The University of California Santa Barbara investigated the deaths of 15 right whales. One student conducted research identifying the cause of death, all but two which were inconclusive, were anthropogenic mortalities. Due to the location of the carcasses much further north than usual indicates a larger foraging area than normal, indicating a low biological productivity of the zooplankton the whales feed upon. Indications of warmer currents up the coast of North America's east coast and warmer global temperatures. With only 500 animals left, the lack of food for breeding, and such a large mortality rate the future is bleak for the Right Whale.
Human intervention has caused most of the deaths of these whales, and human intervention is the only thing that can save these whales. If current global temperatures continue to rise, the Right Whale will not be the only species at risk. With more loss of habitat and food source due to the rising temperatures there is no quick fix. Raising awareness and proactive changes to halt global warming must take place. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/10/171030154441.htm
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It is not possible for the Archaea, an abundant microorganism in the “dark ocean” or as we learned, the disphotic and aphotic zone which lies below 200 meters. They sampled in 40 locations around the globe in this particular water column, where they discovered the new bacteria. These new bacteria may make up only 5% of the population, but they are 50 times larger; with the ability to remove 1.1 gigatons of CO2. After logging 3500 genomes, they fully sequenced 30 representative samples that were singled out as nitrite-oxidizing organisms.
By isolating an organism that captures this much carbon dioxide, more attention can be pointed towards further research and protection of the organism. More research on the organism could also help promote growth of populations. This will eventually remove most of the harmful amounts of CO2 in the ocean .www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171127124706.htm Natural habitats play a much larger role in a species continuation or extinction. Just as a birds and chipmunks need trees, so do smaller species in the littoral zone. Whereas beds of mussels create a sort of air-conditioning for smaller species to survive. As long as the mussels exist the smaller species can survive. Unlike other nektonic species that can adapt and move to higher latitudes with warming habitat, if the mussels cease the biological habitat ceases to exist.
By creating more habitat, we can prolong the ecosystem, protect inland areas from future storms and restore the balance of the ocean. It is extremely important to recognize these tiny habitats and keep them in check. If we do not we face the unravelling and the unbalance of ecosystems. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171122093039.htm |
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Photos used under Creative Commons from C. P. Ewing, john shortland, human_wildlife, OakleyOriginals, Ingrid Taylar, Robert.Pittman, marcoverch, James St. John, Bloody Nick, sonstroem