Krill case study facts
- they remove 12 bn tonnes of carbon a year through eating phytoplankton
- important to humans through abundance of nutrients like protein and omega 3
- 80% decrease in pop since 1970s
4.CCAMLR set catch limits to manage pop - Stakeholders fishing nations say krill fishing is sustainable for economic benefits
Wave power
- Attenuator - on surface and waves move over top which moves cyliner
- Over topper - wave approaches rig and stored in reservoir then runs through turbines
- point absorber - bouy sits on water moves up and down with waves
Tidal power
- Tidal barrage - dam utilises potential energy between low and high tide which generates electricity
- tidal fences - mechanical energy of tides turn turbine
- tidal turbines - like wind turbine underwater mechanical energy of waves turns turbine
Seabed minerals
- has only recently become profitable to recover the minerals
- rise in tech means more demand for rare earth minerals
seabed minerals impacts
- noise pollution
- slurry clouding effect reduces oxygen
- introduces toxic chemicals
seabed minerals management
international seabed authority issues out 30 exploration licences to hunt for seabed minerals
North atlantic gyre
- has endangered species such as european and american eels
- home to sharks, turtles and whales
- 200,000 pieces of debris per KM squared
- animals get entangled in plastic
- plastic releases toxic chemicals
Deepwater horizon
- 4.9 million barrels of oil spilt
- krill 92% decline in GOM
- fisheries closed costing fishing industry almost $1bn
- 800,000 birds died
- cost of $23bn to the tourism industry
Responses to deepwater horizon
short term
- cleaning beaches and bathing animals
- dispersant break down oil so it sinks deeper into ocean
- controlled oil burning
Responses to deepwater horizon long term
- BP spent $14bn on cleanup
- 6 month ban of drilling in GOM
- stricter regulation were put in place like new casing and cementing requirements
Threats to the maldives
- highest point 2.5 metres above sea level
- 80% of land is less than 1 metre above sea level
- 5 airports 50 metres from the sea
- Capital one of highest pop densities with 25,000 people per square KM
Impacts on maldives
- loss of tourism which is 33% of maldives GDP
- Coastal flooding damage fish processing plants reducing exports which is maldives largest export
- Coastal flooding wears away beaches which destroys habitat
- destruction of coral reefs leads to loss of tourism and increases coastal erosion
Maldives adaptations land reclamation and sea walls
sediment dredged from harbours is deposited on islands that are on the frontline of climate change.
2 metre sea wall in Idavandhoo
Sea wall contructed in Male for $135 million
But very high costs
Maldives adaptations Artificial islands
1997 2 KM squared artifical island called Hulhumale 2 metres above sea level
more than 50,000 people already live on the island
But it is very expensive and takes a lot of time to build
Maldives adaptations floating city
feature 5,000 homes, including hotels, shops and restaurants
could house 20,000 people
could last for 100 years without maintenance
but very expensive homes cost $200,000 and the average salary is $11,000
Arctic geopolitics russian militarisation
10 search and rescue stations
16 deepwater ports
13 airfields
10 air defence radar stations
Moscow have also created a joint strategic command north to maintain a permanent military presence
Arctic geopolitics china interests
interest in rare earth elements in greenland
china granted observer status in 2013
new faster shipping lanes to europe
responsible for 30% of all northern sea route vessels in 2021
Arctic impacts on indigenous people with climate change
Winter:
- hunting reduced by weeks
- unpredictable weather makes fishing dangerous
- death through falling through ice 6 in 2006
Summer:
- temps reached 31 degrees in 2006 so many needed air conditioners
- rising sea levels and permafrost melt erodes coastal villages
Opportunities in the Arctic
- 90 billion barrels of oil
- 47 billion cubic metres of gas
- 44 billion barrels of liquid gas
- russian northern sea route 8000 KM shorter than going through suez canal
- new shipping routes open
Threats in the Arctic
- Oil spill in arctic travelled 20 KM and spilled 21,000 tonnes of oil
- 2016 Norway allowed oil and gas extraction which pollutes polar ice sheets
- increased shipping has environmental impacts
- potential to cause shift in economy due to shorter shipping routes
The arctic council
successes:
- produced reports on improving the response to any future oil spills
- collects and distributes information on shipping activities
- developed marine risk assessments
Limitations:
- cannot enforce agreements
- russia holds chairmanship and other nations boycotted due to Ukraine conflict
Global shipping facts
2 billion tons of crude oil
1 billion tons of iron ore
350 million tons of grain
total value 2019 was $14 trillion
shipping industry quadrupled since 1970
