...CASE STUDY: HOW HUMANS HAVE AFFECTED THE ANTARCTIC FOOD WEB Although the icy waters around Antarctica may seem an inhospitable environment, a complex food web is found there. The base of the food web consists of microscopic, photosynthetic algae present in vast numbers in the well-lit, nutrient-rich water. A huge population of herbivores—tiny shrimp like krill—eat these marine algae. Krill, in turn, support a variety of larger animals. A major consumer of krill is the baleen whale, which filters krill out of the frigid water. Baleen whales include blue whales, humpback whales, and right whales. Squid and fishes also consume krill in great quantities. These, in turn, are eaten by other carnivores: toothed whales such as the sperm whale, elephant seals and leopard seals, king penguins and emperor penguins, and birds such as the albatross and the petrel. Humans have had an impact on the Antarctic food web as they have had on most other ecosystems. Before the advent of whaling, baleen whales consumed huge quantities of krill. Until a global ban on hunting large whales was enacted in 1986, whaling steadily reduced the number of large baleen whales in Antarctic waters. As a result, of fewer whales eating krill, more krill became available for other krill-eating animals, whose populations increased. Now that commercial whaling is regulated, it is hoped that the number of large baleen whales will slowly increase, and that appears to be the case for some species. However, the populations...
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...the Antarctic. Raven, P., Berg, L., and Hassenzahl, D. (2010) presents the case study “How Humans Have Affected the Antarctic Food Web” to examine the problem. The purpose of this paper is to identify any unintended consequences of humankind’s activities that have led to environmental problems, describe how scientific or technological activities are exacerbating or improving the existing situation, discuss how a proper application of the scientific method could have helped the problem, and address any alternative solution beyond the scientific method. Unintended consequences There are multiple human activities that have led to environmental problems. The first is the thinning of the ozone layer. This is the cause of man-made compounds, such as halocarbons. The Global Climate Change and Ozone Layer Protection (2005) website states “Halocarbons are formed when halogen gases such as fluorine, chlorine and bromine become attached to carbon. The smaller halocarbons turn into a gas quite easily and are the prime suspects in ozone depletion (What causes Ozone Layer Depletion?, para. 2). The depletion to the ozone layer leads to a global climate change. Raven, P., Berg, L., and Hassenzahl, D. (2010) explain: “As the water has warmed in recent decades around Antarctica, less pack ice has formed during winter months. Large numbers of marine algae are found in and around the pack ice, providing a critical supply of food for the krill, which reproduce in the area” (How humans have affected...
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...animal lives on the Antarctic ice and in the frigid surrounding waters. This bird has a life span of 15-20 years and lives in colonies. Its diet is mainly that of a carnivore. The majority comes from fish. With all the beauty and intriguing life style of this penguin, not all is good. This penguin is in danger. What is causing this danger? It is not any predator in its wild habitat, it’s the effect of human ignorance. Climate change is slowly destroying the ice the penguin lives on. The emperor is on a downward spiral in which extinction is possible at the end of this century. With climate change at a dangerous level, warming may melt sea ice at rates which will decrease its habitat to nothing. With all these dangers there is still more, over fishing by humans is depleting the food source. In this paper I will outline and describe the problems these penguins face. I will also give a brief background on this flightless bird. Emperor is the largest of all penguins—an average bird stands some 45 inches (115 centimeters) tall. Penguins withstand physiological adaptations and cooperative behaviors in order to deal with an incredibly harsh environment, where wind chills can reach -76°F (-60°C)(Van Woert, Michael). They huddle together to escape the wind and reserve the warmth. Individuals take turns moving to the group's protected and relatively warm interior. Once a penguin has warmed a bit it will move to the perimeter of the group so that others can have protection from the...
