LOGGERHEAD SEA TURTLE

Physical Appearance

The amazing Atlantic loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) can have a shell as long as 2.7 m (9 ft) and weigh 454 kg (1,000 lbs.)!! However, on average the loggerhead turtle is 90 cm (3 ft) long and 136 kg (300lbs) in weight.Loggerheads have large heads because they have large jaw closing muscles, allowing them to have an extremely powerful and crushing bite. They are reddish-brown in colour with olive and yellow colour tinges on their body and shell.

Feeding Habits

These sea turtles are mainly carnivores and eat sponges, jellyfish, mussels, clams, oysters, shrimp, and horseshoe crabs. It is the powerful jaws of loggerheads that allow them to easily crush the hard shells of their prey. Loggerheads can actually come in contact with the deadly tentacles of the Portuguese-man-of-war and remain unharmed!

Current Status and Threats

Atlantic loggerhead turtles are considered threatened in the United States. The largest population, of about 15,0000 loggerhead turtles, is in the Greater Antilles and the eastern United States. However, the Carolinas record a three percent decrease in the occurrence of C. caretta each year. Here are some reasons for their declining populations:

Habitat Loss due to human coastal development is one of the main reasons for their declining numbers. In fact, the nesting habitat of all species of sea turtles is disturbed or destroyed by humans.

Pollution from human garbage and effluents can have devastating effects on sea turtles. Garbage, such as plastics bags, can be mistaken by a sea turtle for a jellyfish and eating plastic is deadly because it can suffocate the turtles or the plastic can get stuck in their digestive tract.

Accidental Capture in Shrimp Trawls and Fishing Lines

Nest Robbing by humans and predators, such as raccoons, make the life of a sea turtle difficult before they are even born.

Artificial Light on coasts from cities cause disorientation of nesting females and hatchlings trying to find their way to the sea.

MONSTROUS FISH INVADE TREASURED LAKE

There are ravenous monsters at the gates of the Great Lakes.

They’re called Asian carp — an invasive species that can grow up to four feet long, weigh up to 100 pounds and eat up to 40% of their body weight every single day. Their massive size, rapid reproduction rates and greedy appetites make it easy for them to deplete the food supply of native fish. This makes them a deadly threat to much of the Great Lakes ecosystem.

Right now, Asian carp are making their way through the Chicago waterway system, looking for a way to infiltrate the lakes. Even the electrical barriers erected to keep them out can’t contain these beasts!

Without immediate action, Asian carp will find a way into the Great Lakes. The ecological and economic impacts would be devastating. Native fish like lake trout, walleye, smallmouth bass and other species won’t stand a chance competing for food. And the region’s $23 billion fishing and recreational boating industries will severely suffer if this happens.

ACID RAIN AND IT"S EFFECTS...

Acidity is measured using a pH scale, with the number 7 being neutral.

Consequently, a substance with a pH value of less than 7 is acidic,

while one of a value greater than 7 is basic. It is also worthwhile to note that the pH scale is logarithmic; that is, a substance of pH of 6 is

10 times more acidic than another with a pH of 7. Generally, the pH of 5.6 has been used as the Acidity is measured using a pH scale, with the number 7 being neutral.

WHAT CAUSES ACID RAIN?

One of the main causes of acid rain is sulphur dioxide. Natural sources which emit this gas are volcanoes, sea spray , rotting vegetation

and plankton. However, the burning of fossil fuels, such as coal and oil, are largely to be blamed for approximately half of the emissions

of this gas in the world. When sulphur dioxide reaches the atmosphere, it oxidizes to first form a sulphate ion. It then becomes sulphuric

acid as it joins with hydrogen atoms in the air and falls back down to earth. Oxidation occurs the most in clouds and especially in heavily

polluted air where other compounds such as ammonia and ozone help to catalyze the reaction, converting more sulphur dioxide to

sulphuric acid. However, not all of the sulphur dioxide is converted to sulphuric acid. In fact, a substantial amount can float up into the

atmosphere, move over to another area and return to earth unconverted. The following are the stoichiometric equations for the formation

of sulphuric acid:

S (in coal) + O2 yields SO2

2 SO2 + O2 yields 2 SO3

SO3 + H2O yields H2SO4

Nitric oxide and nitric dioxide are also components of acid rain. Its sources are mainly from power stations and exhaust fumes. Like

sulphur dioxide, these nitrogen oxides rise into the atmosphere and are oxidized in clouds to form nitric acid. These reactions are also

catalysed in heavily polluted clouds where iron, manganese, ammonia and hydrogen peroxide are present.*

The following is a chart which summarizes the effect of the pH level of the lake on its lifeforms.

pH LEVEL EFFECTS

<6 *Basic forms of food die off. Eg. Mayflies and stoneflies are important food sources for fish. They can't survive at this pH level.

<5.5 *Fish cannot reproduce.

*Young have difficulty staying alive.

*More deformed adult fish due to lack of  nutrients.

*Fish die of suffocation.

