A Dying Ocean: The Increasing Envrionmental Challenges to the Marine Ecosystem

Instructor: Professor Istvan A. Urcuyo
                Departments of Biology and Environmental Studies

Do you know that the U. S. has nearly 23,000 miles of ocean shoreline and that half of the country's population lives within 250 miles of the coast? Are you aware that in the year 2000, beach pollution was to blame for at least 11,270 beach closings and swimming advisories in the U. S.? Does it surprise you to learn that almost 30 million pounds of pesticides are applied annually in areas that drain into the nation's coasts? Do you ever think of air pollution as the beginning of ocean pollution? Why is it that every year the practices of many fishing industries strip bare a section of the sea floor twice the size of the continental U. S.? Do you know that over the past 25 years a large "Dead Zone," which is the size of Massachusetts, has formed in the Gulf of Mexico? Are you aware that for every pound of commercial fish caught, up to 20 pounds of other marine life is discarded? Why are 58% of the world's reefs at risk from human impacts? Do you know that the largest oil spill on a marine environment occurred during the Gulf War? Do you know what seafood to choose at your local market that is good for you and also good for the oceans?

This Seminar will focus our attention on the diverse environmental problems that affect our oceans and the life in them. We will examine the oceans' important role for our planet, including the various aspects of human use of marine resources (economical, political, and biological) and how the current marine environmental problems affect all of us regardless of our location. We will also investigate what steps have been taken (or need to be taken) to minimize and remove the multiple negative impacts that our growing human population has on our world's ocean.