Essay on Ocean Fertilization

If you have ever lived in proximity to coastal areas you may have seen coastline erosion first hand. The beaches you frequent during the summer may seem to be getting smaller and smaller every year. Why does your favorite beach seem to be disappearing? Coastal erosion is to blame. The waves, wind, tides and currents all play a part in the mechanism that is coastal erosion. When water and wind batter the shoreline sediments are carried out to sea and deposited on the sea floor or at other points along the coastline. This is called an erosional coastline. This erosion may be very apparent or seem to have happened overnight when it happens due to a large storm or extremely high tide.

I examine how rising or falling tide can affect the water level of Corte Madera Salt Marsh in this report. The data is from Wednesday (June 19th) and Thursday (June 20th). My hypothesis is that tide and water level have positive relationship. From the result, I learn that the water level and tide have positive relationship. However, when tide changes its direction, the water level is likely to stay or little change.

“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.

2. the periodicity of the tides allowing power to be generated through tides is only a portion of the 24 hour day.

Global warming is the number one concern on the planet right now (Ankara 1). Ankara University suggests that “the most common definition of global warming is the process in which Earth’s temperatures increase due too many human activities” (“The Impact of Global…” 1). A basic background of how climate change is provoked is that it is caused by fossil fuels and carbon dioxide being released in the air due to many human activities. This event can potentially harm the human population and put many ecosystems around the world to extinction. Marine ecosystems, in general, are parts of the Earth’s hydrosphere, which make up large parts of the Earth and contain magnificent biodiversity from beautiful fish to the

Francisco P. Chavez used many trials to discover if the CO2 levels in the ocean are really getting higher. He went to Peru to run trials on the CO2 levels in the ocean there. He researched that when people drive their cars it releases CO2 into the air, and most of that does not stay in the atmosphere. Most of the CO2 actually goes into the ocean. Dr. Chavez said that about one million tons of CO2 will enter the ocean per hour daily. He learned that when the CO2 enters the ocean it combines with all of the sea water and the combination creates carbonic acid. Many of the living organisms in the ocean can and are deeply affected by the carbonic acid in a dramatic way. Francisco P.

Phytoplankton play a key role in maintaining the stability of the marine environment by performing biochemical reactions, such as photosynthesis, which provide nutrients and oxygen to other marine organisms. They are also important for the success of coral reefs and calcite deposits throughout the water column. Increasing levels of inorganic CO2 will reduce calcification of ecologically important calcifying organisms such as corals and coccolithophores (Dedmer et al. 2013). Kim and colleagues (2013) advocate that changes in carbon chemistry will continue to cause levels of CO2 and HCO3- to rise, affecting photosynthesis and respiration.

Nature’s article argue that the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere and consequently has been soaked up by the oceans increasing its acidity will cause to phytoplankton releases less sulfur compounds into the atmosphere, which have participation in the cooling process of the planet by creating aerosols seeds that are responsible for creating clouds that reflect the sunlight. Even though, back in the 1980s some scientists had proposed that the earth is capable of regulating itself and if warming increases plankton productivity the more sulfur compounds would be released and help to cool the Earth, currently earth feedback could happen in another direction due to the acidification of the ocean leading to less emission of sulfur compounds.

Most of the CO2 that enters the atmosphere dissolves into the ocean, as close to a third of the CO2 produced from human activities since 1800 and approximately half produced by burning fossil fuels are consumed into the ocean (Sabine et al. 2004). Increased CO2 in the atmosphere is one of the main causes of our changing climate change (NOAA, 2011). Global ocean temperatures have risen by 0.74oC (1.3oF) since the late 19th century. With the increasing rate of CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions have been predicted to rise to approximately 4.0oC (7.2oF) this century (NOAA, 2016). Just the tropical upper oceans alone have warmed more than 0.01oC per year over the past 50 years and the warming rate is still increasing (NOAA, 2010).

Hardt, M.J. and C. Safina. 2009. How acidification threatens ocean from the inside out: Carbon dioxide emissions are making the oceans more acidic, imperiling the growth and reproduction of species from plankton to squid. Scientific American 301:66-73.

While scientists tossed the thought of climate change aside, the ocean was slowly absorbing the greenhouse gases while we reproduced it twice as fast. Over time the

The carelessness of humans has horribly affected the oceanic ecosystem. Bodies of water such as oceans, lakes, rivers, and seas cover nearly 70% of the earth, which makes them a very valuable asset to the human population (Mambra 2017). Oceanic pollution has been an ongoing problem for years, but it is increasingly getting worse. Main causes of ocean pollution are ocean dumping, land runoff, oil spills, littering, ocean mining, and noise pollution. The dumping of waste into the ocean is the most common cause of ocean pollution because this has been known as the cheapest and easiest way to dispose of trash. Non-point pollution typically comes from land runoff. Land runoff brings many materials, such as automobile parts, into the oceans every day. Birds and mammals being the main victims, oil spills are a leading cause of ocean pollution. The feathers of these animals get covered in oil making it impossible for them to fly. Mining underwater is another outlet for pollution. Many miners leave their waste in the ocean which often increases the toxicity of the water, killing its inhabitants. Noise pollution, although it is

Anthropogenic activity has led to greatly increased emissions of greenhouses gases. Increased temperatures, acidification and stratification are all affected by increased carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations. These symptoms of climate change have direct and indirect effects on to marine ecosystems, all of which start at the major primary producers of the oceans: phytoplankton.

The first glimpses through the window provided by Nine North revealed a picture of a community rebuilding quickly, says Timothy Shank, a marine biologist at WHOI who collaborates with Lutz (see ‘The cycle of life’). (Oceanography: Death and rebirth in the deep)

Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that we exhale in our daily lives. Plants use carbon dioxide to create oxygen that all mammals use. However, carbon dioxide can also change the chemistry of the ocean, this is often referred to as ocean acidification. The excess carbon dissolves into oxygen in the water, producing a chemical called carbonic acid. This acid causes the ocean to become more acidic. In the eighteenth century, the pH was 8.07 which was slightly basic. Currently, the pH is around 8.01 this is about a twenty-five percent increase in acidity. (National geographic) While this slight change may not seem outrageous, it is causing multiple marine life struggles. The acid melts the shells of pteropods causing a low supply of food that would support larger fish.