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Explore a diagram and activity about estuary issues

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In this activity, students become aware of the importance of estuaries. They identify some possible impacts on estuaries and possible actions that can be taken to protect them.

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Why is the ocean important for life on Earth?

The ocean is important because it is a very large part of our planet. In fact, it covers 70% of Earth's surface. The ocean is a home and food source for countless fish, mammals, plants, birds, and more.

The ocean plays an important role in whatever happens in our environment on Earth. Even if you live on land - like humans do - you wouldn't survive without the ocean!

One example: without the ocean, Earth would be much hotter than it is right now. That's because the ocean absorbs heat from the Sun and spreads it more evenly around our planet.

How does the ocean soak up heat from the Sun?

Water is excellent at storing heat. Water has a high heat capacity-it absorbs a lot of heat before it begins to get hot. Air, on the other hand, is not so great at storing heat.

Earth's climate is warming due to human activities. As Earth experiences a warming climate, we experience hotter air temperatures. The ocean does an excellent job of absorbing the extra heat from the atmosphere, delaying the full impact of global warming.

The top few meters of the ocean store as much heat as Earth's entire atmosphere. So, as the planet warms, it's the ocean that gets most of the extra energy. More than 90% of the global warming is going into the ocean.

But if the ocean gets too warm, then the plants and animals that live there can get sick or even die.

How are coral reefs affected by climate change?

Coral reefs are created by living creatures. Warming oceans caused by climate change are putting coral reefs in danger. Coral reefs are made by very fragile colonies of organisms that build skeletons around themselves.

Coral lives together with a certain kind of colorful algae. The algae make food using sunlight ¬- a process called photosynthesis. The algae share the food with the coral, and in turn, the coral gives the algae a safe and comfortable place to live.

The two of them get along fine, living in clean, clear, shallow waters where the Sun shines through brightly. Fish and other sea creatures love coral too, because there are lots of nooks and crannies for them to hide in.

But the algae cannot carry out photosynthesis in water that is too warm. The algae either die, or the coral spits it out. It's bad for the algae, the coral and the fish, because the coral lose their food sources and become weak and can die. This event is called coral bleaching, and it is a very serious problem in many ocean ecosystems around the world.

Read about what it's like to be an ocean scientist studying coral reefs.

How does the ocean soak up CO₂?

Fish and other animals in the ocean breathe oxygen and give off carbon dioxide (CO ₂), just like land animals. Ocean plants take in the carbon dioxide and produce oxygen, just like land plants. The ocean is great at absorbing CO ₂ from the air.

However, a lot of CO ₂ comes from human activities, too. For example, exhaust from cars, planes, and factories put extra carbon dioxide into our air. Too much carbon dioxide in the air is a problem, as it causes the Earth to trap more heat. The ocean absorbs about one-quarter of the CO ₂ that humans create when we burn fossil fuels (oil, coal, and natural gas).

Too much carbon dioxide in the ocean causes a problem called ocean acidification. You can read this article to learn all about ocean acidification and its effects.

How does the ocean affect the climate?

The ocean absorbs heat from the Sun and ocean currents move that warm water all around the planet. Ocean currents are like highways that carry water around the world. Heat (along with salt) is a major source of power for ocean currents.

Cold water near the North and South Poles sinks deeper into the ocean. Water near the equator is warmed by the Sun. Then, the warm surface water moves closer to the poles where it cools and sinks.

As Earth's climate warms, the water also warms melting sea ice. This warming could make the water less cold and less likely to sink. Without sinking cold water, the ocean currents could slow down or stop in some places. This could change the climate in places like Europe that have milder climates thanks to the warm currents in the oceans around them.

Does the salt in the ocean do anything?

The amount of salt in the ocean also affects currents. Saltier water is heavier than less salty water. When salty ocean water freezes, the ice can no longer hold on to the salt. Instead, the salt mixes with the water below making it saltier and heavier. Glaciers, land ice and icebergs are made of fresh water, so what happens when this ice melts? Good question!

The water in the North Atlantic sinks because it's cold, but also because it's salty. Being both cold and salty makes it really dense and heavy, so it can sink very far. But if too much ice melts in the North Atlantic, the water could become less salty and affect ocean currents. NASA satellites are keeping a close eye on the melting ice, the ocean currents, and ocean life to better understand this complicated system.

Play Go With the Flow to use temperature, salinity, and ocean currents to find treasure!

How does climate change impact sea level?

As Earth warms, NASA has observed that sea levels are rising. Water expands as it gets warmer. So, warm water takes up more room in our oceans, and this leads to higher sea levels. Another reason that oceans are rising is due to melting ice on land. Glaciers and ice sheets are large masses of ice that sit on the land. As our planet warms, this ice melts and flows into the oceans. More water in the oceans makes sea level higher.

NASA satellites are constantly measuring sea level around the globe. Learn more about how we measure sea level with satellites.

Related NASA Missions

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How Does Climate Change Affect the Ocean?

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Additional heat and carbon dioxide in the ocean can change the environment for the many plants and animals that live there.

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Science Learning Hub: Nutrient pollution 

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Science Learning Hub: Nutrient pollution 

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Explore videos and information about nutrient and point-source pollution. This can be a big issue for estuaries

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These two practical activities help students to understand how nutrients are washed off the land and into water systems. They also investigate the effects of nutrients in aquatic ecosystems.

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Science Learning Hub article on farming and environmental pollution 

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Science Learning Hub article on farming and environmental pollution 

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New Zealand has had a reputation for being 'clean and green' - a country of environmental beauty. Compared to many countries in the world, this is true. However, it's becoming apparent that New Zealand has an environmental pollution problem. An OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) report (2007) describes deterioration in water and air quality in New Zealand - due, in part, to agriculture.

Water quality

Water quality describes the condition of water and includes its chemical, physical and biological characteristics. Standards developed for water quality relate to the suitability of water for a particular purpose, for example, the water quality needed for healthy ecosystems (lakes, estuaries and rivers), human recreation (such as swimming) and drinking. Standards are being developed in New Zealand to rate the quality of water in our waterways.

Water pollution

Concerns have been raised about the effect of intensification of farming on water quality. Farmers add fertilisers to improve pasture growth to ensure animals have enough to eat. Fertilisers contain chemical compounds that add to the nitrogenphosphorus and potassium content of the soil. Effluent from farm animals also adds nutrients to the soil. Excess fertiliser not taken up by plants can be leached from the soil or carried away in run-off. The nutrients may end up in waterways and groundwater.

Eutrophication

Nutrients are carried into lakes, rivers and estuaries. This enrichment - particularly of nitrogen and phosphorus - causes excessive growth of aquatic plants. These plants take up room, making less room for fish. As the nutrients are used up, the plants die off. As they decay, they take up oxygen from the water, leaving less oxygen for other organisms and causing them to die off. This is known as eutrophication. Excessive plant growth also limits sunlight from penetrating the water, causing the death of benthic organisms dependent on sunlight (such as seagrass in estuaries). Animals that depend on these plants for food and shelter need to leave the area or die.

Toxic water

Excessive nitrogen in its nitrate form can become harmful when it gets into groundwater. When consumed, the water has been known to be toxic to babies and pregnant animals.

Erosion and water

Erosion from land clearance and other farming practices can add fine sediment to water, spoiling the aesthetic appeal of streams and lakes and making it unfit for swimming or drinking.

Contaminated soil

Soil is considered contaminated when the levels of hazardous substances are higher than that of 'normal' levels and there is likely to be a risk to the health of people, animals and the environment. Scientists set normal (or background) levels for specific areas of land at a standard deemed to be safe. Agricultural soils can be contaminated, for example, by the overuse or wrong use of fertilisers and pesticides.

Greenhouse gases

Gases that trap heat in the atmosphere are known as greenhouse gases (the atmosphere warms up like it does in a greenhouse). The gases allow sunlight to enter the atmosphere freely. When sunlight strikes the Earth's surface, some of it is reflected back towards space as infrared radiation (heat). Greenhouse gases absorb this infrared radiation and trap the heat in the atmosphere. This stops us from being too cold and gives us a pleasant atmosphere in which to live.

Global warming

The concern among some scientists today is that more of these greenhouse gases are being produced than previously. In time, this causes an overall warming of the atmosphere known as global warming. The main contributors of greenhouse gases are water vapourcarbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxideozone and fluorinated gases from industrial processes.

Agricultural emissions

Since 1990, New Zealand's agricultural greenhouse gas emissions have grown by about 1% each year. In 2010, just under half of the total greenhouse gases were produced by agricultural activities (47.1%). Intensified farming has led to added emissions of nitrous oxide and methane in particular. Although there is more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than other greenhouse gases (apart from water vapour), methane is 23 times more powerful than carbon dioxide at trapping heat, and nitrous oxide is 310 times more powerful!

