Map showing native range for Gadus Morhua (Altantic Cod). Distribution: Northwest to Northeast Atlantic: Cape Hatteras to Ungava Bay along the North American coast; east and west coast of Greenland; around Iceland; coasts of Europe from the Bay of Biscay to the Barents Sea, including the region around Bear Island.
In this lesson, we will review life in the ocean and focus in particular on aquaculture and the problems of overfishing.
By the end of this lesson you should be able to describe the main elements of the food chain in the ocean, including the importance of photosynthesis and phytoplankton. You should also be able to summarize current practices and trends in aquaculture and the main threats to natural marine fisheries.
By the end of Lesson 9, you should be able to:
The chart below provides an overview of the requirements for Lesson 9. For assignment details, refer to the lesson page noted. See the Course Schedule (located in the Resources menu to the left) for assignment due dates.
REQUIREMENT |
LOCATION |
SUBMITTED FOR GRADING? |
Activity 1: Fisheries |
page 3 | Yes - Due Apr 26 |
Activity 2: Empty Oceans |
page 4 | Yes- Due Apr 26 |
If you have any questions, please post them to our Questions? discussion forum (not e-mail), located under the Communicate tab in ANGEL. I will check that discussion forum daily to respond. While you are there, feel free to post your own responses if you, too, are able to help out a classmate.
Images show photo and false color image from a chlorophyll sensor on the OrbView-2 satellite. The satellite image shows howing high concentrations of phytoplankton in the Arabian Sea. The chlorophyll that the plants use to convert light to food tints the water green in the natural color image (top). The phytoplankton are growing in large swirls that follow the eddies and currents of the surface water. In the lower image, ocean chlorophyll concentrations are shown. Not surprisingly, concentrations appear to be highest near the coast where upwelling makes nutrients more available. NASA images courtesy the SeaWiFS Project, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, and ORBIMAGE . See this web site for more info. [1]
The Ocean is vast, but its resources are finite
See the grading rubric [10] for s pecifics on how this assignment will be graded.
This photo shows the situation every morning, 365 days a year, in one of several fishmarkets in Tokyo
Visit this web site [8] and read about the problems with overfishing. This PBS documentary is a must see. You may be able to get it from your local library. If not you could buy it (it's a great thing to show to your classes). I've also collected a few youtube links with interesting shorts on related topics.
Click on the links below. I have provided some guidance about what to focus on, but these are excellent resources, so you are encouraged to read beyond my suggestions.
See the grading rubric [10] for specifics on how this assignment will be graded.
Links:
[1] http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/topstory/2005/plankton_elnino.html
[2] https://courseware.e-education.psu.edu/courses/earth540/priv/Earth540Life.ppt
[3] https://courseware.e-education.psu.edu/courses/earth540/priv/Earth540Life.pdf
[4] https://courseware.e-education.psu.edu/courses/earth540/Naylor.Science.ed.06.pdf
[5] https://courseware.e-education.psu.edu/courses/earth540/AqucultureLawmakers3Aug2009.html
[6] http://www.thefishsite.com/fishnews/8426/us-organic-aquaculture-draws-widerange-criticism
[7] http://aquaculture.noaa.gov/
[8] http://www.pbs.org/emptyoceans/
[9] https://courseware.e-education.psu.edu/courses/earth540/fao.2008.fisheries.pdf
[10] https://www.e-education.psu.edu/earth540/grading_rubric_problemsets
[11] https://courseware.e-education.psu.edu/courses/earth540/2006-11-13_Oceans_of_NothingTime_and_Science.pdf
[12] https://courseware.e-education.psu.edu/courses/earth540/Boris_Worm_MAR19_2007.pdf
[13] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-Zhlprs_Ew
[14] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2Ubw6bgMKA
[15] http://www.pewenvironment.org/our-focus/ocean-1080/fisheries-1082
[16] http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/oceans/overfishing