As human population continues to increase with the current population now exceeding 7 billion people so does human reliance on the ocean, however the ocean is not infinite therefore this means that if we fail to use the ocean wisely in a way that is sustainable and will allow for future generation to still access the resources of the ocean we will see great consequence many of which may be irreversible. Our actions on the ocean are greatly affecting the complex ecology of this vast aquatic environment. In this essay I am going to talk about how human as well as climatic activity is affecting one species in particular and what the outcomes of this are.
Jellyfish are one of the oldest organisms on earth dating back more than 300 million years. At this time the ocean would be vastly different to how it appears now they would be no schools of fish or hunting sharks. There would be little diversity, with the ocean consisting only of simple organisms. Fossil records show that within this 300 million year period that jellyfish have existed they have undergone little evolutionary change they appear almost the same today as they did 300 million years ago. It can be said these organisms are amazingly resilient which is truly remarkable considering these creatures are 95% water and do not have a brain. But even with how resilient these organisms are, are they able to withstand the effects caused by humans and global warming? Could it even be said that these organisms are so resilient that these creature may even begin to flourish under these effects where most species are struggling to survive even facing the threat of extinction.
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...lating pattern with periods where they both increased and decreased, with each one lasting approximately four years.
In conclusion the effects of human and climatic activity are definitely having huge effects on jellyfish which in turn can have just as adverse effects on humans as a result. Such as the death of thousands of fish needed for fishing, jellyfish disrupting nuclear power plants and a decline in tourism. As the ocean continues to undergo an increasing demand due to the increase in the earth’s population it may soon become apparent just how much we are effecting the ocean with the creation of death zones which in the future could reach thousands of kilometres and destruction of delicate ecosystems as well as many organisms in the ocean not being able to adapt and survive to the rapid changes humans and the environment are having on the ocean.
Climate change and Global Warming are out of control. This means that, no matter what policies, processes or actions are implemented, the Earth as we know it will never be the same again. There is significant evidence to support this hypothesis. The dilemma becomes whether we can limit the damage and adapt to a new status quo or not. Rising sea levels and the damage caused by this phenomenon has irreversible impacts on coastlines worldwide. Damage to sensitive reef systems cannot be fixed. This also has permanent impacts of the ecology not just of those immediate areas but also the ocean as a whole.
Nature designed Florida to be one large marine ecosystem. Florida is one big sand peninsula located below the 40th longitudinal North American line. Three bodies of salt water (Gulf of Mexico, Strait of Florida and Atlantic Ocean) surround three out of four directions of Florida. Man-made canals, natural lakes, rivers and estuaries are confined within the State of Florida’s physical boundaries. All of these form an interlocking system of waterways that impact the interconnected marine environment (marine ecosystem). All of Florida’s waterways are connected back to the surrounding bodies of water while passing through Florida’s sub-tropical and temperate zones and impact the delicate marine ecosystem balance. Man and nature are causing a negative impact to this region like never before. Hurricanes, lack of green initiatives, garbage, pollution and the stripping of natural resources for population growth are decimating Florida’s natural ecosystems.
The manipulation of the environment by humans is the first factor that has begun to promote the jellyfish dystopia. As humans change the environment, conditions are beginning to favor jellyfish. In an environment that largely favors them, a population explosion and accompanying jellyfish dystopia is inevitable. These population explosions are a great leap toward the jellyfish dystopia. Throughout the marine environment, humans have begun overfishing in multiple marine environments. This opens niches in the oceanic food webs. These niches, or spaces in the food webs, result from the removal of predators that would previously control the jellyfish population (Stone). In the absence of their predators, the jellyfish population is free to expand and forms blooms, or large jellyfish populations. The jellyfish themselves then prevent the native fish population from rebounding by feeding on the fish eggs (Stone). Human proceed to fish in these areas again, and the jellyfish predation decreases to a greater degree. Humans also improve conditions for jellyfish as we allow pollution levels to rise. Devices like cars are contributors to the carbon dioxide levels. As the CO2 levels rise, this also affects the oceans. They slowly are becoming more acidic and becomin...
Major exploration may harm the environment due to how we exploit resources. According to Philippe Cousteau’s commentary, he states that “the world has fished, mined and trafficked the ocean’s resources to a point where we are actually seeing dramatic changes that are seriously impacting today’s generations” (70). This emphasizes that attempting major exploration has an impact in our environment. Additionally, Elisabeth Rosenthal’s “Stinging Tentacles Offer Hint of Oceans’ Decline” gives us an idea how pollution affects the climate. Dr. Josep-MarÍa Gili
Princeton University Press. “The Extreme Life of the Sea.” princeton.edu. Princeton University Press. 11 Feb. 2014 Web. 12 Feb. 2014.
Humans have a very large effect on the ecosystems of coral reefs. Sensitivity of coral reefs causes them to be more susceptible to harmful anthropogenic practices. Some of these are sedimentation, global warming, recreational activities, poison fishing, blast fishing practices, water pollution, and coral mining. All of these very different practices can effectively end up with the same results; the mortality of coral reefs around the world. Coral reefs are an important ecosystem of the world, and support many different industries and millions of people.
