Caribbean Sea Abiotic Factors

First trip to the Caribbean, first time in Havana, we've booked a couple of nights at the Roc Presidente while we find our feet. This gracious 1920s classic with rooms ten times the cost of a casa particular offers commanding views down Avenida De Los Presidentes, a frozen-in-time sitting room, immaculate staff, adequate restaurants, a nearby bank, and taxi drivers on tap. Baked Europeans encircle the pool by day and a Cuban girl band entertains guests at night.

Coral reefs in Belize have declined in abundance over the past decade. The reefs have experienced massive losses due to many local and global stressors such as bleaching, disease, sewage, overfishing, climate change, and tourism damage. After Hurricane Iris in 2001, the coral reef in Belize was left for the dead due to no growth. Direct impacts such as hurricanes are associated with the loss of architectural complexity of coral habitats. The loss of this coral reef complication drives the decline in diversity and species richness. The widespread mortality of corals also increases the chance of net reef erosion. These impacts are expected to amplify calcium carbonate dissolution with negative consequences for the entire reef framework

The Atlantic world is a modern concept that describes the interaction between four continents Europe, North America, South America and Africa via the Atlantic Ocean. Geographically Portugal is the closet European country to Africa and they are a maritime state meaning that they spend most of their time on the sea so it is no surprise that they were the first ones to reach the West African coast. John Thornton backs up this point by writing in his book Africa and Africans in the making of the Atlantic World 1400-1680 that, “Europeans experience with waterborne travel was probably the most significant factor in allowing them to be the ones who finally conquered the Atlantic” in addition Ralph Davis writes in his book The Rise of the Atlantic Economies ‘ that the Portuguese seamen had knowledge of the Atlantic wind systems, currents and had a detailed geography of the islands in the Atlantic’. Since the Portuguese reached the African coast and its Atlantic islands it impacted greatly and changed Africa negatively.

The coral reef of the Bahamas is home to a large variety of different organisms including sponges, fish, anemones, sea stars, and crustaceans. They all use the reef as a form of resource for food, protection from predators, or a place to live (Harborne et al. 2006). However, coral reefs all around the world are in danger of depletion and destruction more now than ever (Richardson 1998). Damage to the coral reef is caused by a number of factors such as increasing temperatures or reduction of sea pH (van Hooidonk et al. 2013). These factors lead to an increase in diseases (Kuta and Richardson 2002; Zvuloni et al. 2009; Patterson et al. 2002; Gil-Agudelo et al. 2004). There is a large range of different diseases affecting a variety of coral species

The northern Costa Rican Pacific coast (Gulf of Papagayo) is strongly exposed to seasonal upwelling mainly during the dry season (December-April) due to intensified Papagayo winds (Fig 1) (Cortes, 1997; Cortes et al., 2010; Glynn & Ault, 2000, Glynn, 1977; Manzello et al., 2008). This wind driven upwelling brings colder (24-27°C), deeper, more saline (20-30ppm) acidic and high nutrient water to the subsurface waters along the Gulf of Papagayo’s poorly developed reefs (Cortes, 1997; Manzello et al., 2008; Cortes et al., 2002). The reefs can serve as natural laboratories for investigating impacts of these conditions on bioerosion (Glynn, 1977; Wassak et al., 2012; Silbiger et al., 2014). This especially is true for the small fringing pocilloporid

On the day Saturday June 6th 6666 (the date was 6-6-6666 on the sixth day of the week) the human race almost went extinct. this is how they survived.

