As a way of introducing yourself to the class, what one question about Baja California (or its adjacent waters) would you wish us to hopefully answer in this class?
Note: your question should be in the realm of the class’ scope: the biology, oceanography, marine biology, environment, ecology, natural history, geology, geography of Baja.
Directions for this week’s blog:
Part 1 (5 points) (complete early in the week):
· Post your question using a complete sentence. (5 points)
· Be certain to use your full name so I can give your credit for the assignment.
Part 2 (5 points) (complete by Sunday):
· Check the blog several times before Friday and begin your research so you can reply to a minimum of one of your classmates (“bloggers”) by Sunday.
· Go online, use a search engine such as Google and try to answer your classmate’s question.
For further details, check out the assignment’s directions in the class’ website “Getting Started” assignment.
When you are ready to post your comments (reply to another student) click on "Comments" (below).
Be sure to identify yourself, in your comments and replies, by using your full name...this will allow me to award you your points!!
What are some of the environmental crises facing Baja California?
ReplyDeleteWhat types of sea turtles nest in Baja California and where?
ReplyDeleteWhy does northern Baja California experience clusters of earthquakes in the Mexicali region?
ReplyDeleteHow many whales depended on the waters off the coast of Baja For substance??
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ReplyDeleteWhat has been done to improve environmental conditions in Baja California?
ReplyDeleteHow does tourism or cruise lines affect the coastal regions of Baja California?
ReplyDeleteIs commercial fishing off the Baja California Coast regulated to promote sustainability of natural resources?
ReplyDeleteWhat efforts are being made to protect Baja California's rich ecosystem?
ReplyDeleteWhat will happen to the sea turtles living by the Chula Vista power plant after it closes?
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ReplyDeleteWhat are some animal species in Baja California that are in danger of extinction, and why they are in danger?
ReplyDeleteWhat impact do the resorts on the Baja peninsula have on local ecosystems?
ReplyDeleteWhy do the whales migrate from the cold Alaska waters to the warmer Baja California ones?
ReplyDeleteThe whales migrate from the feeding grounds in Alaska to the warmer waters of Baja California to breed. The water there is not only warmer but contains shallow lagoons that are a perfect "nursery" for the young. The population of whales that make this 12,400 mile round trip is estimated to be 20,000- 22,000 individuals.
ReplyDeleteSource: baja.org/practice your own brand of freedom/It takes a Village by Wendee Holtcamp;
ReplyDeleteThis article was informative and interesting. The author is on a fishing panga with several people including Dr. Wallace J. Nichols (Scientist of the week) for a day of turtle scouting and research. The two types of sea turtles found along the Baja Coast are the Olive Ridley or golfina (26 inches long up to 90 pounds) and the Laud or Leatherback which can grow up to 70 inches long and weigh 1300 pounds. Dr. Nichols visits six main places on the Baja peninsula, including San Carlos where the events in this article take place.
Are there any species of aquatic animal life that are only found off of Baja California's East Coast, and if so, what makes that area of the Sea of Cortes so uniquely suitable for that (those) species?
ReplyDeleteBaja California has a rich ecosystem that has a wide range of sea creatures. What are a few of the many migratory species it hosts? How does exploited fishing affect some of these species?
ReplyDeleteKenia Cano
How many different species of whales are in the Baja California waters, and is there any in risk of extinction?
ReplyDeleteIn Mark Rose's article “Cave Paintings of Baja California,” he assures that mineral earths, charcoal, solidified volcanic ash, crushed lava, and ocher where used to paint the four rock shelters in Baja. My question is: how are these elements found in nature? That is, do they appear as pure substances in nature or do they need to be processed in order to obtain them from the ground?
ReplyDeletewhat kind of efforts are being made for the conservation of rare and endangered marine mammals ?
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ReplyDeleteYou can find 3 species of whales in the Baja California waters: the blue whale, the gray whale and the hump-back whale. They can be found in the ojo de liebre lagoon, San Ignacion lagoon, and Magdalena bay. there are also other species of whales that have been seen, like the fin whale and the sperm whale. the hump-back whale, the fin whale, and the sperm whale are endangered. While the blue whale and the gray whale are in risk of extinction.
ReplyDeletePart2: How does tourism or cruise lines affect the coastal regions of Baja California?
ReplyDeleteCruise lines affect the coastal regions of Baja by Dumping the untreated sewage into the sea. The demand for seafood puts a higher demand for over fishing, this in return takes more fish for other animals to eat.
Tourism calls for more water. The more people at a resort the more water it takes from town, and ends up dumped into the ocean. Also, with tourism more water crafts are used. Which can cause careless boaters and can damage reefs, and interrupting nature.
Are the United States and Mexican governments doing anything to help reduce the destruction of sea turtle habitats in the Baja waters?
ReplyDeleteWhat are the negative effects that acid rain has on on sea life?
ReplyDeleteWhat are some of the environmental crises facing Baja California?
ReplyDeleteAfter visiting a couple of websites found through Google, I have noticed that there are many crisis concerning the marine life in Baja California. Because it is a tourist area, much of the coastal areas are destroyed to contruct attractions such as beaches, piers, and decks. The presence of the human population effects the corals in the ocean, which disturbs the nesting areas for animals, which effects their population.
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ReplyDeleteHow has devolpment and tourism effected the gray whale population? Are there any groups actively working to protect it's habitat?
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletePart 1
ReplyDeleteWhat type of effects does the Tijuana River have on the sea life and environment of the ocean where it enters the open water?
Part 2
ReplyDeleteBrandy asked what are the negative effects that acid rain has on sea life?
All rainwater contains some level of acidity. Acidity is measured by pH, which stands for potential of hydrogen. The pH scale measures the amount of acid in a substance. PH is measured on a scale from 0-14, with 7 being neutral. The lower the number is on the pH scale, the more acidic that substance is. Normal rainwater has a pH of 5.6. When the pH level of rainwater goes below 5.6, it is considered acid rain.
All of the sea life will die when the water that they swim in gets to be too acidic. For example, all fish will die when the water goes below a pH of 4.5. Most of the frogs and insects that live around the water will also die when the water reaches a pH of 4.5. With a pH of 5.5, all of the bottom-dwelling bacterial decomposers, animals that eat the remains of the food that other animals don’t want, will begin to die. When these decomposers die, they leave the un-decomposed food on the bottom of the water. This pollutes the water by making the water dirty for all of the fish to swim in. All fresh water shrimp die when there gets to be a pH of 6.0. Aquatic plants will grow the best when the water is a pH between 7.0 and 9.2. If acid rain gets to be more of a problem, then all of the sea life will eventually be gone.
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ReplyDeleteWhat geological processes have contributed to Baja California becoming a peninsula? More specifically, what type of tectonic plate activity has caused this in both the past and present?
ReplyDeleteKaterina Axelsson- WHat effects does tourism have on The gulf of california?
ReplyDeleteWhich animals have migrated to Baja California and why?
ReplyDeletePart 2- Answer to Maria's question.
ReplyDeleteThere are various types of whales in Baja California waters. The most spotted are the blue whales, orca whales, gray whales, humpback whales, fin whales, beluga whales, and sperm whales. There is always a chance of extinction with any animal. However, with whales there is sadly people who go and hunt them. This could eventually cause them to be extinct.
Katerina Axelsson-
ReplyDeleteChristian Martinez said...
What are some animal species in Baja California that are in danger of extinction, and why they are in danger?
Answer: Loggerhead Sea turtles are becoming extinct along the southern coast of Baja California. Bycatching and poaching have a strong effect on their population. If fishermen were to reduce to their bycatch rates, hundreds of turtles could be saved. Currently, local fishermen are working with the Mexican government to locate a sea turtle refuge that would officially protect the most population dense areas of Loggerhead turtles.
These turtles travel from Japan to Baja California Sur to feed and nest, it has been shown that the number of nesting females in japan has declined from 50 to 80 percent in the past 10 years.
What are the types of climates that exist in the different regions of Baja California?
