Coral reefs are important ecosystems that support a high level of biodiversity and provide economic and ecological benefits. They are formed through the relationship between tiny polyp animals and algae, but are threatened by coastal development, pollution, overfishing, warmer oceans, and increasing acidity. While healthy coral reefs are colorful and diverse ecosystems, bleached reefs have lost their algae and appear white and empty.
Conservation strategies for LOKTAK lake ecosystemSWAGATIKA SAHOO
LOKTAK lake Largest freshwater lake in Northeast India.
Situated in Moirang town of Bishnupur District in the state of Manipur, India. Considering its ecological status and biodiversity values the lake was designated as a Ramsar site on 23rd March 1990, with the reference number 463. It is listed under the Montreux Record on 16th June 1993 which is a record of Ramsar sites ‘where changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring, or are likely to occur by human activities and pollution.
Wetlands exist along the borders of water courses and water bodies, in topographically low lying areas. Wetlands are the interfaces between land and water. This module explains the importance of wetlands as promising ecosystems.
Conservation strategies for LOKTAK lake ecosystemSWAGATIKA SAHOO
LOKTAK lake Largest freshwater lake in Northeast India.
Situated in Moirang town of Bishnupur District in the state of Manipur, India. Considering its ecological status and biodiversity values the lake was designated as a Ramsar site on 23rd March 1990, with the reference number 463. It is listed under the Montreux Record on 16th June 1993 which is a record of Ramsar sites ‘where changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring, or are likely to occur by human activities and pollution.
Wetlands exist along the borders of water courses and water bodies, in topographically low lying areas. Wetlands are the interfaces between land and water. This module explains the importance of wetlands as promising ecosystems.
I designed a restoration and conservation plan to improve the island habitat and native special at the Cedar Creek/Lake Muhlenberg region of Allentown, PA. My research proposal was part of an interdisciplinary Sustainability Studies course where each student selected a real environmental issue facing the City of Allentown in which the Parks and Recreation Department desired to improve. My proposal was actually picked up, funded by, and put into action by various partners who contributed their expertise to the project, such as the Edge of the Woods Nursery in Allentown, a nonprofit organization Friends of the Allentown Parks, and the Lehigh Valley Chapter of the National Audubon Society
Presented by IWMI's Priyanie Amerasinghe at a World Wetlands Day dialogue: 'Getting Wetland Research into Policy & Practice' held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on February, 2, 2018
wetlands. ramsar sites of kera;a..general info about the wetlands, its type, significane...etc...similarly about Ramsar sites, its criterias and detaios about 3 important sites of kerala
I designed a restoration and conservation plan to improve the island habitat and native special at the Cedar Creek/Lake Muhlenberg region of Allentown, PA. My research proposal was part of an interdisciplinary Sustainability Studies course where each student selected a real environmental issue facing the City of Allentown in which the Parks and Recreation Department desired to improve. My proposal was actually picked up, funded by, and put into action by various partners who contributed their expertise to the project, such as the Edge of the Woods Nursery in Allentown, a nonprofit organization Friends of the Allentown Parks, and the Lehigh Valley Chapter of the National Audubon Society
Presented by IWMI's Priyanie Amerasinghe at a World Wetlands Day dialogue: 'Getting Wetland Research into Policy & Practice' held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on February, 2, 2018
wetlands. ramsar sites of kera;a..general info about the wetlands, its type, significane...etc...similarly about Ramsar sites, its criterias and detaios about 3 important sites of kerala
Implementing and learning from nutrition-sensitive fish agri-food systems, e....WorldFish
Worldfish: Nutrition Sensitive Fish Agri-Food Systems Workshop, presented by Absalom Sakala, Principal Environment Management Officer, Ministry of Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection
Analyzing a lake ecosystem is an interesting and everlasting area of Environmental Studies. Since these water bodies are subjected to pollution and degradation, analyzing them is an essential requirement. These analytical works come under a special branch of Science called Limnology.
Alt. GDG Cloud Southlake #33: Boule & Rebala: Effective AppSec in SDLC using ...James Anderson
Effective Application Security in Software Delivery lifecycle using Deployment Firewall and DBOM
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The software team must secure its software delivery process to avoid vulnerability and security breaches. This needs to be achieved with existing tool chains and without extensive rework of the delivery processes. This talk will present strategies and techniques for providing visibility into the true risk of the existing vulnerabilities, preventing the introduction of security issues in the software, resolving vulnerabilities in production environments quickly, and capturing the deployment bill of materials (DBOM).
Speakers:
Bob Boule
Robert Boule is a technology enthusiast with PASSION for technology and making things work along with a knack for helping others understand how things work. He comes with around 20 years of solution engineering experience in application security, software continuous delivery, and SaaS platforms. He is known for his dynamic presentations in CI/CD and application security integrated in software delivery lifecycle.
Gopinath Rebala
Gopinath Rebala is the CTO of OpsMx, where he has overall responsibility for the machine learning and data processing architectures for Secure Software Delivery. Gopi also has a strong connection with our customers, leading design and architecture for strategic implementations. Gopi is a frequent speaker and well-known leader in continuous delivery and integrating security into software delivery.
Essentials of Automations: The Art of Triggers and Actions in FMESafe Software
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Whether you’re tweaking your current setup or building from the ground up, this session will arm you with the tools and insights needed to transform your FME usage into a powerhouse of productivity. Join us to discover effective strategies that simplify complex processes, enhancing your productivity and transforming your data management practices with FME. Let’s turn complexity into clarity and make your workspaces work wonders!
Dr. Sean Tan, Head of Data Science, Changi Airport Group
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Join Maher Hanafi, VP of Engineering at Betterworks, in this new session where he'll share a practical framework to transform Gen AI prototypes into impactful products! He'll delve into the complexities of data collection and management, model selection and optimization, and ensuring security, scalability, and responsible use.
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Presented by Vladimir Iglovikov:
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/iglovikov/
- https://x.com/viglovikov
- https://www.instagram.com/ternaus/
This presentation delves into the journey of Albumentations.ai, a highly successful open-source library for data augmentation.
Created out of a necessity for superior performance in Kaggle competitions, Albumentations has grown to become a widely used tool among data scientists and machine learning practitioners.
This case study covers various aspects, including:
People: The contributors and community that have supported Albumentations.
Metrics: The success indicators such as downloads, daily active users, GitHub stars, and financial contributions.
Challenges: The hurdles in monetizing open-source projects and measuring user engagement.
Development Practices: Best practices for creating, maintaining, and scaling open-source libraries, including code hygiene, CI/CD, and fast iteration.
Community Building: Strategies for making adoption easy, iterating quickly, and fostering a vibrant, engaged community.
Marketing: Both online and offline marketing tactics, focusing on real, impactful interactions and collaborations.
Mental Health: Maintaining balance and not feeling pressured by user demands.
Key insights include the importance of automation, making the adoption process seamless, and leveraging offline interactions for marketing. The presentation also emphasizes the need for continuous small improvements and building a friendly, inclusive community that contributes to the project's growth.
Vladimir Iglovikov brings his extensive experience as a Kaggle Grandmaster, ex-Staff ML Engineer at Lyft, sharing valuable lessons and practical advice for anyone looking to enhance the adoption of their open-source projects.
Explore more about Albumentations and join the community at:
GitHub: https://github.com/albumentations-team/albumentations
Website: https://albumentations.ai/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/100504475
Twitter: https://x.com/albumentations
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Communications Mining Series - Zero to Hero - Session 1DianaGray10
This session provides introduction to UiPath Communication Mining, importance and platform overview. You will acquire a good understand of the phases in Communication Mining as we go over the platform with you. Topics covered:
• Communication Mining Overview
• Why is it important?
• How can it help today’s business and the benefits
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• Demo on Platform overview
• Q/A
Unlock the Future of Search with MongoDB Atlas_ Vector Search Unleashed.pdfMalak Abu Hammad
Discover how MongoDB Atlas and vector search technology can revolutionize your application's search capabilities. This comprehensive presentation covers:
* What is Vector Search?
* Importance and benefits of vector search
* Practical use cases across various industries
* Step-by-step implementation guide
* Live demos with code snippets
* Enhancing LLM capabilities with vector search
* Best practices and optimization strategies
Perfect for developers, AI enthusiasts, and tech leaders. Learn how to leverage MongoDB Atlas to deliver highly relevant, context-aware search results, transforming your data retrieval process. Stay ahead in tech innovation and maximize the potential of your applications.
#MongoDB #VectorSearch #AI #SemanticSearch #TechInnovation #DataScience #LLM #MachineLearning #SearchTechnology
A tale of scale & speed: How the US Navy is enabling software delivery from l...sonjaschweigert1
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- Improved developer experience and productivity through actionable findings and reduction of false positives
- Maintenance of superior security standards and inherent policy enforcement with Authorization to Operate (ATO)
Development teams can ship efficiently and ensure applications are cyber ready for Navy Authorizing Officials (AOs). In this webinar, Sigma Defense and Anchore will give attendees a look behind the scenes and demo secure pipeline automation and security artifacts that speed up application ATO and time to production.
We will cover:
- How to remove silos in DevSecOps
- How to build efficient development pipeline roles and component templates
- How to deliver security artifacts that matter for ATO’s (SBOMs, vulnerability reports, and policy evidence)
- How to streamline operations with automated policy checks on container images
GraphSummit Singapore | The Art of the Possible with Graph - Q2 2024Neo4j
Neha Bajwa, Vice President of Product Marketing, Neo4j
Join us as we explore breakthrough innovations enabled by interconnected data and AI. Discover firsthand how organizations use relationships in data to uncover contextual insights and solve our most pressing challenges – from optimizing supply chains, detecting fraud, and improving customer experiences to accelerating drug discoveries.
LF Energy Webinar: Electrical Grid Modelling and Simulation Through PowSyBl -...DanBrown980551
Do you want to learn how to model and simulate an electrical network from scratch in under an hour?
Then welcome to this PowSyBl workshop, hosted by Rte, the French Transmission System Operator (TSO)!
During the webinar, you will discover the PowSyBl ecosystem as well as handle and study an electrical network through an interactive Python notebook.
PowSyBl is an open source project hosted by LF Energy, which offers a comprehensive set of features for electrical grid modelling and simulation. Among other advanced features, PowSyBl provides:
- A fully editable and extendable library for grid component modelling;
- Visualization tools to display your network;
- Grid simulation tools, such as power flows, security analyses (with or without remedial actions) and sensitivity analyses;
The framework is mostly written in Java, with a Python binding so that Python developers can access PowSyBl functionalities as well.
What you will learn during the webinar:
- For beginners: discover PowSyBl's functionalities through a quick general presentation and the notebook, without needing any expert coding skills;
- For advanced developers: master the skills to efficiently apply PowSyBl functionalities to your real-world scenarios.
Maruthi Prithivirajan, Head of ASEAN & IN Solution Architecture, Neo4j
Get an inside look at the latest Neo4j innovations that enable relationship-driven intelligence at scale. Learn more about the newest cloud integrations and product enhancements that make Neo4j an essential choice for developers building apps with interconnected data and generative AI.
Full-RAG: A modern architecture for hyper-personalizationZilliz
Mike Del Balso, CEO & Co-Founder at Tecton, presents "Full RAG," a novel approach to AI recommendation systems, aiming to push beyond the limitations of traditional models through a deep integration of contextual insights and real-time data, leveraging the Retrieval-Augmented Generation architecture. This talk will outline Full RAG's potential to significantly enhance personalization, address engineering challenges such as data management and model training, and introduce data enrichment with reranking as a key solution. Attendees will gain crucial insights into the importance of hyperpersonalization in AI, the capabilities of Full RAG for advanced personalization, and strategies for managing complex data integrations for deploying cutting-edge AI solutions.
Building RAG with self-deployed Milvus vector database and Snowpark Container...Zilliz
This talk will give hands-on advice on building RAG applications with an open-source Milvus database deployed as a docker container. We will also introduce the integration of Milvus with Snowpark Container Services.
DevOps and Testing slides at DASA ConnectKari Kakkonen
My and Rik Marselis slides at 30.5.2024 DASA Connect conference. We discuss about what is testing, then what is agile testing and finally what is Testing in DevOps. Finally we had lovely workshop with the participants trying to find out different ways to think about quality and testing in different parts of the DevOps infinity loop.
2. Core Case Study: Why Should We Care
about Coral Reefs? (1)
• Biodiversity
• Formation
• Tiny animals (polyps) and algae have mutualistic
relationship
• Polyps secret calcium carbonate shells, which become
coral reefs
3. Core Case Study: Why Should We Care
about Coral Reefs? (2)
• Important ecological and economic services
• Moderate atmospheric temperatures
• Act as natural barriers protecting coasts from erosion
• Provide habitats
• Support fishing and tourism businesses
• Provide jobs and building materials
• Studied and enjoyed
4. Core Case Study: Why Should We Care
about Coral Reefs? (3)
• Degradation and decline
• Coastal development
• Pollution
• Overfishing
• Warmer ocean temperatures leading to coral
bleaching: kill algae and thus the polyps
• Increasing ocean acidity
5. A Healthy Coral Reef in the Red Sea
Healthy Bleached
Fig. 8-1, p. 168
6. Most of the Earth Is Covered with
Water (1)
• Saltwater: global ocean divided into 4 areas
• Atlantic
• Pacific
• Arctic
• Indian
• Freshwater
7. Most of the Earth Is Covered with
Water (2)
• Aquatic life zones
• Saltwater life zones (marine life zones)
• Oceans and estuaries
• Coastlands and shorelines
• Coral reefs
• Mangrove forests
• Freshwater life zones
• Lakes
• Rivers and streams
• Inland wetlands
10. Most Aquatic Species Live in Top, Middle,
or Bottom Layers of Water (1)
• Plankton: free floating
• Phytoplankton
• Primary producers for most aquatic food webs
• Zooplankton
• Primary and secondary consumers
• Single-celled to large invertebrates like jellyfish
• Ultraplankton
• Tiny photosynthetic bacteria
11. Most Aquatic Species Live in Top, Middle,
or Bottom Layers of Water (2)
• Nekton
• Strong swimmers: fish, turtles, whales
• Benthos
• Bottom dwellers: oysters, sea stars, clams, lobsters,
crabs
• Decomposers
• Mostly bacteria
12. Most Aquatic Species Live in Top, Middle,
or Bottom Layers of Water (3)
• Key factors in the distribution of organisms
• Temperature
• Dissolved oxygen content
• Availability of food
• Availability of light and nutrients needed for
photosynthesis in the euphotic (photic) zone
• Turbidity: degree of cloudiness in water
• Inhibits photosynthesis
14. Oceans Provide Vital Ecological
and Economic Resources
• Estimated $12 trillion per year in goods and services
• Reservoirs of diversity in three major life zones
1. Coastal zone
• Warm, nutrient rich, shallow
• Shore to edge of continental shelf
• Usually high NPP from ample sunlight and nutrients
2. Open sea
3. Ocean bottom
15. Major Ecological and Economic Services Provided by
Marine Systems
Fig. 8-5, p. 172
16. Estuaries and Coastal Wetlands Are
Highly Productive (1)
• Estuaries and coastal wetlands
• Where rivers meet the sea
• Seawater mixes with freshwater
• Very productive ecosystems: high nutrient levels
• River mouths
• Inlets
• Bays
• Sounds
• Salt marshes
• Mangrove forests
17. View of an Estuary from Space
Fig. 8-7, p. 173
19. Estuaries and Coastal Wetlands Are
Highly Productive (2)
• Seagrass Beds
• Grow underwater in shallow areas
• Support a variety of marine species
• Stabilize shorelines
• Reduce wave impact
• Mangrove forests
• Along tropical and subtropical coastlines
• 69 different tree species that grow in saltwater
22. Estuaries and Coastal Wetlands Are
