1. Introduction to the marine environment and pollution: sources and history. What is marine environment? ; What are some basics of marine ecosystems and food webs? ; Why is there concern about the state of the oceans? ; What is a contaminant? Is there a difference between a pollutant and a contaminant? ; What are the major sources of pollution to the marine environment? ; What are the major ways that land-based pollutants enter the marine environment? ; Which pollutants enter the ocean from the air? ; Can objects in the water cause pollution? ; How can aquaculture cause pollution? ; Once in the water, what happens to the pollutants? ; How do chemicals get into marine animals? ; What is toxicity? ; What effects can pollutants have besides killing living things? ; How is the degree of toxicity measured? ; How can field studies be used to understand toxicity? ; Why are some species more sensitive to pollution than others? ; What laws regulate marine pollution? ; Why are some contaminants that have been banned still a problem? ; How extensive and severe is marine pollution around the world?
2. Nutrients. Why are nutrients considered pollutants if they are required for life? ; Where do the nutrients come from? ; How does a sewage treatment plant work? ; What is combined sewer overflow? ; What are concentrated animal feeding operations? ; What effects do excess nutrients have, or what is eutrophication? ; What effects are seen in seagrasses? ; What effects are seen in coral reefs? ; What is a "dead zone"? ; Can excess nutrients damage salt marshes? ; How widespread is eutrophication? ; What are harmful algal blooms? ; What are some harmful algal species? ; How widespread is their occurrence? ; What are the economic costs of harmful algal blooms? ; What can be done to reduce farm runoff? ; What can be done to reduce runoff from cities and suburbs? ; What can be done about combined sewer overflow? ; What techniques in the water can reduce the effects of eutrophication? ; What is the prognosis for eutrophication in the future?
3. Metals. What are the major sources of metal pollutants? ; What are some highly mercury-contaminated sites? ; How does the form of the metal affect what it does? ; Where do metals concentrate in the environment? ; What are the toxic effects of different metals? ; What can organisms do to defend themselves against metal toxicity? ; Can elevated levels of metals in seafood be a risk to humans? ; What are the trends in metal pollution? ; What can be done to reduce metal pollution? ; What is "natural attenuation"? ; What is capping? ; What is confined aquatic disposal? ; What is bioremediation of metals? ; What is phytoremediation?
4. Oil and related chemicals. What are the components of oil? ; What are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons? ; What are the major sources of oil in the ocean? ; What happens to the oil after it is spilled? ; What happened with the Exxon Valdez? ; What were the causes of the accident? ; What actions were taken after the spill to protect shorelines? ; How was the spill cleaned up? ; Have there been some resulting policy changes to prevent future spills? ; What happened with the well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico? ; What responses were taken? ; Why was the use of dispersants so controversial? ; What happened to the oil and the dispersants? ; What were the overall impacts to the ecology of the Gulf? ; What happens when oil reaches shorelines? ; How does oil harm marine birds and mammals? ; What kinds of toxic effects does oil produce in other marine animals? ; How long do the effects of oil spills last? ; Can oiled birds and sea otters be rehabilitated? ; How can oil spills be cleaned up? ; What are the trends in oil spills over the decades?
5. Pesticides and industrial organic chemicals. What are the sources of pesticides to the marine environment? ; What happens to these chemicals after they enter the water? ; What is the importance of Silent Spring? ; What are some newer types of pesticides? ; What are "third generation" pesticides? ; What about herbicides? ; How are pesticides regulated? ; What is integrated pest management? ; What are the effects of pesticides on non-target organisms? ; What is endocrine disruption? ; What are biomarkers? ; What kinds of population levels effects have been found and how are they produced? ; What community level effects have been found and how are they produced? ; What can marine organisms do to defend themselves against toxic effects? ; What are the trends in pesticide contamination? ; What are polychlorinated biphenyls? ; How did polychlorinated biphenyls get into the marine environment? ; What are dioxins? ; How do dioxins get into the marine environment? ; What effects do dioxins have? ; Can polychlorinated biphenyls or dioxins be a risk to people who eat seafood? ; What can be done about organic pollution?
6. Marine debris. Why is marine debris so abundant? ; Where does marine debris come from? ; What are the major constituents of marine debris? ; What are plastics? ; What happens to the plastic? Does it break down? ; How is debris in the ocean measured? ; How much is there? ; Why does debris accumulate in large patches in the middle of the ocean? ; Where else does debris accumulate? ; Granted it is ugly, but can litter harm marine life? ; What problems are caused by derelict fishing gear? ; What are the biggest pieces of marine litter? ; Can marine debris harm people? ; What can be done? Can clean-ups be effective? ; What about recycling plastic? ; What is chemical recycling? ; What about reuse? ; Are there new types of safer plastics like bioplastics being developed? ; Is public education effective? ; Can new technologies make new products from marine debris? ; Are there laws to reduce marine litter?