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...Marcavillaca—a farmer and indigenous women’s organizer from Peru— went to The Capitol Hill to tell her powerful story. Her words were quoted by Al Gore in one of his speeches. She said through a translator: “We are very concerned, in my community, [and] in my country, about global climate change. Nature is disrupted. We are seeing the impacts on a daily basis. We are losing our lands, water is disappearing, it rains when it shouldn’t rain, and we have freezing temperatures, when we shouldn’t have freezing temperatures. Also, warmer temperatures in our farming area have spurred plant diseases, and the quality of agricultural seeds has degenerated cutting into local women’s ability to earn a living. Because our yields are down, it is difficult to feed our children.” (Jaime Baily 14). Climate change has become a very contested and debated matter. Some scientists say that the earth is warming; skeptics contend that it is cooling. Glaciologists say that the polar ice on earth is melting, and skeptics say that Antarctic ice is growing. Skeptics-that have also concluded that the earth is warming-point out that the earth has gone through many such warming periods (interglacials or periods of desertification) in between cooling periods and that these are natural cycles. But the long-running debate over whether or not global warming is anthropogenic is arriving to its end. Not only it is caused by man, it’s real, it’s here. All across the world, in every place known to man, glaciers...
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...radiation escapes to space is lower, and the planet will take in more than it radiates. As the higher levels emit some of the excess radiation downwards, the lower levels will warm all the way down to the surface. The imbalance will remain until the higher levels get hot enough to radiate as much energy back out as the planet is receiving. Though all natural processes, they are not always helpful. On the other side of the spectrum, we as humans are not always helpful to the processes. Because of this, we find ourselves at a time of question. What are we doing to our planet and how will it affect us? Many are attempting to take action now, others try to not believe. Eventually, however, we are all going to see what we have truly been doing. Global warming is possibly the most debated topic today, but it is also the biggest problem our world faces today. Our ignorant way of living has now become harmful to the only earth we have to live on. Although some may not see the effects now, to many this problem is surreal. Multiple species of animals have been endangered by the effects of global warming. This problem not only limits the life of...
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...phenomenon (2) The effects of global warming phenomenon 2) The problems of water by global warming (1) Sea levels rise (2) Water shortages (3) Flood from heavy rains 3. Conclusion 1) The efforts of each countries and organizations Abstract In the twentieth century, using fossil fuel, industrial development has caused serious damages to the environment. This is one of the main factors in the formation of global warming that is closely linked to human activity, and it is caused by the greenhouse effect. Global warming has caused many negative effects to natural environment, especially problems of global water. In other words, the first serious problem of global warming is the rising sea levels, secondly negative problem is water shortages and last one is flooding from heavy rains. Each problem is made by climate changes and global warming by increasing surface temperature. For instance, melting Antarctic and Arctic glaciers have affected sea level rise, and decreasing rainfall and rising temperature have influenced water shortages and desertification. Also, by evaporating various kinds of water, it has caused heavy rain clouds and storms. As a result, many people in the world are suffering from problems of global water and hydrological cycle. Therefore, for improving various environmental problems, we will need a lot of changes and efforts to protect the natural environment, especially in the field of global warming....
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...atom (O), then combines with an oxygen molecule (O2) and forms a molecule of ozone (O3). The ozone molecules, in turn absorb ultraviolet rays between 310 to 200 nm wavelength and thereby prevent these harmful radiations from entering the Earth's atmosphere. In the process, ozone molecules split up into a molecule of oxygen and an oxygen atom. The oxygen atom (O) again combines with the oxygen molecule (O2) to regenerate an ozone (O3) molecule. Thus, the total amount of ozone is maintained by this continuous process of destruction and regeneration. Ozone layer depletion first captured the attention of the whole world in the later half of 1970 and since then, many discussions and researches have been carried out to find out the possible effects and the causes of ozone depletion. Many studies have also been directed to find out a possible solution. Causes of Ozone Depletion The cause of ozone depletion is the increase in the level of free radicals such as hydroxyl radicals, nitric oxide radicals and atomic chlorine and bromine. The most important compound,...
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...2013) Shell-forming animals, including corals, oysters, shrimp, lobster, many planktonic organisms, and even some fish species could be gravely affected. Equally worrisome is the fact that as the oceans continue to absorb more CO2, their capacity as a carbon storehouse could diminish. That means more of the carbon dioxide we emit will remain in the atmosphere, further aggravating global climate...
