The Last Post

Our group 4 project has now come to an end. Before we sign off on this blog for the last time, we will take some time to reflect on the project. We will reflect in the three areas of evaluation provided.

1) Self-Motivation and perseverance.
-Each one of us took on this project wholeheartedly, and nobody was ever known to arrive to a meeting without useful data ready to share.
-We each took time out of our schedules to make sure we met regularly, despite the other issues pressing on us.
-We had difficulty in the beginning in forming a research question, but we maintained our commitment until we finally managed to find one which was suitable.

2)Working within a team
-Each time our group met, we would stay together and discuss where we were as a group, and how to move forward with the project.
-Each member of the group showed up to every meeting, on time, with data.
-We integrated each others ideas while forming the question, finally settling on one which we felt suited us all well.
-We were a little lost in the beginning in terms of how to integrate every person's different science, but we decided to find a topic which covered all areas of science, so that each person could research to the best of their ability and knowledge.

3) Self-Reflection
-Since this is a personal score, we must all speak for ourselves on the evaluation form. However, we as a group feel that we have accurately reflected on the process, on our strengths and weaknesses.
GROUP REFLECTION
-We had difficulties starting out, but by harder work in the early days to find a suitable research question, we managed to unearth a realistic topic, as well as stretch our knowledge of the various sciences.
-One weakness we had was our lack in finding enough quantitative data as we would have liked, but this was largely due to the recent nature of the event. Thus, we had to settle for alternative sources of similar data, such as the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia.

For these reasons and more, we consider our Group 4 project a success. We all know a little more about seagrass, sciences, and each other. Go Group 16!

Summary of our Findings

Importance of Seagrass:

• acts as a nursery for juvenile fish species, providing a safe environment in which to reach adulthood.
• is an important food source for many vegetarian marine species, such as dugongs, which are endangered.
• puts oxygen into water through photosynthesis, creating a cleaner and healthier ocean.

Dangers posed by the Japan Crisis:

• radiation being put into the sea will damage seagrass levels considerably.
•  (previous posts for more details)
• Seagrass can only grow in the photic zone (the area of the ocean into which light penetrates). The photic zone varies, and is determined by the clarity and depth of the water. The movement of the earth's crust, combined with the high input of debris from the crisis will significantly decrease the photic zone around northern Japan, and thus the habitat in which seagrass can grow.
• Seagrass in Japan are mainly found in depths of around 20m or shallower in muddy sands, gravel sands, coral sands or reef platforms (Seagrasses from Japan: species composition, distribution) and the high energy of the waves would have caused the uprooting of many seagrasses 
• as the energy of a wave is proportional to the square of its amplitude, a 32m high tsunami would have a wave strength 1000 times that of a normal 1m wave with a strength of 1 unit 
• the highest height of the tsunami was 37.9 m 
• Since the 2004 9.1 earthquake in Indonesia had caused a damage of 20% to seagrass beds and 30% to coral reefs (according to the State Ministry of National Development Planning) and 3-10% damage to seagrass beds in Thailand (according to the Thai government) , it can be expected that a larger damage will be done to the seagrass beds of Japan as the energy released was nearly double that of the 2004 earthquake
• According to the New York Times the earthquake led to shift of Honshu (the main island of Japan) by 13ft to the East, with the largest shifts happening closest to the epicentre--> this would have caused the destruction or  loss of many of the seagrass habitats (especially those located new Sendai) on the east coast of Japan as seagrasses are mostly found  50km2 or less from the coastline (with some exceptions according to the study: Seagrasses from Japan: species composition, distribution) http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/14/world/asia/14seismic.html?_r=1 (see diagram below)  

red dots = major segrass locations (http://data.unep-wcmc.org/datasets/9#Download)

• Without a safe area in which to mature, many fish species living in the seagrass ecosystems of Japan will experience a drop in population.
• A decline in food sources will cause population levels of marine vegetarian species to decline.
• Without additional sources for oxygen input into the water, it will take longer for the sea around Japan to be habitable for marine life again.
• The change in photic zone and seafloor levels could possibly mean that seagrass will grow back in much more limited quantities.

Economy

• Fishing is a large part of Japans economy (fresh water fishing = 30%)
• The loss of fish habitat, and thus population and the additional loss of species is likely to have a severe, long lasting impact on the economy
• As the loss of fish species and populations is not likely to recover in  near future, consequently it it likely that the impact on the Japanese economy will be long lasting
• From a strictly economic point of view, the decline of the fishing industry is likely to have a negative impact on the economy as a whole, as well as the global supply of fish.
• The overall effect of the decline in fish populations will create a long lasting, severe shock for the Japanese economy, as well as the rates of unemployment.

A news article shedding light on the radioactive leaks:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/03/world/asia/03japan.html?scp=6&sq=Japan%20Radiation%20Sea&st=cse

Japan Earthquake Changes Earth's Axis

- The massive earthquake that hit Japan was so powerful that it changed the shape of the country's coastline and shifted the earth's axis.
- The huge shake, caused by a shift in the tectonic plates deep underwater, also threw the earth off its axis point by at least 8 centimeters.
- Such mighty forces would have moved an immense amount of water, sending it cascading out in waves sweeping across the ocean at 500mph
-That quake was spread over a fault of 620 miles and the sea floor was raised 33 feet.

I will find moer about how was it effect the sea grass!

Initial Findings of Effects of the 2004 Earthquake/Tsunami on Marine Ecosystems

General Impacts by the Tsunami

§   Damage to structure and function of coastal ecosystems: coral reefs, mangroves, sea grasses, estuarine mudlfats

§   Physical damage – physical removal of flora, fauna, reefs, sea grasses and increased sedimentation

o     Physical damage by wave energy – on “shallow near shore habitats (those of coral reefs, sea grasses and mangroves)

§   Chemical changes – saltwater intrusion, eutrophication, sewage

§   Change in ecosystems – different species from different trophic levels were taken away or disrupted 

Specific References to Seagrass: 

 - Indonesia: 20% of seagrass beds, 30% of coral reefs, 25-35% of wetlands were damaged on west coast

- Thailand: 10% damage of seagrass beds

Brief info on Radiation

While the Japanese government spokesman has declared that “Japan’s marine life is in no danger regardless of the radiation levels in the waters near the crippled Fukushima 1 Nuclear Power Plant” on 26 March,

(http://en.rian.ru/world/20110326/163216605.html) experts believe that radioactive particles will have a noticeable and even lasting impact.  The radioactive isotopes detected so far have been:

§   Iodine-131 (half life of 8 days) – 3,355 times the legal limit

§   Caesium-135 – 117.3 times the legal limit

§   Caesium-17 (half life of 30 days) – 70.6 times the legal limit

A study on the internet on the uptake of radioactive iodine of 3 seagrass species that are found in Japan (Hijiki - Hizikia fusiforme, Nejimoku - Sargassum sagamianum and Tsunomata - Chondrus ocellatus) showed that the concentration/levels taken in by seagrass was much more significant than those of fish.  However, I was unable to find the exact numerical data of the concentrations taken up by those species.  

Plans for the Future:

-Find specific examples of how Seagrass loss has impacted marine ecosystems.
-Study the effect of the Sumatra Tsunami & Earthquake on marine ecosystems.
-Explain how the recent events in Japan will likely impact seagrass.
-Explain how this will likely impact local marine ecosystems.
-Explain how this will likely impact local economy.

Everything you need to know about seagrass:

*Seagrass is the base of important marine ecosystems, providing an environment which serves as a nursery for young fish, rich in nutrients and invertebrates for food, while at the same time providing a grazing site for other larger vegetarian marine life. Additional functions and dangers to Seagrass  in both temperate and tropical climates are shown above.
*There are 60 different types of seagrass.
*Seagrass grows only in the Photic Zone (the area of the sea where light can penetrate) in coastal regions on every continent except Antarctica.
*Seagrass requires a soft or sandy substrate region in which to grow.
*Many organisms have evolved to live only in seagrass ecosystems.
*Seagrass levels worldwide have decreased by 30000 square kilometers in the past 20-30 years.
*A healthy seagrass ecosystem is vital to having a healthy fishing system.
*Seagrass can be directly killed by the over-input of elements such as phosphorous or nitrogen.
*Radiation has also been proven to have lasting effects on seagrass.

Some Links I came across

hi eye, here are some links I came across about the movement of plates 
Links about the earthquake:
http://www.attendconference.com/blog/?p=314
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/most-popular/2011/03/12/japan-earthquake-how-ocean-plate-movement-caused-the-disaster-115875-22983510/  --> has gd diagrams

pictures of areas affected by quake from mirror.co.uk

http://www.sify.com/news/tectonic-plates-movement-caused-japan-quake-tsunami-news-international-ldmq4fifgef.htm 

n dylan, here are some pdfs i came across about seagrass: 

http://www.seagrasswatch.org/Info_centre/education/Seagrass_Educators_Handbook.pdf  (general info about seagrass) 

http://mediterranean.seagrassonline.org/files/Kuo-mae-27-4.pdf (seagrass distribution in japan)

And some links about the Earthquake:

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/asia/Japans-Earthquake-Alters-Coast-Line-Changes-Earths-Axis-117857349.html


http://www.livescience.com/13187-japan-earthquake-tsunami-science-faq.html

Links About Seagrass:

http://www.springerlink.com/content/kr902353u7637x1w/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seagrass 

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=2fb35467-064e-4335-a26d-779c71486178&k=87947

A lovely book about Seagrass:
http://books.google.ca/books?id=dHV0NA3m2AIC&dq=how+were+Japan%27s+seagrass+levels+affected&q=Japan#v=snippet&q=Japan&f=false

NEW Research Question

How did the earthquake in Japan affect local seagrass populations, and what effect will this have on local ecosystems and economies?
- Dylan: information about seagrass: everything you could possibly want to know about it, and probably a few things you didn't.
- Skage: what happens to economy if seagrass population decreases --> effects of loss of seagrass on fish populations
- Larissa: How radiation in water affects seagrass and past examples of marine ecoystems that were damaged by earthquakes
- Eye: Movement of plates and how this affects sea grass populations

Possible Focus Areas

- effects of the earthquake and tsunami on seagrass populations and how that affects marine biodiversity 
- effects of earthquake on chemosynthetic ecosystems  
- predictions on effects of marine ecosystems based on aftereffects of 2004 Sumatra earthquake and tsunami 

Research Question: How has the recent ashift in plate tectonics resulted in loss of land and affected nearby ecosystems and human populations?

Hi Jonathan!