CSB #3: Ocean-life Populations Are Dropping

Image

Definitions

Over-fishing: when the fish in a given area are depleted due to excessive fishing in that region

Plankton: very small, free-floating organisms that constitute a huge part of the ocean population, produce most of our oxygen, and are the basis for the marine food web (phytoplankton are plankton that go through photosynthesis and create their own food)

metabolic rate: one's rate of metabolism, or the rate of energy that is used in a given time

hotspot: a place in which the oceanic temperatures have risen and biodiversity is high

speciation: the creation of new species

Summary

Many marine animals’ populations are dropping due to numerous reasons, the main ones being the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, rising sea-surface temperatures rising, and increased over-fishing. Because of these reasons, many species are in danger, including, for example, the eastern North Pacific basking shark, which the US National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, designated as a “species of concern,” due to the dramatic drop in numbers, regardless of the immense protection they had from fishing. In addition, researchers in Canada found out that the phytoplankton population has decreased by 40% since 1950 in 8 out of 10 of the largest oceanic areas. The researchers blamed this decline on the rising sea-surface temperatures, though there may be other factors that are also affecting the drops in population. However, these rising temperatures can also be beneficial to the environments. Studies show that heat encourages animals to rearrange in order to get accustomed to the climate change, which includes them moving to more concentrated areas, thus creating more biodiversity. Scientists believe that the increased diversity of organisms is connected with their increased metabolic rates, which may cause higher rates of speciation. Anther reason could be that more species are able to tolerate a warmer environment. Unfortunately, most of the hotspots, or places in which temperatures have risen, are also places where humans over-fish, alter habitats, and heavily pollute, which could cause an even more detrimental drop in marine population.

Discussion

I chose this article because it seemed important that the number-one contributor to not only the entire marine food web, but also to our oxygen, as it produces most of it, is in high danger due to human mistreatment of the ocean. Phytoplankton, the bottom of the food chain, is important to all marine life because it is the largest producer, and if it is heavily affected by human destruction more than it already is, then we are in danger. Without plankton, a huge amount of our oxygen will be lost and most of the marine animals will be in danger, some of them maybe even becoming endangered or extinct. Ultimately, we should all be aware of this problem in case we need to figure out a way to cope with marine life population drops.

Questions

Why are the sea-surface temperatures rising exactly?

Are there any scientists working to lower temperatures of the surface water and/or jump-start the plankton population?

Resources
Image

   the image was in the article

   URL: http://images.iop.org/objects/erw/talkingpoint/thumb/4/7/3/ERWreef_1009_10.jpg

Article

   Kalaugher, Liz. "A Sea of Troubles." Environmental Research Web. IOP Publishing,
     Sept. 2010. Web. 19 Nov. 2010. <http://environmentalresearchweb.org/cws/
     article/opinion/43719>.

CSB #2: Tons of Oil "Found" Below Surface in the Gulf

Oil polluting the waters of the Gulf.

BP clean-up crew extracting and cleaning up the oil from Gulf shores

Some of the many types of plankton.

Definitions:
BP: an oil exploration and extraction company; originally their name was "British Petroleum" however they legally changed it to 'BP'; BP North America is the segment that specializes in North American oil spills and wells.
Plankton: small, free-floating organisms that make up a huge part of the ocean population, produce most of our oxygen, and are the basis for the marine food web

Summary:

In April, a huge oil spill caused tons of oil to leak into the ocean near an oil-exploration platform called the Deepwater Horizon. This oil created a massive cloud of tiny drops of oil, which was threatening the environment and poisoning species such as those that make up the bottom of the food chain. Though BP North America thought the amount of oil spilling from the well was no more than 5,000 barrels, new data was collected on June 3 that indicated that 16,000 barrels at least have been extracted from the ocean. Scientists guessed that around more than 1 million barrels of oil were still in the Gulf. This data means that the platform that sank, the Deepwater Horizon, had released about four times the oil as the previously largest spill, the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill. Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen predicted the oil would continue to spill until it was finally stopped late in the summer, because the oil collection system was ineffective at preventing oil from pouring out of the well. Because much of the oil still has not surfaced, most are worried about where the oil is heading. During an experiment known as DeepSpill, crude oil was let out into the ocean during four tests lasting less than two hours each. In the analysis of this experiment in 2005, Adams and Scott Socolofsky state that of the 60 cubic meters released, only 1 to 17 meters resurfaced. One of the main reasons it is so hard to collect some of the oil is because when very small droplets of very cold oil is mixed with dense water, the mixture becomes neutrally buoyant, so it floats just beneath the surface. Early in June, Samantha Joye from University of Georgia in Athens stated that the water column most affected by the spill was mostly 1,100 to 1,300 meters beneath the surface of the water, rather than the very surface. Since then, the area of the spill has been more contained, and because the BP put a hood onto the well, the spill has been reduced significantly. This oil spill is affecting all branches of marine life, from the larger predators to the tiny invertebrates. Larger fish, although at first safe because they can avoid polluted waters, are eventually harmed because of the food chain. Unlike dolphins or other bigger fish, small or larval fish have a hard time steering clear of oil-fouled water, says Wes Tunnell of the Harte Research Institute for Gulf and Mexico Studies. Plankton, the basis of the marine food chain, cannot avoid oil at all because they float along with the current rather than swimming against it. Although some animals can avoid the oil, they still risk being polluted from the prey that has previously ingested it. Ultimately, all of the marine population of the Gulf is in danger from the spill, which could mean high drops in populations of marine life. 


