The Ocean and Human Health SCI/362 October 9, 2012 The Ocean and Human Health The thought of public health risks usually does not include the ocean as a feasible domicile of potential risks to public health. Over past years there is an increase of concern about the impact the ocean has on public health. Research as of the present time is proving that the change in climate has a direct association to public health and the health of the ocean. Every living system needs oxygen to breathe. This precious necessity distributes from the ocean into the earth’s atmosphere.
The high content of carbon causes global warming and global warming causes climate change. These changes are destroying our blue planet and making the ecosystem become sicker. Unfortunately, all the high content of carbon was released by human activities. We must reduce Carbon Dioxide emissions in the next two to three years, or we will lose our natural environment that we depend upon for survival. The 11th Hour shows us the consequences of irreversible global warming that have already begun to affect our life and environment.
This combination makes waters toxic to crayfish, clams, fish, and other aquatic animals. It also affects the food sources of herbivores and insects. How does acid rain affect the environment? Acid rain has a hand in global warming as well which is rapidly changing climates around the world. With the climate changes many plants and animals are having to relocate or are dying because they are not fit for the changes in their surroundings.
The oceans play an important role in determining the atmospheric concentration of CO2. Changes in ocean circulation may affect the climate through the movement of CO2 into or out of the atmosphere. Earth orbital changes - The earth makes one full orbit around the sun each year. It is tilted at an angle of 23.5° to the perpendicular plane of its orbital path. Changes in the tilt of the earth can lead to small but climatically important changes in the strength of the seasons, more tilt means warmer summers
The release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon also known as an oil spill has a large negative effect on the ocean. Oil is commonly used by individuals however often oil can be a problem to organisms and their inhabitants. Oils spills are a form of pollution and there are various sources of oil in bodies of water. There are several scientific solutions for oil spills, as well as possible ways to prevent this harmful pollution. In 2010 ,172 million gallons of oil spilled from a whole on the ocean bed in the Gulf of Mexico.
Acid rain as a result of industrialization has had many negative effects on the New England region in particular. The Adirondack Mountains are of special interest due to their soil composition that does not allow for the seizure of the two primary particles in acid rain. This has caused issues pertaining to the water reservoirs in the area that now are sometimes unable to support life do to the high acidity. Acid deposition as it is more formally called is typically composed of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide. These two components are naturally occurring from sources like volcanoes but the industrial revolution has exponentially increased the amount of these chemicals in the air.
Since fish is the main target of mercury contamination, humans are at a lifethreatening risk by toxic effects mercury. Thus, production of toxic methyl-mercury in the upper ocean due to bio-accumulation and build-up of this poisonous compound in marine food web due to bio-magnification is of a vital concern for the humans. Study of marine biochemical cycle of mercury with its potential sources and sinks is really necessary to find effective remedies to diminish the dangerous effects of this shiny-white metal. This review presents biological and physical processes that drive biochemical cycle of mercury in the global oceans with the potential sources (such as river, atmosphere, sediments, and hydrothermal vents) and sinks (such as bioaccumulation in marine fish, and scavenging due to sinking particles). Spatial, vertical and temporal variations of elemental mercury and human exposure to deadly effects of methyl-mercury are also presented in this study.
The article talks about how El Niño affects people, it can cause diseases and food shortages as just two examples. The article goes on to discuss how people can effect El Niño. When El Niño occurs the oceans and the atmosphere shift which causes trade winds and warm water to move from west to east, La Niña is just the opposite. Scientists are unsure what causes El Niño and La Niña but Climatologists fear that rising air and water temperatures due in part to global warming will only increase the already drastic devastative power of El Niño. It is also a possibility that there will be a “permanent” El Niño in the future.
As Williams E. Rees states in his book “Our Ecological Footprint”. This is shown in the Climate Change view because our pollution results in temperatures rising. Due to this increase of temperatures the Arctic sea ice is melting, glaciers are retreating and sea levels are rising. At the top of the food chain are the producers. In society’s case the producers are the natural resources.
The Vanishing Islands and Atolls The Link to Climate Change and Global Warming Ricardo Pail Sarcar University of Saint Joseph Abstract In this study, I have investigated the climatological effects of global warming and climate change in relation to the vanishing islands and atolls of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans to determine the adverse effects of climate change to these islands. Secondary data was reviewed my personal computer using Internet search engines. To aid the search, a table of key terms was constructed and the sources located will be correlated with this. The information I have extracted from my research shows that the rising temperatures have been causing a very unstable climate globally which in turn causes severe weather conditions such as floods and tsunamis which have been wiping atolls off the oceans. The rising temperatures have caused ice to melt in the Arctic and the North Pole which have been increasing the volume of water in the sea, gradually rising up to the shores of the islands and atolls.