1st Marine Division

Marine debris can degrade marine habitats, endanger marine and coastal wildlife and pose threats to human health and safely. Scientists and explorers believe that the best way to accrue the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is to limit or eliminate the use of disposable plastics and increase the use of biodegradable resources in human’s everyday life. Since the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is so far from any country’s coastline, no nation takes the responsibility or provides the funding to clean it up…

There are many biotic factors that are being impacted in the lake’s ecosystem. However, the most affected animals include the crayfish, clams, and mayfly. Crayfish need calcium in order to maintain a healthy exoskeleton. However, when a lake’s pH decreases, most of the minerals diminish as well. Affecting the crayfish in the process as they are weak and their source of food is being limited as well. Crayfish can be found in Australia and many other parts of the world but most commonly in North…

Enhydra lutris, commonly known as sea otter, is the second smallest marine mammal that lives in shallow coastal waters of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean. Sea otters are often found in areas with protection from the most severe ocean winds, such as rocky coastlines, thick kelp forests, and barrier reefs. They are considered a keystone species because they are crucial to the health of the nearshore marine ecosystem. Because sea otters eat sea urchins, which are herbivores that feed…

Killer whales should not be forced into captivity because of the orca's intelligence, what conditions are needed in order for orcas to be happy, and the lack of education that aquariums like Seaworld provide. For example, the director of the movie Blackfish responded to claims that a Seaworld trainer made about the issue of whale capacity. The trainer stated that “we as humans should not differentiate based on the intelligence level” and the director came back saying “the evidence on animals…

What is a Marine Biologist? According to Merriam Webster “marine” means of or relating to the sea or the plants and animals that live in the sea. A biologist is a scientist that studies things that are biotic, therefore, making the word “Marine Biologist” mean the study of ocean life. Approximately 70% of the earth is covered by water, while the rest is land. A marine biologist has a significant profession by studying the life in the ocean and all of its secrets. The secrets in the ocean could…

Trenity Huff Mrs. Doerr E.L.A. 8th grade February 3, 2016 “Box Jellyfish” Box jellyfish are special in many different ways. They have unique talents and characteristics. Box jellyfish live in tropical waters. They also have very complex body systems. Box jellyfish are one of the few endangered species of jellyfish. Box jellyfish are rare and are very hard to see. Box jellyfish are really deadly to humans and animals. Box jellyfish have a lot of foods that they enjoy to eat. They barely have…

Winds from the Gulf Stream Current and warmer ocean temperatures during the summer months may be the catalysts behind a strange “jellyfish” like creatures popping up on East coast beaches over the past several weeks. Known as the Portuguese Man O’ War, these large, colorful venomous animals are often confused for a jellyfish but are actually part of a group related to jellyfish called siphonophores. They can grow up to 1 foot long and 5 inches wide and their tentacles can stretch as long as…

How Rescue Teams Are Saving Sea Turtles By: Priya Lokhnauth Turtles have been around for 220 million years. But now they are starting to become extinct. If we don’t fix this, then future generations will not be able to see this amazing sea creature. Rescue Teams help turtles and save turtles but some people kill and eat turtles. Rescue Teams are determined to save sea turtles. Volunteers are now blooming to make more teams. Rescue teams are also searching…

Fishing has become a problem all over the world because of many reasons. Some of these reasons are due to improper fishing techniques have done damage to the environment, pollution has contaminated fish, and some species of fish and other sea life have been driven to extinction. Fishing in the Atlantic has fallen into very tough times. This is due to the accumulated chemicals in the environment due to contaminants from pollution and waste in any water source which at the end gets to the…

The Sea Lamprey is a dangerous and destructive fish for the great lakes ecosystem. This species feeds on a great lake fish and needs to be put under control in order to save fish populations in the great lakes and it needs to be stopped. One of the biggest problems with Sea Lamprey is that “Sea lamprey acts as parasitic and invasive species in each new habitat. It attacks and decreases the population of native fish and disturbs the natural balance of the ecosystem”(Softschools.com). An…