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...Done By: Azeeza Mubarak H00088813 Table of Contents Part One: Report Abstract 3 Part Two: Overfishing Summary 5 Part Three: Overfishing Stakeholders 9 Part Four: International Implication 14 Part Five: Conclusion and Recommendations 15 References 18 Introduction The human needs and wants are satisfied by the existed natural resources in our environment. Simply, we are totally dependent on natural resources which sustain our lives. Everything we have used and using is made of natural resources, or raw materials and energy obtained from our environment. Although, those resources are discrimination as renewable and non-renewable resources, the natural resources sustainability is endangered by human behavior consuming. Thus, human should consider the environmental aspect when it comes to satisfying their needs and wants. Exceeded consumption of the natural resources will lead to breaking down the environment cycle and destroying those natural resources. One of those threatened natural resources is fisheries resources. Marine fisheries are supplying a major protein source to the world’s population, and they are supporting an industry that worth over $85 billion annually . Fisheries resources are facing one of the biggest issues that threaten it globally; overfishing. During the 20th century, the fishing expanded rapidly to the global scale as a result...
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...the North Pacific region that has been a mystery for some time. Several temperature changes have been linked to North Pacific ecosystem mystery. The distribution of plankton and fish species is caused by the ecosystem shifts. 2. August 31, 2015 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/08/150831163726.htm Scientists have found ancient in many mantle rocks below the sea floor. These rocks that have been discovered contain microbial life, which show life had been present during the Cretaceous period. This discovery finally confirms a hypothesis that life can in fact be created deep below the seafloor. 3. September 1, 2015 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150901100551.htm Increase in climate threat has been identified using unique statistical analysis. The frequency in droughts and heat waves has been occurring more frequent than usual. Climate experts have been able to determine the dual climate threat. 4. September 1, 2015 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150901113432.htm Scientists discovered like humans female orangutans prefer specific characteristics. They prefer cheek padded male orangutans, which are more successful at fathering offspring. The females have standards. 5. September 1, 2015 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150901135103.htm Tiny jellyfish may be the new basis for under water propulsion. Oceanographers detail how the jellyfish speed to their prey. The jelly fish had been gathered and studied from Puget...
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...Global Warming Mitigation Strategies and Solutions David Zavala University of Phoenix/Axia College Our atmosphere took billions of years to develop into what we know today but technological advances have given today’s society the power to change the atmosphere in less than a century. The revolution that began in the late eighteenth century made it possible for inventors to create many energy-saving machines. The only energy these machines save is human energy and time because these machines use energy in the form of fossil fuels, which is made from large amounts of carbon. They were created when the organic remains of plants and animals were buried millions of years ago. Over time, heat and pressure changed the remains into coal, oil, and natural gas. When people burn fossil fuels, huge amounts of carbon dioxide and other gases are released into the atmosphere; which result in several changes to the make-up of the atmosphere. The most significant environmental problem this paper will focus on is Global Warming. People who grow flowers year-round often use a special building that has walls and a roof made of glass. The transparent glass allows insolation to enter but prevents heat loss by radiation; so when the insolation enters the green house, the sun’s energy is trapped and warms the house. This keeps the greenhouse warmer than its surroundings; carbon dioxide and water vapor are like the glass in a greenhouse. They allow insolation to reach Earth’s surface but they...
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...Research has found that, environmentalists, scientists and keen researchers have raisedconcerns that the ozone layer is deteriorating due topollution. According to them such deterioration allows large amounts of ultraviolet B rays to reach Earth, which can cause skin cancer and cataracts in humans and harm animals as well 2 Environmental experts are with the view that global warming will have catastrophic effects such as accelerating sea level rise, droughts, floods, storms and heat waves. These will impact on some of the world's poorest and most vulnerable people, disrupting food production, and threatening vitally important species, habitats and ecosystems. 3 Extra ultraviolet B radiation reaching Earth also inhibits the reproductive cycle of phytoplankton, single-celled organisms such as algae that make up the bottom rung of the food chain. This eventually made biologists fear that reductions in phytoplankton populations will in turn lower the populations of other animals. Researchers also have documented changes in the reproductive rates of young fish, shrimp, and crabs as well as frogs and salamanders exposed to excess ultraviolet B. 4 Scientists believe that global warming will lead to a weaker ozone layer, because as the surface temperature rises, the stratosphere (the ozone layer being found in the upper part) will get colder, making the natural repairing of the Ozone slower. Reports have it that by 2030, "climate change may surpass chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)...