7. Microplastics. What are microplastics (and nanoplastics)? ; How are microplastics different from one another? ; Where are microplastics found? ; Where do microplastics come from? ; How do microplastics get into the water? ; How are microplastics transported around (other than on ships)? ; How are microplastics quantified? ; What is biofilm and weathering? ; How do microplastics get into animals? ; How do scientists study microplastics effects? ; How do microplastics affect animals? ; Can microplastics transfer toxic chemicals into animals? ; Can microplastics transfer disease into animals? ; What can be done about microplastics?
8. Emerging concerns. What other types of pollution are we beginning to learn about? ; Why are pharmaceuticals and personal care products a concern? ; What can be done about pharmaceuticals and personal care products? ; What are polybrominated diphenyl ethers and why are they a concern in the marine environment? ; What is the problem with fluorinated compounds? ; What is the concern about alkylphenols? ; What is the problem with sunscreens? ; What are nanoparticles and what is the concern about them? ; Are existing regulations adequate to protect against harm to marine life, wildlife, and humans by these new chemicals? Are there any technological improvements? ; What is noise pollution? ; What types of noise occur in the ocean? ; What effects can noise pollution cause? ; What can be done about noise pollution? ; Are there concerns about radioactivity? ; What is light pollution? ; What can be done about light pollution? ; Are there environmental problems from cables on the seafloor?
9. Bioaccumulation and biomagnification.
What is bioaccumulation and what is biomagnification? ; What happens once a metal is taken up? ; Where and how are metals stored? ; How are organic contaminants taken up? ; What kind of metabolism of organic chemicals can take place? ; Which marine organisms are good sentinels for bioaccumulation and biomagnification of chemicals? ; What are safety issues for humans consuming seafood that may be contaminated? ; What is Minamata disease? ; Are there any concerns about mercury pollution in seafood today? ; Can metal pollution be found in calcium supplements from oyster shells? ; What problems can result from eating seafood contaminated with organic contaminants? ; Can dioxin contamination be found in seafood? ; Can contaminants be found in fish oil supplements? ; How can eating fish or shellfish that have accumulated harmful algal bloom toxins cause disease? ; What is paralytic shellfish poisoning? ; What is diarrhetic shellfish poisoning? ; What is neurotoxic shellfish poisoning? ; What is amnesic shellfish poisoning? ; What is Ciguatera? ; How can the incidence of poisoning by marine toxins be reduced?
10. Climate change and ocean acidification. What causes global warming or climate change? ; What problems are happening or are expected to happen in the marine environment because of climate change? ; Why are coral reefs particularly vulnerable? ; What happens in polar regions? ; Can climate change affect the distribution of species? ; Can climate change have effects on aquaculture? ; What effects are seen in sea turtles? ; Can climate change affect the size of animals? ; Can climate change affect predator-prey interactions? ; How does climate change relate to plastic pollution? ; How does climate change interact with toxic pollutants? ; What effects can happen from sea level rise? ; Why is the sea level rising faster than was predicted? ; What can be done about sea level rise? ; What is pH? ; What is ocean acidification? ; What effects result from ocean acidification? ; Hasn't ocean pH changed in the past? Why is this different? Will marine organisms be able to adapt? ; Which species are threatened by ocean acidification? ; What does low dissolved oxygen have to do with it? ; How can organisms defend themselves against effects of warming and acidification? ; What economic effects could result from ocean acidification? ; What can we do to mitigate the effects of climate change and ocean acidification?
11. Biological pollution. Where does microbial pollution come from? ; How is microbial pollution detected? ; What kind of diseases may result? ; How can people know if it is safe to swim at their favorite beach? ; What are invasive species? ; How do invasive species get to new locations? ; What are some invasive marine fish and what harm do they do? ; What are some invasive jellyfish and what harm do they do? ; What are some invasive crabs and what harm do they do? ; What are some invasive sedentary attached species and what harm do they do? ; What are some invasive seaweeds and what harm do they do? ; What are some invasive marsh plants and what harm do they do? ; Can an alien species do some good? ; What can be done to prevent new invasive species from arriving? ; What can be done after an invasive species has arrived? ; What can be done after an invasive species has become abundant? ; Can invasive species be controlled by eating them?
