Section 3: There is a tremendous variety of organisms living in fresh and salt water.ο»Ώ

Key Ideas     Unit Checklist

  Unit E: Section 3 – Introduction


Figure E.S.3.1 – Floating plastic garbage pollutes the oceans.

Figure E.S.3.2 – Marine animals can become trapped in plastic fishing debris.


Figure E.S.3.3 – Albatross birds eat plastic ocean litter.
Great Pacific Garbage Patch

A gyre, or circular ocean current, is located in the middle of the North Pacific Ocean. This gyre carries plastic garbage into its centre. The exact size of this Great Pacific Garbage Patch is not known, but it is at least as big as Alberta. Much of the plastic in the gyre consists of small pieces floating just below the ocean surface, so it can’t easily be seen.

Plastic litter in the oceans has negative effects on living things. Light breaks down large plastic objects in the ocean into small pieces. Aquatic organisms such as sea turtles and albatross birds mistake plastic as food. They eat it and feed it to their babies. The plastic doesn’t break down inside their stomachs and can cause them to die. Degrading plastic also releases toxic substances such as hormone disruptors into the ocean. These toxins can enter the food chain, eventually building up in the bodies of large fish like tuna. When humans eat fish, these toxic substances can harm our bodies too.

  Words to Think About:

Check out the word cloud below. It pictures the important words that you are going to learn in this section. Watch for these words, and combinations of these words, as you read. When you see them highlighted, you can click on them to learn more about what the word means. You can also visit the course glossary and read definitions for all of these words.

 
Lessons in This Section

Lesson E9:  Living in Water
Key Question – What adaptations do different aquatic organisms have?

Lesson E10: Changing Populations in Water
Key Question – Why do the populations of aquatic species change over time?

Lesson E11: Water Quality Affects Living Things
Key Question – How does water quality affect both aquatic and non-aquatic organisms?
Reading and Materials for This Section

Science in Action 8
Reading: Pages 372–391

Materials Lists for Unit:
Master List of all materials
Materials organized by lesson and activity

 Watch More

An Ocean of Garbage

Watch these videos to learn more about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and how it affects ocean organisms.