Highly Productive (3)
• Important ecological and economic services
• Coastal aquatic systems maintain water quality by
filtering
• Toxic pollutants
• Excess plant nutrients
• Sediments
• Absorb other pollutants
• Provide food, timber, fuelwood, and habitats
• Reduce storm damage and coast erosion
23. Rocky and Sandy Shores Host Different
Types of Organisms
• Intertidal zone
• Rocky shores
• Sandy shores: barrier beaches
• Organism adaptations necessary to deal with daily
salinity and moisture changes
• Importance of sand dunes
25. Coral Reefs Are Amazing Centers
of Biodiversity
• Marine equivalent of tropical rain forests
• Habitats for one-fourth of all marine species
26. Natural Capital: Some Components and Interactions in a
Coral Reef Ecosystem
Fig. 8-12, p. 177
27. The Open Sea and Ocean Floor Host a
Variety of Species (1)
• Three vertical zones of the open sea
1. Euphotic zone
• Phytoplankton
• Nutrient levels low
• Dissolved oxygen levels high
2. Bathyal zone
• Dimly lit
• Zooplankton and smaller fishes
28. The Open Sea and Ocean Floor Host a
Variety of Species (2)
3. Abyssal zone
• Dark and cold
• High levels of nutrients
• Little dissolved oxygen
• Deposit feeders
• Filter feeders
• Upwelling brings nutrients to euphotic zone
• Primary productivity and NPP
29. Major Life Zones and Vertical Zones in an Ocean
Fig. 8-6, p. 173
30. Human Activities Are Disrupting and
Degrading Marine Systems
• Major threats to marine systems
• Coastal development
• Overfishing
• Use of fishing trawlers
• Runoff of nonpoint source pollution
• Point source pollution
• Habitat destruction
• Introduction of invasive species
• Climate change from human activities
• Pollution of coastal wetlands and estuaries
32. Case Study: The Chesapeake Bay—an
Estuary in Trouble (1)
• Largest estuary in the US; polluted since 1960
• Human population increased
• Point and nonpoint sources raised pollution
• Phosphate and nitrate levels too high
• Excess sediments from runoff and decreased
vegetation
33. Case Study: The Chesapeake Bay—an
Estuary in Trouble (2)
• Oysters, a keystone species, greatly reduced
• 1983: Chesapeake Bay Program
• Integrated coastal management with local, state,
federal governments and citizens’ groups
• 2008 update:
• 25 years and $6 billion
• Program met only 21% of goals
• Water quality “very poor”
35. Water Stands in Some Freshwater
Systems and Flows in Others (1)
• Standing (lentic) bodies of freshwater
• Lakes
• Ponds
• Inland wetlands
• Flowing (lotic) systems of freshwater
• Streams
• Rivers
36. Water Stands in Some Freshwater
Systems and Flows in Others (2)
• Four zones based on depth and distance from shore
1. Littoral zone
• Near shore where rooted plants grow
• High biodiversity
• Turtles, frogs, crayfish, some fish
2. Limnetic zone
• Open, sunlight area away from shore
• Main photosynthetic zone
• Some larger fish
37. Water Stands in Some Freshwater
Systems and Flows in Others (3)
3. Profundal zone
• Deep water too dark for photosynthesis
• Low oxygen levels
• Some fish
3. Benthic zone
• Decomposers
• Detritus feeders
• Some fish
• Nourished primarily by dead matter
38. Distinct Zones of Life in a Fairly Deep Temperate Zone
Lake
Fig. 8-16, p. 182
39. Major Ecological and Economic Services Provided by
Freshwater Systems
Fig. 8-15, p. 181
40. Some Lakes Have More Nutrients
Than Others
• Oligotrophic lakes
• Low levels of nutrients and low NPP
• Very clear water
• Eutrophic lakes
• High levels of nutrients and high NPP
• Murky water with high turbidity
• Mesotrophic lakes
• Cultural eutrophication of lakes from human input
of nutrients
41. The Effect of Nutrient Enrichment
on a Lake
Fig. 8-17, p. 182
42. Freshwater Streams and Rivers Carry
Water from the Mountains to the Oceans
• Surface water
• Runoff
• Watershed, drainage basin
• Three aquatic life zones
• Source zone
• Transition zone
• Floodplain zone
43. Three Zones in the Downhill Flow of Water
Fig. 8-18, p. 183
44. Case Study: Dams, Deltas, Wetlands,
Hurricanes, and New Orleans
• Coastal deltas, mangrove forests, and coastal
wetlands: natural protection against storms
• Dams and levees reduce sediments in deltas:
increases ocean floor erosion
• New Orleans, Louisiana, and Hurricane Katrina:
August 29, 2005
• Global warming, sea rise, and New Orleans
48. Freshwater Inland Wetlands Are
Vital Sponges (2)
• Provide free ecological and economic services
• Filter and degrade toxic wastes
• Reduce flooding and erosion
• Help to replenish streams and recharge groundwater
aquifers
• Biodiversity
• Food and timber
• Recreation areas
49. Human Activities Are Disrupting and
Degrading Freshwater Systems
• Impact of dams and canals on rivers
• Impact of flood control levees and dikes along rivers
• Impact of pollutants from cities and farms on
streams, rivers, and lakes
• Impact of drained wetlands
50. Three Big Ideas
1. Saltwater and freshwater aquatic life zones cover
almost three-fourths of the earth’s surface, and
oceans dominate the planet.
2. The earth’s aquatic systems provide important
ecological and economic services.
3. Human activities threaten biodiversity and disrupt
ecological and economic services provided by
aquatic systems.
Editor's Notes
Figure 8.1: A healthy coral reef in the Red Sea is covered by colorful algae (left), while a bleached coral reef (right) has lost most of its algae because of changes in the environment (such as cloudy water or high water temperatures). With the algae gone, the white limestone of the coral skeleton becomes visible. If the environmental stress is not removed and no other algae fill the abandoned niche, the corals die. These diverse and productive ecosystems are being damaged and destroyed at an alarming rate.
Figure 8.2: The ocean planet: The salty oceans cover 71% of the earth’s surface and contain 97% of the earth’s water. Almost all of the earth’s water is in the interconnected oceans, which cover 90% of the planet’s ocean hemisphere (left) and nearly half of its land-ocean hemisphere (right). Freshwater systems cover less than 2.2% of the earth’s surface ( Concept 8-1a ).
Figure 8.3: Aquatic systems include (a) saltwater oceans and (b) bays, such as Trunk Bay at St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands, (c) freshwater lakes such as Peyto Lake in Canada’s Banff National Park, and (d) wild freshwater mountain streams .
Figure 8.4: We can divide aquatic life forms into several major types: plankton, which include (a) phytoplankton, tiny drifting plants, and (b) zooplankton, drifting animals that feed on each other and on phytoplankton; one example is this jellyfish, which uses long tentacles with stinging cells to stun or kill its prey. Other major types of aquatic life are (c) nekton, or strongly swimming aquatic animals such as this right whale, and (d) benthos, or bottom dwellers such as this sea star attached to coral in the Red Sea.
Figure 8.5: Marine systems provide a number of important ecological and economic services ( Concept 8-2 ). Questions: Which two ecological services and which two economic services do you think are the most important? Why?
Figure 8.7: This satellite photo shows a view of an estuary taken from space. A sediment plume (turbidity caused by runoff) forms at the mouth of Madagascar’s Betsiboka River as it flows through the estuary and into the Mozambique Channel. Because of its topography, heavy rainfall, and the clearing of its forests for agriculture, Madagascar is the world’s most eroded country.
Figure 8.8: This diagram shows some of the components and interactions in a coastal marsh ecosystem . When these organisms die, decomposers break down their organic matter into minerals used by plants. Colored arrows indicate transfers of matter and energy between consumers (herbivores), secondary or higher-level consumers (carnivores), and decomposers. Organisms are not drawn to scale. The photo above shows a coastal marsh in Peru.
Figure 8.9: Sea grass beds support a variety of marine species. Since 1980, about 29% of the world’s sea grass beds have been lost to pollution and other disturbances.
Figure 8.10: This mangrove forest is in Daintree National Park in Queensland, Australia. The tangled roots and dense vegetation in these coastal forests act like shock absorbers to reduce damage from storms and tsunamis. They also provide highly complex habitat for a diversity of invertebrates and fishes.
Figure 8.11: Living between the tides: Some organisms with specialized niches are found in various zones on rocky shore beaches (top) and barrier or sandy beaches (bottom). Organisms are not drawn to scale.
Figure 8.12: N atural capital. This diagram illustrates some of the components and interactions in a coral reef ecosystem . When these organisms die, decomposers break down their organic matter into minerals used by plants. Colored arrows indicate transfers of matter and energy between producers, primary consumers (herbivores), secondary or higher-level consumers (carnivores), and decomposers. Organisms are not drawn to scale.
Figure 8.6: This diagram illustrates the major life zones and vertical zones (not drawn to scale) in an ocean. Actual depths of zones may vary. Available light determines the euphotic, bathyal, and abyssal zones. Temperature zones also vary with depth, shown here by the red line. Question: How is an ocean like a rain forest? (Hint: see Figure 7-15, p. 162.)
Figure 8.13: This diagram shows the major threats to marine ecosystems (left) and particularly coral reefs (right) ( Core Case study ) resulting from human activities ( Concept 8-3 ). Questions: Which two of the threats to marine ecosystems do you think are the most serious? Why? Which two of the threats to coral reefs do you think are the most serious? Why?
Figure 8.14: The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. However, the bay is severely degraded as a result of water pollution from point and nonpoint sources in six states and the District of Columbia, and from the atmospheric deposition of air pollutants.
Figure 8.16: This diagram illustrates the distinct zones of life in a fairly deep temperate-zone lake. See an animation based on this figure at CengageNOW. Question: How are deep lakes like tropical rain forests? (Hint: See Figure 7-15, p. 162)
Figure 8.15: Freshwater systems provide many important ecological and economic services ( Concept 8-4 ). Questions: Which two ecological services and which two economic services do you think are the most important? Why?
Figure 8.17: These photos show the effect of nutrient enrichment on a lake. Crater Lake in the U.S. state of Oregon (left) is an example of an oligotrophic lake , which is low in nutrients. Because of the low density of plankton, its water is quite clear. The lake on the right, found in western New York State, is a eutrophic lake . Because of an excess of plant nutrients, its surface is covered with mats of algae .
Figure 8.18: There are three zones in the downhill flow of water: the source zone , which contains mountain (headwater) streams; the transition zone , which contains wider, lower-elevation streams; and the floodplain zone , which contains rivers that empty into larger rivers or into the ocean.
Figure 8.19: Much of the U.S. city of New Orleans, Louisiana, was flooded by the storm surge that accompanied Hurricane Katrina, which made landfall just east of the city on August 29, 2005. When the surging water rushed through the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet, a dredged waterway on the edge of the city, it breached a floodwall, and parts of New Orleans were flooded with 2 meters (6.5 feet) of water within a few minutes. Within a day, floodwaters reached a depth of 6 meters (nearly 20 feet) in some places; 80% of the city was under water at one point. The hurricane killed more than 1,800 people, and caused more than $100 billion in damages, making it the costliest and deadliest hurricane in U.S. history. In addition, a variety of toxic chemicals from flooded industrial and hazardous waste sites, as well as oil and gasoline from more than 350,000 ruined cars and other vehicles, were released into the stagnant floodwaters. After the waters receded, parts of New Orleans were covered with a thick oily sludge .
Figure 8.20: This map represents a projection of how a 0.9-meter (3-foot) rise in sea level due to projected climate change by the end of this century would put New Orleans and much of Louisiana’s current coast under water. (Used by permission from Jonathan Overpeck and Jeremy Weiss, University of Arizona)