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...not. 3. alcohol will evaporate quickly, water will just sit. 4. pH test, water will be neutral, alcohol will be acidic. 5. you could dye one of them with food coloring and mix them. the alcohol will be the one on the top, because alcohol is less dense than water. 2. Water: molecular mass of 18.015, density of 1 g/cm³ at 4°C, refractive index of 1.3330, solid form less dense than the liquid form, amphoteric properties, boiling point of 100°C at atmospheric pressure, not flammable. Alcohol: molecular mass of 46.07, density of 0.789 g/cm³, refractive index of 1.36242, solid denser than the liquid, slightly more acidic than water, boiling point of 78°C at atmospheric pressure, highly flammable Water (along with life) is what sets our planet apart from our neighbors and it is the topic of this chapter. The hydrosphere is the watery part of the Earth, but this is a little misleading since it gives the impression that there is one place where water occurs. Instead, water is everywhere, or nearly so. Water is present in the atmosphere, in the form of vapor, liquid, and solid. It is tied up in rocks, locked away in the crystal lattices of minerals that make up rocks; it occurs in the innumerable small pore spaces of rocks, from the surface to depths greater than 5 km. Water is also tied up in living organisms; humans, for example, contain about 70% water. Water is stored in ice sheets large and small, it occurs in various surface water bodies, and, of course the oceans, the...
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...environment include: Buoyancy – This refers to the upward pressure (or thrust) that is applied on the organism by its medium. Buoyancy is determined by the density of the medium and determines the floating ability of an organism. Water provides sufficient buoyancy for many organisms, e.g., the jellyfish. If a jellyfish is taken out of water and placed on land it will disintegrate by spreading apart. Thus, the water provides enough buoyancy (pressure) in order to keep the shape of the jellyfish. Pressure – This is the downward force that is applied on an organism by its medium. In water, the pressure is dependent on the depth. Organisms that live at the bottom of the ocean experience the effects of extreme pressure and they must have specific adaptations that enable them to survive in such harsh environments. Temperature Variations – Usually in an aquatic environment there are minimal temperature variations to that compared with terrestrial environments. The temperature variations also depend on the size of the body of water; a large body of water will experience much less temperature variations than a smaller body of water. Also, as depth increases the temperature of the water decreases. Availability of gases – in water the availability of gases depends on factors such as temperature, depth and turbulence. Hot water holds much less oxygen than cold water. The availability of gases also depends on the rate of diffusion which is much slower in water than it...
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...variations in solar radiation received by Earth, plate tectonics, and volcanic eruptions. Certain human activities have also been identified as significant causes of recent climate change, often referred to as "global warming". Scientists actively work to understand past and future climate by using observations and theoretical models. A climate record — extending deep into the Earth's past — has been assembled, and continues to be built up, based on geological evidence from borehole temperature profiles, cores removed from deep accumulations of ice, floral and faunal records, glacial and periglacial processes, stable-isotope and other analyses of sediment layers, and records of past sea levels. More recent data are provided by the instrumental record. General circulation models, based on the physical sciences, are often used in theoretical approaches to match past climate data, make future projections, and link causes and effects in climate change. Terminology The most general definition of climate change is a change in the statistical properties of the climate system when considered over long periods of time, regardless of cause. Accordingly, fluctuations over periods shorter than a few decades, such as El Niño, do not represent climate change. The term sometimes is used to refer specifically to climate change caused by human activity, as opposed to changes in climate that may have resulted as part of Earth's natural processes. In this sense, especially in the context of environmental...
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