Blog 8
About 71% of the planet is covered in seawater. Although the ocean is so vast and grand, it is important to not downplay the oceans role on Earth and how vulnerable it can be to changes. The paper will focus on how marine life in oceans are responding to changes in climate and human activity.
One of the most vulnerable habitats being impacted by climate change are coral reefs. Since the 1950s, about fifty percent of the shallow, warm-water coral reef systems across the world have been destroyed.[1] Threats to coral reef systems include overfishing, pollution, coastal development, excess carbon dioxide in atmosphere being absorbed by the ocean, warmers ocean waters, ocean acidification. [2] However, one of the greatest impacts to coral reefs is coral bleaching. Due to the threats listed, areas of the ocean with once perfect conditions for coral growth are not unhospitable. For example, high levels of dissolved carbon dioxide and ocean warming are leading to the calcium carbonate in ocean dissolve. The calcium carbonate is critical for coral polyps to build reefs.[3] For example, the Great Barrier Reef is currently subsiding at an extreme rate and a victim to coral bleaching. I studied abroad in Australia last year, and during my time there I remember the locals telling me that within ten years they can already notice drastic reductions in coral availability at the GBR. They say it is still beautiful, but it is nowhere what it used to be. Imagine, within a decade someone can already see drastic changes to one of the most biodiverse and largest critical habitats for marine animals. However, the Nature Conservancy concludes the world’s shallow coral reefs and mangrove forests may survive climate change if efforts to eliminate overfishing and pollution are made.[4]
Marine animals are also being impacted by human activity in the form of garbage disposal, disruptive fishing techniques, illegal harvesting of fins, etc. For example, partially decomposed particles of plastic items wash ashore and kill up to 1 million seabirds and 100,000 mammals annually.[5] In the trailer of “Great Pacific Plastic Garbage Patch,” it photographs images of dead seabirds with plastic filled in their digestive tract. Even in the remotest islands, sea birds are dying from eating non-decomposable plastic pieces. As for larger species, sharks are also being greatly impacted by human activity. They are the targets of shark finning due to the high economic value of fins. For instance, a whale sharks dorsal fin is worth up to $10,000. Due to a bad reputation (thank you Jaws) and high economic value, multiple of species of sharks are being threatened to extinction. Sea turtles aren’t faring well, either. Sea turtles have been wiped out by 95% in the last 100 years.[6] One of the severer threats on sea turtles are trawler fishing. Trawler fishing destroys coral gardens and sea turtle feeding grounds. Meanwhile, the beaches in which baby sea turtles hatch are being impacted by motor vehicles and artificial light that disorient baby sea turtles. Plastic garbage also threatens sea turtles because plastic can be mistaken as food or they can get caught in plastic rings. For instance, we all have seen the video of the sea turtle with the straw stuck in its nose. The good news is that since 1990, fishing regulations have reduced turtle deaths by 90%.[7] However, most marine animals are not thriving under the threat of human activity.
Meanwhile, climate change is another grave threat on marine animals. For example, threats of climate change can impact keystone species. For example, the global phytoplankton population has dropped about 40% since 1950. Phytoplankton account for the production of about half of the earth’s oxygen, absorbs large amounts of carbon dioxide, and a food source for other aquatic animals. However, phytoplankton do not do well in acidic environments, therefore have been dying in response due to ocean acidification.[8] Climate change is also expected to impact the amount of available fish, not just phytoplankton, in the ocean. For humans this is especially bad because we rely on fish for a substantial part of our diet. About 87% of the world’s ocean fisheries are being overharvested at full capacity or overfished.[9] If humans are already hitting limits in harvesting fish, climate change will only exacerbate this.
Before ending this dreary post on how humans are destroying the oceans, I would like to end with a happy story. About 46 years ago, the Atlantic Puffins off the coast of Maine were nearly wiped out due to hunting.[10] In an effort to bring them back, Dr. Kress and his team translocated baby puffins from Newfoundland (area of abundant puffins) to Maine. He would place the chicks in individual burrows and feed them daily. [11] The goal was to release the puffins to sea and hope for their return to establish a breeding colony. And, it worked! After a couple of years, the puffins came and established a colony. There are now hundreds of puffins at Seal Island National Wildlife Refuge. Although this is a really nice success story and love to hear it, I wish there was a bigger focus of preventive efforts from the government, rather than restoration efforts. Restoration projects have a lower success rate for a species and are often more costly than preventive enforcement. Also, it is difficult for a species of animal or plant to restore itself to its previous full potential.
In conclusion, the oceans are being used as both a sink for garbage and a source for food. It is unfortunate that the ones who pay the price for our conscionable actions are the defenseless and innocent marine animals. Ocean and the marine life within the deep seas have the capability of bouncing back. However, it may not be at a rate that can sustain the impact of human activity and the human activity prompting climate change.
Question: Even if we can reduce poaching and improper waste disposal, how do we get people from doing it again in a couple of years?
Word Count: 1,002
[1] Miller 255
[2] Miller 255
[3] Miller 256
[4] Miller 269
[5] Miller 260
[6] Miller 266
[7] Miller 266
[8] Miller 257
[9] Miller 293
[10] https://www.audubon.org/news/see-return-puffins-live-maine-0
[11] https://www.audubon.org/news/see-return-puffins-live-maine-0
Environmental Studies 