Ross Sea Essay

Since early 1998, climate change has been demonstrating its effects in increasing the ocean 's temperature (West & Salm, 2003). Warm water stress corals causing the phenomenon known as coral bleaching, by which expulsion of colourful symbiotic algae the zooxanthellae, vital for

Like how seasons are the changes on land, they can also be apply to oceans in temperate latitudes. The most productive seas on the planet are the seasonal seas because they border the temperate parts of the world where conditions change throughout the year. The power of the sun is constantly changing; hence there are different seasons even under the seas due to the different in sunlight radiation. In the far north, summers are warm and gentle, while winters are wracked by savage storms. Sable Island, southeast of Nova Scotia in the Atlantic Ocean is home to the world’s largest colony of gray seal, about 100,000 seals come to breed here each year. The climate at this location is heavily influenced by the sea and being located in the path of major frontal storms and cyclones, precipitation is high. Around March, the seas have warmed enough to trigger phytoplankton to appear. Phytoplankton is tiny algae, each smaller than a pinhead. During this time of the year, phytoplankton reproduces with an amazing speed and produces more annual growth than all the parts on land together. They

In this paper I will examine multiple perspectives in an attempt to understand the recent eutrophication of the Chesapeake Bay. Our textbook, Cambell Biology defines eutrophication as a process in which nutrients, usually phosphorus and nitrogen, are unusually present in a body of water, leading to algae blooms and accelerated growth. Anoxia is a condition in which areas of water are severely depleted of dissolved oxygen.

In the last few decades, various marine species of Antarctic ecosystem have been brought close to extinction because of human activities in various forms such as pollution from sewage and other contaminants, overfishing and other mixed activities and

Did you know that The Arctic ocean was once called the frozen ocean. There was a long thought about no oceanic life in the arctic. Due to the cold temperatures, sheets

Diversity in planktonic marine animals stems from a shifting balance between competition for food and avoidance of predators. As a result, a wide variety of planktonic animals inhabit the oceans. Phytoplanktons are primary producers because they use solar energy to convert CO2 and nutrients into carbohydrates and other molecules used by life. Despite limited knowledge of what small copepods eat, it is clear that many higher-trophic level consumers eat them. Numerous studies have shown that copepod nauplii and other small copepods are important prey of fish larvae, and other planktivores. Most studies of larval fish feeding published since 1984 continue to document the importance of small copepods as fish prey. Small copepods are abundant and are very important links in marine food webs. They serve as major grazers of phytoplankton, as components of the microbial loop by preying upon bacterio-plankton and heterotrophic protists, and as prey for ichthyoplankton and other larger pelagic carnivores. Small copepods exhibit various reproductive and feeding strategies which help maximize population size, in order to counter heavy losses due to predation. Accordingly, small copepods can become extremely abundant, and presumably exert substantial feeding impact on their prey, but such data are scarce. Our biomass, trophic ecology, and roles of small copepods in

The EPSCoR Overarching Question is: How can we understand regime shifts and tipping points in large-scale ecosystems in Alaska. The theme we will address is: Coastal margins and marine living resources.

Phytoplankton and Giant Kelp are two protists found in “Seasonal Seas”. Phytoplankton are the main primary producers found in the ocean. Spring is usually when phytoplankton bloom, which is known as the “spring bloom”. When too many nutrients are available, phytoplankton may grow out of control and form harmful algal blooms. Phytoplankton provide food for copepods, and they in turn are prey to jellyfish. This all contributes to the giant food web in the ocean. Phytoplankton utilize light and nutrients from the surface of the water which helps them get nutrients and live longer. Because of their dependency on the sun, they are found floating near the surface of the water. They are extremely dependent on minerals found in the ocean. The main two types of phytoplankton include the diatoms and dinoflagellates. Some of them can thrive in different conditions which means that primary consumers can get plenty of phytoplankton throughout the year. Phytoplankton also play an essential role in the

0% since the 1970s. Less sea ice during the winter is likely to be the cause and may explain declines seen in several species of penguins. Krill feed on the algae found under the surface of the sea ice, which acts as a kind of ‘nursery’. The Antarctic Peninsula, a key breeding ground for the krill, has experienced a striking decrease in sea ice.

Global warming doesn’t just have a major impact on the arctic but Researchers have said that the disappearing glaciers and other responses from the Arctic are increasing sea temperatures and decreasing PH levels (Pederson, 2014). This ends up effecting the diversity of species, food webs and productivities in the ocean (Pedersen, 2014). Ocean acidification in the Arctic is expected to increase in the coming years, having a large effect on many species (Agnalt et al 2013). Researchers have found that to ensure the heath of ocean organisms, the ocean must maintain the right chemical balance (cheek, 2014). The most essential and affective to maintain is sustaining a higher PH level, ensuring good internal cell functioning of many organisms (Cheek,

Hestetun, Jon Thomassen. Carnivorous sponges of the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. Phylogeny, taxonomy, distribution and microbial associations of the Cladorhizidae (Demospongiae, Poecilosclerida). The University of Bergen, 2016.

Phytoplankton called as photosynthetic autotrophs as they prepare their own food and generate great amount of atmospheric oxygen through the process of photosynthesis and it contribute a lot to the food web. Phytoplankton will be eat by the zooplankton. Phytoplankton: Antarctic Krill and Anchor Worm; Phytoplankton: Algae and Coccolithophores.

One of the most noteworthy effects of the much-debated global climate change is the rapid loss of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean. The year-round sea ice of the past can no longer endure long enough to withstand the warming summer climates, and, as a result, the amount of old, thicker sea ice has dwindled in the last 25 years. The younger, thinner seasonal ice is now superseding these numbers, signifying a great danger to the Arctic’s sensitive ecosystem, as well as the global climate.

This includes the Glacier Sea research center. The collection of more samples in all of the different areas allows a deeper understanding of why the moon jelly population increased. In "Evidence B" it says the population of the zooplankton was stable and then started to increase. The more evidence of the zooplankton population lets ecologists realize that the increase in the zooplankton population allowed the moon jelly population to increase.

Location- The location of an ecosystem affects its functioning. At a global scale, latitude, distance from the sea and altitude play decisive roles in determining climate and ultimately the nature of particular ecosystems. The Great Barrier Reef is found along the Queensland coastline. It stretches as far north as Papa New Guinea, 8o South Latitude, to just above (north) of Fraser Island, 24o South Latitude, (an approximate 2300 Km stretch). There are four main regions along the Great Barrier Reef. These are The Northern, Central, Mackay, and Southern Region. The Great Barrier Reef also has continuity both geographically and temporally. Reef drilling data has proved that the reef in the north is 1km to 2km’s thick and existed about 15 million years ago. However the southern region of the reef is much thinner at only 120 meters thick and younger at only about 2 million years. Due to this location the corals which require a very specific conditions are able to grow due to the right amount of light which is the main food source of the zooxanthellae which are organisms contained in the corals. Corals are limited to areas of the sea where the water temperature does not fall below 17 degrees Celsius and doesn’t exceed 34 degrees Celsius and the coral system prefers to be in a relatively stable saline conditions as elevated levels stunt coral growth and low levels will result in the zooxanthellae dying. Thus creating a very vulnerable ecosystem due to the specifics of the coral