Growing up in southern New York, Long Island beaches were
frequent destinations for me during the summer months. For years I played in the dark water,
sometimes appearing almost greenish, and thought nothing of it. It wasn’t until I began visiting
tropical destination, like the Caribbean islands, and saw the sparkling light
aqua water that I began to realize the drastic differences in ocean water
color. Recently as I’ve been
studying oceanography in school, the topic of color has come up time and time
again.
Many
factors, such as ocean depth, contribute to ocean color, but one major cause of
darker oceans is the overproduction of phytoplankton. Chlorophyll, an important light-absorbing substance, is used
by phytoplankton to produce carbon during photosynthesis. The green pigment of this substance
causes phytoplankton to reflect green light, making areas with high algae
production appear much darker, with a slight greenish hue, than other oceanic
locations.
When toxins and waste are released
into the ocean many species are killed off while the growth of others are
encouraged. Nitrogen and
phosphorous are two elements frequently discharged into coastal waters from
sewage waste and runoff containing fertilizers. New York City, for example, is a large source of the sewage
wastewater that contributes to nutrient pollution in Long Island Sound. Excess nutrients can result in
explosive toxic algal blooms, which are accompanied by human and marine
illnesses from ingestion of shellfish containing toxins.
On the other hand,
polychlorinated byphenyls (PCBs) are a critical compound found in the ocean
that can destroy nontoxic plankton populations. This compound is often found in plastics and rubber,
however, it is unclear whether pollutants can seep from plastic debris into the
organisms that consume them. Nevertheless, plankton populations are to known to
absorb PCBs released into the ocean in other ways. This compound can negatively impacts these species, as seen
in the contamination and decline of zooplankton in some areas.
Using technology such as SeaWiFS,
scientists are able to measure ocean characteristics like ocean color,
chlorophyll concentration, and water clarity. Studying ocean color allows for scientists to gain an
understanding of the relationship between marine debris and pollution and
phytoplankton production. Once
again, research in this area has indicated that the less debris in the ocean
means the healthier the ecosystem!
"Ocean
Color Web." NASA. National Aeronautics
and Space Administration, 17 02 2012. Web. 10 Apr 2012.
.
"Plastic
Marine Debris: What we know." NOAA
Marine Debris Program. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, 21 09 2011.
Web. 10 Apr 2012.
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