2.3 The case study below deals with the problem of eutroph…
2.3 The case study below deals with the problem of eutrophication in an ecosystem. Read it carefully and answer the questions that follow: Ecological impacts of eutrophication (Case study: Eutrophication and dead zones) Dead zones are very-low oxygen areas (hypoxia) in the ocean where marine life including fish, crabs and clams cannot survive. In the 1970s oceanographers began noting increased instances of dead zones. A 2008 study counted 405 dead zones worldwide. Hypoxia is a natural phenomenon that occurs periodically in coastal waters around the world. During the last 50 years, however, increases in key pollutants from human activities on land have thrown many coastal ecosystems out of balance, resulting in expanded dead zone regions. The consumption of shellfish (eg. mussels, clams) from these dead zones is one of the most common ways for algal toxins to impact human health. The toxins cause a person to become incapacitated due to the paralytic effects of the toxin and can cause the person to die due to paralysis of the lungs. http://www.coastalwiki.org/wiki/Case_studies/eutrophication
Read Details