Sending out an S.O.S.Scientists warn that now is the time to Save Our Seas-- before the damage gets too severe. You don't have to be an ocean expert to help. Just coast through the major problems described on these pages. Then dive in Dive In is Darius Danesh's debut album, released toward the end of 2002. It was a huge success and went platinum in the UK. He wrote all 12 songs on the album, collaborating with a number of other producers such as The Misfits and The Matrix. and make some waves. OCEAN TRASH In 1988, the U.S. government declared dumping plastics at sea illegal. So where does all the trash that washes ashore come from? Environmentalists say much of it comes from polluters on land. And the garbge isn't just an eyesore eye·sore n. Something, such as a distressed building, that is unpleasant or offensive to view. eyesore Noun something very ugly Noun 1. . It can entangle en·tan·gle tr.v. en·tan·gled, en·tan·gling, en·tan·gles 1. To twist together or entwine into a confusing mass; snarl. 2. To complicate; confuse. 3. To involve in or as if in a tangle. wildlife or be mistaken by animals as floating food. Recently, a baby whale that died after suffering severe weight loss washed ashore at Wrightsville Beach, NC. An autopsy revealed loads of plastic in its gut. One piece, a gallon milk jug, blocked food from flowing through its digestive tract digestive tract n. See alimentary canal. Digestive tract The organs that perform digestion, or changing of food into a form that can be absorbed by the body. . Scientists warn that the effects of trash at sea are long-lasting and far-reaching. Plastics may not decompose de·com·pose v. de·com·posed, de·com·pos·ing, de·com·pos·es v.tr. 1. To separate into components or basic elements. 2. To cause to rot. v.intr. 1. for centuries. Garbabe bags, six-pack rings, and nylon fishing line "are like individual mines floating around the ocean just waiting for a victim," says David Laist of the U.S. Marine Mammal Commission. What can you do? Conduct a coastal cleanup at a nearby seashore or lake; recycle or reuse the trash you find. BEACH EROSION Sand shifts naturally with crashing waves and changing tides. But when people build beachfront beach·front n. A strip of land facing or running along a beach. adj. Situated along or having direct access to a beach: beachfront hotels; beachfront property. Noun 1. homes--and structures to protect them from washing away--they interfere with that natural process. Result: accelerated erosion, which can have drastic effects on coastal ecosystems. For example, concrete sea walls protect homes but erode the habitat of sea turtles and other coastal critters. The walls deflect the waves' energy, channeling it downward against soft sand. The waves drag the sand out to sea. Many states are now using more natural, less damaging erosion control methods. Volunteers in Delaware, for instance, plant sand-trapping beach grass. Find out about erosion prevention programs near you by writing to your state's Department of Natural Resources Many sub-national governments have a Department of Natural Resources or similarly-named organization:
OVERFISHING Overfishing occurs when fishing activities reduce fish stocks below an acceptable level. This can occur in any body of water from a pond to the oceans. More precise biological and bioeconomic terms define 'acceptable level'. Using massive nets, commercial fishers worldwide have caught many fish species faster than they can reproduce. Such overfishing could lead to extinctions, says Australian biologist Mary Harwood (see graph, below). Extinctions could upset the natural balance of the ocean food web, harming people who depend on seafood as well. How can you help? Research different types of large fishing nets in use today (e.g., Icelandic trawl trawl - To sift through large volumes of data (e.g. Usenet postings, FTP archives, or the Jargon File) looking for something of interest. nets large enough to encompass 12 Boeing 747 airplanes). Design brochures to publicize the issue of overfishing in your school. Send your best designs to us at the address below. We'll forward them to the division of the United Nations that oversees fishing policies worldwide. NOISE POLLUTION Silent sea? Not quite. Beneath the surf chimes a chorus of marine earthquakes, underwater volcanic eruptions volcanic eruptions discharging of fumes, dust and lava from volcanoes. They have damaging potential in addition to those of being physically overpowering by the lava flow or the ash or dust fallout. , cracking polar ice, and sea animal sounds. Add to that a growing roar of human-made noise (from ship engines, submarines, and research tools such as sona) ... and you've got an environment that can make marine mammals marine mammals mammals inhabiting the sea; generally taken to include the cetaceans (whales, porpoise, dolphin), the sirenians (sea-cows, including manatees and dugong) and the pinnipeds (the carnivores of the group, seals, sealions, walruses). go deaf (see graph, above). Deafness may disrupt sound-navigation capabilities, sending whales and other creatures off their migratory routes. The U.S. government has set limits on the sounds we add to the sea, but does not enforce them because it would have to monitor every U.S.-registered boat. Should the government crack down? Think: How might a ban effect scientific research at sea? Overseas trade? Research and debate the issue in class. Draft letters for or against a limit on sea noises. REEF DIE-OFFS The oceans' coral reefs are dying off at an alarming rate. Their killers include pollutants in sewage runoff, metals and other toxins in fertilizers, over-eager fishers, reef-smashing boaters, and coral-collecting divers and miners. Scientists predict that threats to the reefs could result in an ecological tragedy; reefs house thousands of species of plants and animals Plants and Animals are a Canadian indie-rock band from Montreal, comprised of guitarist-vocalists Warren Spicer and Nic Basque, and drummer-vocalist Matthew Woodley.[1] They are signed to Secret City Records. that live nowhere else in the world. In addition, many of these species could be sources of medicines against AIDs and cancer, says coral reef ecologist Drew Harvell (see SW 3/11/94, p. 14). So get in the swim: Help keep pollutants out of the waste stream--and away from reefs--by using eco-friendly fertilizers and household cleaners (see SW 3/25/94, p. 23). And when you fish, dive, or boat near a reef, "take it in" with your eyes only. |
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