Long Island Sound and Hypoxia Olivia Marczyk

Long Island Soundand HypoxiaOlivia Marczyk http://www.google.com/imgres?q=long+island sound&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1679&bih=784&tbm=isch&tbnid=k93wsqn9QRmKiM:&imgrefurl

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Hypoxia In Long Island Sound there have been issues concerning hypoxia. Hypoxia- This occurs when the levels of oxygen in waters are too low to be able to support any life in the water causing non-moveable sea life to die while others who are able to flee go to new areas that are oxygenated

Definitions Continued Salinity- Also referred to as saltiness, it’s the amount of salt that can be dissolved in an amount of water. This is important for oceanographers since they are able to research what each part of Long Island Sound is just by the amount of salinity. This is because it has been proven that the eastern side is more saltier than the western side DO Saturation- It is the amount of oxygen that can be held in water depending of the temperature and salinity of the water. It has been proven that cold water holds more oxygen than warm water. This compares to any gas. This can be measured in comparison to water that is still and has reached equilibrium DO Concentration- This is the amount of oxygen that is dissolved in water. This information is cruelty important because if the level of oxygen is too low then the animals in the water have to flee otherwise they may die. When phytoplankton goes through photosynthesis then dissolved oxygen enters the water. Usually according to research the top of the waters have a greater concentration of oxygen.

Execution Rocks

Central Sound

Eastern Sound

Norwalk Harbor

Cause of the Problem In Long Island Sound there is a matter that occurs that has an affect on the water and other things around it. And this is that there are low amounts of oxygen in the water. Plants during photosynthesis produce oxygen which we breathe in however the microscopic plants in the water have an opposite affect that is not beneficial because it can cause the depletion of oxygen in waters. Even though this can occur anywhere throughout the Sound the most severe is in the western basin. In addition to this, is more common to occur in the summer when the water is warmer. The warmer the water the less oxygen there is. When this condition occurs it is resulted from organic matter from algae that has been produced and is then sunk to the bottom of the Sound. When this happens oxygen is being consumed. Then at this point the levels of oxygen drop and everything is affected.

Harm that it is Causing To the water…the amount of oxygen in the water decreases To the organisms…. When there are organisms that are non-mobile and cant move themselves they are most likely going to die. For example, clams or worms. However other species such as birds and fish have to flee to a new area of the water that is oxygenated otherwise they will die as well. Without oxygen species can’t live so with a decrease of oxygen everything slowly begins to die if they can’t save themselves To the people…Aren’t able to eat fish or shellfish because they may get sick since there isn’t enough oxygen for them to live healthy Commercially…Fisherman wont be able to fish from their usual spot if fish have fled to an oxygenated area. It could also be that a number of fish have died because they weren’t able to swim to a new area

Solutions There haven’t been exactly any solutions made to solve this problem except for making sure people don’t pollute. Oceanographers and scientists understand what causes hypoxia which there are a number of factors. Furthermore, there are physical, chemical, biological, and geographical factors. When the water is warm there is naturally already less oxygen in the water compared to it being cold. Not only this but in the summer there is a layer that forms at the bottom of the water causing it to be more dense. This is called stratification and doesn’t allow any oxygen rich water to mix with water that doesn’t have as much oxygen. And there are other factors such as coves and harbors that are protected that restrict from different oxygen rich and poor waters to mix. And most importantly the largest cause of hypoxia is nitrogen. Which this comes from power plants, vehicles, fertilizer runoff, and sewage discharge. Hopefully in the future action will be taken to help hypoxia decrease so that there is just the right amount of oxygen in the water.

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http://www.google.com/imgres?q=hypoxia+in+long+island+sound&num=10&um=1&hl=en&biw=1679&bih=784&tbm=isch&tbnid=7IXkkcgFVMGV0M:&imgrefurlhttp://www.google.com/imgres?q=hypoxia+in+long+island+sound&num=10&um=1&hl=en&biw=1679&bih=784&tbm=isch&tbnid=7IXkkcgFVMGV0M:&imgrefurl http://www.google.com/imgres?q=hypoxia+in+long+island+sound&num=10&um=1&hl=en&biw=1679&bih=784&tbm=isch&tbnid=uAov5TwAx1VtuM:&imgrefurl

Animation of Hypoxia/Video of Long Island Sound http://longislandsoundstudy.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/hypsld98.pdf http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6LV0EhQUws

References "Sound Health 2010; Hypoxia and Nutrients." Long Island Sound Study. 2011. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. <http:/ longislandsoundstudy.net/2010/12/sound-health-2010/>. Stewart, Robert H. "Introduction to Physical Oceanography : Chapter 6 - Temperature, Salinity, and Density - Definition of Salinity." Welcome to OceanWorld - Bringing the Ocean to the Classroom. Department of Oceanography, 2005. Web. 22 Nov. 2011. <http://oceanworld.tamu.edu/resources/ocng_textbook chapter06/chapter06_01.htm>. "UConn - MYSound Project - MYSound View." University of Connecticut Marine Sciences - MYSound. 1999. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. <http://mysound.uconn.edu/mys_realobs.html>.

Long Island Sound and Hypoxia Olivia Marczyk