Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone Case Study

Poll

What is your favorite type of shrimp?

• Fried

• Scampi

• Popcorn

• Shrimp cocktail

​Article Link on the next slide

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Consider the questions to the left while reading.​

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Describe the set-up that an Illinois shrimp farmer uses to grow shrimp.   

Open Ended

How much per pound are these farm raised shrimp? Use the internet to find how this cost compares to Gulf shrimp costs.

Poll

Would you rather eat ...

• farm-raised shrimp

• gulf shrimp

Open Ended

What is the dead zone and what are the economic impacts it is having on the Gulf?

​Use the information on this slide to answer the next two questions.

Draw

Draw your food chain

Open Ended

How will decreased amounts of shrimp affect other species?

Multiple Choice

Based on the Food Web, which animal would be an omnivore?

(HINT: an omnivore eats Producers and Consumers)

• The shark

• The seagull

• The limpet

• The fish

Multiple Choice

Based on the Food Web, which of these statements is true?

• The shark is a producer

• The octopus is a primary consumer

• The limpet is a secondary consumer

• The zooplankton is a primary consumer

Multiple Choice

On average, how much energy is passed from one level of a food chain to another?

• 10%

• 90%

• 100%

• 50%

Multiple Choice

The diagram represents a model of a food pyramid.  Which statement best describes what happens in this food pyramid?

• More organisms die at higher levels than at lower levels, resulting in less mass at higher levels.
• Energy is lost to the environment at each level, so less mass can be supported at each higher level.
• When organisms die at higher levels, their remains sink to lower levels, increasing the mass of lower levels.
• Organisms decay at each level, and thus less mass can be supported at higher levels

Poll

Based on information from the locals,  5 hypotheses have been proposed to explain the dead zone.  Which one do YOU think is correct?

• Overfishing has depleted shrimp populations.

• Water pollution/toxins have killed off shrimp populations

• Rising water temperatures caused by climate change have made the habitat inhospitable to shrimp.

• Hurricane Katrina (2005) destroyed all the shrimp and their habitat.

• BP Oil Spill (2010) 

Fill in the Blank

Exploring each hypothesis

Average shrimp catch from 1960 to the mid '90s has _________.

Multiple Select

Choose all that apply.

• A

• B

• C

• D

• E

Open Ended

Multiple Choice

• A

• B

• C

• D

Poll

What is your favorite (water) vacation spot?

Multiple Choice

• A

• B

• C

• D

• E

Open Ended

Research the definition of "eutrophication" and type it below.

Multiple Choice

• A

• B

• C

• D

Multiple Select

Which source(s) of nitrates has increased?

• fertilizer

• legumes and pasture

• animal manure

Multiple Choice

Which source(s) of nitrates has remained relatively constant?

• fertilizer

• legumes and pasture

• animal manure

Poll

• A

• B

• C

• D

Open Ended

Open Ended

Algae Blooms | Flickrnew icn messageflickr-free-ic3d pan white

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Voluntary plan to reduce fertilizers not enough to shrink Gulf's 'Dead Zone', new study says | Environment | nola.com

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Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force | US EPALockPrimary navigation

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