Deep+Blue+Sea

= = =Hi my name is Megan and my page is on the ocean. It is mainly the sunlit part of the ocean. Their is information about coral reefs, marine life, and how pollution affects the ocean ecta. Enjoy!! :)= = = =Ocean- okeanos (Greek word for river)  = = = =PROTECTING OUR OCEAN = The ocean is the one place that has mostly remained untouched by pollution over the centuries. But now that we are distroying our planet with gases and by not recycling our plastic the ocean is no longer untouched. We have been mas-producing more and more plastic and a large persentage of it is ending up in our oceans. As our technology progresses we have been exploring the ocean more and more often damaging it. There are many unknowen species that we could learn from once found and we are endangering them by destroying their habitat. We need to protect our oceans to keep our planet the "Blue Planet" and to be able to continue living on earth. 

OCEAN DAMAGE
__**//Navy Damages Reef//**__ February 5th, 2009; USA's Port Royal ran aground in to Hawaii's coral reef. The state of Hawaii is suing the navy for damages to the reef which they are now trying to repair. To repair this reef they are surveying the damage to see what is needed, and throwing the dead coral into deeper sea where it cannot hurt the live coral with the tide. However the not all of the reef was killed. Some of the pieces knocked off are still alive and are being glued back onto the main reef. This method sounds crude but in fact this is a very effective method as after gluing the reef back together it will heal and become one complete reef again, the process is very much like setting a broken bone.



EXXON VALDEZ OIL SPIL On March 24, 1989, exactly 20 years ago the Exxon Valdez hit the Bleif Reef in the Alaskan waters. This caused the biggest oil spill in history causing 10.9 million gallons of oil to spill into the ocean. Reports say that the Valdez ran aground because the helmsman, Robert Kagan was drunk when put at the wheel. This oil spill was in a pristine area of water, called Prince William Sound, and was home to many endangered species of animals that could not live in other locations. Nearly all the reports at the time were focused on the fact that thousands of animals, endangered or not, were dead and even more were dying. Over the following 3 years that people cleaned up the waters and shores the public response was overwhelming. People knitted sweaters for birds who were covered in oil and were dying by trying to clean their feathers. Volunteers came from all over the country to try and save all the animals and other wildlife possible. Even today, twenty years later, the damage from the oil spill still shows and people are still trying to restore Prince William Sound. The spill remains the greatest in US history, but there is a bright side to all of this. People are now more aware and making an active effort to prevent tragedies like this.



**//__CORAL REEFS__ Coral reefs a really like rain forests underwater. They are teeming with life and are the heart of the ocean. Coral reefs are animals despite what many people think. They drift around as babies looking like jelly fish and then settle or attach to something and form hard shells. Those form colonies which join together to form a reef. Some reefs have been around since over 50 million years ago. Coral reefs cover less than 1% of the ocean floor, yet they support over 25% of marine life.//**  **//However our coral reefs are in danger. They are on they endangered list ( coral reefs are living animals) and are in more trouble with our changing climate. When temperatures or climate change they expel the algae that keeps them alive and gives them their color. Due to our current rising temperatures ( whether due to global warming or just climate change I'll leave up to you) the corals are losing their color and becoming sick //** . //**Coral Reefs thrive in tropical climates. The most well known reef is the Great Barrier Reef. Off the coast of Australia the Great Barrier Reef is probably the largest reef in the world. Filled with millions of sea life it is one of the 7 Natural Wonders. The Great Barrier Reef isn't the only reef people can see. Reefs are located off of Africa, Fiji, Camen Islands, even Florida. You can probably find a reef anywhere with warm tropical waters, even if the reef isnt very big its there.**//

SAVE OUR REEFS!!!!!!!!!!!!!