Reviving Dead Zones
Notes
- Phytoplankton are the base of the aquatic food chain
- They are plant-like organisms that bring life to the ocean
- Nutrients enter ocean via wind or runoff from land
- When they are in over-enriched areas, they over populate and undergo eutrophication
- Dead cells from organisms on the ocean floor take up all of the oxygen in the area = Dead Zone
- Recovery time can take up to a decade, some effects may be irreversable
- They are plant-like organisms that bring life to the ocean
- Nutrients enter ocean via wind or runoff from land
- When they are in over-enriched areas, they over populate and undergo eutrophication
- Dead cells from organisms on the ocean floor take up all of the oxygen in the area = Dead Zone
- Recovery time can take up to a decade, some effects may be irreversable
Summary
Phytoplankton are essential to all living aquatic organisms, but too much can lead to negative side effects.Nutrients get blown in by the wind or get carried into the ocean in runoff from the land. An over abundance of nutrients leads to an over population of phytoplankton. When there is an over population of phytoplankton they form dead zones. This causes eutrophication, a process in which dead organisms from nutrient-rich waters take up all of the oxygen within its vicinity, thus creating a dead zone.
Reflection
I believe that the government is taking the proper steps to revive ecosystems by controlling the amount of nutrient runoff, altering farming practices, and cutting back substantially on fishing limits. However, the recovery process does take a long time, which is why I question how long can the government keep these limits in place while avoiding a drop in our agricultural production and seafood sales. If these limitations were to stay in place for a whole decade, then our rate of output of crops will go drop, not by a crippling amount, but enough to notice a difference in the area. On the other hand, I do believe it is for a worthy cause, because some aspects of nature cannot be restored once they are lost, and if it means cutting back on seemingly harmless but dangerous farming practices, and monitoring nutrient runoff, then so be it. It is our job to preserve all aspects of nature as they all intertwine and affect one another which will eventually come back around to us, but this time it would be too late to fix it.