ReplyDeleteAnswer to Rebeca Herrera
ReplyDeleteWhat are the types of climates that exist in the different regions of Baja California?
The Climate in Baja California varies from extremely hot to below freezing temperatures. Climate for the northwest part of the Baja California experience warm to hot, dry summers and mild to cool, wet winters. South along the pacific coast the climate changes to a mild arid climate. The Sonora desert experience hot summers and very low temperatures during winter. The mountains of Baja California experience cool summers and winter temperatures can be below freezing at night.
Robert Mraz said…Are there any species of aquatic animal life that are only found off of Baja California's East Coast, and if so, what makes that area of the Sea of Cortes so uniquely suitable for that (those) species?
ReplyDeleteAnswer The Vaquita Porpoise,also known as "Gulf of California porpoise" or "Cochito," are only found in the northern portion of the Gulf of California. As differs with others marines mammals, the Vaquita do not migrate from other regions, they live the entire year in the Gulf of Mexico. They only travel from the north of the Gulf to the central part of the Gulf, in accordance on how much the temperature of the water changes. This species is the smallest cetacean probably known, about 5 ft long. They are found in waterless than 165 ft deep and within 13.5 nautical miles of the shore.
The water of sea of Cortes, fluctuate annually, from 14°C in January to 30°C in August. The Vaquita are the only porpoise that live in warm water and tolerate these large fluctuations in temperature. The warm water and the reach in nutrients, flora and fauna of the Cortes’s sea make it suitable for the Vaquita Porpoise.
Now a days this species is in danger of extinction, they population may be reduced more than 80% in the next 10-30 years.
Jimena Luna
Arnell Rosete Biol 143 502 Class Blog 1
ReplyDeleteHello everyone, the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Baja is the extraordinary marine life. So, my question to you all is to elaborate more about the biggest animal that probably ever surfaced on the face of this earth - the blue whale.
I’ve never really come face to face with one and wish I could some day, but anyway here are some questions that I’ve come up with that I would like to know the answers to:
1. What steps the local governments (U.S., Mexico) have taken in order to ensure the safety and well being of the blue whales?
2. What are the migratory routes of the blue whales that frequent Baja California?
3. What does their diet mainly consist of?
Question : Baja California has a rich ecosystem that has a wide range of sea creatures. What are a few of the many migratory species it hosts? How does exploited fishing affect some of these species?
ReplyDeleteResearch Answer :
http://www.aboutmexico.net/mexico/sea-of-cortez.asp
http://www.bajainsider.com/environment/trackinghawksbillturtles.htm
http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs010/1101878351891/archive/1102594038420.html
http://seavoices.com/people-i-q/kama-dean/
When you have Jacques Cousteau call the Sea of Cortez “the world’s aquarium “, then you know it’s pretty important.
This is an amazing statistic: 5 of the world’s 8 species of sea turtles feed off the coasts of Baja California. Is there something extraordinary brewing in the waters of the Baja peninsula for turtles from around the globe to migrate there?
Loggerhead turtles make the journey all the way from Japan to mingle in the Baja ecosystem until they reach maturity, then it’s off to the Land of the Rising Sun again where they nest and have their young.
The Hawk bill turtles, in my opinion, are the most beautiful turtles alive today. The Hawk bills are found throughout the Sea of Cortez and the most of intriguing thing about these turtles is that where they nest and migrate from is a mystery still to this day.
Sadly, they are said to be the most endangered out of all turtle species. These tortoises that have a hawk like beak are hunted for their exquisite shells and made into jewelry. Accidental capture on fishing nets has also been a huge problem.
Recently, a dedicated team of biologist pushed themselves across 1500 miles around the Baja peninsula to conduct an experiment to track young Hawk bill turtles by using electronic transmitters attached to the turtles’ shells. The marine biologists were soon delighted to find that the Hawk bill turtles had significant growth rates and were thriving.
There are numerous ongoing endeavors dotting the coasts from the U.S. to El Salvador to try and answer the problems associated with sea turtle endangerment. