Oil/Petroleum Pollution Large scale oil spills (Deepwater
Horizon, Torrey Canyon, Exxon Valdez) Small scale spills (spills at
oil terminals, groundings of small vessels, routine release of oil
from offshore drilling activities) Vessel operations (illegal tank
cleanouts, discharges) Municipal and industrial effluents Natural
seeps whoi.edu
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Oil/Petroleum Pollution
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Trash
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Threats to Wildlife Swallowing plastic debris Entanglement
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Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) POP = a substance that
possess toxic property and resists degradation Examples: DDT,
lindane, PCBs, dioxins Stored in the fatty tissue and organs of
animals Can disrupt endocrine system, case cancer or genetic
defects, weaken immune systems
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sustainable-nano.com
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www.worldoceanreview.com
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Metals Do not decompose under normal environmental conditions
and can accumulate in the environment and in living tissues
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Mercury contamination in the sea
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Nutrient Enrichment/Eutrophication
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Effects of Eutrophication Algal overgrowth of marine ecosystems
Hypoxia and formation of dead zones Stimulation of HABs
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Disease in the Marine Environment Affects organisms ranging
from coralline algae to manatees Infectious diseases are
transmitted by pathogens Lack Information on disease processes
Dynamics of host population regulation Factors that promote disease
emergence and outbreak Mechanisms of pathogen transmission
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Causes of Disease Viruses Are the most abundant plankton in the
sea Hosts include bacterioplankton and phytoplankton Have a
significant impact on primary production in the sea Fungi Slime
molds Bacteria Protozoans HABs
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Effects of Disease Changes in community structure Catastrophic
population declines Seaotters.com
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Is Disease on the Rise? Ex. GTFP (green turtle fibropapillomas)
www.turtles.org
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Role of Climate Change and Humans in Marine Diseases Two ways
climate change and humans can increase the occurrence of marine
disease Increase the rate of contact between novel pathogens and
susceptible hosts Examples: Transmission of canine distemper virus
from sled dogs in Antarctica to crab-eater seals; harbor seals
infected with influenza virus A (New England) and influenza virus B
(Netherlands) Altering the environment in favor of the pathogen
Examples: Spread of Dermo from warm southern waters to warming
waters along Atlantic coast; corals have increased susceptibility
to an infectious cyanobacteria during warm water associated
bleaching events; polluted habitats increase organisms
susceptibility to disease
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Disease and Biodiversity Sometimes disease outbreaks can
increase biodiversity (Ex. Sea urchins in kelp forests;
crown-of-thorns starfish on coral reefs) Is growing concern that
the increase in the frequency and impact of disease outbreaks will
negatively affect biodiversity, but hard to predict extent of
effects Disease-mediated extinction is likely to be rare
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Marine Disease Research Priorities Long-term monitoring Better
understanding of disease dynamics Consideration of diseases in
marine reserves
Seagrass Disease Wasting disease (marine slime mold-like
protist Labyrinthula zosterae) Responsible for catastrophic (90%)
loss of eelgrass along Atlantic coasts of North America and Europe
in 1930s. Zostera marina NOAA