Fish Problems
This term describes catching more fish than a population can naturally replace
What is Overfishing
This type of pollution involves plastic items breaking down into tiny particles less than 5 millimeters long
What are Microplastics
This gas dissolves into seawater and lowers the ocean's pH, causing acidifcation
What is CO2
This long-term increase in average global temperatures is one major driver of ocean warming
What is Global Warming
These underwater forest are threatened by warming waters and sea urchin overgrazing.
What are kelp Forests
This type of unintended capture often harms sea turtles, dolphins, and seabirds
What is Bycatch
This type of pollution from ships and industrial activities can coat birds' feathers and harm marine mammals
What is Oil Pollution
These marine organisms are impacted heavily from the effects of ocean acidification
What are calcifiers (shelled organisms and coral)
Coral bleaching occurs when corals lose these symbiotic organisms due to heat stress
What are Zooxanthellae
This type of development removes wetlands and alters coastlines, harming many juvenile marine species.
What is Coastal Development.
These large nets dragged along the seafloor catch many species at once and can cause high bycatch.
What are Bottom Trawls
Excessive underwater noise from shipping and drilling disrupts communication in these highly vocal marine organisms
What are Cetaceans
This is a main contributor to the growth and spread of Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)
What is Nutrient (agriculture) Runoff
As ocean temperatures rise, many marine species shift their ranges toward these cooler regions
What are the Poles
This habitat, found where rivers meet the sea, filters pollution but is often filled or dredged for construction.
What is an Estuary
This phrase describes how individuals, acting in their own self-interest, deplete or spoil a shared, limited resource, even though it harms everyone in the long run.
What is Tragedy of the Commons
These tools are often used to determine the pathways in which trash and other harmful materials travel to the ocean
What are Watershed Maps
Algal blooms caused by nutriet pollution can lead to these dangerously low-oxygen areas
What are Dead Zones
Rising atmospheric CO2 not only warms oceans but also contributes to this change in global sea level.
What is Sea Level Rise
This process of removing the top layer of the ocean floor to extract minerals can wipe out entire benthic ecosystems.
What is Seafloor Mining
This species has been the subject of extreme overfishing due to the use of its fins in soup and general fear of the species
What are Sharks
Runoff carrying fertilizers into the ocean contributes to this type of nutrient pollution.
What is Eutrophication
This chemical form of carbon decreases during acidification , making it harder for marine animals to form shells and skeletons
What is Carbonate Ions (CO32-)
This large-scale climate pattern, influenced by trade winds and ocean temperature cycles, can alter marine food webs during strong events.
What is El Nino
This human-created disaster, occurring in 2010, resulted in 11 deaths as well as 4.9 million barrels (210,000,000 gallons) of oil spilled into the gulf of Mexico
What is the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill