Oceans and Plastics Lab #4
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Arizona State University *
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Dec 6, 2023
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LAB 4: OCEANS AND PLASTIC
100 points
Due at the beginning of lab next week.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of this lab, you will be able to
1.
Explain where the ocean’s water and salt come from.
2.
Explain how sea level varies over geologic time.
3.
Define ocean currents and factors that influence them.
4.
Identify human-caused issues impacting the ocean.
INTRODUCTION
Oceans are an important part of Earth and necessary for humanity to exist. The ocean is
important because it produces over half of the world’s oxygen, absorbs 50 times more CO
2
than
the atmosphere, transports heat from the equator to the poles, and it regulates climate and
weather patterns (
NOAA
).
The ocean is a dynamic environment in constant motion and full of life. Ocean waters
flow over vast distances in currents, and the surface elevation changes due to tides and the
development of waves. Despite constant motion, ocean waters are nonhomogeneous because
salt content and temperature vary regionally and with depth.
Ocean pollution is a complex mixture of chemicals and trash. More than 80% of
pollution comes from land-based sources and it reaches the ocean through rivers, runoff,
atmospheric deposition, and direct dumping. Ocean pollution is heaviest near the coast and
highly concentrated along coastlines of low-income and middle-income countries. Ocean
pollution can also be found in the deepest oceanic trenches and along the shores of remote
islands (
National Geographic
).
Chemical pollution is a concern for health, environmental, and economic reasons. It is
often related to human activities such as fertilizer use on farms, which will runoff into local
waterways and eventually end up in the ocean. Increased concentrations of chemicals have
negative effects on wildlife and human health (
National Geographic
).
Trash encompasses all manufactured products created by humans that end up in the
ocean. Trash poses dangers to both humans and animals. Sea animals can become tangled and
injured in debris. Small organisms feed on bits of broken-down plastic and absorb the chemicals
into their bodies. The smaller organisms are eaten by larger and larger animals; thus, these
chemicals migrate through the food chain and can be consumed by humans (
EHS
).
1 1
Solutions for ocean pollution include prevention and cleanup (
NOAA
). Disposable and
single-use plastic is commonly used in society, so changing society’s approach to plastic use will
take a long time and be an economically challenging process. Cleanup is possible to a degree;
however, it will take an even longer amount of time. Some debris do not float and are lost deep
in the ocean. Plastics that do float collect in large patches in ocean gyres. The “Pacific Garbage
Patch” is one example of a collection of plastics floating at the surface between California and
Hawaii (
National Geographic
).
Figure from
NOAA
.
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LAB 4: OCEANS AND
VIRTUAL FIELD TRIP
Name: _____________________________
Section: _____________________________
This lab has two parts: 1) a virtual group field trip and 2) an exploration of ocean properties. For the overview, use
the Marshak and Rauber textbook and the suggested websites to answer the lab questions. For the virtual field trip
we will be visiting Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary in California. We will be investigating the geological and coastal
properties of this region as well as examining some of the environmental issues of the area and the means of
mitigating them. At the end of the trip, you will take what you have learned and write a short summary focusing on
a human-induced ocean issue and finding solutions to remedy it. [100 pts].
Oceans and Plastic Pollution StoryMap Presentation
Part I: Virtual Field Trip (together as a class)
Go to
Google Earth
, and search for “Monterey Bay”
1.
Where is the bay? [4 pts] _Located off the coast of California, Next to the city of San Jose
2.
What ocean is the bay in? [4 pts] _Pacific ocean
Monterey Bay is a marine sanctuary. Visit
this website
and answer the following questions.
(https://montereybay.noaa.gov/intro/welcome.html)
3.
Describe four physical characteristics of the Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary. (size, shoreline, depth, etc.)
[4 pts]
Stretches from Marin to Cambria,
Shoreline length of
276 miles
It covers a total ocean size of : 6,094 square statute miles (4,601 nmi2)
Covers an average distance of 30 miles out from the shore
Deepest Point of bay : 12,743 feet (more than two miles)
1 3
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Now, let’s look at the current physical condition of the water in the Bay. Visit
this website
and answer the following
questions.
https://www.swellinfo.com/surf-forecast/monterey-california
Use data for the following Tuesday (1/31/2023) for all your answers for question 4-9. If you can’t, list here which
date you used instead _09/21/2023_.
