Declining Phytoplankton are Effecting the Earth

Out of all three articles i read I believe that "NASA Satellites Underestimating Southern Ocean Phytoplankton by Half, Algorithm Finds." has the least biased opinion because studies have been done to prove what is being stated. Therefore it is not an opinion, but facts. The story being told in 2010 is that the decrease in phytoplankton are having a negative affect on our world. The same story is being told in 2013, except more studies have been done recently. The concern throughout all the articles is that more and more phytoplankton die every year, and it's effecting our planet in a negative way. Phytokankton populations are measured by satellites. The decrease in phytoplankton affects us because they cover a large amount of the earth, and use carbon dioxide as food supply. They also supply the food chain, so if they die out completely so will we. I think it's terrible that they're dying more and more every year, but from the looks of these articles it seems there is nothing we can do to stop it, because it's been happening for years, it's not just recent.


Works Cited

• Minogue, Kristen. "Critical Ocean Organisms Are Disappearing." Science/AAAS. American Association for the Advancement of Science, 28 July 2010. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.
• Morello, Lauren, and ClimateWire. "Phytoplankton Population Drops 40 Percent Since 1950." Scientific American Global RSS. Scientific American, 29 July 2010. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.
• Kemsley, Tamarra. "NASA Satellites Underestimating Southern Ocean Phytoplankton by Half, Algorithm Finds." Nature World News RSS. Nature World News, 19 Sept. 2013. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.

Relationships Among Marine Organisms

Marine Food Web

In the marine food web i was phytoplankton:
All phytoplankton photosynthesize, but some get additional energy by consuming other organisms. They feed everything from microscopic, animal-like zooplankton to multi-ton whales. Small fish and invertebrates also graze on the plant-like organisms. If one member of the food web were to become endangered or extinct the entire food web would slowly fall apart. All animals slowly, but surely, would be affected. Phytoplankton feeds copepods, anchovies, and krill directly. Without phytoplankton the food web would slowly dwindle away.

http://blog.aquanerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Phytoplankton.jpg

Phytoplankton

Phytoplankton are the beginning of the food web for most of the planet, they provide nearly half the oxygen to our atmosphere through photosynthesis, and are the main food source for most of the small animals in the ocean. The neuston ecosystem is organisms that float on top of the water, or right below it's surface. This layer cover's about 71% of the earth's surface.
Diatomaceous earth is made up of phytoplankton. What causes the reflection of the sunlight off the diatoms is the shape of the diatom itself and the minerals that make it up. The shells of the diatoms make it useful for reflective paint. they would also be useful for abrasive toothpaste and natural pesticide.

Energy Flow

Energy in trophic levels decreases as it moves up levels because energy is lost. A food chain can usually withstand no more than 6 level transfers before all the energy is used up.

Human Impacts

Humans have a big impact on the marine ecosystem. We are constantly fishing, dumping waste, and playing in the ocean lakes and ponds. Our increase in population has increased our pollution.