Representatives of the U.S. Navy visited today and I am certainly more informed on what they do. Their career may be entirely different from person to person depending on the path you choose to take. Regardless of the path you take you must go to school first and go to boot camp. After that you're free to enjoy which ever path you took. What I found most interesting is how willingly these men were to give their life for this country. Like the younger said that if someone messes up in a submarine and they accidentally hit a rock then regardless they will probably sink. He stated that there goes 100 lives all because of one mistake. To be honest i didn't really learn much about the ocean at all. Everything they stated in the slides was stuff we had reviewed in class. Also, to be fair we didn't get that far into the power point. Honestly, something I will remember is Allen slamming down on my desk and yelling at me. At that point I was a little drowsy and it really gave me that wake up call.

Flukes are used to identify different whales. They are used to identify whales because every single fluke is unique to the whale. Scientists need this data in order to see the types of whales in each part of the ocean. Each fluke is different whether it be completely black, completely white, black with some white, some with scars, etc. The most difficult part of this lab was the fact that there were so many pictures. It was really difficult and frustrating if you're looking for a tail that is at the start of the packet and you miss it so then you're stuck looking until the end only to realize that the fluke match was on the second page. One way to definitely make it better, although the tails are only black and white, is by providing pictures in colors.

Over fishing is one of the few problems we have in the ocean currently. One of the ways we over fish is through the use of trawl nets. When the net us dragging across the bottom of the ocean in hopes of catching shrimp, the shrimp is not the only thing getting caught. Along with shrimps we catch a surprisingly overwhelming number of fish as well. We catch more fish than actual shrimp.When brought onto the fish the fisherman inspect what they have captured and even if dead they return the fish into the ocean. This is killing a variety of fish that should of been caught only for the hopes in catching shrimp. Ways we can help stop over fishing is by supporting our politicians to make the right choice.

Coral bleaching gets it's name due to the fact that the coral turns completely white. This happens in change in temperatures in the water causing the coral to excrete the algae within it. This affects the environment by mostly impacting the fish that rely on the coral. The coral eventually will die following the fish that require it to survive.

1. Ghost Fishing: Old fishing nets and fishing tools that are left in the ocean that continue to catch.



2. Entanglement: Fish or other marine animals that get caught in fishing lines or nets.



3. Plastic Bags: Plastic bags are mostly affecting sea turtles. Sea turtles mistake plastic bags for jelly fish which they then eat and most likely suffocate on.



4. Plastic Pellets: Animals mistake the pellets as food. Once they consume it the plastic doesn't break down in their stomach which causes them to never feel hungry and then they die from starvation.

Common Name: Lion fish

Scientific Name: Pterois antennata

Adaptations: The lion fish uses camouflage to adapt to his surroundings.

Hunting Strategies: The lion fish uses its spikes both as defense and offense. Each spike is filled with deadly poison which it uses to kill.

Reproduction: When a male and female lion fish are ready to reproduce they both change colors. The male becomes darker while the female becomes lighter.

Interesting Facts: Lion fish is one of the most venomous fish in the world. Lion fish can grow up to 16 inches long. They can be as small as 2 inches.

Why I chose it: I chose the lion fish because it looked interesting and it was on the list.

Sea grass are more salt tolerant in order to live in sea water. They also have specialized roots which help them against the currents.
There are only three types of animals that can eat the sea grass directly, others eat the detritus.

Residents: Residents are the animals that permanently live in the sea grass.



Migrants: Animals that come to feed on residents. They take shifts during the day and night taking turns eating.



Travelers: Large animals such as manatees, dolphins, and shark that also come for food.

1. Sea grass helps prevent shores from eroding.



2. Sea grass provides a nursery for small crustaceans.



3. Sea grass slows ocean currents.



4. Sea grass are producers and help feed larger marine animals.



5. Sea grass provides food and energy for coral reef fish that come to visit.

This video is simply discussing the problem with trash. Trash is filling the ocean and hurting the marine organisms.  This talks about the great pacific garbage patch, which is where all our trash ends up in the ocean.

