Immerse
yourself in the mysterious beauty of the ocean. You will discover an enchanting
world of diversity and partnerships that are essential to sustain life. Drew
Harvell’s book explores the ocean and shares the adventures she experienced as a marine
ecologist.
What
is it like to embark on such an adventure?
Dr. Drew Harvell introduces the readers to an incredible variety of spineless sea creatures and their hidden powers. She takes us to various places: Hawaii, the Salis Sea, Saint Croix, Indonesia and other spots...
The exuberance of colors and shapes strikes a sense of wonder.
Sponges, coral reefs, jellyfish, anemones, clams, fans, octopi, sea stars, and
many others are included in this book.
Dr.
Drew Harvell is a world-renowned marine ecologist, professor emeritus of
ecology and evolutionary biology at Cornell University, affiliate faculty at
University of Washington and a science envoy to the US State Department.
Marine biology and medical research
I was stunned to learn how marine biology
overlaps with medical research. You may be surprised to read that discoveries
about the chemistry and biology of sea creatures are used in immunology,
neurobiology and cancer research and therapy.
Hidden
powers in sponges
Have you
ever heard about Mitomycin? Mitomycin is used to treat some types of cancer
(bladder cancer, for example). I did not know that mitomycin is a synthetic
derivative of a compound with anticancer activity called mayamycin, which was
obtained from a specific type of sea sponge (Halicondria panicea); this is a
bright green intertidal sponge found at low tide in the shoreline of the
Pacific Northwest. Researchers found the
natural compound and then scientists developed the synthetic chemical by
tinkering with the structure of the natural compound in various ways.
You will be even more surprised to learn that
the chemical found in the sponge is not really produced by the sponge; it is
made by specific bacteria in the sponge. There is a kind of symbiosis between
the bacteria and the sponge to make this happen. Researchers do not know much
about the complexity of this symbiosis.
The
coral’s castles
Corals are part of the animal group called
cnidarians; anemones and jellyfish are also considered cnidarians.
All cnidarians have harpoon-like,
venom-filled stinging cells called nematocysts, soft bodies and free-swimming
larvae.
As
adults, some (like coral and anemones) exist as sessile polyps, while others
(like most jellies) remain free swimming. Adults with free-swimming form are
called medusae.
The common ancestor of all living cnidarians was a solitary anemone that lived in ancient seas 800 million years ago.
Some of the richest habitats on earth are the coral reefs. They house a quarter of all marine animal species. There is an ancient partnership between coral polyps and microscopic algae. These microscopic algae are photosynthetic single-celled organisms called zooxanthellae. The zooxanthellae are packed in lines studding the skin of the corals. The zooxanthellae use chlorophyll to absorb sunlight, which is necessary to photosynthesize and produce glucose.
The sunlight penetrates the shallow water in
which corals live and the food the zooxanthellae produce sustains the corals,
because they use the food produced by the zooxanthellae to grow and reproduce. The
corals, on the other hand, provide shelter to the zooxanthellae. This
symbiosis or partnership between corals and zooxanthellae started over 400
million years ago. It is an adaptation that helped corals survive, because
corals live in waters with low nutrition, so the algae zooxanthellae provided
the extra nutrition they needed. This precious partnership is disrupted
by climate change.
Coral reefs and the economy
Coral
reefs support artisanal fisheries and protect coastal communities from damaging
waves and subsequent erosion. Also, hundreds of millions of peoples’
livelihoods depend on coral reefs. What happens if we do not work to address
climate change? How vulnerable are coral reefs to climate change? I invite you
to research this.
Coral reefs under attack by climate change and pollution caused by humans
Higher temperatures make them vulnerable to
infection; it causes “bleaching” of the coral reefs because it disrupts the
partnership that has evolved over millions of years. The word “bleaching”
alludes to the fact that they lose their colors because the microscopic algae
(the zooxanthellae) are expelled. They lose their pigmentation and become vulnerable to diseases.
