Seabird population declines globally

The population of seabirds has declined worldwide. This decline is a sign of a deeper problem in the oceans ecosystems’. Seabirds live along oceans and are crucial predators to the marine ecosystems. They transport nutrients into the ecosystem through their waste, and they help fertilize entire ecosystems. When the population goes down, it is an indicator that the ecosystem is in trouble. Scientists from the Sea Around Us project have been doing research to find out why the population of the seabirds is declining. They discovered that the decline of birds is the result of overfishing, pollution, trash build up causing death, and many other factors. A major threat to seabirds is getting caught on longline fish hooks and drowning. A solution to this problem could be making efforts to protecting seabirds. One of the main causes of the seabirds population declining is death from human impact. Pollution in the air and water affects every ecosystem in the environment. Trash build up catches animals and kills them, especially seabirds. By putting more effort towards cleaning up the environment as a whole, it will greatly affect the population of seabirds globally. A problem with this solution is that it is naive to think that people will begin to care about the planet all of a sudden. There are programs all over the world to clean up the oceans and cut back pollution. People don’t understand the severity of what’s going on in the environment, and they won’t begin to care until it’s too late. Another way the population of seabirds can be helped is to figure out the source of the problem. In most cases, seabirds disappearing is a response to the marine ecosystem changing. If scientists can figure out what is changing in the ocean, then they can make a plan to fix it. The problem with this solution is that it may take years to find out the cause of the seabirds declining let alone a way to fix the problem. By the time the problem is found, it may be too late. If the scientists from the Sea Around Us project do more research and devote time to this problem, they can find a solution to the problem. It will only happen if someone cares about the birds. People may not see the birds as a priority, but they are crucial to the rest of the marine ecosystem.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/07/150709102850.htm

Seabird Populations Plummeting

Recent studies by the University of British Columbia of various seabird populations have reflected a significant decrease since 1950. Current populations (of which around 19 percent of global seabirds were analyzed) diminished to only 30.5 percent of what existed in 1950, or numerically down by about 230 million fowl. This significant decrease reflects a more widespread ecological problem, as seafowl numbers mirror the health of the world’s marine ecosystems. Factors leading to the demise of these critical animals include overfishing, pollution, climate change, and destruction of habitat.

         A possible solution touched upon in the article is the creation of an international seabird conservation group to lobby for more funding, research, and awareness to save seabirds. Until we understand these birds on a deeper level, we cannot effectively save them. Setting up more bird conservatories could further efforts to rescue these birds’ populations by giving them a home that cannot be touched.

         Even though these solutions seem effortless, a huge barrier would be gaining access to funding. With thousands of other more pressing environmental issues, this unknown problem would be thrown out by significant funding grants. Without proper monetary aid, there is no way seabirds would be able to receive research to allow scientists to fully understand the seabirds and how to save them from extinction. Personally, I believe seabird populations reflect the health of our oceanic ecosystems; therefore, scientists should focus on the sea life populations, which, when in balance, will increase the seabirds. I think it is sad that certain countries have overfished our seas to the brink of environmental collapse and now other sectors of our environment are being adversely impacted.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/07/150709102850.htm

Fireworks Cause Spike in Air Pollution

A study conducted by researchers shows that firework displays have brought a spike in air pollution in recent years.  Information was analyzed from more than 300 air-quality monitoring sites throughout the United States, stretching over a 15-year time frame. Researchers looked at levels of fine particulate matter, which travels deep into lungs and links to respiratory problems.  Average concentrations of fine particulate matter in a 24-hour period was 42% higher on July fourth compared to the days before and after the holiday.  The increases were highest between 9-10pm, rising about 21 micrograms per cubic meter. This increase pushed the total concentration close to the U.S Environmental Protection Agency’s limit of 35 micrograms in a 24-hour period.  Increases were dependent on several factors such as weather and the vicinity to the monitoring site.  In a field close to a monitoring site in Utah, the concentrations rose 370%, well above EPA standards.  People at greatest risk for health problems due to fine particulate matter exposure are people with heart or lung disease, elderlies, and young children.  Possible solutions to this problem could be to designate certain areas for firework displays, limiting the total amount of fireworks being set off.  Also, regulations could be put in place, forcing people to watch the light show at a certain distance for a set amount of time.  Barriers to the solution could be insubordination.  The belief that the celebration of the nation's independence should not be dampered by restrictions could result in fatal health consequences for Americans.

