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Marine environmental awareness course

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Presentation on theme: "Marine environmental awareness course"— Presentation transcript:

1 Marine environmental awareness course
Name • Date and Place

2 Why should you, a future seafarer, learn about marine ecology?
To understand the effects of pollution by shipping: solid waste oil and chemicals ballast water / invasive species … It all starts with the sea! Photo credits: ProSea

3 ‘Take home messages’ The sea is more than a blue highway
Sea-life depends on the smallest organisms ‘Everything’ in the sea is interlinked Photo credits: ProSea

4 Marine environment Contents Importance of the oceans
Crash course marine ecology Differences between open oceans and coastal seas Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas 4 Photo credits: ProSea / Green Award Foundation

5 Over 70% of our Earth is Water (which seems a lot!)
Photo credits: NASA

6 But it is not an endless volume of water
Total volume of Earth But it is not an endless volume of water Total volume of seawater What seems a lot of water (surface), in fact is not that much (volume) 98% of all water is salt water Photo credits: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, J. Cook

7 60% of the world population lives near the sea
People use the sea intensively The sea is important for people across the globe, not only for those living near it

8 The sea is an important food source
Oceans serve as the world’s largest source of protein Fish is the most important source of protein for over 2.6 billion people >200 million people worldwide work in the fishing industry Photo credits: ProSea

9 The oceans regulate the climate (‘conveyor belt’)
Photo credits: IPCC, Climate change 2001: Synthesis Report, Figure 4-2

10 Ocean resources fuel the world economy
Oceans provide in: 30% of all crude oil that we use 50% of all natural gas that we use have formed over millions of years are remains of tiny sea plants and animals! Photo credits: ProSea

11 Phytoplankton …single-celled algae …store carbon dioxide (CO2)
…produce oxygen (O2) …(almost) all sea life depends on these tiny plants Photo credits: NMFS/NOAA, Dr. Yaqin “Judy” Li, Milford Laboratory/NEFSC

12 Marine environment Contents Importance of the oceans
Crash course marine ecology Differences between open oceans and coastal seas Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas 12 Photo credits: ProSea / Green Award Foundation

13 Algae (phytoplankton) make sugars (glucose)
Primary production through photosynthesis + nutrients (nitrate, phosphate, sulphate, …)  proteins, fats, … Illustration credits: ProSea

14 Meaning that these small green algae produce most sugars and oxygen
The sea also contains other green plants, but phytoplankton is the most important ‘primairy producer’ Meaning that these small green algae produce most sugars and oxygen Photo credits: NMFS-NOAA, Dr. Yaqin “Judy” Li, Milford Laboratory, NEFSC / ProSea / Claire Fackler CINMS NOAA

15 Food chain in sea: it all starts with phytoplankton
Illustration credits: ProSea

16 Only 10% of the energy is passed on to the next ‘trophic level’
10% of energy ~ growth (eaten by animal on next level) 90% of energy ~ used up or lost as waste Food chain is pyramid-shaped: lots of small plankton and fewer larger fish Many kgs of algae needed to produce 1 kg of fish Higher in the food chain / pyramid, animals are bigger but less abundant Reason why food chains on average contain 5 or 6 levels at maximum Illustration credits: ProSea

17 A lot of algae are needed to produce 1 kg of ‘large fish’
Illustration credits: ProSea

18 Bacteria make food chains circular (they decompose the waste products)
Illustration credits: ProSea

19 Food chains are interlinked in a food web
Simplified food web of the North Sea (Northern Europe) Illustration credits: Ecomare

20 Simplified food web of the Northwest Atlantic
Can you see what’s at the base? Illustration credits: IMMA / Prof. David Lavigne, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council

21 Life in the sea starts and ends with the smallest organisms
And they are highly abundant! 1 ml seawater contains: algae > bacteria > viruses Most viruses kill plankton and enhance the recycling of energy in the food chain discovered only 20 yrs ago Total amount in the sea: 1030 = the biomass of 75 million blue whales Photo credits: NIOZ, J. van Iperen / illustration credits: Wikipedia Commons

