The Changing Sea (Essay Sample)

The Changing Sea
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The Changing Sea: Expanding Dead Zones
Introduction:
Global warming and climate change are some of the severe environmental problems facing the world today (Johansen, 2009). As a result of global warming, temperatures are rising gradually, and this is affecting oceans life negatively due to the creation, and expansion of dead zones. A dead zone is characterized by a decline of oxygen levels, and in return, aquatic animals begin to migrate to other parts that support life (Heikkinen & ClimateWire, 2015). Oxygen is essential to life among human beings and animals, and any decline will cause animals, and men to abandon their known habitats. In the Changing Sea documentary, it is evident that as the world’s temperatures rise, water temperatures are also increasing causing low oxygen into the water. Expanding dead zones have left many species dead, and others have migrated to other oceans and sea in search of life. This essay seeks to discuss the element of expanding dead zones as a result of increased global warming.
For life to be supported in any habitat, oxygen must be available in adequate quantity. Any change in the oxygen levels will cause animals to move away from their habitat in search better habitations especially in the marine ecosystem (Heikkinen & ClimateWire, 2015). From the documentary, global warming has led to an increase in dead zones. Some creatures have disappeared, died, and others like the Humboldt squid have migrated from their equatorial waters to the coast of British Columbia. Migration Humboldt squid is an alarming issue because this shows that something is wrong with ocean life. Habitations and water bodies possess unique characteristics to support the different form of lives. Hence, any change in primary habitats due to the small provision of oxygen, and food can cause animals to migrate to other ecosystems.
Nature of dead zones
One of the forms of dead zones is the rapid disappearance of some species due to oxygen depletion. Any reduction of oxygen causes death to some of the unfortunate species like worms, but some species respond by migrating to other better ecosystem (Schiermeier, 2008). The case of Humboldt squid shows that Mexico waters have become a dead zone, and this animal has responded by moving to other waters with high oxygen, and food. Additionally, the disappearance of some species on the beautiful coast of California proves that the sea is changing for the worse. The presence of Humboldt squid on Vancouver Island is a clear sign that the ocean is changing, and the change is not positive (Buffie, & Underwood, 2010). Human lives are intertwined with lives in the ocean, and any change in the ocean has a direct impact on human habitat. For example, water pollution has left oceans and seas highly toxic to fish, and other animals to live in such waters.
Changes in the sea have resulted in the formation of dead zones in the coral reef, and this is a negative aspect because thousand of species are forced to migrate to other places (Desonie, 2008). This migration is a negative aspect because some deadly animals move closer to human beings like the sharks in North Carolina that have terrorized the public (National Geographic, 2015). The coral reef is the largest aquatic ecosystem housing thousands of marine animals, and formation and expansion of dead zones is a negative element to the future of aquatic lives (Desonie, 2008). For instance, this is a home to one -third of all fish species. Oxygen reduction means that a lot of fish species will die while others will move to other ecosystems in search for survival.
Consequently, heavy metals deposited in rivers, seas, and oceans have taken -up all the oxygen in the water, forming acidic water. For instance, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides byproducts from industry have led to the creation of acidic waters that cannot support life. As a result of water acidity caused by water pollution, fish have high toxins such as mercury that is fatal to human beings. More so, water acidity is increasing at an alarming rate due to the emission of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide levels are extremely high in the last couple of decades, and this has affected water PH. For example, Bay of Naples has been acidic for millennium, and many more water bodies are becoming acidic, killing any form of life (Buffie, & Underwood, 2010). Enhancing balance in water chemistry is core in life because any harmful changes affect both aquatic animals and human beings.
Formation of dead zones in the seas is changing how the sea works because every ecosystem is crucial to setting a balanced ecology in the world. Planktons are fundamental organisms to ocean life. These microorganisms play a great role in the formation of half of the oxygen used by living things (Dybas, 2005). Hence, any change in the sea or ocean ecology means that these organisms are affected as well resulting in the formation of numerous dead zones. Life at sea and land are intertwined, and a change in one affects the other since all ecosystems are connected, and organism work together to build balance (Dybas, 2005).
Evidence for dead zones
One of the facts about the dead zones change is the decline of life in the Gulf of Mexico due to oxygen depletion. According to Gulick, Gulf of Mexico has insufficient oxygen, and it have become inhabitable to many marine animals. The primary cause of oxygen depletion is human activities such as pollution in the Mississippi River with heavy metals, and toxic and substances (Gulick, (nd).
Evidence problems
The Gulf of Mexico is one of the highly affected water bodies, and its waters have failed to support marine life. Expansion of dead zones has resulted in the massive movement of thousands of species to other ecosystems, but some species have perished (British Geological Survey, 2015). It is evident that human beings are the primary cause of changes in the sea; the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico is a product of pollution in the Mississippi (Gulick, nd). This evidence is reliable because there are numerous researches regarding this affected Americas coastal water with high oxygen depletion. Scientists argue that this dead zone have led to the death of some marine lives, and the displacement of many others species such as fish, which can swim out of the dead zone. The sea is changing, and this is the affecting food chain, and habitat for millions of marine species (Fares, & El-Kadi, 2008).
However, this evidence has some problems because this water body is mostly affected during the spring season mainly (Gulick, nd). Nitrogen deposits from industrial wastes cause algae, and other phytoplankton blooms. Planktons are essential for oxygen production, but overproduction of these organisms can affect ocean ecology negatively. As Planktons die or are eaten away by microorganisms’ organisms, these bacteria increases, and taken up the oxygen at the surface of the sea. Hence, there is a decline in low oxygen to fish and other marine species, and the formation of dead zones. The seasonal dead zo...