2014 WATER QUALITY-(B&C)
Marine & Estuary
KAREN LANCOUR
National Bio Rules
Committee Chairman
C. Robyn Fischer
National Event
Supervisor
Event Rules – 2014
DISCLAIMER
This presentation was prepared using draft
rules. There may be some changes in the final
copy of the rules. The rules which will be in your
Coaches Manual and Student Manuals will be the
official rules.
Event Rules – 2014
• BE SURE TO CHECK THE 2014 EVENT
RULES FOR EVENT PARAMETERS
AND TOPICS FOR EACH
COMPETITION LEVEL
TRAINING MATERIALS
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Training Power Point – content overview
Training Handout – content information
Sample Tournament – sample problems with key
Event Supervisor Guide – prep tips, setup needs,
and scoring tips
• Internet Resources & Training Materials – on the
Science Olympiad website at www.soinc.org under
Event Information
• A Biology-Earth Science CD and a Water Quality CD
(updated to include marine 2014) are available
from SO store at www.soinc.org
Aquatic Ecosystems
Freshwater
Lotic ecosystems – flowing water
Streams
Rivers
Lentic ecosystems – still water
Ponds
Lakes
Wetlands
Estuary ecosystems – 2014
Marine ecosystems – 2014
Coral Reef Ecology – 2014
EVENT COMPONENTS
• Ecology Content – 2014
– Part 1 – Estuary and Marine Ecology
– Part 2 – Coral Reef Ecology
– Part 3 – Water Monitoring and Analysis
• Process skills in data, graph and diagram analysis
• Event parameters – check the event parameters in
the rules for resources allowed.
Part 1: Estuary and Marine Ecology
Areas such as:
–Aquatic Ecology in Marine/Estuary
Environments
–Aquatic Food Chains and Webs
–Population Dynamics
–Community Interactions
–Nutrient Recycling
–Water Cycle
–Threats to Marine & Estuary Water
Quality
General Principles of Aquatic Ecology
ECOLOGY – how organisms interact with
one another and with their environment
ENVIRONMENT – living and non-living
components
• ABIOTIC – non-living component or
physical factors as soil, rainfall,
sunlight, temperatures
• BIOTIC – living component are other
organisms.
Marine Ecology
• Abiotic
– Non-living part of the environment
• Biotic
– Living part of the environment
– interdependence of all organisms living in the
ocean, in shallow coastal waters, and on the
seashore
Marine Abiotic Factors
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water
salinity
light
pressure
temperature
dissolved gases
pH
tides
currents
waves
substratum
nutrient supply
exposure to air
Water Cycle
97 % of the water on earth is salt water in the ocean. Of the 3% of water that is
fresh water, 2% is frozen in ice caps and only 1% is usable by organisms as liquid
water or water vapor found in lakes, rivers, streams, ponds , in the ground
water, and as vapor in the atmosphere
Unique Qualities of Pure Water
The Unique Nature of Pure Water
 Water is 775 times as dense as air at 0 o C
 Water is found on earth in three forms –
liquid, solid and gas
 Density – maximum density is at 4o C not
at freeing point of 0 o C and expands as it
freezes so ice floats
 The H20 molecule is polar and hydrogen
bonding is present
 Water is a polar molecule; one end is
positively charged and the other is
negatively charged
 Cohesion of water molecules at the
surface of a body of water (surface
tension) is very high
Salt Water Features
The oceans
consist of (by
mass):
• 96.5% water
• 3.0% sodium
and chlorine
ions
(table
salt,
Na+ and Cl–)
• 0.5% other
salts
Marine Environments
Marine Regions
Food Chain
• Producer
• 1st order Consumer or
Herbivore
• 2nd order Consumer or 1st
order Carnivore
• 3rd order Consumer or 2nd
order Carnivore
• 4th order Consumer or 3rd
order Carnivore
• Decomposers – consume
dead and decaying matter
as bacteria
Marine Food Web
Ecologic Pyramids
Ecological pyramid - a graph representing trophic
level numbers within an ecosystem. The primary
producer level is at the base of the pyramid with the
consumer levels above.
• Numbers pyramid - compares the number of
individuals in each trophic level. May be inverted
due to size of individuals
• Biomass pyramid - compares the total dry weight
of the organisms in each trophic level.
• Energy pyramid - compares the total amount of
energy available in each trophic level. This energy
is usually measured in kilocalories.