12. The status of marine pollution and how to reduce pollution. What is the Ocean Health Index? ; What is the Law of the Sea? ; What is MARPOL? ; What is the London Convention? ; What is SDG #14? ; What about other international treaties? ; What national laws in the US promote clean water? ; What is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's role in the US? ; How does the European Union regulate marine pollution? ; How can we reduce pollution from aquaculture? ; What is "green chemistry"? ; What steps can local and state governments take to reduce pollution? ; What actions can individuals take to reduce marine pollution? ; What is the overall status and trend of marine pollution? ; What are some success stories?
2. Nutrients. Why are nutrients considered pollutants if they are required for life? ; Where do the nutrients come from? ; How does a sewage treatment plant work? ; What is combined sewer overflow? ; What are concentrated animal feeding operations? ; What effects do excess nutrients have, or what is eutrophication? ; What effects are seen in seagrasses? ; What effects are seen in coral reefs? ; What is a "dead zone"? ; Can excess nutrients damage salt marshes? ; How widespread is eutrophication? ; What are harmful algal blooms? ; What are some harmful algal species? ; How widespread is their occurrence? ; What are the economic costs of harmful algal blooms? ; What can be done to reduce farm runoff? ; What can be done to reduce runoff from cities and suburbs? ; What can be done about combined sewer overflow? ; What techniques in the water can reduce the effects of eutrophication? ; What is the prognosis for eutrophication in the future?
3. Metals. What are the major sources of metal pollutants? ; What are some highly mercury-contaminated sites? ; How does the form of the metal affect what it does? ; Where do metals concentrate in the environment? ; What are the toxic effects of different metals? ; What can organisms do to defend themselves against metal toxicity? ; Can elevated levels of metals in seafood be a risk to humans? ; What are the trends in metal pollution? ; What can be done to reduce metal pollution? ; What is "natural attenuation"? ; What is capping? ; What is confined aquatic disposal? ; What is bioremediation of metals? ; What is phytoremediation?
4. Oil and related chemicals. What are the components of oil? ; What are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons? ; What are the major sources of oil in the ocean? ; What happens to the oil after it is spilled? ; What happened with the Exxon Valdez? ; What were the causes of the accident? ; What actions were taken after the spill to protect shorelines? ; How was the spill cleaned up? ; Have there been some resulting policy changes to prevent future spills? ; What happened with the well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico? ; What responses were taken? ; Why was the use of dispersants so controversial? ; What happened to the oil and the dispersants? ; What were the overall impacts to the ecology of the Gulf? ; What happens when oil reaches shorelines? ; How does oil harm marine birds and mammals? ; What kinds of toxic effects does oil produce in other marine animals? ; How long do the effects of oil spills last? ; Can oiled birds and sea otters be rehabilitated? ; How can oil spills be cleaned up? ; What are the trends in oil spills over the decades?
5. Pesticides and industrial organic chemicals. What are the sources of pesticides to the marine environment? ; What happens to these chemicals after they enter the water? ; What is the importance of Silent Spring? ; What are some newer types of pesticides? ; What are "third generation" pesticides? ; What about herbicides? ; How are pesticides regulated? ; What is integrated pest management? ; What are the effects of pesticides on non-target organisms? ; What is endocrine disruption? ; What are biomarkers? ; What kinds of population levels effects have been found and how are they produced? ; What community level effects have been found and how are they produced? ; What can marine organisms do to defend themselves against toxic effects? ; What are the trends in pesticide contamination? ; What are polychlorinated biphenyls? ; How did polychlorinated biphenyls get into the marine environment? ; What are dioxins? ; How do dioxins get into the marine environment? ; What effects do dioxins have? ; Can polychlorinated biphenyls or dioxins be a risk to people who eat seafood? ; What can be done about organic pollution?
6. Marine debris. Why is marine debris so abundant? ; Where does marine debris come from? ; What are the major constituents of marine debris? ; What are plastics? ; What happens to the plastic? Does it break down? ; How is debris in the ocean measured? ; How much is there? ; Why does debris accumulate in large patches in the middle of the ocean? ; Where else does debris accumulate? ; Granted it is ugly, but can litter harm marine life? ; What problems are caused by derelict fishing gear? ; What are the biggest pieces of marine litter? ; Can marine debris harm people? ; What can be done? Can clean-ups be effective? ; What about recycling plastic? ; What is chemical recycling? ; What about reuse? ; Are there new types of safer plastics like bioplastics being developed? ; Is public education effective? ; Can new technologies make new products from marine debris? ; Are there laws to reduce marine litter?
