http://olympiccoast.noaa.gov
The Ocean’s Recipe for
Success
By Nicole Harris
Education Specialist
Our Blue Planet
71%
What percentage of the Earth’s surface is covered by ocean?
The ocean supports a great diversity of life –
from the smallest microbes to the largest
animal that ever lived on Earth
The Marine Food Web
Let’s explore the connections…
Got Pteropod?
• “Potato chip of the sea”
• A big part of the marine food
web
• Salmon and other fishes rely on
pterpods as their food source
• Salmon and other fishes in the
ocean provide about 25% of the
protein we eat worldwide
What do these animals have in common?
Seastars and sea urchins
Pteropod
Barnacles
Crab
Mussels
Corals
The Carbon Dioxide Conundrum
• CO2 is naturally emitted
through respiration and is
“eaten” by plants or
absorbed into the ocean
• Humans are adding extra
CO2 into atmosphere by
burning forests and fossil
fuels
Image by Aquarium of the Bay
• Roughly half of all carbon
dioxide added to the
atmosphere by humans
since industrial revolution
has dissolved into the
world’s ocean
Our Changing Ocean
Our Changing Ocean
• CO2 affects the ability of marine calcifiers to
make skeletons
• CO2 dissolves into the ocean and changes the
chemistry so that literally there are fewer
carbonate ions around. Think of these
carbonate ions as the building blocks for their
skeletons.
• If they can’t get those building blocks out of the
ocean, they are not going to be able to build the
skeleton as effectively
The pH Scale
• pH is a measure of
how acidic or basic
a substance is
• By
adding
CO2ifto
What
happens
the
ocean’s
we add
CO2recipe,
into
ita becomes
more–
water sample
acidic
– a process
Volunteers?
called ocean
acidification
• The ocean’s pH
has reduced by
30% since the
industrial revolution
What do you predict will happen to these
animals in a more acidic environment?
Seastars and sea urchins
Pteropod
Barnacles
Crab
Mussels
Corals
Average Ocean pH
over the last 20 million years
The Cosmic
Calendar
First humans
~ 10:30 p.m.
Widespread use of stone tools
p.m.
11:00
Invention of agriculture 11:59:20 p.m.
Neolithic civilization; first cities
11:59:35 p.m.
birth of Buddha
11:59:55 p.m.
Euclidean geometry; Archimedean
physics; Ptolemaic astronomy; Roman
Empire; birth of Christ 11:59:56 p.m.
Renaissance in Europe; voyages of
discovery from Europe and from Ming
Dynasty China; emergence of the
experimental method in science
11:59:59 p.m.
Widespread development of science and
technology; emergence of global culture;
acquisition of the means of selfdestruction of the human species; first
steps in spacecraft planetary exploration
and the search of extraterrestrial
intelligence Now: The first second of New
Year's Day
If animals, many of which are at the bottom of
the food chain, end up becoming weaker, then
we will be weaker as well.
The photos above show what happens to a pteropod’s shell
when placed in seawater with pH and carbonate levels
projected for the year 2100.
Photo courtesy of David Liittschwager, National Geographic Stock
Photo courtesy of NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory
• By 2050, if CO2 levels rise as predicted,
warm water coral reefs extinctions are
likely.
• By 2100, 70% cold water corals will be
affected.
• Stabilization or reduction of atmospheric
CO2 levels is necessary to slow the
progression of ocean acidification.
The Ocean’s Recipe for Success:
• Reduce carbon footprint
– Drive less – Ride a bike,
use public transportation
or carpool
– Use less electricity
– Consider using renewable
energy sources
– Reduce amount of animal
protein in your diet
– Shop for fresh, local food
– Buy / Use less stuff - Enjoy
“experiences” instead of
buying stuff
The Ocean’s Recipe for Success
(continued):
• Improve water quality
• Maintain biodiversity
• Preserve and enhance
habitat
It is our responsibility to take care of
the ocean for all the living things
that depend on it… including us!
http://olympiccoast.noaa.gov
OCEAN ACIDIFICATION
RESOURCE LIST
Understanding Ocean Acidification website, includes workshops, activities, useful links and pledge
http://www.cisanctuary.org/acidocean/index.html
You Tube video: Under Secretary Dr. Jane Lubchenco conducts multiple demonstrations relating to ocean
acidification
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuttOKcTPQs
ACID TEST - Video by Natural Resources Defense Council (21.35)
http://www.nrdc.org/oceans/acidification/aboutthefilm.asp
ACID TEST: 3 Minute Science of Ocean Acidification - Original video by Natural Resources Defense Council
(3:09) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlwbqvNViSE
Natural Resources Defense Council Ocean Acidification Lab Kit – activities based on “Acid Test: The Global
Challenge of Ocean Acidification” movie
http://www.nrdc.org/oceans/acidification/files/labkit.pdf
You Tube video: The Other CO2 Problem - Clay animation about the rise in ocean acidity created by students
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvUsSMa0nQU
Tides of Change video - Coastal ecologist Dr. Steve Fradkin is an Olympic National Park scientist who spends
his days monitoring the intertidal zone of Olympic National Park
http://www.nwparkscience.org/multimedia/tides-of-change
Sea Urchin Embryology
http://www.stanford.edu/group/Urchin/
Virtual Urchin website
http://virtualurchin.stanford.edu
The International Student Carbon Footprint Challenge: Calculate Your Carbon Footprint!
http://footprint.stanford.edu/calculate.html
Inquiry to Insight website
i2i.stanford.edu
Einztein Social Learning Network
http://einztein.com/user/jason/the-international-carbon-footp-12645/
NANOOS (Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems) Lesson Plans for Educators
http://www.nanoos.org/education/lesson_plans/lesson_plans.php
NOAA Ocean Acidification Program website
http://www.oceanacidification.noaa.gov
NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center website
http://www.nwfsc.noaa.gov/
Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory website
http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/
NOAA Ocean and Great Lakes Acidification Research Plan Highlights
http://www.oar.noaa.gov/pdfs/noaa-ocean-acidification.pdf
Washington State Blue Ribbon Panel on Ocean Acidification: From Knowledge to Action Report
https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/publications/publications/1201015.pdf
20 FACTS about Ocean Acidification, November 2013 Talking Points
http://www.whoi.edu/fileserver.do?id=165564&pt=2&p=150429
NOAA Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary website
http://olympiccoast.noaa.gov/
NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries website
http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/
National Ocean Service (NOS) website
http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/
Ocean Literacy: “The Essential Principles of Ocean Sciences” K-12 website
http://oceanliteracy.wp2.coexploration.org/
Climate Literacy: “The Essential Principles of Climate Sciences”
websitehttp://www.climatescience.gov/Library/Literacy/
http://www.cisanctuary.org/ocean-acidification/