http://www.livescience.com/51408-july-4-air-pollution-fireworks.html

Travel to the Azores

The Azores, known for its amazing whale watching opportunities and cultural background, recently got even more attention after the decrease of airline flight costs. Many tourists overlooked the alluring vacation because of the high plane costs to travel there, but now crowd the oceans and historical places of the Azores. Even though this could bring a possible surplus to the Azores’ economic success, many of the locals fear that the sudden attraction of tourists could bring danger to both the natural habitats and sight-seeing beauties of the islands. Even though the growing attraction of tourists is inevitable, natural habitats and the wildlife can still be protected through stricter laws guarding the animals and forests of the islands. Nonetheless, the influx of tourists will bring a need for more hotels and tourist traps; this could possibly ruin the habitats of many island animals and the natives’ culture throughout the islands. I believe with stricter law enforcement on construction, preservation of natural habitats, and public knowledge of respecting the cultural beauties of the Azores, the islands could still progress economically without damaging the enticing environment. Click to Watch Full Video

Bumblebee Habitats in Decline

An issue has recently been observed in which the ranges of bumblebee habitats in Europe and North America have been shrinking.  This is supposedly due to climate change with temperatures rising at lower latitudes.  Although bumblebees cannot thrive in hot regions, environmentalists have observed that the creatures are not moving to higher latitudes in search of more temperate habitats.

Some environmentalists claim that bumblebee colonies must be very large in order to migrate to different regions while others believe that a viable solution to attract bumblebees northward (out of their shrinking habitats) is for humans to plant bumblebee-friendly plants to support a movement of the bees toward more temperate homes.  People are also encouraged to go to bumblebeewatch.org to report bumblebee sightings in North America.

While these solutions to the diminishing habitats seem easy, a major barrier would be participation.  Many people would not know to plant bumblebee-friendly flora and track bees on the interactive website and others may not care to do so.  In my opinion, this is a clear problem that should be fixed, but I feel that the solutions presented are simply implausible due to such limited awareness and participation.

http://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/bumblebees-are-being-bumped-climate-change-scientists-say-n389041

Seafood supply altered by climate change

Scientists believe that the supply of seafood around the world is changing due to climate change, ocean acidification, and human activities. A group of scientists from the Nereus program in Japan studied the future of seafood around the world. Marine ecosystems are being harmed by climate change, overfishing, and ocean acidification. Because of this, biodiversity and food web structures are altering. A solution to this problem could be controlling the amount that corporations can fish. Overfishing is a problem on its own. Ecosystems in the ocean are being destroyed every day. By limiting the number of fish that restaurants and other organizations can catch will drastically help marine ecosystems regenerate. Another solution would be stopping the air pollution though out the world. Global warming is increasing the temperature of the air and oceans. Using more environmentally friendly products would help cut back global warming. A problem with this solution is people find ways to cheat the law. There are always people who are inconsiderate and don’t think about the consequences of their actions. Even if laws are put in place to limit fishing, fishermen who refuse to follow the law will cancel out the people who do. It won’t do any good if everyone doesn’t respect the fishing limits. There are many ways already in place to stop global warming and cut back on the amount of pollution emitted. Simple things like recycling can impact the environment positively. People are too lazy to try and help the environment. This problem is fixable but only with tons of support and effort. If the amount of people who support the cause is larger than the people that don’t, then we could very well fix and maybe even better marine ecosystems.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/07/150701082829.htm

California Drought

The Western United States drought has had a huge affect on California. The water levels are low and that has had an effect on farms, plants, and animal species.According to NewsWeekly "Most of California is experiencing extreme to exceptional drought "and crisis has now entered its fourth year.""A possible solution  to this problem could be a desalinization plant since California is so close to the Ocean. The downfall to this solution would be the expense. If California decides to build a desalinization plant they should still keep conserving there water. In conclusion California needs to do something more than what they are doing because the clock is ticking.
My Source was:
http://www.newsweek.com/california-drought-all-you-need-know-347337