During the 20th century both air and sea temperature has increased and causing several problems. The increase in temperature has caused damages to our eco system. In some countries temperature has increased by a few degrees. In winter, in places where it was cold, now the temperatures has increased and even the sea temperatures have increased, which is melting the Iceberg and destroying the marine life. Scientists projected that if emissions of heat-trapping carbon emission aren’t reduced, average surface temperature could increased 3 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit by the end the century. A good example is that in some Europeans countries the...
Imagine a lush underwater place. Beautiful structures colorful animals and places that would never have been thought of before. In reality that's not what it really looks like, really the ocean is a desolate place that is barren like a desert. Many marine species have been lost by as much as 49%.(seeker) A big part of that reason is because of coral bleaching which causes as stated above a decline in species that depend on the coral as there home. Coral bleaching is a serious problem that could cause problems for everyone if we don’t fix it.
This article discusses how important the organisms symbiotic with coral reefs are, as well as how important coral reefs are to our environment. Also explained is how natural and non natural things things like hurricanes and overfishing affects them. A study is quoted about how water acidity also plays a role in the bleaching of corals. Lastly, restoration and conservation efforts are discussed and how we could possibly help our oceans.
Coral reefs are well known for their colorful array of marvelous sights including a parade of exotic flora and fauna. They are said to be the foundation for a quarter of marine species, and are a crucial support for human life as well. The coral reef ecosystem is a diverse collection of species (ranging from microscopic to larger-than-life in size) that interact with each other and their physical environment. If any piece of a coral reef is harmed or removed the entire community can be seriously affected, even to the point of collapse. Unfortunately, human impact has resulted in long-term stresses that, unlike the short-term stress of natural disasters, coral reefs are not as capable to recover from. “Approximately half of the world’s coral reef ecosystem resources are considered by scientists to be in 'poor' or 'fair' condition and have declined over time due to several anthropogenic threats” (“Status of Corals” par. 2). Through poorly administered commercial practices, carelessness and ignorance among the common people, and human aggravated natural processes coral reef destruction has become a serious issue afflicting the world’s biodiversity and it’s intricate biosphere mechanics (“Human Impact on the Great Barrier Reef” 1) (“What Are Coral Reefs?” 1).
Oceans are such so vast that people underestimate the impact their actions —seeming so insignificant— have on them. Humans have by and large taken the oceans for granted; not considering how important a healthy ocean is to our survival. A popular mind-set is that the oceans are a bottomless supply of fish, natural resources, and an infinite waste dump. There are myriad reasons why the oceans should be saved and the most obvious one is marine life. With 71% of the Earth being covered by water, it is obvious that sea creatures are predominant form of life, making up 80% of the species of life on Earth. However, as important as marine life is, that is not the only reason why saving the oceans is crucial. The ocean floor provides natural resources such as, oil, natural gas, petroleum, minerals, medications, and ingredients for foods and products. The economic benefits of the oceans are huge and significant, as well. Fishing and fish products have provided employment to 38 million people and have generated about $124 billion in economic benefits. However, oceans are on the verge of crisis, marine life, natural resources, transportation, the economy, and important ingredients are at risk due to overfishing, pollution, and acidification. Thus, in this essay I will argue that, oceans are not impervious to human activity and threatening the health of the ocean threatens the health of humanity, since oceans key to our survival.
Did you know that more than 90 percent of all organisms that have ever lived on Earth are extinct? According to Pandey, the author of Humans Pushing Marine Life toward ‘Major Extinction’, nearly 10,000 species go extinct each year, and this rate is estimated to be 1,000 times higher than the natural extinction rate (1). Human beings are causing irreversible damage to the oceans and their wildlife, which is being led by two major reasons: Commercial fishing or over-fishing, which damaged the marine environment and caused a loss in the marine life diversity, and pollution, which is a primary way of the extinction causes that drastically modifies the marine life habitat. As a result of the commercial fishing and pollution, many of the marine species will start disappearing of the oceans. Briggs emphasizes that over-fishing “has induced population collapses in many species. So instead of having less than a hundred species at risk, as was the case some 30-40 years ago, there are now a thousand or more (10).”
Nowadays it is common to read articles in newspapers and magazines regarding biodiversity issues. Human beings have been knowingly and unknowingly destroying biodiversity since their existence. Biodiversity is the measure of the variety of species of animals living in an area. Forests are usually areas with high biodiversity while deserts are the opposite. Human beings have always destroyed biodiversity either by deforestation, or by some other means. Biodiversity depletion is a natural phenomenon. But the present levels of biodiversity depletion are many times higher than the natural rate. Recently the levels of loss in biodiversity have started causing global concern. Some of the main causes for loss in biodiversity are alteration of habitats, increasing levels of pollution and human population growth.
These results agree with the hypothesis that our “untouched and super-productive world” is affecting marine life ecosystems (Vannela, 2012). All of these results combined confirm the overall hypothesis that pollution is getting worse in the ocean and more marine life ecosystems are being affected, but there
Coral Reefs need to be preserved for many reasons. In this paper I will discuss a