Evaluate the relative importance of global and local threats to one named global ecosystem (15 mark) One named global ecosystem is the coral reef. In order for an ecosystem to be a coral reef they would need to be in certain conditions; it usually is where the temperature is around 24 degrees and be in water less than 25m depth. The Coral reef has many global and local threats. The coral reefs are homes to over 25% of known sea creatures and are an invaluable service for the local population as a source of food and income. One major threat is that coral reefs are under huge stress due to the impact that human activities are having and in fact already 1/5 of the world’s coral reefs are so damaged that they are beyond repair.
Most of the impact of this was experienced by the marine species. Eight U.S. national parks were threatened and more than 400 species that live in the Gulf islands were at risk, including the endangered Kemp's Ridley turtle. The clean up of this travesty cost the government and companies billions to clear. As a result of the spill deep sea drilling in the Gulf was suspended until new safety measures had been put in place, costing governments and companies further millions, whilst the price of oil continued to rise. A spill in other deep sea areas such as the Arctic could accelerate damage in a very sensitive environment, which is already dangerously close to its
We will be talking about parts per million (ppm). 1% = 1 x 10-2 = 10,000 ppm Pre-anthropogenic (1850 AD) concentration means CO2 levels in the atmosphere before humans started to burn coal, peat, oil, and gas in vast quantities. In 1850, the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere was 280 ppm. CO2 is increasing in the atmosphere at the rate of approximately 2 ppm/yr due to human interaction. In 2013 AD, CO2 in the atmosphere is 396 ppm.
Biology Excursion Question Using data collected on field trip and two named animals, explain the relationship between the distribution and abundance of these two organisms and the abiotic features of the rock platform. There is a close relationship between the abundance and the distribution of organisms living amongst the long reef platform. Abiotic features such as temperature range, salinity, Ph. levels, turbidity, water availability effect the distribution and abundance of aquatic sea creatures living in the area. Some of the organisms such as Tesseropora Roseas (Barnacles) and Knobbly Winks have different adaptations, which allow them to survive in these harsh conditions.
Greenhouse gases are mostly comprised of carbon dioxide and methane. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activities have increased by 14 percent from 1990 to 2008” (Climate, 2010, slide3). In the last century, the carbon dioxide “concentration in the atmosphere has risen from 280 ppm [parts-per-million] to more than 380 ppm because of the industrial activities of humans” (Ruddiman, 2008, p. 86). We’ve had strong levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in the past from volcanoes, but what does this really do to the environment? First off, it raises the temperature, and also the excess carbon dioxide that does not go into the atmosphere eventually gets dissolved in the oceans causing them to acidify.
Cowden Farm owned by Sue Earl was lost to the sea. Moreover, £2 million has been spent at Mappleton to protect farms and a main road that is getting closer to the cliff edge. Similar to Mappleton, Withernsea spends millions every year to protect its population. A gas terminal in Easington is only 25m away from the cliff and accounts for 25% of Britain’s gas therefore a £7 million sea wall is being built to protect it. In addition, visitor numbers in Bridlington have dropped by over 30% from 1998 to 2006 as the beaches are narrow and the tourist industry is suffering; and with many settlements relying heavily on tourism, if they are not protected, their trade would diminish as facilities close down.
Unexpected draughts have reduced the volume of annual water flow and stream flow miscalculations resulted in more water being allocated for use than actually flows through the river. A study by the Scripps Research Institute in 2008 predicted that both Lake Mead and Lake Powell stand a fifty-fifty chance of dropping to useless levels by the year 2021 if current
Due to the temperatures dropping down -6.7 degrees Celsius, (20 degrees Fahrenheit) which is lower than normal causing the result for the coral to start the bleaching process. The local researches of the Florida oceanic scientist researchers believes that the stressing of the cold water event will help the coral build more resistible defenses towards diseases. Another incident resulting in the coral bleaching even happened in the year 2005. Over the year of 2005, the coral reefs in the Caribbean Sea had died and the U.S. lost half of the reefs.
This graph shows the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere above Hawaii from 1958 to 2002. 1. Based on the trend depicted in the graph, explain what you think the relationship might be between organisms performing respiration and the organisms performing photosynthesis in this area of the world. -For the organisms that perform respiration, breathing will be more difficult every year until the amount of carbon dioxide is fatal. As for organisms performing photosynthesis, it would not be much of a problem, considering they take in carbon dioxide.
i. The world’s population and energy usage have followed similar patterns of growth. Both tables show a relatively steady increase between 1850 and 1950, then over the next 50 years the Growth rates increase rapidly. Question 2 Environmental impact a) The ecological footprint is a model which is used to measure the amount of resources consumed by an individual or group of people .This calculation determines the impact a particular lifestyle has on the environment. Fossil fuels, such as coal, oil and natural gas are energy sources which contain large amounts of carbon, any process that uses fossil fuels will add carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.