80 Pilot Whales Stranded on New Zealand Beach

David Defranza

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/09/80-pilot-whales-stranded-on-new-zealand-beach.php

Blog Entry By: Matt Bernanke

Summary

On a small beach in New Zealand, 80 Pilot Whales are lying on the shore. The whales are stranded and conservationalists and volunteers are doing all that they can to keep these whale alive. Severe wind and water conditions prevent them from pushing the whales back into the saftey of the water. Until the harsh conditions pass, the whales will be moved to a small protected inlet a little way down the beach. Unfortuanately for some of the whales the wait to be relocated was too long. Only 24 whale were able to be moved to the inlet safely. About 25 whales wer dead by the time researchers arrived and 15 died after they arrived. Being a very social species of whale, the Pilot whales usually tend to try to help stranded members of their pod, which leads to beachings. Less than a month ago, 50 whales were stranded near the New Zealand beach and in 2007, 101 whales were stranded on the very same beach. Scientists are unsure of what causes the strandings to be so high in numbers.

Response

I feel very bad about what is happening to this certain species of whales. They just try to help their podmates and end up stranded and sometimes dead as a result. It is very disturbing that, the waves and wind prevetn their return to the ocean. The very thing that keeps them alive is causing a lot of their deaths. I wonder why there are so many whales that tend to get stranded as opposed to just one or two.

Questions

1) Why do you think that their are such high numbers of stranded whales when this occurs?

2) How else do you think conservationalists and scientists could help the whales.

3)How will the death of these whales affect the other organisms in the biome where they live?

Walrus Again Forced to Flee Melting Arctic Sea Ice

From: Thomas Schueneman

Published September 17th, 2010.

Copyright 2010 Global Warming Is Real

http://www.globalwarmingisreal.com/blog/2010/09/16/walrus-again-forced-to-flee-melting-arctic-sea-ice/

Summary

The Walruses are being pushed off the Arctic sea. The sea ice is too low for them. This is the third time in four years that the Walruses are in the land. They are supposed to be in the Chukchi sea where they usually are. The National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colorado says that since the seasonal sea ice melt began, this year is the third lowest Arctic sea ice and this is making the trend go on for ice free summer. The record shows that the warmest years are 1998 and 2010. Many marine mammals are being affected. US Geological Survey reported that many Walruses, up to 20,000, are on Point Lay, Alaska and they are having hard time finding food. The Wildlife experts said that when the Walruses are scared, they might start a stampede that could kill the young Walruses. Bruce Woods from the US Fish and Wildlife regional office in Alaska said, "Our biggest concern right now is stampeding. That's the big risk posed to these animals." Adult female weighs a ton and the worries there, again, are the youngs. A year before, 131 Walruses were crushed by a stampede where the Walruses were retreating from the ice. Most of them were young Walruses. To evade the danger of a stampede, a buffer zone was made so the ships and the planes would be a half of mile away from there. The FWS is considering to protect the Walreses under the Endangered Species Act. They will decide by January 2011.



Opinion/Reflection

I think that it is horrible that there is a huge human impact on the Walruses. I wish I can help them because it is our fault that they are losing their home. How would you feel if someone destroyed your home? I would feel terrible. Where will the Walruses go if Alaska melts down? Probably to land or they will be endangered or will get extinct. Not many people remembered about the mammals in the Arctic because of the big news over the oil spill. I believe that the marine mammals need more attention than now to get the Global Warming under control. Hopefully, the Walruses would be able to go under the Endangered Species Act.

Questions

1) What can we do to save and protect the Walruses?

2) Would the Walruses adapt to Alaska well or would they not adapt?

3) How come not a lot of people know about this news?

4) Who will be affected by the Walruses coming to Alaska?

5) What other species are having trouble with the ice melting in the Arctic?

By James Jung

"Why the Gulf Oil Spill Isn't Going Away" By: Joel K. Bourne, Jr. for National Geographic News, Published September, 15 2010. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/09/100915-gulf-oil-spill-bp-top-kill-science-environment/

Summary:

The Gulf oil spill was the worst oil spill to U.S. waters. BP is planning to stop the damage this week. The discovery of the widespread oil on the sea floor suggests that this problem has just gotten started. In early August government thought that the oil spill was more than 3 quarters of the way gone. Turns out that it wasn't. There is layers of oil on the ocean floor. In some places the oil was up to 2 inches thick. In a core sample the oil was covering dead organisms like shrimp and marine worms. They are ignoring the methane gas that comes with the oil because it is less toxic than the oil and breaks down faster. The oxygen level has to stay high so it is easier for the microbes to break down the oil. The oil has spread up to the west Florida shelf. It has gotten in the spawning area of commercial fish. This oil is thought to be from the oil spill. There is only a little bit of oil in this area. Most of the gases in this area are gone. This oil is still toxic to tiny microscopic plants called phytoplankton and bacteria. The oil may be causing the bacteria to mutate. This oil spill isn't that bad, it hasn't killed as much sea life as in past oil spills. Only over a thousand turtles, 70 marine mammals, and 4,000 birds have died. The wind and currents keep most of the oil away from the critical wetlands. Most of the seafood from the gulf is still okay to eat. It is the long term effects of the oil spill that are still a worrisome.

Opinion/Reflection:

I think it is important for the government to get this oil spill under control. It is a shame that there is so much oil on the bottom of the ocean. I feel bad for al the animals in the ocean that have to deal with the oil. It also stinks how many animals died due to the oil spill. One thing though that is good is that the seafood that people eat is still healthy to eat. I really hope that they get this oil situation under control so that the ocean stays clean and healthy.

Questions:

1. How long do you think it will take to get this oil spill under control?

2. How many marine mammals died from the oil spill?

3. Why do you think this oil spill is such a huge problem to the United States?

Discovering Chocolate

"Rival Candy Projects Both Parse Cocoa’s DNA"

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/15/business/15chocolate.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

From: Andrew Pollack, New York Times

Published September 15, 2010

2010. Copyright New York Times

Summary

Could you imagine chocolate tasting even better than it is right now? How about if it was healthy? Scientists are very close to finishing the DNA sequence of the tree that makes the cocoa bean. Once they can finish the sequence, they can then alternate it so it can be an even better chocolate.

There are two rival companies who want to claim the credit for this almost finished discovery. The chocolate company Mars, known for Snickers, Milky Ways, and M&M's, and Pennsylvania State University.

Mars should broadcast soon that the $10 million dollars that was funded into the five year plan for sequencing the DNA has helped all the essential work to be done. The raw sequence of the genome for the cocoa tree is complete. Pennsylvania State University draws attention away by saying that they completed the sequence, but will keep it top secret until the papers examining the DNA is published in the scientific journal. Mars is planning on sharing this information freely to the public. Their goal was that everyone could have access to the data without having to be limited on what they can know. The catch is that by using the research, they cannot patent anything. Pennsylvania State University plans on make the research free soon, and will not have any catches on the data patenting.

What everyone can agree on is that the cocoa tree will be stronger than ever. The new tree has potential to be stronger than the diseases that previously wiped it out. It is also expected that there can be four times as much production. For those who grew the cocoa trees from income, this will benefit them too. Plus, some scientists are genetically trying to make a chocolate that contains more flavonoids, which could make chocolate healthier and better tasting. Whoever finds the better, stronger chocolate, the farmers, the companies, and the chocolate lovers will get a new experience with a new type of chocolate.

Opinion/Reflection

I didn't know that you could alter cocoa beans to make a different chocolate! A better tasting chocolate? Sounds great! A healthy chocolate? I can't wait! This would attract people into buying chocolate more since it is less fattening, and the demand wouldn't be bad because it is an option that they could make the cocoa bean produce up to four times what it does now. That is the profit for everyone! People get their chocolate, companies make money, and the farmers receive more income. This is a win-win-win situation. If only they could make it fast enough.

Questions

1. Why would it matter who gets the credit if every has access to the information?
2. What company could profit more from the discovery?
3. How soon should they be making the new type of chocolate?
4. How would the public react to a new type of chocolate?
5. Which type of chocolate would be better? New or old?

By Katie Abraham

-->: Water Pollution

-->: Water Pollution: "'Toxic Algae Killing Sea Otters'http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/41767 From: David A Gabel, ENN Published September 13, 2010 11:06 AM 2..."

I think that they should care more about the problem of the algae toxin in the ocean. The sea otters shouldn't have to be affected by this problem. They don't deserve to die. They need to help save the sea otters so they don't become extinct.
1. Humans can be affected by this problem because if they eat shellfish that comes from the mouth of rivers and is collected on rainy days, they can be exposed to the toxin and develope liver cancer. Also they could develope this from drinking water from certain lakes like Pinto.

Water Pollution

"Toxic Algae Killing Sea Otters"

http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/41767
From: David A Gabel, ENN
Published September 13, 2010 11:06 AM

2009. Copyright Environmental News Network

Summary

There has been a lot of pollutions going around the world, and water pollution is one of the most harmful pollution there is. For example, recently there was the oil spill which polluted the Gulf of Mexico and killed all living animals in the area. However, a group of sea otters were killed in the coast off of California.

What caused this tragedy for these poor animals? Toxin. This toxin was produced by the blue-green algae scientifically known as cyanobacteria. In a journal called "PLoS ONE." there was a report by the California Department of Fish and Game and the University of California that there were over 21 deaths of sea otters recorded because of flowing toxic chemicals in the ocean.

According to co-author Tim Tinker, "These findings also show the value in closely monitoring sentinel species like sea otters as a way to detect and understand threats to coastal oceans."

Blue-algae is not very friendly with any living things because it blocks light from reaching the bottom of the water and take the oxygen from the water. If there is no oxygen, there is no way ocean living animals could survive. Researchers recently found another particular algae called Microcystis which also releases a deadly toxin. This toxin can damage body tissue, fatal to living things, and cause acute liver failure. These listed symptoms were able to be seen from the sea otters. Melissa Miller who was in charge of this research began finding dead sea otters in 2007 when they washed up on the shore of Monterey Bay. Since the toxin came from Microcystis, it lead the group of researchers to track Pinto Lake in Watsonville which was a lake with Microcystis blooms. This body water of washed out into the Monterey Bay which might have caused the otters to die fatally.

How did it get to sea otters? This toxin is eaten by animals such as mussels, oysters, crabs, and clams. These creatures are then eaten by sea otters in which they consume the toxin that their prey had eaten before.  This event contributed the decline of sea otters population in California.

Can humans be affected by this? Yes. Researchers show that humans are at risk if they choose eat shellfish that are picked up from mouths of rivers and collected during rainy days. Drinking water from lakes like Pinto is not a good idea either. If there is any kind of exposure to the toxin, there is a possibility of developing liver cancer.

Opinion / Reflection

I didn't even care about sea otters or even other animals in the ocean until I read this article. I thought they would be okay living in the ocean since I didn't hear any news of them recently. I couldn't believe how water pollution can get this big. Even if it started as a Microcystis blooms, it flowed down to river and out into the ocean and just like that the sea otters were killed. It's upsetting to know how the animals have to suffer without knowing the cause of it and I believe that there should be something to prevent events like this happen in the future. From now on, I'm going to be careful of what I throw away and check if there is any toxin in it because it can possilby be flowing in the ocean. Also I will not litter trash and protect people and pets from drinking outside, unfiltered water to protect them from any diseases. In my opinion, the ocean life should be taken care of with more responsibility and research all the things that might put animals in danger. Why is this article important? Because it shows that the humans in this world are not looking after their world and we need to improve in preserving our ecosystems to protect the animals and ourselves from harm.

Questions

1. 
   
   How can we be affected by this?
2. 
   
   Shouldn't there be a ban on growing those Microcystis blooms to prevent any toxins being released?
3. 
   
   What could people have done in the first place?
4. 
   
   Are there other animals in the world that are environmentally troubled?
5. 
   
   Is there anyway I can reduce water pollution in our world?

Written by Jenny Kim