“Even in the heart of coral biodiversity,
corals face the existential threat of climate warming. Warming events had broken
apart the delicate symbiosis with the zooxanthellae and activated infections
that stripped the live tissue from the skeleton and killed the entire colony."
In
addition to climate change, Dr. Harvell provides shocking descriptions of the
ways in which coral reefs suffer under the effects of pollution:
“Local factors like plastic, dynamite fishing,
and sewage pollution were breaking and stressing corals, so infections could
easily start.”
It was shocking to read what she had
seen as she swam from Bali to Raja Ampat: “we found a lot of plastic entwined
in the branches of living coral. On reef after reef, we noticed plastic trash.
Old fishing lines, chip bags, diapers, and single -use plastic bags were
surging into the ocean from coastal shores and rivers.” They ended up tangled
on corals.
The author researched the effects of climate change in the year 1998...
In June 1998 the effects of climate change on coral reefs were evident to scientists who explored life in the oceans. Dr. Drew Harvell was one of them.
The
effects of higher temperatures were exacerbated by El Nino phenomenon that same
year. The ocean absorbs the excess of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. As the carbon
dioxide dissolves in ocean waters it turns into carbonic acid. The ocean
acidification that results from this process has several deleterious effects on
ocean life. For example, it affects the building of shells and skeletons. Ocean
acidification affects the architecture of coral reefs.
Coral reefs are important for the economy, so when you encounter a climate denier, you can educate them on the need to preserve and protect coral reefs from the massive amounts of arbon dioxide produced by human activities. This is why we need to act. We have options. We can make choices that support their health.
Dr. Harvell describes what happened, “We received reports from around Indonesia that corals were bleaching and that small outbreaks of disease were appearing on the reefs. While the bleaching was bad news, it was expected.” Back then the evidence of climate change caused by humans was already clear.
With
global warming the growth of pathogenic bacteria, fungi and viruses increases. Back
then they developed a sustainability program led by scientists from the World
Bank; it also included seventy scientists from around the world. Climate change
caused by the excess of carbon dioxide that results from human activities was
well documented and they invested in resources to learn more about it. However,
they did not do enough to address the issue and to educate the population. Why?
Despite the fact that the science of
anthropogenic climate change was clear in the 1990s, the mainstream media
presented it as a controversial issue, confusing the masses. For example, the
administration of George Bush suppressed and distorted the scientific findings
to satisfy the interests of the fossil fuel industry; the Trump administration
is following the same path. The Bush administration exaggerated uncertainty
regarding climate change and did everything it could to avoid the policies required to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases.
The
scientific consensus on climate change dates back to the 1990s. Reading this
information motivated me to do more research on this. As I looked into the matter further, it became clear to me that the evidence was ignored and suppressed for decades, and that universities and
institutions were complicit in this process, because they were also influenced by
fossil fuel interests.
Learning from the past will guide us to act in the present
A serious issue emerges when we refuse to learn from history. We run the risk of repeating the same mistakes, which is what we are doing right now. An example of this is the use and abuse of artificial intelligence and the unregulated spread of data centers that lead to massive consumption of water and energy. These data centers worsen the climate crisis. With a few exceptions, political leadership on both sides of the spectrum chooses to ignore the consequences of the unrestrained spread of data centers. Several political leaders have failed to address the problem and have sold out our communities. In fact, they facilitated the spread of these data centers.
I invite you to do what you can as a citizen by not only contacting your representatives but also by minimizing the use of AI. For example, when you do a search you can type -AI to avoid the intrusion of AI.
Here’s an
article on this that was published by AP news. It highlights the importance of
doing this. It is a way of making your voice heard and it has some practical ideas:
Artificial Intelligence is also taking away jobs, and it will continue to do so, harming our mental health and livelihoods. The propaganda about its benefits fails to address all the problems it is causing.
