Mangroves

Black Mangrove

The three different types of mangroves are red, black, and white.  Red mangroves live in the deepest salt-water of the three mangroves and have large prop roots.  Red mangroves also have the largest leaves of the three different types of mangroves.  Black mangroves live further inland than the Red mangroves and have pneumatophores used for gas exchange.  The leaves for black mangroves have salt crystals that are formed on the top side.  White mangroves lived the farthest away from the water of the three mangroves.  Leaves of the white mangroves are rounded and their propagules can survive in salt water for at least 1 month.  The benefits from mangroves for organisms are that they can provide a home for these organisms, can provide a source of food, and they can keep the soil in place.  They can be important to humans because they can provide wood, food, medicine, and shoreline protection.  Mangroves also benefit the fishing industry because almost all fish and shellfish caught by commercial anglers spend some part of their lives in or near mangroves.

Red Mangrove

White Mangrove

Ocean Garbage Patch

The Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch is a swirling sea of plastic bags, bottles, and other debris that is growing in the North Pacific Ocean.  It is formed as a result of garbage being dumped into the ocean and gathered by oceanic currents.  Some negative effects on marine organisms due to this garbage patch include entanglement, small surface debris can cause harm with sea birds, and the garbage can lead to a higher toxicity level through photo-degradation.  The best hope for controlling these garbage patches is more plastic recycling and a wider use of biodegradable materials.

Orinoco Crocodile

• Common Name: Orinoco crocodile
• Scientific Name: Crocodylus intermedius
• Habitat: Currently restricted to the Ocinoco River basin in Colombia and Venezuela
• Adaptations: When the water gets too low, it digs holes in the ground so it can stay cool during the hot days.
• Status: Critically Endangered
• Current Issues: Hunting for it's hide, Collection for sale in the live animal trade, pollution, proposal of a dam in the upper Orinoco River region
• Why: I chose this animal as my favorite reptile because I really like crocodiles and I have yet to research an animal that was endangered, making it unique and interesting.

Ocean Acidification

Ocean acidification is the reduction of pH levels in the ocean due to the absorption of carbon dioxide that is released from burning fossil fuels.  This can affect planktonic and benthic organisms by destroying shells of these organisms, leading to less protection for them and possible mortality.  If acidification increases greatly, than this could even lead to the deaths of organisms that cannot survive that acidity.  Man contributes to ocean acidification by constantly consuming fossil fuels, which leads to large emition of carbon dioxide, in turn increasing the amount of carbon dioxide that the ocean absorbs.  One way that we can reduce ocean acidification is by becoming more energy efficient as a species.  If we continue our destructive ways, in only a matter of decades many ocean species could become extinct, unable to adapt.  One thing that I learned from this topic was that the ocean absorbs 22 million tons of carbon dioxide each day.  I also learned that ocean acidification is referred to as 'the other carbon problem', and that the ocean has absorbed 1/4th of the carbon dioxide that has been produced.

Karenia Brevis

Karenia Brevis can cause the algal bloom that is known as the red tide that occurs in Florida and in Texas.  One main characteristic of this algal bloom is that it is red instead of the average green algae.  Red tides are also associated with the production of natural toxins and depletion of oxygen which is why it is classified as a harmful algal bloom.

Neurotoxic Shellfish Poisoning is a type of poisoning that is caused by eating shellfish that are contaminated with breve-toxins. produced by Karenia Brevis.  Some symptoms in humans of this poisoning are mouth numbness, tingling mouth, tingling arms, tingling legs, poor coordination, gastrointestinal upset, and temperature reversal.  Neurotoxic Shellfish Poisoning usually leads to mass mortality in marine animals.  This affects the Gulf Coast economy because with the occurrence of red tides, shellfish poisoning is likely to be involved as well, which can lead to less seafood sales, in turn hurting the economy.

What I Learned About Plankton

• Plankton isn't a specific organism, instead it is a lot of organisms that are small floating plants and animals in the water.  I didn't know that this could also include animals that will later grow up to be fish or even crabs one day.
• I didn't know that jellyfish were a type of plankton before this week.  I guess that I just assumed they were some type of fish but never associated them with plankton.  It makes sense though because jellyfish don't actually swim, they drift with the ocean currents.
• Most of the world's oxygen and organic material is produced by phytoplankton.  I thought that over half of the earth's oxygen was produced by trees but in fact, 80% of our oxygen and 75-85% of our organic material is produced by phytoplankton.
• There are four different classifications of plankton according to size.  The classification goes in order of smallest to largest Nannoplankton, Microplankton, Macroplankton, and Megaplankton.  
• Another thing that I learned about plankton was that they outweigh all of the animals in the sea that aren't plankton.  Because there is so much plankton in the ocean, it amasses more weight that everything else in the ocean if it were to be combined.

