Georgia Aquarium Essay

It has recently been discovered that there is a secondary effect which is important to flotation therapy. Magnesium is absorbed through the skin due to natural molecular diffusion. This tends to correct magnesium deficiency. Magnesium is absorbed from the diet but in many areas of the world, over-cropping without adequate replacement of magnesium makes the normal diet low in magnesium (Floating).The Georgia Aquarium is located in Atlanta, Georgia. It opened on November 23, 2005. It was a gift to the city of Atlanta from Bernie Marcus, the co-founder of the home improvement store, The Home Depot, and his wife Billi. The couple decided to donate the aquarium after visiting fifty-six aquariums in thirteen different countries. It was donated through the Marcus foundation. It was a $250,000 thousand dollar gift. The aquarium was recorded as the largest aquarium in the world from 2005 to 2012. It took twenty-seven months to complete the aquarium. (Georgia Aquarium 3)
The Georgia Aquarium holds ten million gallons of marine and fresh water.
It also contains tens of thousands of different animals in captivity. There are 500 species that live at the aquarium. Some of the most popular animals are sea turtles, crabs, jellyfish, pythons, whales, alligators, starfish, stingrays, octopuses, sharks, and penguins. There are also hundreds of other fish. The Georgia Aquarium, aside from the Asia Aquarium and the ocean, is the only home to whale sharks. More than fifty percent of the marine animal collection at the aquarium comes from an aquaculture industry. The aquarium has five different display categories: Tropical Diver, Ocean Voyager, Titanic Aquatic, Cold Water Quest, River Scout, and Dolphin Tales. There was an exhibit for a short while at the aquarium called the Titanic Aquatic which allowed visitors to experience what it would have been like to travel the North Atlantic Ocean on the Titanic (Georgia Aquarium
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When entering the aquarium the first exhibit is the River Scout. Next to the River Scout is the Dolphin Tales exhibit. After that comes the Cold Water Quest exhibit. Then the Ocean Voyager comes next. The last exhibit is Tropical Diver. Each of these exhibits was sponsored by their own company. These companies donated money to their specific exhibit for the entire aquarium. Southern Company sponsored River Scout, AT&T sponsored Dolphin Tales, Georgia Pacific sponsored Cold Water Quest, Home Depot sponsored Ocean Voyager, and Southwest Airlines sponsored Tropical Diver (Georgia Aquarium 4).
In the past years two whale sharks have died at the aquarium probably because of stress and concerns are popping up that the Georgia Aquarium is not a suitable home for these creatures. The animals are used to roaming the ocean and not being in a contained area. This can cause emotional distress. One beluga whale calf has died in the recent past as well. This could be a sign that the aquarium is not fit for the larger animals (Georgia Aquarium 1).
To prevent animal deaths, proper care must be delivered. The aquarium has a club called the Caring Together Club which is a group of individuals that can participate in volunteer work. The club managers are paid to care for the animals in the exhibits. The caretakers of the animals must know the daily routines. They must provide the right diet and care. It is vital to survival that the aquarist provides the best care possible. Exercise is also another aspect of caretaking that is crucial for the animals at the aquarium (Georgia Aquarium 2). One goal of the Georgia aquarium is to be the leading facility for aquatic animal conservation and research. The aquarium conducts several different studies to improve husbandry methods. There is a field station located in Marineland, Florida that is dedicated to rescue, recovery, research, and community outreach. The Georgia Aquarium Conservation Field Station (GACFS) provides field assistance, necropsy, support and sample collection and processing. The team has experience with large baleen whales, smaller toothed whale species like bottlenose dolphins, manatees, and sea turtles (Georgia Aquarium 3). Rescue and rehabilitation is another part that the Georgia Aquarium is known for. It is the aquarium’s mission to assist marine life. They have been able to support in the treatment of abandoned sea lion pups along the California coastline. They were also able to rehabilitate loggerhead sea turtles and then eventually release them back into their habitat. Only twenty-five percent of southern sea otters make it past their first year of life. The aquarium works with many different groups such as The Alaska SeaLife Center and Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Sea Otter and Research Conservation programs. Their goal is to save the lives of the vulnerable sea otter pups and possibly bring them back to the aquariums where they would live in the Cold Water Quest exhibit (Georgia Aquarium 2). The aquarium in Atlanta is still expanding and has many new things planned as well, such as the $110 million dollar, 84,000 square feet expansion for the bottlenose dolphin exhibit. There are challenges when it comes to adding on to the aquarium. The team must organize the construction around large events. There are also concerns about the vibration and noise that comes from equipment used. The workers must monitor the fish and other animals and make sure that there are not any major effects caused from this (www.yougodo.com).
The aquarium is always looking for ways that they can improve the facility. The aquarists are dedicating their time and energy to these animals just so that they may have a suitable and healthy life. This is an aquarium where anyone may get to see extraordinary sea life in the animals natural environment.