(HAO) Humans and Oceanography Module Overview

Image reads Module Overview Oceanography

Humans and Oceanography Module Overview

Introduction

This unit will focus on the humans and our relationship with the ocean.

Essential Questions

Here are the essential questions this module will address:

  • How can the ocean be used as a source of alternative energy?
  • How do the transportation and recreation industries impact the ocean?
  • What are the causes and effects of ocean acidification?
  • How can pollutants biomagnify in the ocean?
  • What are the causes and effects of oceanic "dead zones"?
  • What are the causes and effects of eutrophication?
  • What policies and laws have been enacted to promote responsible stewardship of the oceans?
  • What can we do to reduce our impacts on the ocean?

Key Terms

Pay attention to these key terms as you work through the module:

  • Tidal barrage - dam built across the mouth of a bay and turbines are mounted in the structure
  • Ocean-thermal energy conversion (OTEC) -   uses temperature differences between shallow and deep ocean water to make electricity
  • non-native species - species that are not native to an area
  • Ballast - an area of the ship that keeps the ship at an appropriate level in the water
  • ballast water - water in the ballast area of a ship
  • Grey water is water that comes from sinks, laundries, showers, galleys, and other sources of water.
  • Black water - sewage water
  • Head - bathroom on a ship
  • ocean acidification - When carbon dioxide dissolves into the ocean, it sets off a series of chemical reactions that ultimately reduces the pH of the ocean
  • combined sewer overflows (CSOs) contain not only stormwater but also untreated human and industrial waste, toxic materials, and debris
  • Bioaccumulation is problem where small, seemingly harmless amounts of something received over long periods of time eventually reach toxic levels because the body has no way to metabolize these compounds
  • biomagnification - When bioaccumulation becomes compounded through a food chain
  • Minamata -   Chisso, a fertilizer manufacturing company, released mercury into the waterways near the fishing village of Minamata, causing many of the residents to suffer neurological problems and die
  • Great Pacific Garbage Patch - a place in the Pacific Ocean where plastic has been accumulating
  • Exxon Valdez - a ship that ran aground, spilling approximately 11 million gallons of oil in a very pristine area of Alaska's coast
  • Deepwater Horizon - a drilling platform that released millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico and it took many days to stop the oil leak
  • Cultural eutrophication - occurs when inorganic nutrients, especially nitrogen and phosphates present in fertilizers, runoff from the land into waterways
  • dead zone - area completely runs out of oxygen
  • dissolved oxygen (DO) - oxygen that is dissolved in water
  • biological oxygen demand (BOD) - amount of oxygen used by living organisms
  • Oxygen Sag Curve - A graph showing low DO and high BOD near the source of the pollutant and low BOD and high DO the farther you get from the source
  • Clean Water Act of 1972 (CWA) - established a federal program to achieve the goal of protecting and restoring the physical, chemical, and biological integrity of the nation's waters
  • Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974 (SDWA) - protects drinking water sources in the U.S., both above and below ground
  • Endangered Species Act (ESA) - not solely directed at protecting marine organisms, but protect the habitats of endangered animals, so endangered animals that live in the ocean can have their habitat protected under the Endangered Species Act
  • nonpoint sources of pollution are poorly defined and scattered
  • hypoxic - low oxygen
  • cost -benefit analysis - tool used to develop environmental public policy
  • conservation - manage or regulate the use of a resource so it does not exceed the capacity of the species or system to renew itself
  • preservation - ensures the continuity of the ecosystems and species, regardless of the utility of the resource
  • maximum sustainable yield (MSY) - highest possible rate of use that the system can match with its own rate of replacement or maintenance
  • carrying capacity - maximum number of individuals that an area can support
  • optimal population size - halfway to carrying capacity
  • total allowable catch (TAC) - amount of a resource that can be harvested without exceeding the MSY
  • precautionary principle - when there is uncertainty as to whether something will harm a resource, managers should favor the protection of the resources
  • restoration - repair damages so the ecosystem is back to normal integrity, resilience, and productivity.

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