Killer Whales

• Common Name: Killer Whale
• Scientific Name: Orcinus orca
• Habitat: All oceans and most seas.  Prefer higher latitudes and coastal areas.
• Reproduction: 
• Conservation Status: Data Deficient
• Interesting Facts:
• Killer whales hunt cooperatively, like a wolf pack.
• The average life span of a killer whale in the wild is 50-80 years old.
• Killer whales can weigh up to six tons
• Major Issue: The killer whale is at risk of poisoning from accumulation of toxins.
• Why?:  I chose this animal because I really like the way that killer whales look, and although I think that they are an interesting organism, I don't know all that much about them.
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Plankton Race

The most difficult part of this race was probably having to work towards creating an object that will sink, but very slowly.  It is quite easy to make something that will either float completely or sink fast, but having to combine both is definitely something unique.  One thing that I would change about the design if i could do this activity over would be that I would change the way that it slowly descended.  Some kind of winglike design would work well for that, I think.  The best part about this activity in my opinion is that I got to work to do a project that was unique and not like any other project I have done before in the past.

Harmful Algae Bloom

A HAB, or harmful algae bloom, is an algal bloom that causes negative impacts to other living species because they produce toxins or mechanically damage them.  Algal blooms can be caused by an increasement in nutrients, a change in temperature, or a change in light.  One way that man can prevent algal blooms is by working to predict where they are going to occur and track them.  Knowing when and where algal blooms will occur can help to minimize the risk to people and marine life.  Learning more about the causes of algal blooms can also help us work to prevent them.

Plankton

Reasons Plankton are important:

Plankton

• They play a key role in the oceanic food web.  For example, they are the key food source for zooplankton.  Even larger fish depend on plankton in order to maintain their survival.
• Phytoplankton produces much of the Earth's oxygen supply.
• Plankton can be key indicators of ecosystem change to investigators such as scientists.

There is a big difference between diatoms and dinoflagellates. Diatoms are a part of a group called alveolates.  They are most common in marine and freshwater phytoplankton, and some are heterotrophic.  Diatoms, on the other other hand, are a part of a group called stramenopiles which are unicellular, photosynthetic algae with cell walls that contain silica.

Dinoflagellates

Diatoms

Fireworm

• Common Name: Bearded Fireworm
• Scientific Name: Hermodice carunculata
• Adaptations: Bristles that inject a powerful neurotoxin are used to protect the creature from being eaten or attacked.
• Habitat: The Fireworm is usually found on reefs or under stones in rocky areas of the sea, and on some mud bottoms.  It is encountered throughout the tropical western Atlantic and at Ascension Island in mid-atlantic.
• They are not endangered or threatened.
• They are usually about 4 inches long.  Their stings can lead to nausea or dizziness.
• I chose this organism because I like it's name and the way that it looks, so I thought that I should learn some more about it.

The Trieste

I chose the Bathyscape Trieste as the ship from Chapter 2 because it was really interesting to me.  The Trieste was an Italian-build deep diving bathyscape that had a crew of 2 people and reached a record depth in the ocean of about 35,000 feet.  It dove in the Challenger Deep, which is the deepest known part of the oceans.  This ship is important because it was the first manned ship that reached the bottom of the Challenger deep, and it really showed what kind of great oceanic achievements can be achieved.

History of Oceanography

The history of oceanography has changed over time because there has been great marine inventions throughout the timeline of mankind.  There has also been advances in cartography, along with there being great voyages and discoveries over the years.  One event that I think changed the study of the ocean was in 1769, when Benjamin Franklin published one of the earliest maps of the Gulf Stream.  This wasn't just simply about him mapping the Gulf Sea, although that is a great feat since it was one of the first of it's like ever seen before, but it also began the beginning of voyaging in the ocean for science.  A huge step forward for oceanography and the way that it is studied.

Why We Should Study the Ocean

• There are lots of untapped resources that we can take advantage of from the ocean.  Some examples of this are seafood, oil, and gas reserves under the ocean floor.

• We cannot fully understand and forecast climate changes without completely understanding our ocean.

• We have better maps of Mars than we do of our ocean floors, which means we don't really know what is going on down there.

• Exploration leads to knowledge, and as a human species we should strive to constantly expand our knowledge and grasp of the universe.

• Even history can be uncovered from the ocean.  There might be animals that we have never known about that could possibly be an earlier version of humans.

Racing

My boat did average during the timings. It wasn't the slowest and it definitely wasn't the fastest either. If I had to do this project again I would have changed the way that my sail was designed because it could have been a lot more efficient. What I liked best about the project was definitely the racing because it added extra reason and fun to the project.

Boat Design

My boat design that I had originally planned had actually worked pretty well. The styrofoam base kept it adrift while the sail design captured the wind and was able to propel the boat forward. The only thing that I had to change about the design was change the sail material from aluminum foil to paper because I didn't really like the way that the foil took the wind. All in all, everything went according to plan.