The Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument

One of the reasons, President Obama visited the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument as he stated in his own words was to ensured "That the entire ecosystem will be able to generate the kind of biodiversity that allows us to study it, research and understand our oceans better than we ever have before."[1] This demonstrates that Obama's expansion will protected the reefs, and marines animals like whales and sea turtles that are classified as endangered species. More important the expansion will served as an example of to fight against climate change that are threatening many ecosystems around the world as well as plastic pollution. Eventually, the endangered species that share the marine environment in Midway, will be protected under the Obama's expansion like the green turtles, monk seals, tiger sharks and as well as the birds species such as the red-footed booby and the black-footed

The Great Barrier Reef is known as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It is believed to be one of the most incredible places on this earth. This reef is the largest living organism on this planet and the only living thing on earth visible from space (2011). The warm waters of the southwest Pacific Ocean are the perfect environments to create the world's largest system of coral reefs. The Great Barrier Reef is in such pristine condition that it was listed by the World Heritage Trust as a protected site and is therefore, managed by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority to ensure that its beauty is maintained for many travelers and sightseers (Edgar 2010). Due to the complexity of this natural phenomenon, human practices have led

It is our duty as humans to ensure the vitality of biodiversity in the world around us, because without biodiversity we could not survive. One of the main problems seen today is the loss of biodiversity in our oceans. Pavan Sukhdev of the UN Environmental Program was quoted as saying "We are in the situation where 40 years down the line we, effectively, are out of fish." (Save our Seas, 2014) Although this quote is both powerful and grim, this is only a future we could meet if we were to continue the mass commercial fishing of stock fish. An essential cornerstone to securing biodiversity, species protection is of the utmost importance when it comes to environmental issues. In the Pacific Northwest there are few species

The purpose of this research is to apply the knowledge learned about the ecology of the Hawaiian Coral Reef to a real-life situation. The coral reef stretches over 1,000 miles in the Pacific Ocean. In the Pacific Ocean, near the 124 islands of Hawaii, is the Hawaiian Coral Reef, which covers nearly 1,200 miles. Out of all the coral reefs in the world, the Hawaiian reef consists of 85% of all reefs. Coral Reefs are made of organisms, coral, and limestone skeletons. 25% of organisms are not existent anywhere else in the world. Abiotic factors are nonliving things, and abiotic factors of a coral reef are depth, light, wave motion, salinity, and temperature of the ocean. Biotic factors, living factors, is the whole coral reef,

Emerald Bay is located in the Northwestern side of Catalina Island. Catalina is 46.9 miles from Los Angeles. Catalinas climate has very warm summers, but their winters can get to 48 degrees Fahrenheit. Some plants in Catalina include Cattail, Fire Poppys, and Gum Trees. Some animals that are also common in Catalina, are Bison, and Deer. There are many wonderful things you can do at this camp.

The Capital Reef National Park is located in south/central Utah, and is part of the great Colorado Plateau. An area of 378 square miles, the Capital Reef National Park is just one of many national parks located near the four corners (Arizona, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico). Like it was mentioned in the prompt, most of the rock formation in the Capital Reef is very similar to that of the other national parks, however, there is one geologic feature in particular that attributes to its uniqueness.

President Obama has recently established the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument off of the coast of New England. The monument is the first in the Atlantic Ocean and measures in at 4,913 square miles, roughly

I have been interested in marine sciences since I was a child. I grew up in and around the water. Being a resident of South Florida, and an avid boater, I have seen the degradation of the Florida reef system. I was fortunate enough that my parents were able to purchase a house in Key Largo when I was just 6 years old. I quickly got familiar with the surrounding ocean. My favorite place to go diving was a protected reef about 3 miles offshore called Molasses Reef. Since there is no fishing, lobstering, or even anchoring on this reef, the protected area has not changed much since I was a kid. Yet, one can start seeing changing not too far away for this tropical reef oasis. This part of the reef is unprotected and has changed drastically over

Hawaii Turtle Tours takes you for a tour around the island of Oahu to see some pretty amazing things. However, most people don’t know about the trouble that the islands face. The islands are home to some amazing and unique plants and animals. Yet, today it is estimated that there approximately 90% of these species are invasive or foreign. Leaving only 10% of native and endemic species left on the island. This means that of this small percentage, these plans and animals are found nowhere else in the world. Plus, the majority of these species are endemic, which means that they are found only in Hawaii and nowhere else.

