILD RIVERS ARE RIVERS OR SEGMENTS THAT ARE PRETTY INACCESSIBLE AND UNTAMED AND ARE NOT ALLOWED TO BE WIDENED, STRAIGHTENED, DREDGED, FILLED, OR DAMMED. SCENIC RIVERS ARE FREE OF DAMS, MOSTLY UNDEVELOPED, ACCESSIBLE ONLY A FEW PLACES BY ROAD, AND OF GREAT SCENIC VALUE. RECREATIONAL RIVERS ARE RIVERS OR SEGMENTS THAT ARE READABLY ACCESSIBLE BY ROAD AND HAVE SOME DEVELOPMENT. ONLY 2% OF US RIVERS REMAIN FREE- FLOWING AND ONLY 0.2% ARE PROTECTED. IN IDAHO THE SALMON RIVER WHICH IS THE LONGEST FREE FLOWING RIVER IN ONE STATE IN THE LOWER 48, 46 MILES ARE RECREATIONAL AND 79 ARE WILD.