<5.0 *Fish population die off.

<4.0 *Very different lifeforms, if any, from before.

The "safe" level of mercury in food has been set at about 0.05 parts per million. Indians and Eskimos in parts of Canada and the United States eat fish and seal meat with mercury levels as high as 15.7 and even 32.7 parts per million.

Fish, being one of the primary members of the food chain, is food for many other lifefoms, including hunans. Because toxic materials such as mercury are deposited in the fish due to acid rain, it is dangerous for humans to consume the fish. Like the domino effect, fewer fish can be sold as food, fishermen lose their hobby and people selling fishing supplies are affected. Amphibians are also affected; like the fish, they cannot reproduce in an acidic environment.

Hence,the effects of acid rain on lakes and its aquatic ecosystem are numerous and overwhelmingly magnified as we move down the food web.

EFFECT ON TREES AND SOILS

One of the most serious impacts of acid precipitation is on forests and soils. Great damage is done when sulphuric acid falls onto the earth as rain. Nutrients present in the soils are washed away. Aluminium also present in the soil is freed and this toxic element can be absorbed by the roots of trees. Thus, the trees are starved to death as they are deprived of their vital nutrients such as calcium and magnesium. Not all of the sulphur dioxide is converted to sulphuric acid. In fact, a substantial amount can float into the atmosphere, move over to another area and return to the soils unconverted. As this gas returns back to earth, it clogs up the stomata in the leaves, thus hindering photosynthesis. Research has been made where red spruce seedlings were sprayed with different combinations of sulphuric and nitric acid of pH ranging from 2.5 to 4.5. The needles of these seedlings were observed to develop brown lesions. Eventually, the needles fall off. It was also found that new needles grew more slowly at higher concentrations of acid used. Because the rate at which the needles were falling was greater than the rate at which they were replenished, photosynthesis was greatly affected, The actual way in which these needles were killed is still not yet known. However, studies have shown that calcium and magnesium nutrients are washed away from their binding sites when sulphuric acid enters the system. They are replaced by useless hydrogen atoms and this inhibits photosynthesis.

EFFECT ON MATERIALS

Acid rain also damages materials such as fabrics. For example, flags that are put up are being "eaten away" by the acidic chemicals in the precipitation. Books and age-old art that are centuries old are also being affected; the ventilation systems of the libraries and musuems that hold them do not prevent the acidic particles from entering the builings and so, they get in and circulate within the building, affecting and deteriorating the materials.

EFFECT ON HUMANS

Among one of the serious side effects of acid pollution on humans is respiratory problems. The SO2 and NO2 emmisions give rise to respiratory problems such as asthma, dry coughs, headaches, eye, nose and throat irritations. An indirect effect of acid precipitation on humans is that the toxic metals dissolved in the water are absorbed in fruits, vegetables and in the tissues of animals. Although these toxic metals do not directly affect the animals, they have serious effects on humans when they are being consumed. For example, mercury that accumulate in the organs and tissues of the animals has been linked with brain damage in children as well as nerve disorders, brain damage and death. Similarly, another metal, Aluminium, present in the organs of the animals, has been associated with kidney problems and recently, was suspected to be related to Alzheimer's disease.

EFFECT ON THE ATMOSPHERE

Some of the constituents of acid pollution are sulphates, nitrates, hydrocarbons and ozone. These exists as dry particles in the air and contribute to haze, affecting visibility. This makes navigation especially hard for air pilots. Acid haze also interferes with the flow of sunlight from the sun to the earth and back. In the Arctic, this affects the growth of lichens which in turn, affect the caribou and reindeer which feed on it.

How Did Fish Survive the Flood?

Have you ever for a second thought of how fish survived during the flood in Noah's day? i do like to share this thought hope you find it interesting!!!!!!!!!

If the whole earth were covered by water in the flood, then there would have been a mixing of fresh and salt waters. Many of today's fish species are specialized and do not survive in water of radically different saltiness to their usual habitat. So how did they survive the flood?
Note that the Bible tells us that only land-dwelling, air-breathing animals and birds were taken on the ark (Genesis 7:14-15, 21-23).
We do not know how salty the sea was before the flood. The flood was initiated by the breaking up of the “fountains of the great deep” (Genesis 7:11). Whatever the “fountains of the great deep” were (see Noah's Flood—What did all the water come from?), the flood must have been associated with massive earth movements, because of the weight of the water alone, which would have resulted in great volcanic activity.
Volcanoes emit huge amounts of steam, and underwater lava creates hot water/steam, which dissolves minerals, adding salt to the water. Furthermore, erosion accompanying the movement of water off the continents after the flood would have added salt to the oceans. In other words, we would expect the pre-flood ocean waters to be less salty than they were after the flood.
The problem for fish coping with saltiness is this: fish in fresh water tend to absorb water, because the saltiness of their body fluids draws in water (by osmosis). Fish in saltwater tend to lose water from their bodies because the surrounding water is saltier than their body fluids.