Introduction- Invasive Species

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, an invasive species can be defined as “an alien species whose introduction does or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health. [It] can affect aquatic ecosystems directly or by affecting the land in ways that harm aquatic ecosystems.” Invasive species represent the second leading cause of species extinction and loss of biodiversity in aquatic environments worldwide.  In this blog, our group will briefly go into the causes of invasive species and will touch on possible solutions to this issue.

Causes- Invasive Species

The rise of the human species would not have been possible without the ability of travel and the expansion of available destinations.  This was achieved via the creation of such modes of transport as the train, the automobile, and especially for long distances, the plane and the ship.  As time went on, more and more of the basic problems were solved and traveling became less of a harrowing task and more of a common endeavor. Now that the common issues are solved, we now realize some of the ecological impacts distant traveling is making, especially in invasive species. Planes and boats are carrying in different species from one ecosystem to another completely unique one. Sometimes, this maybe intended, a passenger thinking a particular species has a unique aesthetic to be brought back home. Other times, it is unintentional, such as when a species may accidentally be carried onto cargo planes or other planes or especially when the ballast water of one area is transported to the waters of a ships home.

In any case, Invasive species can be an ecological nuisance and often detrimental to other environment. A new invasive species may be coming in, but none of its natural predators come with it. With no natural predators such species have the freedom to grow outwards at incredible rates. Along with no natural predators, these species will often have defense mechanisms that the endemic species have no natural defense to, such as the porcelain berry that will inject a poison into the ground so that no surrounding plants may grow around it. Some other examples of invasive species are Phragmites australis, the European grass reed that can have devastating effects on east coast estuaries, or Starlings, the British speckled-wing black bird from England that’s beginning to take over as a major factor of the bird population.

Graphics of Causes- Invasive Species

This is a comical representation of invasive species. The top picture represents "space invaders" and the bottom shows how unwanted animals can enter a country through boats.

Research Document- Invasive Species

Invasive species: what you can do. (2011). Retrieved from

http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/habitats/forests/help/invasive-plant-

species-invasive-species-education.xml

·      Clean boats before you use them in a new area

·      Use non-invasive plants in your garden

·      Do not transport firewood to a non-native area

·      Do not release exotic pets or animals into the wild

Invasive species. (2010, March 2). Retrieved from

http://www.fws.gov/contaminants/issues/invasivespecies.cfm

·      Human actions are the main cause of invasive species

·      Invasive species can also harm humans, not just the environment

Invasive species. (2011, April 6). Retrieved from

http://water.epa.gov/type/oceb/habitat/invasive_species_index.cfm

·      Invasive species are a large threat to ecosystems on a local and global scale

·      Invasive species are the second leading cause of extinction

·      Invasive species affect ecosystems by

o   Killing natives

o   Changing water tables

o   Changing run-off dynamics and fire frequency

·      They disrupt boating activities and tourism

·      Boats are the main cause of invasive species

Solutions Document- Invasive Species

In order to target this problem, our team has gathered some possible solutions to this issue. To target intentional invasive species interaction, we would suggest stricter codas and restrictions for what can be brought from outside countries. Search of luggage should be more thorough and restrictions on legally brought species should also be stricter. As for shipping, more should be done regarding the changing of ballast water. Ballast water stations should be built along major trade routes so that water can be changed constantly along the route instead of immediately once docked into port. The water transitioned from one station to another will less likely be as foreign to the station as it would be to the dock.

Grapic of Solution- Invasive Species

The above graphic represents ballast water stations to change water before reaching the dock. This avoids introducing foreign water to other places around the world. The airplane above shows that foreign plants and animals should not be transported to other locations.

Introduction- Oil Spills

Oil spills continue to be a huge environmental issue. They not only affect the quality of the water the oil is released in, but also the environment and organisms surrounding that body of water. For example, the smallest amount of oil can cause catastrophic affects to the mortality of birds, even if it is not visible to the naked eye. The ocean is a mysterious place, and we are still unclear as to how certain ecosystems function, and if we continue to have oil accidents in major bodies of water, we’ll never learn information about certain species if they go extinct. Because of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, that occurred last year, cleaning solely that area is not enough. To restore the area basically back to what it originally was, we need to rearrange the entire ecosystem. Oil spills affect the environment, the economy, and the lives of many.

