Oceans on the Edge- Part of Geography Snapshot Notes DYNPL

7/27/2019 Oceans on the Edge- Part of Geography Snapshot Notes DYNPL

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Oceans on the Edge

Key terms

Coral Reef Flow of water which might contain nitrated and

phosphates picked up from the land and takes them to

the sea

Surface Runoff Deposition of sediment which can choke coral reefs

Siltation Plants and animals in an ecosystem showing the sources

of food for each organism

Food web Structure made up of the external skeletons of polyps

Eutrophication Loss of oxygen in water after too much nutrient

enrichment chemicals, like crop fertiliser, has been put in

the water

Coral Bleaching The loss of zooxanthellae due to changes in conditions

such as temperature. The coral will expel the

zooxanthellae causing the coral to go white

Producers Produce food through photosynthesis

Herbivores Eat plant material

Carnivores Eat animals

Omnivores Eat both animals and plant matter

Decomposers Bacteria which cycle organic matter back to nutrients

Locating Coral Ecosystems

Coral occupies 0.2% of the oceans area but it is home to 33% of the earths marine life Mostly found around the equator World Reefs:

o Caribbean Reefs: 15% of the worlds reefso Pacific Reefs: 25% - including the Great Barrier Reefo Indian Ocean: 60% of the worlds reefs

Suffering Reefs: Mini CASE STUDIES

Kenyao Issue: Damage of corals due to tourism and overfishingo Management: They introduced a national park and have

seen a 30% increase in coral cover

Thailando Issue: Tsunami damaged most of the coral

Florida Keyso Issue: Damaged by tourism they trample and take it. Also damaged by boats that drop heavy

anchors on the coral which breaks it.

Jamaican Reefso Issue: Damaged by sewage disposal, agriculture runoff eutrophication, tourism and natural

disasters

Great Barrier Reefo Management: Managed very well without much damage caused to coral

Israel, Jordan and Egypt Reefso Issue: Suffering from coral bleaching as the crown of thorn starfish is eating them however still lots

of coral in that area Seychelles

o Issue: Has lost 90% of coral because of temperature of water going down and overfishingo Management: Taking measures to mitigate effects and coral is coming back slowly


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Structure of Coral Reef

Tentacles Soft tissue polypmouthRock like external skeleton made from calcium carbonate whichforms the coral Coral reef is the hard ridge made up of millions of polyp skeletons

Inside the coral lives the zooxanthellae which photosynthesise to produce food for the coral polyp to ear The coral and zooxanthellae havea symbiotic relationship meaning they rely on each other for food and

shelter

Conditions Coral need to survive

Temperature of water between: 20 - 30C Shallow seas up to 40m in depth Clear and unpolluted water Water with a steady salt content

Coral Food web

ProducersProduce food through photosynthesis Herbivores - Eat plant material CarnivoresEat animals OmnivoresEat both animals and plant matter Decomposers Bacteria which cycle organic matter back to nutrients

Coral Food Web


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If the Reef Shark is hunted then the long nosed butterfly fish wont be in as much threat If the Long Nosed Butterfly fish isnt in as much threat than there population will grow If their population grow their will be more long nosed butterfly fish eating coral polyps In the end this will lead to a shortage of coral and the long nosed butterfly fish will slowly die out Then the reef shark that are left will have to eat more of its other prey like the Caribbean reef squid The population of the other prey will decrease and have a knock on effect on their food chain There is a problem with the crown of thorns starfish that eat coral there are too many of them because

their predator is overfished

This means the coral reef is being eaten too much and dying outWhy corals are threatened with distinction

Conditions Coral need to survive

Temperature of water between: 20 - 30C Shallow seas up to 40m in depth Clear and unpolluted water Water with a steady salt content

If any of these conditions are changed then the coral will be seriously threatened and will die

Natural Causes of Coral damage

Natural disasters like Tsunamiso Tsunamis come in and drag house and building debris back to sea which smashes against the coral

and kill it

Human Causes of Coral damage

Global Warmingo The water will become hottero The water depth will go up because of glaciers meltingo Glaciers melting will also cause the salt content of the water to go down because glaciers are fresh

water stores

Overfishingo An example of the is the crown of thorns starfish that eat coral there are too many of them

because their predator is overfished

o This means the coral reef is being eaten too much and dying out Trawling and Methods of fishing

o Trawling means that nets full of fish get dragged over the coral and damaging ito Cyanide, another method of fishing, is used to catch large amounts of fish for aquariums the

cyanide is used to stun the fish so that they can be caught alive The cyanide also poisons the coral

Boatso Boats from fishing and tourists can damage and break coral especially when big heavy anchors are

dropped on them

Fertilisers, sewage and Eutrophicationo Farmers use fertilisers and sewage on their farms this gets washed off into the seao The algae in the sea then grows as more nutrients are loaded into the watero Algae competes with the coral for space and lighto It reduces the light so that the zooxanthellae cannot photosynthesise and provide food for the coralo This causes coral bleaching where the zooxanthellae leave due to the change in conditions and

causes the coral to go white

o When the algae die they use up oxygen in the water this means there is less for the fish to respireand they die


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o This process of ruining biodiversity with fertilisers and sewage from farms etc. is calledeutrophication

Tourismo Tourists pick up and step on coral which damages ito Sun- cream chemicals can lead to coral bleaching

Increased sediment from deforestationo Blocks sunlightcoral cant photosynthesise causes coral bleachingo Also can crush and damage coral

Goods and Services of Coral Reefs

The coral reef ecosystems are worth up to $200bn a year in terms of the goods and services it provides They are important for tourism and divers, fishing and are a natural form of coastal defence Coral is home to 33% of all marine life and has the same level of biodiversity as he rainforest

Provisioning Services

-foodfish and shellfish

-genetic resources

- natural medicines and pharmaceuticals

-ornamental resources

- building materials

Regulating Services

- carbon storage / climate

regulation

-erosion control

-storm protection

Economical Services

-recreation and ecotourism

CASE STUDY: St Lucia

Value of the Coral Reefs to St Lucia

Coral reef tourism and recreation (like diving)brings in $160 194mil a year (almost 20% of St

Lucias GDP) and it is considered that 25% of

visitors to St Lucia come for factors related to theCoral Reefs

Coral reef associated fisheries brings in $0.5-0.8mil a year

The coral also is a natural method of shorelineprotection and saves St Lucia around $28-50mill

a year and 44% of St Lucias coastline is

protected by coral reefs

How are the coral reefs threatened?

Coastal development- causing pollution and corals cannot survive in polluted water

Sewage, sedimentation and deforestation blocking the sunlight coral bleacing Tourism is increasing meaning increasing damage of corals

o Sun-cream use causing coral bleaching Overfishing

o The black spine sea urchin died out - The sea urchin ate the algae and seaweed but as theywerent getting eaten they grew more and blocked out the sunlight causing coral bleaching

and coral damage

Warming Seas (global warming)Management

Soufriere Marine Management Area (SMMA) Marine Reserves/ no go areas

o These reserves have been set aside only scientific research, divers and snorkelers with a specialpurchased permit can go in the areas


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o Has allowed marine life to flourish and fish stocks toregenerate

Fishing priority areaso Only fishing is really allowed to go on in these areas

other uses can happen if it doesnt interfere with the

fishermen

Recreational areaso Beaches where tourism and locals can enjoy

recreational activities

Multiple use areaso Can be used by all as long as they are abiding by the

SMMA rules

Yacht Mooring areaso As anchoring is not permitted in the SMMA mooring

areas are provided for yachts

Conflicts

Conservationist vs. Local Fishermeno Conservationist: Want to see reefs protected and bans

on catching important species and a quota for numbers of fish caught

Problems with this: If too many restriction it could drive up illegal fishing if locals have notalternative

o Fishermen: Only catch enough fish to feed families and sell a little for surplus income Problems with this: Pots and nets used to catch fish damage coral and reduce breeding stock

of fish

Local People vs. Govt.o Locals: 20% of population living below poverty line and 15% are unemployed have to do what they

can to support their families

Problems with this: They do what they can to make an income this including deforestationand damaging fishing methods, like using cyanide which poisons coral

o Govt.: Population is growing by 2% a year need to support them but also need to manageresources sustainably

Problems with this: Due to the mountainous interior of the island, most live in coastal areas putting pressure on coastal ecosystems and resources

CASE STUDY: Firth of Clyde

Pressures on the Firth of Clyde

Fishingo Very important for local incomeo However over-fishing has caused some fish (e.g. cod) to die out

Tourism and leisureo Falling Incomes from fishing have made them turn to tourismo The tourist activities have caused wild life to be disturbed

Sewage disposalo In the past sewage would be flushed straight into the sea and damage wildlifeo Now there are new laws to stop this

Military testingo Testing ground for Royal Navys nuclear submarines a serious accident would devastate the

ecosystem


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Scallop Fishing in Lamlash Bay

Much of the Firth of Clyde has been overfished Scallops have been heavily affected they used to thrive in the past The machinery used to scallop has damaged the Maerl, their coral like habitat, which was a home to fish

like cod and haddock

With the Maerl almost gone the fish have gone too.Management in Lamlash Bay

Lamlash Bay has become a No Take Zoneo No fishing from shore or boato No taking of shellfisho Recreational activity allowed (even boating)

In the No Take Zone they are trying to encourage tourist activity as they cant get any money from fishing There is a 5000 penalty fare if rules are broken good deterrent

Conflict at Lamlash Bay

Conservationist vs. Local Fishermeno

Conservationist: Want to see the Maerl protected and the fish thrive Problems with this: If too many restriction it could drive up illegal fishing if locals have not

alternative and could lead to a suffer on the economy

o Fishermen: Need to fish for a source of income Problems with this: If they overfish there wont be any fish left so a loss of income in the

long term. Also it will affect the biodiversity of the marine life

Management schemes of maintaining and protecting the health of the oceans

Dolphin friendly labelling sets standards for tuna fishing (regional scale)o PROS: protects dolphinso CONS: can lose money for tuna industry and makes tuna more expensive

MSC tick certification Charity set up to find solution to overfishing(regional scale)o PRO: rewards well managed fisheries recognisable label helps solve problems of overfishingo CONS: lost money for fishermen

UNCLOS they control the activity that goes on in the ocean and makes sure its sustainable and 40% of seais under their law (International scale)

o PROS: prevents certain nations from getting unfair share of ocean wealth (protects against whalingand sharking)

o CONS: It is hard to control in some areas and global warming is creating new problems that would behard to stop

International Whaling Commission (IWC)Provides proper conservation of whale stocko PROS: Provides complete protection of some species of whales provides whale sanctuary makes

sure female and child whales are not caught controls number of whales caughto CONS: bad for whaling industry

Documents

Oceans on the Edge- Part of Geography Snapshot Notes DYNPL