7. Microplastics. What are microplastics (and nanoplastics)? ; How are microplastics different from one another? ; Where are microplastics found? ; Where do microplastics come from? ; How do microplastics get into the water? ; How are microplastics transported around (other than on ships)? ; How are microplastics quantified? ; What is biofilm and weathering? ; How do microplastics get into animals? ; How do scientists study microplastics effects? ; How do microplastics affect animals? ; Can microplastics transfer toxic chemicals into animals? ; Can microplastics transfer disease into animals? ; What can be done about microplastics?
8. Emerging concerns. What other types of pollution are we beginning to learn about? ; Why are pharmaceuticals and personal care products a concern? ; What can be done about pharmaceuticals and personal care products? ; What are polybrominated diphenyl ethers and why are they a concern in the marine environment? ; What is the problem with fluorinated compounds? ; What is the concern about alkylphenols? ; What is the problem with sunscreens? ; What are nanoparticles and what is the concern about them? ; Are existing regulations adequate to protect against harm to marine life, wildlife, and humans by these new chemicals? Are there any technological improvements? ; What is noise pollution? ; What types of noise occur in the ocean? ; What effects can noise pollution cause? ; What can be done about noise pollution? ; Are there concerns about radioactivity? ; What is light pollution? ; What can be done about light pollution? ; Are there environmental problems from cables on the seafloor?
9. Bioaccumulation and biomagnification.
What is bioaccumulation and what is biomagnification? ; What happens once a metal is taken up? ; Where and how are metals stored? ; How are organic contaminants taken up? ; What kind of metabolism of organic chemicals can take place? ; Which marine organisms are good sentinels for bioaccumulation and biomagnification of chemicals? ; What are safety issues for humans consuming seafood that may be contaminated? ; What is Minamata disease? ; Are there any concerns about mercury pollution in seafood today? ; Can metal pollution be found in calcium supplements from oyster shells? ; What problems can result from eating seafood contaminated with organic contaminants? ; Can dioxin contamination be found in seafood? ; Can contaminants be found in fish oil supplements? ; How can eating fish or shellfish that have accumulated harmful algal bloom toxins cause disease? ; What is paralytic shellfish poisoning? ; What is diarrhetic shellfish poisoning? ; What is neurotoxic shellfish poisoning? ; What is amnesic shellfish poisoning? ; What is Ciguatera? ; How can the incidence of poisoning by marine toxins be reduced?
10. Climate change and ocean acidification. What causes global warming or climate change? ; What problems are happening or are expected to happen in the marine environment because of climate change? ; Why are coral reefs particularly vulnerable? ; What happens in polar regions? ; Can climate change affect the distribution of species? ; Can climate change have effects on aquaculture? ; What effects are seen in sea turtles? ; Can climate change affect the size of animals? ; Can climate change affect predator-prey interactions? ; How does climate change relate to plastic pollution? ; How does climate change interact with toxic pollutants? ; What effects can happen from sea level rise? ; Why is the sea level rising faster than was predicted? ; What can be done about sea level rise? ; What is pH? ; What is ocean acidification? ; What effects result from ocean acidification? ; Hasn't ocean pH changed in the past? Why is this different? Will marine organisms be able to adapt? ; Which species are threatened by ocean acidification? ; What does low dissolved oxygen have to do with it? ; How can organisms defend themselves against effects of warming and acidification? ; What economic effects could result from ocean acidification? ; What can we do to mitigate the effects of climate change and ocean acidification?
11. Biological pollution. Where does microbial pollution come from? ; How is microbial pollution detected? ; What kind of diseases may result? ; How can people know if it is safe to swim at their favorite beach? ; What are invasive species? ; How do invasive species get to new locations? ; What are some invasive marine fish and what harm do they do? ; What are some invasive jellyfish and what harm do they do? ; What are some invasive crabs and what harm do they do? ; What are some invasive sedentary attached species and what harm do they do? ; What are some invasive seaweeds and what harm do they do? ; What are some invasive marsh plants and what harm do they do? ; Can an alien species do some good? ; What can be done to prevent new invasive species from arriving? ; What can be done after an invasive species has arrived? ; What can be done after an invasive species has become abundant? ; Can invasive species be controlled by eating them?
12. The status of marine pollution and how to reduce pollution. What is the Ocean Health Index? ; What is the Law of the Sea? ; What is MARPOL? ; What is the London Convention? ; What is SDG #14? ; What about other international treaties? ; What national laws in the US promote clean water? ; What is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's role in the US? ; How does the European Union regulate marine pollution? ; How can we reduce pollution from aquaculture? ; What is "green chemistry"? ; What steps can local and state governments take to reduce pollution? ; What actions can individuals take to reduce marine pollution? ; What is the overall status and trend of marine pollution? ; What are some success stories?