VIRTUAL URCHIN LAB!
QUESTIONS AND OTHER NOTES!
1: Carbon in the Air: What does the graph of atmospheric Carbon Dioxide tell us?
The graph shows CO2 levels measured at the Mauna Loa observatory in Hawaii from 1958-2008.
2: pH Scale: Where do some common items fall on the pH scale?
Take a screen shot of your final answers and paste below:
3: Ocean pH: How might it change?
A change from 8.2 to 8.1 on the pH scale is a 30 % increase in acidity.
4: Carbon in the Water: Explain what happens to Carbon in ocean water.
When the carbon combines with the water molecules it becomes carbonic acid, which increases the ocean's acidity.
5: Exploring Carbon Levels and Effects: Look over the interactive and describe what happens
at each of the levels:
Scenario 1: Optimistic
Every ten years the pH of the ocean decreases .2%
Scenario 2: Middle Ground
The carbon dioxide in the ocean increases.
Scenario 3: Pessimistic
Every ten years the pH of the ocean water decreases by .2% and the carbon dioxide increases at least 29 more.
6: Diversity of Life in the Sea: Sort each of the organisms into Calcifiers or Non-Calcifiers.
Take a screenshot of your final answer and paste below:
7: Echinoderms Life Cycles and Skeletons: Can you think of any other possible acidification impacts on marine organisms other than calcification?
Everything on the food chain has a possibility of breaking down. Some animals can no longer become fully grown.
Discuss what your data showed: So What?
Our data showed that the pH level dropped 0.4 units. The arms of the larvae are shrinking, causing them not to feed themselves as well. Therefore, they grow slower.
Conclusion: What would these changes do to the adult Sea Urchin population?
The adult sea urchin population would keep producing stumpy lumpy urchins and then the source of food would be out of balance.
How would that effect other organisms that depend on these organisms as a source of food?
(Sea Otters)?
Since adult sea urchins don't get enough of what they need, Sea Otters won't either.
What did you learn about Ocean Acidification? Discuss.
Ocean Acidification plays a big role for everyone in the earth. It just comes off as a mere subject, but everyone needs to understand that the ocean is our home. We depend on the ocean so much, but yet we don't see the disasters we're causing. We're hurting our nature because we want to become more industrialized. Humans are the biggest greatest predators to the environment. These animals can not grow healthy, which will eventually cause us not to be healthy as well.
The graph shows CO2 levels measured at the Mauna Loa observatory in Hawaii from 1958-2008.
2: pH Scale: Where do some common items fall on the pH scale?
Take a screen shot of your final answers and paste below:
3: Ocean pH: How might it change?
A change from 8.2 to 8.1 on the pH scale is a 30 % increase in acidity.
4: Carbon in the Water: Explain what happens to Carbon in ocean water.
When the carbon combines with the water molecules it becomes carbonic acid, which increases the ocean's acidity.
5: Exploring Carbon Levels and Effects: Look over the interactive and describe what happens
at each of the levels:
Scenario 1: Optimistic
Every ten years the pH of the ocean decreases .2%
Scenario 2: Middle Ground
The carbon dioxide in the ocean increases.
Scenario 3: Pessimistic
Every ten years the pH of the ocean water decreases by .2% and the carbon dioxide increases at least 29 more.
6: Diversity of Life in the Sea: Sort each of the organisms into Calcifiers or Non-Calcifiers.
Take a screenshot of your final answer and paste below:
7: Echinoderms Life Cycles and Skeletons: Can you think of any other possible acidification impacts on marine organisms other than calcification?
Everything on the food chain has a possibility of breaking down. Some animals can no longer become fully grown.
Discuss what your data showed: So What?
Our data showed that the pH level dropped 0.4 units. The arms of the larvae are shrinking, causing them not to feed themselves as well. Therefore, they grow slower.
Conclusion: What would these changes do to the adult Sea Urchin population?
The adult sea urchin population would keep producing stumpy lumpy urchins and then the source of food would be out of balance.
How would that effect other organisms that depend on these organisms as a source of food?
(Sea Otters)?
Since adult sea urchins don't get enough of what they need, Sea Otters won't either.
What did you learn about Ocean Acidification? Discuss.
Ocean Acidification plays a big role for everyone in the earth. It just comes off as a mere subject, but everyone needs to understand that the ocean is our home. We depend on the ocean so much, but yet we don't see the disasters we're causing. We're hurting our nature because we want to become more industrialized. Humans are the biggest greatest predators to the environment. These animals can not grow healthy, which will eventually cause us not to be healthy as well.