This summer we've already been slightly impacted from El Niño. Near the Caribbean Sea and the other parts of the Atlantic basin there's been strong wind shear. El Niño occurs when there's warming of ocean water in the Pacific Ocean. El Niño occurs in a cycle of three to seven years. El Niño will be present winter 2015-2016 and will weaken towards spring. In the United States El Niño lasting into spring is important because precipitation and temperature go from moderate to storm. El Niño can cause major damage to our agriculture,people, and many other

Coral Reefs have a huge role in our environment, even though they only make up less than one percent of the oceans' ecosystems. They provide shelter for twenty-five percent of marine species, protect shorelines, support fishing industries, provide money from tourism, and could help scientists discover the next, big, medical breakthrough(Oceans and Coasts). Coral reefs are so biodiverse, they are referred to as ‘the Tropical Rainforests of the Oceans’. These diverse ecosystems are found in shallow circumtropical waters along the shore of continents. Corals thrive in waters that have poor nutrition and they have certain tolerance levels of water temperature, salinity, UV radiation, opacity, and nutrient quantities. (Buchheim)

The Sabana-Camagüey Archipelago extends along the central northern coastline of Cuba for 465 kms, from Punta Hicacos in the west to Nuevitas Bay in the east. Sabana-Camagüey Ecosystem is a mosaic of sensitive marine environments which includes sandy beaches, seagrass beds, coral reefs and cays. With support from UNDP and funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), Cuba began to turn challenges into opportunities, using nature-based solutions. In 1993, the first of a series of three projects was initiated in the Sabana-Camagüey Ecosystem to protect valuable ecosystems and prioritize biodiversity in development planning. The work that started in the Sabana-Camagüey Archipelago provided the basis from which Cuba, in partnership with UNDP

The intertidal zone has stressful and fluctuating abiotic conditions, making it harder for species to survive in the environment. It is important to study the intertidal zone as it can help to understand how the ocean is being affected by climate change (Gutowsky 2016). This study was conducted at Cranberry Cove, NS, to investigate how abiotic conditions at different tidal heights affect invertebrate and macroalgae diversity. A 20x20cm quadrant was used to measure species richness and diversity at upper and mid intertidal zones. A LabQuest2 was used to measure temperature and salinity

The Caribbean islands are among the top destination choices, particularly for those living in North America. It's relatively close proximity to Canada and the United States, along with its glorious year-round weather, makes it the perfect vacation spot for solo travellers and families alike.

Changes in land-use practices have affected the integrity and quality of water resources. In Puerto Rico there is a strong concern about the ecological status of surface waters because changes are rapidly occurring. The odonatan fauna diversity of Puerto Rico was accounted, dividing the map on zones for each group. Active capture with an entomological net was used. There was a total registered of 1752 number of odonatan species. Land use change is one of the main types of disturbance created by anthropogenic activities. Being a group that’s sensible to drastic changes on its habitat, these organisms are directly related to how the environment is affected, making them bioindicators based on their population in the habitat. There is a gradient of disturbance generated from five different types of land: agriculture, urban, grassland, forest and mangrove.

Slavery of Caribbean rose affectedly in the later part of the 17th century. The Caribbean requested for slaves to develop sugarcane and other crops, which all became known as the triangle trade The ships then traveled to America, where many slaves were exchanged for goods, such as sugar, rum, salt, and other island products. Ships leaving Europe primarily bunged in Africa, where they traded weapons, ammunition, metal, liquor, and clothes for hostages taken in wars.

Testing or taking school exams is not something I enjoy at all and doubt anyone does. I get nervous at the sound of the word exam, regardless of professors reminding me that I am knowledgeable in the material. In St. Lucia and many of the Windward Caribbean islands, a child who is between eleven and twelve and is in standard four (grade) is required to take the Common Entrance Examination. This exam is standard, and is taken by all the elementary schools on the island and the Windward Islands. The secondary school you attend is solely based on the results of that one exam.

The South Caye Marine Reserve region is located along the Belize Barrier Reef. This reef is the second largest in the world, and the largest in the northern hemisphere. Two very important ecosystems in the Belize Barrier Reef area are the coral reef, and the mangrove trees. These ecosystems assist in determining the biodiversity of the area, affecting animals of the water, land, and sky. Without each other these two ecosystems would diminish, they rely on the other to thrive. These two ecosystems benefit the environment, and also the economy. Since the economy tends to be viewed as more important than preservation of nature, the government had to step in and create laws that will preserve the ecosystem.