... organisms that float in the water), and small fish. Humpbacks feed by swallowing a mouthful of water containing its prey. Sea otters use the kelp to wrap themselves in when they are resting. Sea otters once ranged from Mexico to Alaska and Japan. The current population of sea otters in California is about 3,000, primarily distributed from just south of San Francisco down to Santa Barbara County ... . Sea otters mainly eat sea urchins, crabs, clams, mussels, octopus, other marine invertebrates, and fish. It has been estimated that 160,000 orcas ... inhabit the waters surrounding the cont...

• Word Count: 1537
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... to decompose, and so, they last for a very long time. The water spreads out the PCBs in the ocean, but when sea life comes along these particles attach themselves to the sea creatures, and slowly collect. In Environmental Issues in Oceanography, Second edition the authors [Daniel C. Abel and Robert L. McConnell] state that ... the reproductive and central nervous systems, bone structure, and the liver bile duct of mammals. TBT compounds can also damage the immune system." In sea life specifically, the Extension Toxicology Network states "Tributyltin compounds are highly to very highly t...

• Word Count: 1422
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... their lives in the ocean. More recent research has focussed on oceanic survival and the possible impacts of climate change on salmon at sea. The facts paint a depressing picture. Projections based on circulation models for the northeast Pacific predict sea surface temperatures may increase by 2 to 4 degrees Celsius, and wind speeds will decrease. The combination would impact ocean up welling of nutrients ... . These nutrients play a critical role in the food chain for ocean-going salmon. The up welling cold water nutrients support and maintain the zooplankton, a primary food source of sa...

• Word Count: 2262
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: Undergraduate