EFFECT OF OIL SPILLS IN CORAL REEFSBY: JOAQUIN OLORTEGUI,DIEGO TABOADA AND JUAN PABLO SAID

WHAT IS AN OIL SPILL?AN OIL SPILL IS A SPILL OF OIL INTO THE SEA. OIL SPILLS HAPPEN WHEN SOMETHING GOES WRONG IN AN OIL EXTRACTOR OR IN A SUPERTANKER (BOAT), FOR EXAMPLE WHEN THERE´S A FIRE.

PETROLEUM IN LIQUID STATE GETS LEAKED FROM THE EXTRACTOR OR SUPERTANKER INTO THE OCEAN SURFACE AND STARTS GOING DOWN.

SOMETIMES PEOPLE USE DISPERSANTS TO “DISAPPEAR” THE OIL FROM THE SURFACE, BUT WHAT THIS REALLY DOES IS SINK THE OIL INTO WHERE CORAL REEFS ARE LOCATED. THESE HAVE A BIG IMPACT ON THE MARINE BIOME AND ALL ITS ECOSYSTEMS AND SPECIES COMMUNITIES.

OIL SPILLS ARE VERY DANGEROUS AND HARMFUL THAT'S WHY HUMANS DO ALL THEY CAN TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING.

ECOSYSTEM: CORAL REEFA CORAL REEF IS A MARINE ECOSYSTEM THAT CONSISTS OF THOUSANDS OF SPECIES, THEY SUPPORT MORE SPECIES PER UNIT AREA THAN ANY OTHER MARINE ECOSYSTEM. THIS SPECIES INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER AND WITH ABIOTIC FACTORS, THE SUN IS THE MAIN SOURCE OF ENERGY FOR THIS ECOSYSTEM. IT IS CONVERTED INTO CHEMICAL ENERGY BY ALGAE AND PHYTOPLANKTON THROUGH PHOTOSYNTHESIS AND THEN IT IS PASSED TO SPECIES THAT WILL EAT THEM.

CORAL REEFS ARE SPREAD THROUGH ALMOST ALL AROUND THE GLOBE THEY ARE LOCATED MOSTLY NEAR THE COASTLINES OF THE CONTINENTS AND BELOW THE EQUATORIAL LINE. TWO BIG LOCATION ARE THE GULF OF MEXICO AND THE GREAT BARRIER OF REEF IN AUSTRALIA.

Fish, corals, lobsters, clams, seahorses, sponges, and sea turtles are only a few of the thousands of creatures that rely on reefs for their survival.

[CORAL REEF EXPANSION MAP]

CORAL REEF: TROPHIC LEVELSTROPHIC LEVELS: REFER TO THE ORDER OF SPECIES IN AN ECOLOGICAL FOOD CHAIN.

LOWEST/FIRST TROPHIC LEVEL: GET THE ENERGY BY ONLY USING SUNLIGHT

SECOND TROPHIC LEVEL: EAT THE FIRST TROPHIC LEVEL ORGANISMS (HERBIVOROUS CONSUMERS)

THIRD TROPHIC LEVEL: EAT THE SECOND TROPHIC LEVEL ORGANISMS (CARNIVOROUS CONSUMERS).

FOURTH TROPHIC LEVEL: EAT THE THIRD TROPHIC LEVEL ORGANISMS (SECOND LEVEL CARNIVOROUS CONSUMERS)

FIFTH TROPHIC LEVELS: TOP CONSUMERS, EAT THE FOURTH AND THIRD TROPHIC LEVEL ORGANISMS.

CORAL REEF

FOOD WEB

CONSEQUENCES IN FOOD CHAINS: WHAT ARE FOOD CHAINS?

- A FOOD CHAIN IS THE PROCESS IN WHICH ENERGY FLOWS THROUGH ALL OF THE SPECIES THAT MAKE UP AN ECOSYSTEM, IT STARTS WITH SUNLIGHT AND ENDS WITH THE DECOMPOSERS THAT PROVIDE ENERGY TO FIRST TROPHIC LEVEL SPECIES.

OIL SPILLS AFFECT THE FOOD CHAIN BY KILLING THE ANIMALS THAT FORM PART OF IT. THIS DISARTICULATES THE FOOD CHAIN ORDER AND ORGANIZATION, IT MAY CAUSE THE OVERPOPULATION OF AN SPECIE AS WELL AS UNDER POPULATION.