Causes- Oil Spills

Oil spills, unfortunately, do not get much media attention, with an exception to the BP oil spill of 2010. Public awareness is very minimal on this subject; just in May of this year, an oil spill occurred in North Dakota, which very few people know about. Oil spills are usually caused by carelessness and laziness. Large scale oil spills are mostly due to human error, where the crew on the ships make a severe mistake. However, although many boaters do not think in this manner, every time somebody dumps even the tiniest amount of oil into an ocean, lake, or river, fishes and other marine species are affected. Every little ounce counts, and it all adds up.

Grapic of Causes- Oil Spills

This is a pictorial representation (or a pie graph) of the major causes of oil spills. Fires and explosions on ships is the main reason why these spills occur.

Research Document- Oil Spills

Stewart, Anne (2009) World Oil Pollution: Causes, Prevention and Clean- Up. Retrieved from: http://oceanlink.island.net/oceanmatters/oil%20pollution.html

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (2008) What’s the Story on Oil Spills? Retrieved from: http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/kids/spills.html

·      US uses 700 million gallons of oil/day

·      Exxon Valdez oil spill was largest in US… but only 2% of what US uses in a day.

·      Spills are caused by people making mistakes, equipment failure, natural disasters, sabotage/ acts of violence

·      Oil usually floats on the surface and is a danger to marine birds and mammals.  The oil can be ingested and coat their feathers.

·      Spill response: Booms (floating barriers) skimmers (sucks up oil from surface) Sorbents (giant sponges), Chemical dispersants, burning off

·      USCG and EPA reasonable for clean ups

NOAA (2010) Oil Spills Retrieved from: http://oceanworld.tamu.edu/resources/oceanography-book/oilspills.htm

·       Oil spills are most often common at: continental shelf, groundings/drilling, runoff, transportation,

·       No two spills are the same

·       Translated to different clean up plans for each

·       Location, oil type, weather are key factors

·       Most common clean up:

o   1. Leave the oil alone so that it breaks down by natural means.
2. Contain the spill with booms and collect it from the water surface using skimmer equipment.
3. Use dispersants to break up the oil and speed its natural biodegradation.
4. Introduce biological agents to the spill to hasten biodegradation.

·       Animals suffer from toxic chemicals in oil

·       Oil damages coastal habitats

·       Can ruin fishing markets

NOAA (2011) Office of Response and restoration- Coastal Issues Retrieved from: http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/audience_catalog.php?RECORD_KEY%28audience_chosen%29=audience_id&audience_id%28audience_chosen%29=2

·       1989 Exxon Valdez Spill

·       Many lessons learned

·       quick response is critical

·       US made stricter laws regulating tankers

·       Lead to laws mandating double hull an all new tankers

Daniel, Tharani, Kathy (2010) Accidents and Operations Retrieved from: http://library.thinkquest.org/C004218/OilCauses.htm

·      There are two main causes of spills: accidents and operations.

·      Accidents: 1/5 have an oil loss of over 700 tones.

·      Types of accidents:

·       collisions: a common accident with 475 occurring

·       hull failures: these accidents have occurred the most, with 671 hull failures

·       fires and explosions: this is the most uncommon type of accident, only occurring 154 times

·       Groundings: a common accident with 518 occurring, and the greatest number of oil losses over 700 tones

·                Operations: Most oil losses occur when ships are carrying out routine operations at ports or oil terminals, but the majority of such spills are small, with 93% of them producing a spillage of less than 7 tones.

·                Types of operations spills:

• loading/discharging: commonest cause of oil spillages (either during routine operations or resulting from accidents), with 3070 occurring
• bunkering: the least common operational oil loss with only 566 occurring

Solutions Document- Oil Spills

The ideal solution to avoiding oil spills would be to stop drilling and transporting oil across oceans completely. Unfortunately, this is inconceivable in modern society, so other solutions must come in to play. Even though no one wants to give up more money, spending on safety features would be nothing but beneficial. Also, better employee training would be helpful as well. The crew on oil rigs should be better prepared for emergency situations so huge disasters can be avoided. In addition, the public should be more aware of not only the effects oil spills have on marine animals, but also the occurrence of spills themselves. Finally, if oil companies were made more liable for oil spills, they would be much more careful and pay more attention to detail. Since they would be held responsible, companies would drill with more care.

Solution Graphic- Oil Spills

The above graphic shows various solutions the team came up with to solve the oil spill dilemma. The ideal solution is reflected by the cross section of the oil tanker. It means that the major way to avoid oil spills is to stop transporting oil. Unfortunately, society is too dependent on this non renewable resource so other solutions include emergency preparation, and more publicized information to aware the public to create a movement to preventing more in the future.