Unit 6 Oceans on the Edge Flashcards
Values of coral reefs
- Tourism
- Education and research
- Exploitation for fishing
- Shoreline protection
- Medicine sources
Value of mangroves
- Habitats- home to many animals
- Exploitation for fishing- prawns here
- Carbon store- beneath the swamp
- Shoreline protection- against tsunamis
What is a food web
A relationship and natural balance between animals and plant within a particular ecosystem
What are nutrient cycles
Describes the movement and re use of important substances such as nitrogen within an ecosystem
How can humans damage marine food webs?
- Overs hiding interferes with the natural balance of ocean populations e.g. Krill
- Tuna= less food for sharks
- Excessive nutrients causes eutrophication
Direct impacts of climate change on marine ecosystems
- Increases in temperature
- Extreme events such as storms
- Increasing temperatures- glaciers melt. Becomes less salty
- Higher sea levels- mangroves could be submerged
- Higher rates of erosion
Actions by CITES
Gives protection to great whales. Helps protect species such as sturgeon fish whose eggs are used as caviar
- Japan defies laws
- Norway objected plans for the South Pacific to be made into a whale sanctuary
The law of the sea
Was developed to prevent certain nations from taking an unfair share of the ocean’s wealth. 40% of the ocean is placed under law
- Fisheries
- Navigation
- Deep see
- Pollution to marine environment
Coral triangle- threats, management, sustainable, issues
Threats- acidified saltwater- overfishing- pollution
Management- marine protected areas- sustainable fishing rules- protection of endangered species
Sustainable- protects ecosystem from damage- overfished areas recover- involves people
Issues- large area
How can El Niño affect coral reefs?
A reversal of the moral ocean currents in the Pacific. Happens every 3-7 years and changes water temperatures
Name a species sensitive to changes in the water
Golden jellyfish