THE ANIMALS THAT ARE KILLED IN CORALS REEFS ARE:

SEA TURTLES: KILLS THEM DIRECTLY. HAWKSBILL AND LEATHERBACKSEA MAMMALS: AFFECT REPRODUCTION AND KILL THEM. DOLPHINS AND WHALEFISH: AFFECTS THEIR REPRODUCTION. STURGEON AND SEAHORSESINVERTEBRATES: KILLS THEM DIRECTLY. CORALS AND LOBSTERSMARINE PLANTS: OIL IS TOXIC AND KILL THEM. SEAGRASSES

CONSEQUENCES IN POPULATION SIZESPOPULATION SIZE: REFERS TO THE NUMBER OF INDIVIDUAL ORGANISMS IN THE POPULATION OF A SPECIE.

OIL SPILLS KILL SPECIES IN GREAT NUMBERS, ESPECIALLY THE ONES THAT ARE FOUND ON THE SEA SURFACE OR THE SEA SHORELINES BECAUSE OIL FLOATS ON WATER.THIS SPECIES ARE THE MOST HARMED WHEN THERE IS AN OIL SPILL.

THE SPECIE THAT IS MOSTLY AFFECTED ARE THE SEABIRDS AND THE SEA OTTERS.

THE POPULATION SIZES OF THE SPECIES ARE EVEN REDUCED UP TO 30% WHEN OIL SPILLS OCCUR.

WATER CYCLEIT IS THE PROCESS IN WHICH WATER MOVES AND PASSES THROUGH ALL OF ITS STATES; LIQUID, SOLID AND GAS.

PROCESS (STARTING LIQUID):

1.EVAPORATION, TRANSPIRATION OR SUBLIMATION

2.CONDENSATION

3.PRECIPITATION OR SUBLIMATION

4.FLOW INTO A WATER SOURCE

CONSEQUENCES IN WATER CYCLE

AN OIL SPILL IN THE OCEAN AFFECTS THE WATER CYCLE FIRST WHEN IT IS IN EVAPORATION. WHEN CONTAMINATED WATER EVAPORATES THE OIL MAY ALSO EVAPORATES AND GET INTO THE CLOUDS WERE IT IS CONDENSATE WITH NON-CONTAMINATED WATER. THIS MAY CAUSE SOMETHING KNOWN AS ACID RAIN WHEN PRECIPITATION TAKES PLACE, IT CAN KILL PLANTLIFE AND CONTAMINATES THE SAME SOURCE OF WATER OR OTHER LIKE STREAM AND RIVERS.

CARBON CYCLEIT IS THE PROCESS THAT KEEPS CARBON CIRCULATING AMONG THE LIVING THINGS IT TAKES PART OF ALL THE PHOTOSYNTHESIS AMONG WITH THE SUNLIGHT. WATER SOURCES ARE CONSIDERED CARBON SINKS BECAUSE THEY STORE IT AND EXPEL A LITTLE. THIS CYCLE IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE FIRST TROPHIC LEVEL ORGANISM AND TO KEEP THE FOOD CHAINS SUSTAINABLE.PROCESS:

1. IT STARTS WHEN CARBON ENTERS THE SEA WITH SUNLIGHT

2. THEN PHOTOSYNTHETIC SPECIES (PHYTOPLANKTON) CARRY OUT PHOTOSYNTHESIS CHANGING CO2 INTO O2.

3. CARBON IS PASSED THROUGH ALL THE SPECIES BY THE FOOD CHAIN.

4. FINALLY A SMALL QUANTITY OF THE CO2 THAT HAS ENTERED TO THE OCEAN IS EXPELLED TO THE AIR BY RESPIRATION

CONSEQUENCES IN CARBON CYCLEAN OIL SPILL WOULD KILL ALL ANIMAL AND PLANTS WHICH ARE PART OF THE CYCLE IN WHICH CARBON THAT THEY CONTAIN IS RELEASED INTO THE ATMOSPHERE, WE NEED THE CARBON FROM THE SPECIES TO HAVE MORE CARBON DIOXIDE ON EARTH TO BREATHE.

HUMANS DEPEND ON THE PHOTOSYNTHESIS THAT TAKES CARBON DIOXIDE OUT OF THE ATMOSPHERE BY PLANTS BECAUSE WITHOUT THE PLANTS DOING THIS, THERE WOULD NOT BE CARBON TO BREATHE. IN AN OIL SPILL SOME PLANTS DIE AND THIS REDUCES THE CARBON DIOXIDE IN THE ENVIRONMENT.

THE CARBON CYCLE WOULD BE AFFECTED IN THE WAY THAT THERE WOULD NOT BE MUCH CARBON WHICH ULTIMATELY AFFECTS HUMANS AND OTHER SPECIES.

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