Dead Zones in the Baltic Sea
Dead Zones in the Baltic Sea
Franki M
Abstract
Dead zones, also known as hypoxic zones, are areas in the ocean where oxygen levels have been depleted or are depleting. Hypoxia could be due to natural reasoning, but more commonly it is a result of careless and uninformed inhabitants of the coast near that ocean. Farming, sewage, factories and fishing are all major causes of dead zones. If our oceans continue to lose oxygen, we will eventually no longer have marine animals/marine life on our earth. This result will affect almost every aspect of our ever day necessities and lives. Although this situation cannot be solved completely, it can sure be remedied.
Keywords: hypoxic
Dead zones in our earth’s oceans and lakes should sound daunting as it is, but if not, think about never being able to go fishing, snorkeling, diving, whale watching or any of your favorite vacation excursions ever again. These hypoxic or “dead” zones are areas where human activities have depleted oxygen levels in the water. As a result, the organisms inhabiting those places are either dying or moving away. The largest effected victim of this is the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. The excess nutrients we are polluting our seas with will soon be the reason we no longer see seafood in our grocery stores and restaurants any longer. There are ways to stop this quandary, but it will not stop without your help. Knowing the causes of this will help you to better understand the severity of saving Baltic Sea Dead zones. Hypoxia can be caused by a buildup of excess nutrients, like phosphorus and nitrogen, in the water, which usually comes from sewage and agricultural fertilizers. This kills off the organisms rather than feeds them. Because the World Wildlife Fund states that “coastal population of the Baltic Sea is fifteen million” and increasing, it is safe to say that human activity plays a large role in causing dead zones. According to
Franki M
Abstract
Dead zones, also known as hypoxic zones, are areas in the ocean where oxygen levels have been depleted or are depleting. Hypoxia could be due to natural reasoning, but more commonly it is a result of careless and uninformed inhabitants of the coast near that ocean. Farming, sewage, factories and fishing are all major causes of dead zones. If our oceans continue to lose oxygen, we will eventually no longer have marine animals/marine life on our earth. This result will affect almost every aspect of our ever day necessities and lives. Although this situation cannot be solved completely, it can sure be remedied.
Keywords: hypoxic
Dead zones in our earth’s oceans and lakes should sound daunting as it is, but if not, think about never being able to go fishing, snorkeling, diving, whale watching or any of your favorite vacation excursions ever again. These hypoxic or “dead” zones are areas where human activities have depleted oxygen levels in the water. As a result, the organisms inhabiting those places are either dying or moving away. The largest effected victim of this is the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. The excess nutrients we are polluting our seas with will soon be the reason we no longer see seafood in our grocery stores and restaurants any longer. There are ways to stop this quandary, but it will not stop without your help. Knowing the causes of this will help you to better understand the severity of saving Baltic Sea Dead zones. Hypoxia can be caused by a buildup of excess nutrients, like phosphorus and nitrogen, in the water, which usually comes from sewage and agricultural fertilizers. This kills off the organisms rather than feeds them. Because the World Wildlife Fund states that “coastal population of the Baltic Sea is fifteen million” and increasing, it is safe to say that human activity plays a large role in causing dead zones. According to
References: Baltic Sea Dead Zones. (n.d.). Save Our Baltic Sea. Retrieved March 3, 2013, from http://www.saveourbalticsea.com/index.php/baltic-sea-dead-zones Dead Zones - Learn about - Teach Ocean Science Hegde, M. (n.d.). SCIENCE FOCUS: dead zones--. GES DISK. Retrieved March 4, 2013, from disc.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/education-and-outreach/additional/science-focus/ocean-color/science_focus.shtml/dead_zones.shtml Geographic Society WWF. (n.d.). WWF - About the Baltic Sea. WWF - WWF. Retrieved March 2, 2013, from http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/baltic/area/ What is a dead zone? Dead zone - National Geographic Education. (n.d.). Teachers Homepage - National Geographic Education. Retrieved March 5, 2013, from http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/encyclopedia/dead-zone/?ar_a=1 APA formatting by BibMe.org.