Trophic Pyramids-Marine
The 10% rule for Energy Pyramids
Carbon, Nitrogen & Phosphorus Cycles
Threats to Marine Ecosystems
• Oil spills and their ecological disasters
• Marine dumping of wastes – plastic and
other wastes
• Dredging Wastes
• Overfishing
• Ocean acidification reducing calcium
carbonate
• Population displacement
• Mangrove Destruction
• Bycatch – marine wildlife unintentionally
caught as sea turtles, porpoises, albatross,
crabs, starfish & fish
• Whaling is still a problem though strides are
being make
Threats to Ocean Health
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Marine Pollution
Habitat Destruction
Overfishing and Exploitation
Climate Change
Sea Temperature Rise
Ocean Acidification
Invasive Species
Ocean Dead Zones
Estuaries
• The areas of water and shoreline where a
freshwater stream or river merges with
the ocean
• Estuaries can be partially enclosed body
of water (such as bays, lagoons, sounds or
sloughs) where two different bodies of
water meet and mix
• They often bordered by salt marshes or
intertidal mudflats
• Salinity varies within the estuary from
nearly fresh water to ocean water
Importance of Estuaries
• Of the 32 largest cities in the world, 22 are located on
estuaries
• Many animal species rely on estuaries for nesting and
breeding
• Most of the fish and shellfish eaten in the United States,
including salmon, herring, and oysters, complete at
least part of their life cycles in estuaries
• Estuaries filter out sediments and pollutants from rivers
and streams before they flow into the ocean, providing
cleaner waters for humans and marine life
• Humans also rely on estuaries for recreation, jobs, and
even our homes
• Coastal development, introduction of invasive species,
over fishing, dams, and global climate change have led
to a decline in the health of estuaries, making them one
of the most threatened ecosystems on Earth
Estuary Classification
Estuaries can be classified according to their water circulation:
The amount of circulation affects the salt distribution and salinity concentrations
salt-wedge
vertically mixed
fjord
slightly stratified
freshwater
Common Estuary Habitats
• oyster reefs
• kelp forests
• rocky and soft
shorelines
• submerged aquatic
vegetation
• coastal marshes
• mangroves forests
• deepwater swamps
and riverine forests
• mud flats
• tidal streams
• barrier beaches
• salt marshes
Adaptation of Organisms
– Physiological adaptations
• How organisms adapt to the environment by
changes in metabolism, behavior and other
characteristics.
–The genes of the organism remains
unchanged
–The adaptation is not passed onto its
progeny
– Evolutionary adaptations
• Over generations, species adapt to the
environment through natural selection.
–Genetic differences of an individual
organism that makes it better adapted to
its environment are passed onto the
organism’s progeny
Adaptations of Estuary Organisms
Salinity, temperature, water levels and light levels vary
along the length of an estuary
• shutting up shells, digging borrows and excretion of
excess salts
• fish maintain water balance by actively drinking salt
water
• increasing their respiratory water flow and increase
oxygen consumption
• mechanisms to deal with high energy winds and
waves
• most efficient tree is low, with numerous crowded
branches
• the tree may include flattening of the trunk, root and
branches in a plan parallel to the wind direction
Estuary Organisms & Survival
Estuary Food Web
Threats to Estuaries
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Too many nutrients
Pathogens
Toxic chemicals
Habitat loss
Invasive Species
Changes in water
flow
EPA
Point and Non-Point Pollution Sources
• Pollutants pose a large threat to estuarine
organisms
• Pollutants are introduced into estuaries from either
point sources or non-point sources.
 Point sources are clearly defined, localized inputs
such as pipes, industrial plants, sewer systems,
oil spills from tankers, and aquaculture ventures.
 Non-point sources are indistinct inputs that do
not have a clearly defined source, such as runoff
of petroleum products from roadways or
pesticides from farmland.
 A majority of pollutants find their way into
estuaries from non-point sources
 Non-point sources are harder to detect and
control
 Reduction of pollution requires substantial
individual and collective efforts
• The federal and state governments regulate them.
Estuary Preservation
• Ensuring the health of our estuaries is vital to
the survival of the plant and animal
communities
• To preserve our estuaries, the National
Estuarine Research Reserve System was
established to protect more than 1.3 million
acres of estuarine habitat for long-term
research, monitoring, education, and
stewardship throughout the coastal United
States.
Part 2: Coral Reef Ecology
• Examine coral reefs and the effects of pollution on reef
ecosystems
• Topics that may be included are
 coral reef biology
 growth and reproduction
 zooxanthellae
 reef fish communities
 reef ecosystem
 health indicators
 the importance of coral reefs
 problems associated with pollution
 management of reef systems
Coral
Polyp
•Stony corals are the major reef architects. These
small marine animals, (individual organisms are
called polyps), produce a hard skeleton made of
calcium carbonate, which they extract from the
seawater and combine with CO2 for limestone
•Other reef building organisms include fire corals,
blue & pipe corals, coralline algae, tropical reef
worms
Coral Life Cycle
• First stage of the coral’s life cycle is
planula larvae, which allows it to be
free swimming.