4.
Surf height at 9 a.m. (include units). [4 pts] ___0-1 Feet with a clean rating, _
5.
Height and time of a.m. Low Tide. [4 pts] ______Low tide occurs at 7:55am Height of 3 ft__
6.
Height and time of a.m. High Tide. [4 pts] ____4:41am with a height of 3.3ft
7.
Wind direction and speed at 9 a.m. [4 pts] _____south direction with 8mph winds
8.
Swell direction and speed at 9 a.m. [4 pts] _____west direction speed of 1.8 ft @ 5 seconds
9.
Ocean temperature (include units). [4 pts] __61degrees 3/2 wetsuit
Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary is federally protected by the U.S. Department of Commerce. However, its
proximity to the coastline makes it vulnerable to pollution from watershed areas that drain to it. Visit
this website
to learn more. https://montereybay.noaa.gov/resourcepro/water-pro.html
10.
Name three contaminants that can pollute the Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary and describe why they are
dangerous. [4 pts]
Oil, Grese, Sediments are containments that can affect the bay. Being able to protect this sanctuary from
polluting contaminants helps ensure protection for all of the sanctuaries resources. Helps protect the
local water quality
1 4
Today, most coastal regions are threatened by human activities and pollution. Although protected, Monterey Bay
Marine Sanctuary is still at risk and currently experiences a variety of environmental issues. Visit
this website
and
answer the following questions. https://montereybay.noaa.gov/resourcepro/resmanissues/issues.html
11.
Using the table below, list and describe at least 6 issues the bay is experiencing. Explain at least 1 solution
for each issue.
[6pts]
Issue
Cause
Effect
Solution(s)
Marine Debris
1 5
Part II: Overview of Ocean Properties
The ocean is different from other water bodies on Earth. This is because the ocean is a solution containing
dissolved salts. Using your lecture textbook or this
website
, answer the question.
https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/why_oceans.html#:~:text=The%20ocean%20formed%20billions%20of,know
%20as%20our%20world%20ocean.
1.
How did the ocean form? [5 pts]
Using your textbook or this
website
, answer the following questions.
https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/whysalty.html
2.
What are the sources of ocean salts? [4 pts]
3.
What factors affect the salinity of ocean water? [4 pts]
A layer of saltwater forms a single global ocean. The continents and the equator divide the ocean into distinct
geographic regions, and partial enclosure of oceanic regions by land defines seas and bays. Mean sea level, the
average elevation of the sea surface, has varied across geologic time. Using your textbook and this
website
, answer
the question.
https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-global-sea-level#:~:text=What's
%20causing%20sea%20level%20to,expanding%20as%20the%20water%20warms.
4.
What factors cause change in sea level? How do they change sea level? [5 pts]
Visit this
website
. Click on the “earth” button and change the “mode” to “Ocean,” “Animate” to “Currents,” and
“Overlay” to “Currents.” Explore the globe, then answer the following questions. https://earth.nullschool.net/
5.
Define ocean currents and what affects them? What are the units of the “Overlay”? [4 pts]
1 6
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6.
What is the pattern of oceanic currents in the Northern Hemisphere? The Southern Hemisphere? [4 pts]
7.
If tons of plastic pollution were dumped off the coast of the California, where would they end up: Canada
or Mexico? Why? [4 pts]
8.
Why do currents circle the ocean? [4 pts]
Ocean water is in constant motion due to currents, upwelling and downwelling, and thermohaline circulation. Visit
this
website
and answer these questions. https://ocean-climate.org/en/awareness/ocean-circulation/
9.
Describe ocean circulation. What is it? What does it do? What drives it? [4 pts]
10.
Why does downwelling of ocean water occur at polar latitudes and upwelling at the equator? [4 pts]
Visit this
website
about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and answer the following questions.
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/great-pacific-garbage-patch/
11.
Describe it. What is it? Where is it? How large is it? What are the sources of pollution contributing to it?
And where does the pollution come from (name countries)? [4 pts]
1 7
12.
How did it form? [4 pts]
13.
Why is it a problem? [4 pts]
1 8