The state of Hawaii and its islands are role models for the nation and world when it comes to protection of ecological and biological resources. From establishments of protection of at least 20% of U.S. Coral reefs and associated habitat types in no-take areas, to working with local, governmental and global stakeholders to amend treaties and Acts that the nation can involve in. Currently, there are 43 sites considered marine protected areas and 12 of these are no-take zones. Papahãnaumokuãkea Marine National Monument is one of these.

These species of plants and animals do well to illustrate that the island is rich with species diversity and is home to many organisms. Without these specific types of habitats (e.g. salt marshes, dunes, and maritime forests), the island’s natural wildlife and plant life would look vastly different. Aside from the aesthetic value of barrier islands and potential economic gains, barrier island environments provide valuable information that is relevant wildlife and ecological management. Since humans have colonized nearly all major continents, we have a significant impact on the natural environment. Such information that is gained through studying barrier islands can contribute to better management of these environs so that more informed decisions

Only 100 miles off the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, there is a marine ecosystem teeming with life. This ecosystem is called the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS). FGBNMS is a coral reef that monitored and preserved by NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA sees the FGBNMS as a valuable natural resource that we need to protect. The intent of this memo is to identify the resources that FGBNMS provides, what policies are in place to protect those resources, what effect these policies have had, and what actions to take from this point forward. Fortunately, the policies regarding this natural resource are accomplishing the goal of protecting this reef, so I do not recommend to many changes to the existing policies, except for a few slight changes.

Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument (PMNM) was first established on June 15th, 2006 by George W. Bush. Bush made conservation history when he signed to protect PMNM making it the largest fully protected marine conservation area in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. PMNM is located in the United States, Hawaii, with the geographic coordinates of N 25°20’ 56.652” W 170°8” 44.952”. PMNM is over 139,000 square miles long, measuring all the way from Kure Atoll, an island which is also next to Midway Atoll island, till the other end of the MPA on an island called Nihoa. It is managed by several organizations called, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Fish and Wildlife and the State of Hawaii. After two years in

However, many fisherman are unable to catch as many fish as they used to, so they are increasingly using cyanide and dynamite in fishing, which further degrades the coral reef ecosystem.[6] This perpetuation of bad habits simply leads to the further decline of coral reefs and therefore perpetuating the problem. One solution to stopping this cycle is to educate the local community about why conservation of marine spaces that include coral reefs is important.[7] Once the local communities understand the personal stakes at risk then they will actually fight to preserve the reefs. Conserving coral reefs has many economic, social, and ecological benefits, not only for the people who live on these islands, but for people throughout the world as well.

Seagrasses are essential primary producers that provide habitat and refuge to fauna. Anthropogenic influences have caused global loss of seagrasses and a major contributor is eutrophication, which increases phytoplankton and algal populations, reduces light availability, and causes daily hypoxic conditions. Eutrophication is commonly linked to declines in temperate conditions and is more difficult to link to tropical systems since decreases are typically related to physical damage and diminishing light conditions from runoff. Climate change, herbivore declines, disease and overfishing, along with anthropogenic impacts from coastal development, run-off, eutrophication, and aquaculture have caused declines in coral reefs and mangrove systems. These three systems are interconnected and when one system is impacted, secondary impacts are observed in the other systems; coastal ecosystems will be adversely effected and decline. Additional research, conservation, and ways to reduce anthropogenic impacts have been discussed. Restoration is used to reverse habitat loss, although success is varied. Coastal systems and the biological and ecosystem services they provide, may take decades to establish. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are instituted to protect systems from further degradation, restore communities and allow them to flourish naturally. However, local residents are affected by MPAs and may become displaced, have restriction placed on their livelihood, or elimination of their