Nitrous oxide is formed during the nitrogen cycle. Excessive nitrogen compounds in the soil - added through fertilisers or effluent - produce more nitrous oxide. Methane is a byproduct of animal rumination (released in sheep and cow burps) and organic decay.

Balancing food production with sustainability

There is no doubt that agricultural intensification can come at a cost to the environment. However, we need to balance this cost with the importance of food production. As the Earth's population grows, so does the need for farmers and others to produce more food.

Using scientific research - such as nitrification inhibitors and denitrification beds - can help maintain water quality. Farm management practices such as fencing off streams are also effective. Other solutions may lie in regulations (such as the Resource Management Act 1991 to control nitrogen fertiliser use), market-based initiatives (such as pollution permits) and incentives to farmers to reduce their nitrous oxide emissions and nutrient losses.

Nature of science

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New Zealand has had a reputation for being 'clean and green' - a country of environmental beauty. Compared to many countries in the world, this is true. However, it's becoming apparent that New Zealand has an environmental pollution problem.

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Young Ocean Explorers: How does plastic get to estuaries and the ocean? 

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Young Ocean Explorers: How does plastic get to estuaries and the ocean? 

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See how a piece of rubbish can get to our estuaries and learn about turtles and seabi

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A species is a group of life forms that are similar enough that they can create babies together that are also able to create babies. Wolves and dogs are from the same species, but dogs and cats are not.

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Steve Hathaway, Liz Busch, Jani Alexander, Reuben Pollock, Axel Busch

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Young Ocean Explorers has been on a mission since 2012 to inspire kids to love our ocean - through entertaining education. We want to capture children's imaginations through great storytelling, bringing the beauty, awe and fascination of the ocean and its inhabitants alive.

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NOAA's page on estuaries and climate change 

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NOAA's page on estuaries and climate change 

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Explore animations and information about how climate change can affect estuaries

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Exploring the Estuary and Climate Change Connection

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NOAA's Estuary Education was developed to advance estuarine and coastal literacy by serving middle and high school educators through curriculum and professional development.

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Northland Regional Council's estuaries pages 

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Northland Regional Council's estuaries pages 

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Most water eventually drains to the sea from the land. Whenever there is heavy rainfall, the drainage systems in cities, towns and roadsides direct the water through pipes and into the sea. Any pollution and debris the stormwater picks up along the way ends up in the sea as well.

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Introducing the Filthy Five; the most commonly-found plastic products on our coastlines.

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My final project for Mograph Mentor, created for Sustainable Coastlines.
Thanks to my mentor Mathijs Luijten (www.mathijsluijten.com).

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Whakamutua the whakamahi kirihou: Te Reo issues for estuaries and oceans

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Young Ocean Explorers has been on a mission since 2012 to inspire kids to love our ocean - through entertaining education. We want to capture children's imaginations through great storytelling, bringing the beauty, awe and fascination of the ocean and its inhabitants alive.

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This website shows the results of what kinds of litter have been found on our beaches during community clean ups- plastics of different sorts are a biggie!

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We work hard sorting through the rubbish we remove from our beaches to learn which types of products pollute the most. These are the most common items we find. The numbers below show how many of the worst offending products we've picked-up at our events to date.

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Shelley Hersey, field trip teacher with LEARNZ, interviews MPI senior adviser, Eugene Georgiades, about aquatic biosecurity.

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The aquatic biosecurity system: interview with Eugene Georgiades, MPI

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This interview is part of a series of professional development videos to support teachers' delivery of MPI's curriculum resources. More info: www.mpi.govt.nz/news-and-resources/teacher-resources Interviewer Shelley Hersey, field trip teacher with LEARNZ, interviews Eugene Georgiades, senior adviser at MPI, about aquatic biosecurity.

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Volvo ocean race resources about plastic pollution

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Take action- Litter Intelligence citizen science programme 

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Take action- Litter Intelligence citizen science programme 

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About Litter Intelligence

We cannot improve what we do not measure. Litter Intelligence is a long-term programme that collects litter data, provides powerful insights about the problem, and inspires widespread action for solutions. Led by New Zealand charity Sustainable Coastlines, the programme works in close collaboration with the Ministry for the Environment, Department of Conservation and Statistics New Zealand.

Find Out More

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We cannot improve what we do not measure. Litter Intelligence is a long-term programme that collects litter data, provides powerful insights about the problem, and inspires widespread action for solutions. Led by New Zealand charity Sustainable Coastlines, the programme works in close collaboration with the Ministry for the Environment, Department of Conservation and Statistics New Zealand.