Microplastic Trapping Corals

Which of these catches more plastic particles- sand beds, coral reefs, sea grass beds, or macro-algae?

A study released last month by Jaco C. de Smit et al. looked at how different nearshore habitats trap and collect micro plastics.

They looked how sand/ sediment bed, sea grass, macro algae, and Stylophora (coral) were able to trap 2 different sizes of micro-plastics- 2.5mm and .5 mm.

What they found is that habitats with more complex structures trapped a higher amount of micro-plastics, but the area which trapped the most micro plastics was the sediment, which trapped 1 to 2 times more than any of the other areas.

The reason they believe this happened is because of the near-bed turbulent kinetic energy which is a contributing factor to sediment trapping.

Of the 2 different sizes of microplastics that were trapped, the .5mm particles seemed to be trapped more frequently than the 2.5 mm particles.

We already know micro-plastics are an issue, why does study this matter?

Nearshore ecosystems, like sea grass beds and coral reefs are hugely productive ecosystems and act as nurseries for many species of fish and sharks. According to this study they have large capacity for sequestering plastic. With these areas that are used by animals in vulnerable life stages, being inundated with micro plastics, it is much easier for them to get ingested and cause issues starting from early on. If the inhabitants of these area start to have issues, so too with the areas themselves.

To read their full article search here.

When Home Doesn't Sound Like it Used To

Waves crashing on the beach

What does your home sound like? Is it quiet? Loud? Are there kids playing or dogs barking? Do you hear trains or traffic in the background?

    If you think about it, our homes have a certain sound. Are you having a hard time figuring out what that sound is? Think about the last time you went away and had a hard time falling asleep because you missed the sounds of home.

    Just like our homes and habitats have a certain sound, so to do ocean ecosystems. (Check out my video of Aquarium of the Pacific, Pacific Visions sounds on the reef exhibit to hear what a reef sounds like) Now though, with increasing amounts of anthropogenic influences, aquatic habitats don’t sound the same and animals like Clownfish and whales, who use sound to navigate are having issues. 

While noise pollution might not seem like that big of a deal, it has had increasingly larger impacts on marine life. As anthropogenic noises (air guns, seismic testing, oil drilling platforms, cargo ships, speed boats, pile drivers, etc.) increase, the animals living in the oceans are facing more and more problems.

Consider the last time you were somewhere and you encountered a loud or unpleasant noise. What did you do? Most likely you left the area, which is what some of the larger species like whales and dolphins will do. Animals will often change their course to avoid loud areas like shipping lanes. But what about those smaller sessile species who can’t get away? They have been found to slowly migrate, leaving their native areas all together. Another example of issues it causes is one experienced by Clownfish. In their larval state they live in open water and as they grow they use sounds to help them navigate back to the reefs they will live on. With all the noise pollution, they are unable to tell which direction they need to swim to get to their reef.

  A recently released literature review looked at different studies done around the world with respect to aquatic species and noise pollution. The study’s authors looked at more than 10,000 papers about marine bio-acoustics from the past 20 years with the goal of compiling information that can be used to create policies that will bring about change. 

Researchers point out that noise pollution can cause physical damage to the animals. Some fish can regenerate cells used for auditory purposes, but mammals likely don’t have that ability. 

So, what can be done? While international cargo shipping, and oil drilling is not going to stop, there are changes that can be made to mitigate our impacts on the watery world and its inhabitants.

1. By moving shipping lanes, we can locate them in areas that have as small of an impact as possible. 

2. Reducing the speed of traveling vessels will help to reduce noise pollution they cause. 

3. Changing the types of propellers used to ones that produce fewer cavitation bubbles will quiet them.

4. Creating areas with sound barriers for oil platforms and deep sea drilling can reduce the impacted areas. 

    One of the unique, yet unplanned facets of this review is that the authors got to see the results of reduced noise pollution due to the pandemic slowdowns in commercial shipping. Dr. Carlos Duarte, the paper’s lead author said “Recovery can be almost immediate” as marine mammals and sharks began to return to areas when the shipping traffic slowed during 2020.  

    In the example at the beginning, when considering out home ecosystems, it should be noted that they are not quite, and nor are the oceans. Fish, marine mammals, and other organisms use sound to communicate with croaks, pops, snaps,  and songs. Waves crash, rocks tumble, and water splashes. The goal of this research is not to show us that we need to eliminate the noise we add to the oceans, but to work to make sure that our actions do not take away from the natural sounds of ocean habitats. 

To read the full article search for:  

“The Soundscape of the Anthropocene Ocean”. Carlos Duarte et al. 

Science 05 February 2021 ,Vol 371 Issue 6529

Will bucketlists locations be around by the time we get there?

Image Courtesy of: https://www.needpix.com/search/sand%20bucket

The Great Barrier Reef is having a rough time of things recently. They have been dealing with mass bleaching events, pollution, cyclones, and now they can add rain, and water pollution to that.

Recent rains have caused the Burdekin River to flood its banks and carry muddy run off, that likely contains harmful agricultural chemicals like phosphorous and nitrogen which are known to kill corals, directly into the waters in and around the GBR.

Typically during these rain events, strong winds will push the polluted toxic water further out to sea and keep it from sitting stagnant and concentrated near the reefs, but this time that is not the case.

If that weren’t enough, the reefs are also getting dumped on-literally-thanks to a loophole in the protections surrounding the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. In 2015, the federal goverment banned dredge spoil disposal near the reef, however it only applied to capital dredging, not the maintenance dredging done to keep the shipping channels clear for ships.

Its the maintenance dredging waste that will be dumped near the reef beginning in march, just after all the floods have washed so much run off into the near shore waters.

Dumping isn’t the only option, but it is a cheaper alternative to treating the dredged up material and disposing of it on land. The North Queensland Bulk Port Authority says they have done a peer reviewed dumping plan to determine what is best for the reef. Their risk assessment found the risks to the MPA were very low, with minor short term impacts to benthic habitats.

While I understand that the shipping channels need to stay clear for ships, it seems like there should be a better solution than dumping the dredged waste into the already sensitive ecosystem, and adding to the current mirad of issues. As always, I am hopeful the government, environmentalists, and authorities can work together to come up with a solution that benefits everyone.

Amelia Earhart- Possibly Found?

After being missing for 82 years, Amelia Earhart’s Lockheed Model 10-E Electra plane crash site may have been found off the coast of Buka Island, Papua New Guinea.

Wreckage recovered by divers from Project Blue Angel has led them to believe they have located the plane that belonged to Earhart. They found a piece of glass similar to the that of one of the lights on her plane, however the complete data is still being reviewed by experts.

William Shavely, Project Blue Angel Director was following up on a story heard in the 1930’s from a little boy on Papua New Guinea who “saw a plane- it’s left wing engulfed in flames- crash into the beach.”. As expected, over time the tide would have pulled the wreckage out into the ocean where it became covered in corals. When researchers looked at the last communication from Earhart and Noonan, they found Buka Island to be directly in her flight path.

Amelia’s plane was outfitted with a landing light along with several other modifications for her journey around the world and it is the landing light that got the divers excited. Not only did they find a 6 inch piece of glass similar to what was in her light, but they also found other pieces of wreckage which shared similarities to the modifications on her plane.

While the Blue Angel team is hopeful, they don’t want to jump to conclusions and are waiting for the results to come back from testing.