If i had to rate this video from a 1-10, ten being the best, i would rate it a 7. 7 due to the fact that it's nothing I have never seen before. I did feel like the presentation was done well and i understand the point they were trying to get across. The only thing lowering the score is the fact that they didn't introduce anything new.

Mono filament: These are fishing lines that are left in the ocean. They can be left there and since some fish can only detect light they might swim right into them and get caught.

Entangled: Entanglement is when fish get caught in old fishing lines or nets that someone just threw out into the ocean. This can choke the under sea organisms.

Plastic Bags: Plastic bags are mistaken with jellyfish and can do harm to any sea creature that consumes jellyfish.

Ghost Fishing: Ghost fishing is when fishing gear gets lost at sea. This gear is meant to capture fish so if they are floating on in the ocean then obviously they're going to hurt something.

Plastic Pellets: These pellets may be easily consumed by fish or various other creatures and then causing them to choke and die.

Nursery: Mangroves provide protection for smaller fish that are being hunted. Fisherman use this to catch the predators and feast on them

Nutrients: Mangrove leaves are broken down into detritus, which provides nutrients for animals in the mangrove ecosystem.

Sediment: Mangroves help filter the sediment as it flows into the sea.

Toxins: Just like the sediment, mangroves help clear out toxins.

Buffer system: Buffer system helps protect homes from big waves.

Ecosystem corridor: This corridor provides a safe transportation for mammals.

1. Black mangroves use pneumatophores to collect air. These are vertical roots that extend out of the soil.

2. Black mangroves have surrounding, widespread roots around the trunk.

3. In order to protect from strong currents, red mangroves use prop roots to help them stay up.

4. Red mangroves have the ability to allow water to enter them and exclude the salt.

5. Both red and black mangroves are salt tolerant allowing them to grow in salt water.

Common name: Otter

Scientific name: Lutrinae

Habitat: Found in almost every continent and are relatively close to the water.

Reproduction: Female otters reach sexual maturity after two years while it takes male three years.

Prey: Otters enjoy crustaceans such crabs and crayfish. They also eat any common fish in the area where they live.

Facts: 1. After one month the young come out of their cave and after two they can swim.
          2. Otters love to sunbath during the day and are very active at night.
          3. There are 13 different types of otters found around the globe.

Why I chose it: I chose the otter because otters wreck face and they rock my socks off.

There are three types of mangroves that we will learn about in our class.

White: White Mangroves live farthest away from the water due to the fact that it is least tolerant of salt. They are usually higher up in elevation.

Black: Black mangroves live in a few inches of salt water and mud. These mangroves have pnuematophores. These are roots which grow vertically from the ground and it's purpose is to take oxygen to the tree.

Red: Red mangroves live in the deepest salt water. These mangroves have prop roots which help it from currents.

Mangroves help organisms by providing a home and protection for them. Some parts of the mangroves also give some sugar to most insects. This helps the fishing industry because it protects the baby fish. Predators will be lurking waiting for baby fish to come out. While they are waiting for the baby fish, we will be waiting for the predators.

The ocean garbage patch is a build up of trash such as various plastics that is building up in the ocean. This patch is building up in the north of the pacific ocean. This is thought to be formed from ocean currents. The build up of garbage can harm and kill several animals. Some fish may mistake the trash as food and cause them to suffocate from it. Man can help by simply throwing their trash away where it belongs. We can recycle and reuse some stuff as well.

Common Name: American Crocodiles

Scientific Name: Crocodylus acutus

Habitat: They live in Florida, the Caribbean, Southern Mexico, and along the Central American coast.

Adaptations: Crocodiles are cold blooded so to maintain their temperature during cold months they lay in the mud out in the sun. During warmer months they swim or lay in the shade.

Status: American Crocodiles are considered to be endangered pretty much everywhere they live.

Current issues: Illegal killing and road kill are the biggest threat to these crocodiles.

