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    Marine Science Notes 3.01

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    Amanda Wallace
    Warmer ocean temperatures are causing widespread problems for marine ecosystems. Coral reefs are bleaching and dying as waters warm, disrupting the reef ecosystem. Coldwater fish are moving to cooler waters, altering food webs. Polar species are losing habitat as sea ice melts. Temperature also affects species' metabolism, reproduction, and sex ratios. Extreme weather from the warming atmosphere damages coastal habitats. Rising sea levels flood coastal areas, destroying turtle and bird nesting grounds and making mangroves unstable. Changing ocean chemistry reduces oxygen levels and increases acidification, harming animals with gills.

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    Marine Science Notes 3.01

    Uploaded by

    Amanda Wallace
    178 views2 pages
    Warmer ocean temperatures are causing widespread problems for marine ecosystems. Coral reefs are bleaching and dying as waters warm, disrupting the reef ecosystem. Coldwater fish are moving to cooler waters, altering food webs. Polar species are losing habitat as sea ice melts. Temperature also affects species' metabolism, reproduction, and sex ratios. Extreme weather from the warming atmosphere damages coastal habitats. Rising sea levels flood coastal areas, destroying turtle and bird nesting grounds and making mangroves unstable. Changing ocean chemistry reduces oxygen levels and increases acidification, harming animals with gills.

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    Warmer ocean temperatures are causing widespread problems for marine ecosystems. Coral reefs are bleaching and dying as waters warm, disrupting the reef ecosystem. Coldwater fish are moving to cooler waters, altering food webs. Polar species are losing habitat as sea ice melts. Temperature also affects species' metabolism, reproduction, and sex ratios. Extreme weather from the warming atmosphere damages coastal habitats. Rising sea levels flood coastal areas, destroying turtle and bird nesting grounds and making mangroves unstable. Changing ocean chemistry reduces oxygen levels and increases acidification, harming animals with gills.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    178 views2 pages

    Marine Science Notes 3.01

    Uploaded by

    Amanda Wallace
    Warmer ocean temperatures are causing widespread problems for marine ecosystems. Coral reefs are bleaching and dying as waters warm, disrupting the reef ecosystem. Coldwater fish are moving to cooler waters, altering food webs. Polar species are losing habitat as sea ice melts. Temperature also affects species' metabolism, reproduction, and sex ratios. Extreme weather from the warming atmosphere damages coastal habitats. Rising sea levels flood coastal areas, destroying turtle and bird nesting grounds and making mangroves unstable. Changing ocean chemistry reduces oxygen levels and increases acidification, harming animals with gills.

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    Marine Science

    Notes
    3.01 Seasons of Change

    Page 4

    Warmer Waters
    Rising global temperatures result in rising ocean temperatures, which can have drastic
    effects on ecosystems.

    ● Coral reef systems become stressed and may bleach or die, compromising the
    entire reef ecosystem.
    ● Coldwater fish move farther north or into deeper water, disrupting the food web.
    ● Penguins, polar bears, walruses, and other animals in the polar regions lose their
    homes due to melting sea ice.
    ● The survival of marine species can be threatened, since temperature affects
    metabolism, reproductive behavior, and even the number of male and female
    offspring in certain marine species like sea turtles, some fish, and shrimp.

    Unpredictable Extreme Weather


    The interaction of a warmer atmosphere and warmer ocean waters means severe
    weather will become more extreme and unpredictable.

    ● Hurricanes, tropical storms, heavier rainfall, and flooding can damage coral reef
    and coastal ecosystems.

    Rising Sea Levels


    As glaciers and polar ice melt, rising sea levels will impact not only coastal cities and towns,
    but marine ecosystems as well.

    ● Coastal habitats can flood, which disrupts turtle and bird nesting.
    ● Mangrove ecosystems become unstable due to fluctuating salinity and tidal levels.
    ● Rising sea levels will alter the amount of light that can reach offshore plants and
    algae, decreasing photosynthesis, and affecting the food web.

    Chemical Changes
    Dissolved gases in the ocean, such as oxygen and carbon dioxide, are necessary for life.
    Changes to the ocean temperature affect how these gases dissolve and mix into the
    ocean.
    ● Cold water holds more oxygen than warm water. Lower oxygen levels at the warm
    surface mean that less oxygen will mix into water at the lower levels.
    ● Increased carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere mean that there is more carbon
    dioxide in the ocean, causing the water to become more acidic. Animals with gills
    have a hard time extracting oxygen from the acidic water.

    Page 5

    What happens next?


    When an event like this destroys an existing ecosystem, there is still some soil and
    vegetation left, so the process of rebuilding the ecosystem is secondary succession. The
    tsunami caused tremendous damage to the landscape, but plant and animal life will return
    to it more quickly. In contrast, an area that is newly formed, like a volcanic island, does not
    have existing topsoil, so it would experience primary succession. Healthy ecosystems
    include a variety of plant and animal species, so extremely damaged areas may not
    recover completely on their own. Because of this, the newly established ecosystem may
    look very different from the old one

    Page 7

    Summary
    Ecosystems are formed when living organisms interact with each other and the abiotic
    components in their environment. Ecosystems change over time through the process of
    succession. Primary succession occurs when a new ecosystem is built from scratch.
    Secondary succession occurs when an ecosystem is rebuilt after a major disaster.
    Seasonal and climate changes also impact ecosystems and their inhabitants.

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