• Second stage of its life is polyp which
is when the coral is stuck to a rock.
• In the polyp stage, it is able to
reproduce,
• either asexual - involves the splitting
of a coral (called fission) or sprouting
another coral from itself (called
budding).
• sexually (with another polyp)
• involves a cycle of:
• SPAWNING >> FERTILIZING >>
PLANULAE LARVAE SETTLEMENT >>
CLONING
Symbiosis
Coral & Zooxanthellae
• Coral Polyp provides a home
for the zooxanthellae, it
provides nitrates and
phosphates, and it gives off
CO2
• Zooxanthellae, a dinoflagellate
carries out photosynthesis and
make oxygen and food for the
polyp through photosynthesis,
gain nutrients from the corals
nitrogen and phosphorus
wastes, and provide for most
of the colors for the coral in the
reef making them look like
underwater gardens
Coral Reef Regions
Requirements for Reef Formation
• Solid structure for the base with a hard
substrate for attachment
• Warm water temperatures > 20°C (68°F)
and oceanic salinities
• High Light Levels
• Clear waters with high water transparency
• Low nutrient waters - low in phosphate
and nitrogen nutrients
• Good water circulation with moderate
wave action to disperse wastes and bring
oxygen and plankton to the reef
Coral Reef Development
Zones of a Coral Biome
• Shore or inner reef zone - area is
between the crest and the shorelinefull of life including fishes, sea
cucumbers, starfish, and anemones.
• Crest reef zone - highest point of the
reef and where the waves break over
the reef.
• Fore or outer reef zone - As the reef
wall falls off, the waters get calmer.
Around 30 feet deep, will be the most
populated part of the reef along with
lots of different types of coral species.
Coral Reef Organisms
Coral reefs are inhabited by thousands of species
including:
• Algae
• Sponges
• Soft corals
• Sea slugs
• Urchins and star fish
• Worms
• Crabs and lobster
• Snails
• Clams, scallops,
and barnacles
• Fish
• Sea turtles
• Sharks and rays
Coral Reef Food Web
Coral Reef Fish Communities
Coral Reef Importance
–Fishery and nursery
areas (food)
–Tourism, recreation
–Potential medicines
–Coastal protection
Coral Reef Health Indicators
•Marine Apex Predators
•Biomass
•Average Catch Length
•Coral Cover
•Indicator Organisms
INDICATOR ORGANISMS
• Reef Check
http://reefcheck.org/about_RC_Reef/publications/
Reef%20Check%20Report.pdf/RC_report_FINAL_2.
pdf
• Global Coral Reef Monitoring Networkhttp://gcrmn.org/gcrmn-publication/status-ofcoral-reefs-of-the-world-2008/
• http://gcrmn.org/publication-category/status-ofcoral-reefs-of-the-world/
Healthy vs. Badly Damaged Reef
Coral Reef Threats
• Chemical pollutants
• Excess nutrients
• Sedimentation
• Coral bleaching
• Coral diseases
• Climate change and ocean
acidification
• Overfishing
Coral Reefs Threats
Healthy vs. Damaged Reef
Coral Reef Management
• Fisheries regulation
• Marine protected areas
• Coastal zoning
• The problem of ecosystem phase-shifts
(how if corals die and area is taken over
by algae, it achieves a new steady state
and is very difficult for corals to recolonize)
Part 3: Water Monitoring
• Understand and interpret data
related to testing procedures
and purposes for water testing
(No actual testing)
• Build and demonstrate a
salinometer capable of testing
saltwater (1-10%)
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Chemical Analysis
Salinity - only actual testing with salinometer
Temperature
Aragonite Saturation - for marine esp. coral reefs
pH
Turbidity – Light Saturation in marine environments
Dissolved oxygen
Biochemical oxygen demand
Phosphates
Nitrates
Total solids
Fecal Coliform
Their relationship to one another – note: the Water
Quality Index used for freshwater does not apply to
marine. Regions have their own marine water quality
index.
Salinomter –
Hydrometer
• Salinometers / Hydrometers
• Hydrometer calibrated to read in % of
salt concentration
• Materials –
 soda straw
 modeling clay
 a fine-tipped permanent marker
 a tall clear container to hold
the solution for calibrating your
device
 salt for mixing one or more
standard solutions
 water (tap water will work-distilled
is better)
SALINOMETER TIPS
• The narrow the diameter of the salinometer, the
higher the water will rise – this make calibration
easier.
• Small plastic pipettes instead of the straw and clay
work well. Hold the pipette upside down, cut the
opening to make it wider and weight it putting sand
into the bulb. Cover the opening with tape or clay
so the sand won’t get wet when you calibrate it.
• Measuring electronic conduction (the more salt the
more electricity is conducted) is another possibility
– just be sure that the device is made by the team