Why?: I chose the crocodile because I've always known of it's existence and was always amazed but this animal but I didn't know much about it.

Ocean Acidification is when too much carbon dioxide enters the ocean. If too much enters then the water literally turns into acid. Burning of fossil fuels and gas causes carbon dioxide to be emitted into the air. If there is too much then a lot then too much will fall into the ocean. This affects plantonic and benthic organism because the acid dissolves through their shells. If they are using up all their energy by simply creating their shells then they won't have energy to do anything else except die. Man can help prevent this by emitting less carbon dioxide into the air, especially in the coastal area. I learned that acid can dissolve shells, thus resulting in that creature possibly being permanently extinct , and also that too much carbon dioxide doesn't only damage our ozone layer but also our oceans.

Karenia brevis is a dinoflagellate. This algae bloom is known as an HAB (harmful algae bloom). This is the algae bloom which is covered in a previous one of my blogs. This bloom is very harmful and may also be known as the red tide. Neurotoxic shellfish poisoning happens when a shellfish is consumed which has come in contact with the toxin released by karenia brevis. What happens is basically stomach ache, vomiting, and nausea. These symptoms are the same for both humans and animals. For animals, a large consumption could result in death. Shellfish is a popular delicacy so without it tourism would be hurt slightly. People come to the coast to enjoy the sea and enjoy sea food. They can't enjoy sea food if it's poisoned.

Plankton
1. Plankton are at the base of the marine life food chain
2. Plankton produces 80% of our oxygen.
3. Under plankton you find sub-types such as Phytoplankton and Zooplankton.
4. Plankton have to live at the surface of the water to survive.
5. Plankton are not as strong as i thought. Such as they can not swim. Plankton resources such as currents to get around.

Common name: Killer Whale

Scientific name: Orcinus Orca

Habitat: These whales are distributed throughout the ocean but are most common in the coastal areas. There is an abundance in the colder oceans.

Reproduction: These whales only reproduce once. Breeding starts at the age of around 15. Most of the babies die within the first year.

Status: Endangered

Interesting Facts: 1.Killer whales can weigh up to six tons
                          2. They have 40 to 50 teeth that are up to four inches long.
                          3. The dorsal fin of the adult male killer whale can be as high as 6 ft tall.

Major Issue: Major issues are the exposure to toxic and the decline in population.

Why I chose this: I've always wanted to know why it was labeled as the KILLER whale. It's interesting how it has this name yet it is the main attraction at sea world.

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This is the plankton that my partner and i created. The most difficult part is finding the perfect balance of weight for the plankton. Another difficulty is the consistency of times. In terms of changes i would like to of had a larger piece of plastic on top of the toothpick. With a larger surface area that would make the toothpick sink a lot slower. But other than that i would keep it the same because our plankton did receive the slowest time. What I liked about this activity was the fact that we received the freedom to really make our plankton the way i wanted to make it. Everyone plankton looked and sank different.

A harmful algae bloom cause negative impacts on other organisms through the production of toxins. HAB's may occur due to human activity. Phytoplankton is another reason for the toxins. To prevent it we can stop dumping waste into the ocean. Wastes such as trash and even oil spills. Once a red tide hit the Florida Gulf resulting in millions of dollars towards repair and loss of tourism.

1. Plankton is important because it is the beginning of the food chain. Several small fish and other organisms rely on plankton for their diet.

2. Plankton help clear out bacteria. Plankton consumes bacteria so it helps with providing a stable level of bacteria.

3. Without plankton the food chain would collapse. Every relies on the existence of plankton.

Diatoms are eukaryotic single celled algae. They are like plants in the way that they use photosynthesis. Chlorophyll gives them a golden color which helps preserve light. Cells may form chains with one another, colonies. There are over 100,000 species of diatoms. Dinoflagellates are also Eukaryotic single celled algae. They have two flagellas which give it limited mobility. About half are known to have photosynthesis. Other types of species have different ways of obtaining nutrients. Of the 2000 known species about 60 are able to produce toxins.