http olympiccoast noaa gov The Ocean s Recipe

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The Ocean’s Recipe for Success By Nicole Harris Education Specialist

Our Blue Planet 71% What percentage of the Earth’s surface is covered by ocean?

The ocean supports a great diversity of life – from the smallest microbes to the largest animal that ever lived on Earth

The Marine Food Web Let’s explore the connections…

Got Pteropod? • “Potato chip of the sea” • A big part of the marine food web • Salmon and other fishes rely on pterpods as their food source • Salmon and other fishes in the ocean provide about 25% of the protein we eat worldwide

What do these animals have in common? Seastars and sea urchins Pteropod Barnacles Crab Mussels Corals

The Carbon Dioxide Conundrum • CO 2 is naturally emitted through respiration and is “eaten” by plants or absorbed into the ocean • Humans are adding extra CO 2 into atmosphere by burning forests and fossil fuels Image by Aquarium of the Bay • Roughly half of all carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere by humans since industrial revolution has dissolved into the world’s ocean

Our Changing Ocean

Our Changing Ocean • CO 2 affects the ability of marine calcifiers to make skeletons • CO 2 dissolves into the ocean and changes the chemistry so that literally there are fewer carbonate ions around. Think of these carbonate ions as the building blocks for their skeletons. • If they can’t get those building blocks out of the ocean, they are not going to be able to build the skeleton as effectively

The p. H Scale • p. H is a measure of how acidic or basic a substance is • By adding CO 2 to What happens if the ocean’s recipe, we add CO 2 into a it becomes more water sample – acidic – a process Volunteers? called ocean acidification • The ocean’s p. H has reduced by 30% since the industrial revolution

What do you predict will happen to these animals in a more acidic environment? Seastars and sea urchins Pteropod Barnacles Crab Mussels Corals

Average Ocean p. H over the last 20 million years

The Cosmic Calendar First humans ~ 10: 30 p. m. Widespread use of stone tools p. m. 11: 00 Invention of agriculture 11: 59: 20 p. m. Neolithic civilization; first cities 11: 59: 35 p. m. birth of Buddha 11: 59: 55 p. m. Euclidean geometry; Archimedean physics; Ptolemaic astronomy; Roman Empire; birth of Christ 11: 59: 56 p. m. Renaissance in Europe; voyages of discovery from Europe and from Ming Dynasty China; emergence of the experimental method in science 11: 59 p. m. Widespread development of science and technology; emergence of global culture; acquisition of the means of selfdestruction of the human species; first steps in spacecraft planetary exploration and the search of extraterrestrial intelligence Now: The first second of New Year's Day

If animals, many of which are at the bottom of the food chain, end up becoming weaker, then we will be weaker as well. The photos above show what happens to a pteropod’s shell when placed in seawater with p. H and carbonate levels projected for the year 2100. Photo courtesy of David Liittschwager, National Geographic Stock Photo courtesy of NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory

• By 2050, if CO 2 levels rise as predicted, warm water coral reefs extinctions are likely. • By 2100, 70% cold water corals will be affected. • Stabilization or reduction of atmospheric CO 2 levels is necessary to slow the progression of ocean acidification.

The Ocean’s Recipe for Success: • Reduce carbon footprint – Drive less – Ride a bike, use public transportation or carpool – Use less electricity – Consider using renewable energy sources – Reduce amount of animal protein in your diet – Shop for fresh, local food – Buy / Use less stuff - Enjoy “experiences” instead of buying stuff

The Ocean’s Recipe for Success (continued): • Improve water quality • Maintain biodiversity • Preserve and enhance habitat

It is our responsibility to take care of the ocean for all the living things that depend on it… including us!

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OCEAN ACIDIFICATION RESOURCE LIST Understanding Ocean Acidification website, includes workshops, activities, useful links and pledge http: //www. cisanctuary. org/acidocean/index. html You Tube video: Under Secretary Dr. Jane Lubchenco conducts multiple demonstrations relating to ocean acidification http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=xutt. OKc. TPQs ACID TEST - Video by Natural Resources Defense Council (21. 35) http: //www. nrdc. org/oceans/acidification/aboutthefilm. asp ACID TEST: 3 Minute Science of Ocean Acidification - Original video by Natural Resources Defense Council (3: 09) http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Wlwbqv. NVi. SE Natural Resources Defense Council Ocean Acidification Lab Kit – activities based on “Acid Test: The Global Challenge of Ocean Acidification” movie http: //www. nrdc. org/oceans/acidification/files/labkit. pdf You Tube video: The Other CO 2 Problem - Clay animation about the rise in ocean acidity created by students http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=kv. Us. SMa 0 n. QU Tides of Change video - Coastal ecologist Dr. Steve Fradkin is an Olympic National Park scientist who spends his days monitoring the intertidal zone of Olympic National Park http: //www. nwparkscience. org/multimedia/tides-of-change

Sea Urchin Embryology http: //www. stanford. edu/group/Urchin/ Virtual Urchin website http: //virtualurchin. stanford. edu The International Student Carbon Footprint Challenge: Calculate Your Carbon Footprint! http: //footprint. stanford. edu/calculate. html Inquiry to Insight website i 2 i. stanford. edu Einztein Social Learning Network http: //einztein. com/user/jason/the-international-carbon-footp-12645/ NANOOS (Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems) Lesson Plans for Educators http: //www. nanoos. org/education/lesson_plans. php NOAA Ocean Acidification Program website http: //www. oceanacidification. noaa. gov NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center website http: //www. nwfsc. noaa. gov/ Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory website http: //www. pmel. noaa. gov/

NOAA Ocean and Great Lakes Acidification Research Plan Highlights http: //www. oar. noaa. gov/pdfs/noaa-ocean-acidification. pdf Washington State Blue Ribbon Panel on Ocean Acidification: From Knowledge to Action Report https: //fortress. wa. gov/ecy/publications/1201015. pdf 20 FACTS about Ocean Acidification, November 2013 Talking Points http: //www. whoi. edu/fileserver. do? id=165564&pt=2&p=150429 NOAA Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary website http: //olympiccoast. noaa. gov/ NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries website http: //sanctuaries. noaa. gov/ National Ocean Service (NOS) website http: //oceanservice. noaa. gov/ Ocean Literacy: “The Essential Principles of Ocean Sciences” K-12 website http: //oceanliteracy. wp 2. coexploration. org/ Climate Literacy: “The Essential Principles of Climate Sciences” websitehttp: //www. climatescience. gov/Library/Literacy/

http: //www. cisanctuary. org/ocean-acidification/