Oceans and Health
Questions and answers from our new elective, BSC 356 —
featuring Clayton College graduate Melissa Ryan

“So many people find the oceans to have natural healing qualities, and even though they may not understand why, they know that they ‘just feel better’ being near or in the salt water. For a few decades, scientists and public health officials have been studying ways in which the oceans physically impact human health…”

1. Marine plankton provide the source for the ______________ used in tracking certain biochemical reactions.

a.		radioactive isotopes
b.		salts
c.		synthetic compounds
d.		phosphorescent chemicals

2. When a marine organism is identified as having health or pharmaceutical benefits, one approach to the sustainable use of this resource is________________, or the farming of marine plants and animals.

a.		harvesting
b.		aquaculture
c.		synthesizing
d.		none of the above

3. Threats to the ocean result primarily from:

a.		the overpopulation of ocean species.
b.		the overpopulation of shoreline plant species.
c.		human activities.
d.		hurricanes.

4. True or False: Coral reefs not only protect shorelines, but also provide a food source.

a.		true
b.		false

5. ____________ occurs naturally in the environment, but we add more of it to the air when coal, garbage, medical waste, or sewage sludge is burned. One result of this is the contamination of seafood, which can have adverse effects on human health, especially in certain groups of people.

a.		Mercury
b.		Aluminum
c.		Barium
d.		Thallium

6. Continental shelf waters provide which of the following important ecological functions:

a.		the recycling of nutrients from the land and the assimilation of waste products.
b.		an abundance of many different species.
c.		the modulation of regional climates.
d.		all of the above.

7. California’s Marine Life Management Act represents one of the first laws designed to:

a.		protect one particular species.
b.		involve the education of children about the management process.
c.		protect entire ecosystems rather than just one species.
d.		all of the above.

8. Clinical trials for infectious disease treatments currently include __________ compounds from marine organisms.

a.		many
b.		no
c.		10
d.		2

9. The deep ocean is known to contain large deposits of _______________, which could be used in the future as an energy source.

a.		methane (natural gas)
b.		coal
c.		oil
d.		all of the above

10. Regarding the ethics of using the ocean as an economic resource, true economic development is:

a.		increased tax revenues and greater profits for the wealthy.
b.		economic growth for corporations.
c.		an increased quality of life wherein people prosper not only in financial terms, but also in aesthetic and spiritual terms.
d.		about generating more money to protect the environment.