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Environmental Exploitation: Oceans of Trouble?By KRISTEN STERNBERG | NIE Educational Consultant Did you know that over two-thirds of our Earth is covered by ocean? These salty seas supply food, wildlife habitat and natural resources such as oil underneath the ocean floor. Oceans also create weather systems that give us rain and they provide opportunities for transportation, commerce and recreation. Oceans, especially the Atlantic and Pacific, are really huge! It's hard to remember that before the days of air travel, ocean crossings could take many, many months. Early explorers like Ponce de Leon and Christopher Columbus were away from home for years at a time while they sailed the seas.
Oceans are a complex ecosystem and we're only beginning to understand how fragile they really are. Try to picture a food chain-or draw your own--as you think about how one oil spill from an ocean tanker can affect water quality, plant life, shellfish, little fish, birds, small marine mammals, larger fish and so on. What's the biggest ocean animal you can think of? Could that animal be affected by an oil spill, either directly or through the food chain? Most of us don't think of oceans as being crowded places, but in truth they're vast biological systems and we haven't even discovered all the life forms they contain! Every single drop of seawater contains many organisms. While we can identify most marine species we can see (such as whales, the largest ocean animals), there are smaller life forms yet to be discovered. Altering the ocean's ecosystem in any way may cause an imbalance that could come back to haunt us. We may even already have evidence of this imbalance. Activities, such as offshore drilling for natural resources, can disturb large areas of the ocean. What other dangers might such activities create? Why do some people fear offshore drilling. According to some, even a gas pipeline poses risks. Even very limited activity may have a lasting impact on our oceans. Scientists and other experts are researching ways to keep our oceans safe from pollution and other dangers. As human population continues to increase, we will certainly use this knowledge to our advantage. Check out this article about thirst to see where we might be headed! Do you think it will happen? How can you learn more about oceans? Start right now by reading Secrets of the sea, a newspaper article you can use to learn about oceans, research and an Oceanographic Institute in Central Florida. Then, go on to the newspaper activities and Web sites provided for you below. You can bet you'll learn a lot! More articles: Troubled Waters Try these interesting activities using The News-Journal!
A copy of Florida's Sunshine State Standards can be found at intech2000.miamisci.org. Check out these links to learn more: Try some activities of your own to learn more about ocean life. You'll find lots of ideas and experiments on topics like "How many fish in the sea?" and "How do animals stay warm?" at this site offered by the New England Aquarium.
Photos and drawings will captivate you as you explore the world of tide pools. Be sure to check out the Intertidal Zone Chart link for an interactive learning experience. The United States Coast Guard is an organization which, among other functions, is dedicated to performing rescues at sea. To learn about the U.S. Coast Guard, visit their Kids' Corner Web site. The Newspaper Association of America's web site contains links to many newspapers in the U.S. and around the world. Visit the site and check some of them out, to see if they have recently published any articles about oceans of the world. To access the newspapers at the site, select a state. Click on the "Internationals" button to view choices from other countries. The Daytona Beach News-Journal NIE Program, published June 11, 2001 |
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