Climate
change decreases the levels of oxygen in the oceans
This is not
something she writes much about, so I would like to highlight it. Warm
temperatures in the water hold less Oxygen, so the levels of Oxygen have been
decreasing. You can read more on this here.
However,
climate change is not the only cause. The decrease in the levels of Oxygen is
also a result of pollution. For example, pollution by fertilizers from factory farms is a topic she does not address in her book. She only
mentions fish farms, but not other factory farms. I also notice that universities avoid paying
attention to this topic. Why is this not addressed? In the same way that
universities ignored climate change for decades they now seem to neglect topics
that pertain to factory farming and the consequences of overuse of fertilizersand pesticides. The lack of transparency and neglect from institutions is another betrayal; these institutions should be prioritizing the
environment and public health—not the interests of the agricultural and fossil
fuel corporations that provide donations…
What kind of objectivity can we expect when we learn that fossil fuel corporations funneled 700 million dollars in research funding to US universities over the course of ten years?
Big agricultural corporations also provide funding to these institutions:
It would be interesting to have the latest figures available, but, unfortunately, I don’t expect much transparency. Here’s a paper on this kind of influence.
Climate
change continues to get worse
In the
meantime, climate change and pollution continue to get worse, and planting
trees, albeit important, is not enough to address this.
Imagine yourself going down into the sea at night. Without the pull of gravity, you may not know whether you are going down or up. I found that fascinating. You will learn about bioluminescence and the chemistry of light…
The chemistry of light production in marine living beings such as jellyfish was spellbinding. Several species of sea creatures produce light for different purposes. It may be to attract mates, deter predators or to attract prey. The process requires certain conditions and the presence of calcium. Understanding the chemistry of this process also helps to fathom how living beings are interconnected and interdependent. Furthermore, you will be impressed to learn how this knowledge is applied to medical diagnosis and treatment.
Sea Stars
The author describes the anatomy of these
delicate creatures in simple terms; she reveals how they feed themselves. We also learn about the epidemic that caused massive die-offs of sea stars. Warming temperatures made them vulnerable to a serious epidemic…
For example, ninety percent of the sunflower
sea stars along the entirety of North America’s West coast died. This had serious repercussions because sunflower
sea stars normally feed on sea urchins, so the lack of sunflower sea stars
caused an overpopulation of sea urchins. These organisms then devoured the kelp
forests. The devastation of kelp forests damaged an entire ecosystem, and this
degradation had serious impacts on the local economies. Restoration work is
ongoing to protect sea stars.
Conclusion
The
author’s adventures in and by the sea inspire us to appreciate the ocean and
motivate us to protect it from the abuse of human activities. Her book provides
revelations on how everything is intimately interconnected. The diversity of
connections and partnerships presented here is essential to sustain life.
As we attempt to awaken to the complex web of
life, we get to understand that climate change is not an isolated issue. It is interconnected
with and related to pollution. Therefore, addressing both should be part of a
comprehensive plan of actions to support human health and all forms of life in
our planet. Making the right choices is of paramount importance at every level.
What can we
do?
Avoid single
use plastic bags; avoid or minimize the use of plastic. Avoid releasing helium
balloons. They can end up in the ocean; wildlife gets killed by ingesting them. Support
clean forms of energy like wind, solar and geothermal. If you grow a garden, do so
without the use of pesticides and herbicides. Vote for politicians who
genuinely care about doing something to address pollution and climate change
and make choices that align with your ethical purpose. Remember that your
voice can help to make a difference.
Find out how
you can protect marine animals from illegal fishing:
https://awionline.org/wycd/what-you-can-do-for-marine-wildlife/
Take action to protect coastal communities and the ocean:
Research has
shown that there are links between oil and gas production and earthquakes. Why
is this not addressed? Here’s an article from Scientific American on this topic:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/drilling-for-earthquakes/
If you
enjoyed this post, feel free to read my post on the following book:
