Human Impacts

Question 1

where does marine debris come from?

Answer 1

80% from land

Question 2

where does debris accumulate?

Answer 2

lee shores (away from wind toward the protected side of the ocean) and ocean gyres

Question 3

who ingests plastics?

Answer 3

plankton
turtles
whales
birds

Question 4

where do microplastics come from?

Answer 4

• degradation of large objects: ocean breaks down the larger plastics into smaller ones
• plastic pellets - can be found in the tissues of organisms
• beads in toothpaste and cosmetics -> exfoliation

Question 5

what accumulates microplastics in the deep sea?

Answer 5

larvacean houses and feces
- collect the C and microplastics
- filters get clogged and the house sinks
- on the seafloor, animals feed on them and goes into the organism

Question 6

what does sediment do to photosynthesis and filter feeding?

Answer 6

• stops photosynthesis and affects filter feeding

Question 7

what is used to remove solids?

Answer 7

treatment to remove solids and aerate (bacteria breakdown the sludge)
- disposal of sludge at sea

Question 8

what happened to water when sewage treatment is added?

Answer 8

dissolved oxygen increased when treatment added

Question 9

what is the purpose of dissolved oxygen?

Answer 9

monitors the health of marine ecosystems

Question 10

what is the sludge converted to now rather than dumping it in the sea?

Answer 10

it is converted to fertilizer and landfill or is treated

Question 11

what are PCBs and where do they come from?

Answer 11

• polychlorinated biphenyls
• electrical equipment and construction material

Question 12

where do you find PCBs in animals?

Answer 12

• implicated in viral epidemics in striped dolphins
• accumulates in fat - suppresses the immune system
• Orcas in Pacific had 46-250 ppm PCBs over 500 times amount found in humans -> eat so many animals that the PCBs accumulate

Question 13

why is mercury increasing in oceans?

Answer 13

• industry
  -> industrial waste effluent
  -> coal fired power plants
  -> municipal waste combustion
  -> hospital waste incineration

Question 14

what are the effects of mercury?

Answer 14

• neurological disorders
• accumulates in food chain - higher up in the food chain accumulates

Question 15

what causes lead to accumulate?

Answer 15

• industrial waste
• runoff
• landfills
• incineration

Question 16

what is TBT and what is it in?

Answer 16

• tributyl tin
• antifouling paint additive
  -> immunosuppressor
• causes sterility in snails

Question 17

what is imposex?

Answer 17

• causes masculinization of female snails
  -> Nucella has separate sexes
  -> TBT causes F snails to generate M organs and become sterile

Question 18

what is eutrophication?

Answer 18

• enrichment of water by addition of dissolved nutrients

Question 19

what happens as a result of eutrophication?

Answer 19

• stimulates growth of aquatic plant life
• increases microbial activity
• depletion of dissolved oxygen (stops organisms from thriving)
• dead zones: organism die off, low O2, episodic

Question 20

what is HAB and what is the cause of it?

Answer 20

• harmful algal blooms
• blooms bc of increased nutrients

Question 21

what are the result of HABs?

Answer 21

• produces toxins - neurotoxins
• damage to the nervous sys - move through food chain
• attack fish scales which impairs swimming so a lower chance of survival

Question 22

what do unusual HAB do and what is produced?

Answer 22

attaches to fish fins and digests tissue
- produces toxic aerosol

Question 23

what attaches to fish skin to do micropredation?

Answer 23

dinoflagellate (pfiesteria)

Question 24

what is used to record true atmospheric concentrations?

Answer 24

ice core
- greenhouse gases - co2, ch4. cfc

Question 25

where are exotic species mostly found?

Answer 25

ballast water and imported for aquaculture

Question 26

what is ballast water and how is it treated?

Answer 26

• used to stabilize the ship while underway
• has to be > 30% salinity
  > 2000m depths on high seas -> protects the coast but there is less stability bc they take off cargo and lets off ballast water
• filtrated, sterilized, electrical currents, heating -> rid of animals before killing them off

Question 27

what is the invasive species in the Black Sea?

Answer 27

• comb jelly
• decline in copepods with intro of Mnemiopsis leidyi -> loss of fishery

Question 28

what is used in aquarium trade?

Answer 28

caulerpa - green algae

Question 29

what is the invasive species in the Atlantic?

Answer 29

• poster fish
• released from aquaria and established in atlantic
• fish eater (suction feeder) -> damages to coral reefs by removing herbivorous fish
• many approaches to reduce numbers: traps, avoid native species, ROVs, promote harvesting, rapid and constant removal

Question 30

what are the 3 marine invasive species in canada?

Answer 30

• green crab
• varnish clam - brought in by ballast water
• atlantic salmon - escaped a Victoria fish farm

Question 31

what species invaded Antarctica?

Answer 31

king crabs
- warmer waters of circumpolar current brought larvae
- temp change - reproduced
- at risk are endemic (only found in that region) clam species