Discussion:
I chose this article because it seemed important that because of humans, the most prominent and abundant species of the marine population could be completely wiped out in this particular area. Furthermore, if the plankton in the Gulf die out, a huge portion of our oxygen will disappear as plankton produce more than half of our oxygen. This decrease in oxygen will probably affect us and other oxygen consuming species heavily. In addition, because the plankton and other small organisms and fish are accidentally consuming the oil, larger animals higher in the food chain that prey on the smaller ones ingest it too. This could cause more than just plankton to die out, and possibly, a number of species could go extinct, harming others because of gaps in the food chain. Ultimately, this oil spill should teach us to be more careful with huge oil tankers, because if they are not, most or even all of the organisms living in shallower water could die out, which will eventually come back to harm us in the end.


Questions:
How did the oil tanker crash what exactly caused the collision?
What will happen if all the plankton in this area do die out?


Sources: 
Article: 
Raloff, Janet. "Surface oil isn't the only threat from the Gulf gusher." 
     Science Reference Center. EBSCO, 3 July 2010. Web. 14 Oct. 2010. 
     <http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/ 
     detail?vid=18&hid=104&sid=e41879bd-2558-4014-9544-ece0e382dbae%40sessionmgr110&bd 
     ata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=sch&AN=51882254>.Images: 
http://www.phongpo.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Gulf-of-Mexico-oil-spill1.jpg
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.phongpo.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/bp-oil-spill-2010.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.phongpo.com/search/2010%2Bglobal%2Bnickel%2Bproduction%2Blevel&usg=__RJHkQyDyojB_f9Fii3QXCHfKaT4=&h=400&w=600&sz=48&hl=en&start=50&sig2=_yld6qs24MlaZKdSIVpL5w&zoom=1&tbnid=R1k_tzszN211sM:&tbnh=142&tbnw=243&ei=gR65TNKVEo-4sQOZ--SaDw&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dgulf%2Boil%2Bspill%2B2010%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1267%26bih%3D629%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C1483&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=152&vpy=169&dur=114&hovh=183&hovw=275&tx=159&ty=111&oei=Mhi5TLKZAYO8sQOrh4TbDg&esq=6&page=4&ndsp=16&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:50&biw=1267&bih=629
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.mysciencebox.org/files/images/plankton.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.mysciencebox.org/pondwater&usg=__gI8C1TwgVUmWcQGxG5q6bA3bhUE=&h=341&w=497&sz=87&hl=en&start=0&sig2=BUXYdVkZ5bQpgUTkb6XCaQ&zoom=1&tbnid=94AfxMCb5WnMtM:&tbnh=149&tbnw=200&ei=KB-5TJegBJOisAPG7JHfDg&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dplankton%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1267%26bih%3D629%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=297&vpy=125&dur=1761&hovh=186&hovw=271&tx=145&ty=120&oei=KB-5TJegBJOisAPG7JHfDg&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0

CSB #1: A Cure for Alzheimer's?

http://biomed.brown.edu/Courses/BI108/BI108_2008_Groups/group07/alzheimers-disease.jpg 

Definitions: 

Alzheimer's disease: a disease caused by the deterioration of cells and tissue in the brain; it causes the mind to forget memories and functions, and eventually, the person afflicted will forget how to operate.

Biomarkers: an indicator that can be recorded to see if there is a change or development in the disease. For example, the amount or concentration of amyloid, a protein that certain diseases cause the body to distribute to the spleen, kidney, and other tissues, is a biomarker.

Summary:

A scientist in Medellin, Colombia, is working on a drug that stops Alzheimer’s disease before the symptoms start to show or before it is too late.

Because a lot of other drugs have failed when administered after the patient has already started to show symptoms, scientists think that a drug prescribed long before the symptoms start will be much more effective.

The trials will test whether or not seven years is a sufficient time in advance for the drug to be administered and still be effective; they are doing this by testing if there are changes by tracking certain biomarkers.

Though the rewards for this drug are very high, there are many setbacks, such as the fact that it takes a lot of time and money to test a drug for seven or so years. However, if scientists can figure out if the drug is making a change in the biomarkers, then they can invest more in the experiment because most likely, the drug is going to prove more or less effective. 

They are also trying to prevent Alzheimer’s altogether, working hard on making sure they do not create symptoms in a patient that was symptom-free before the trials.

Discussion:

I originally chose this article because I’m interested in cognitive psychology and when I read this one, I was very interested because it talked about a possible cure for dementia.

If we could cure genealogical dementia, tons of people would not have to suffer from it. Dementia causes people to forget not only experiences and information about themselves, but also family members and loved ones; in addition, their personalities can also change radically, turning them into a completely different person.

Because of this, families are ripped apart from the grief and friends stop caring for the person that is afflicted with dementia.

I think it is phenomenal that someone has possibly found a cure for dementia; if all dementia could be cured, then hundreds of lives wouldn’t be ruined.

However, since it takes a long time to study (about seven or so years) it’s going to take a long time to completely work out all the kinks and such in the drug. Also, it’s kind of a risky experiment because instead of stunting the Alzheimer’s, it could really make it even worse.

Questions:

As this experiment has yet to be conducted and a conclusion has not been found, an obvious question is: did the drug work?

Also, how exactly do the biomarkers indicate a change in the disease?

Resources:

Article: Stix, Gary. "Alzheimer's: Forestalling the Darkness." Science Reference Center.

     EBSCO, June 2010. Web. 16 Sept. 2010. <http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=1&hid=119&sid=c2188313-fcdf-4c82-b52e-84e0e29a468c%40sessionmgr110&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=ulh&AN=50456559>. 

Picture:

http://biomed.brown.edu/Courses/BI108/BI108_2008_Groups/group07/alzheimers-disease.jpg