HUMAN SUSTAINABILITY Lethal Seas PBS NOVA

What is causing the high acidity in the ocean?

• increase in carbon dioxide dissolved in the water
• decrease in carbon dioxide dissolved in the water
• increase in oxygen levels
• increase in nitrogen levels

Compare how sea urchins and baby corals responded to higher acidity. SELECT ALL THAT APPLY

• sea urchins are doing well
• sea urchins are eating more oysters
• sea urchins are dying off
• oysters are being deformed or dieing

What has made carbon dioxide levels increase rapidly?

• solar output
• volcanoes
• human activities
• coral reefs

Does temperature impact water's ability to absorb carbon dioxide?

• cold water absorbs more CO₂

• temperature does not impact CO₂ absorption

• warm water absorbs more CO₂

Why do oysters struggle with low pH (high acidity)?

• they have a hard time breathing
• they have deformed shells or none at all
• it kills their food source
• their predators increase with high acidity

Why is carbon dioxide important for plants?

• its a by product of photosynthesis
• its a necessary product of photosynthesis
• its a necessary food source
• its a necessary reactant (input) for photosynthesis

What are a few ecosystems that could be impacted by the changing carbon levels? SELECT ALL THAT APPLY

• sea urchins + seaweed

• coral reefs + fish

• sea grass + bison + wolves

• sea snails + fish + whales

What happened when Katarina opened the dead coral head? SELECT ALL THAT APPLY

• in the high CO2 AND the control area no critters were found

• in the high CO2 area there was less biodiversity in high CO2

• in the high CO2 area there was high biodiversity

• in the control area there was high biodiversity

The more rapid the change, the harder it will be for organisms to adapt

• false
• true
• Cannot be determined

What is upwelling?

• where wind blows across the surface of the ocean, starting in the springtime, and this wind brings up deep, cold CO2-rich water to the shores
• refers to a broad range of global phenomena created predominantly by burning fossil fuels, which add heat-trapping gases to Earth's atmosphere.
• the release of a gas or other substance into the air.
• natural process of trapping heat by gases in the atmosphere; moderates temperatures