22 photosynthesis only in upper 100-200 m (sunlight!)
Meaning that animals living here are dependent on energy from above Illustration credits: Thinkquest.org

23 The deep sea cold dark high pressure food = scarce
23 Photo credits: Brooke et. al., NOAA OE 2005, Marine Photobank

24 Harsh conditions, but… many life forms! smart adaptations slow growing
long living 24 Photo credits: Dr. Ken Sulak USGS, Life on the Edge 2004 Expedition: NOAA / Operation Deep Scope 2005 Expedition: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration / NOAA, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute

25 Summarized phytoplankton is at basis of food chain
Food chain is pyramid: the 10% rule Nutrients recycled thanks to bacteria and viruses Food chains connected in food web

26 Marine environment Contents Importance of the oceans
Crash course marine ecology Differences between open oceans and coastal seas Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas 26 Photo credits: ProSea / Green Award Foundation

27 Zones in the ocean: open ocean and coastal seas
Can you mention some differences between the open ocean and coastal seas? Illustration credits: Thinkquest.org

28 Chemical / physical differences between open oceans and coastal seas
Nutrient levels (amount of food) Open ocean = nutrient poor Coastal seas = nutrient rich (run-off rivers!) Depth to which sunlight can penetrate Temperature Salinity Mixing of water layers …

29 For instance, sunlight penetrates deeper in open ocean waters than in coastal waters
Illustration credits: Kyle Carothers, NOAA-OE

30 Biological differences between open oceans and coastal seas
types of plankton levels of primary production (amount of sugars produced by algae) lengths of food chains

31 Phytoplankton (size and shape) is different
Open ocean: small and round Coastal seas: larger and diverse shapes Pictures: all species typical for coastal seas Photo credits: NOAA MESA Project / NIOZ, J. Snoek and J. van Iperen

32 Phytoplankton primary production varies
Low primary production High primary production Images by Robert Simmon, NASA GSFC Earth Observatory, data provided by Watson Gregg, NASA GSFC

33 Food chain length (and efficiency) is different
Open ocean Nutrient-poor Long food chains Coastal More nutrients Shorter chains Illustration credits: ProSea

34 Marine environment Contents Importance of the oceans
Crash course marine ecology Differences between open oceans and coastal seas Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas 34 Photo credits: ProSea / Green Award Foundation

35 Areas protected from shipping in particular
Difficult for individual countries to protect sea areas from international shipping international law allows free transit for ships in international waters IMO has two instruments: PSSA – Particularly Sensitive Sea Area Special areas under MARPOL (always coupled to Annexes) Photo credits: ProSea / Katie Fuller 2009, Marine Photobank / Claire Fackler, CINMS, NOAA / Colin Zylka, Marine Photobank

36 A PSSAs is: An area of the marine environment that needs special protection from shipping through action by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) The area has ecological, social, cultural, economic, scientific or educational value; The area must be at risk from international shipping activities; There must be measures that can be adopted by IMO to provide protection to the area.

37 A PSSA can be protected by:
Ships routing measures, such as areas to be avoided designated shipping lanes Strict application of MARPOL discharge and equipment requirements Mandatory piloting Reporting systems Speed restrictions

38 To date, 12 PSSAs appointed worldwide
Illustration credits: ProSea

39 Example of a PSSA: the Great Barrier Reef (GBR)
The world's largest coral reef system with over 2,900 individual reefs First PSSA to be appointed by the IMO (and Unesco World Heritage Site) Coral reefs are vulnerable animals (slow growing) Shipping is an important user of GBR Potential damage - anchoring and accidents Protection measures: Designated shipping lanes Mandatory piloting Photo credits: Pete Faulkner, Mission awareness – Marine Photobank / ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies – Marine Photobank

40 Summarized The sea is not only a blue highway: it is teeming with life
Sea-life is interlinked in food webs So if one marine organism changes (decreases, for instance), this will likely have an effect on other species in the same food web Therefore, the marine environment should be treated with great care Some areas need special protection For the benefit of all humans on the planet

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