Aquatic Marine Ecology

Marine ecology and aquatic ecology cover the study of organisms and their interaction with water environments. Living and non living creatures can directly effect aquatic ecology. One important factor in marine ecology, like most fragile balances in nature, is pollution. The devastation caused by pollution is as evident in the study of aquatic ecology as it is in other ecological environments. The human actions that cause pollution are sometimes considered necessary for human survival. For example, human energy consumption is at an all time high, and we consistently strive to get to energy sources faster and more effectively, no matter what the cost. However, in rushing for solutions to our energy problems, we often feel the ripple effect on the environment.

The Exxon Valdez is a good example of an enormous disturbance found in marine ecology. The pollution produced from that oil spill effected many fragile ecological systems in the immediate and surrounding areas. Although the oil spill took place in the late eighties, the effects are still being felt and will be felt for generations to come. The initial oil spill had an immediate effect on the surrounding areas. Marine animals suffered and died, birds became coated in the slick substance and were unable to fly and smaller fish died instantly. There was also vast devastation to the aquatic ecology that we couldn’t see. Smaller organisms and plants below the surface were also effected and most died. Visions of oil covered birds on television and in newspapers were a small indication of the ecological devastation that would follow. Those that study marine ecology struggled to find a way to effectively clean the water but by then, it was too late. The oil slick spread quickly, destroying the ecological balance in a larger area than anyone thought possible.

Even now, food sources in the surrounding marine ecology are greatly effected. There are little or no healthy fish in the area. Therefore, there is no food for dolphins, whales, birds or for the people that relied on fish as their major source of food and for their employment. The fishing industry in the area is still being greatly effected by the oil spill. In essence, there is no longer a fishing industry , which effectively created a local ghost town. Most of the population in the immediate area relied on the fishing industry for employment to support their families and were forced to leave the area when they no longer had an income. The devastation to the aquatic ecology, quickly had a ripple effect on the ecology of everything around it. The balance in nature had completely been destroyed.

The Exxon Valdez is an unfortunate example of humans direct effect on natures fragile ecosystem. The effect of that single oil spill will be felt long after our lifetime. While the marine ecology in that area struggles to recover, humans continue to create devastating consequences for many fragile ecosystems around the world. Every action humans take against their environment, either directly or indirectly, has ripple effects felt by future generations.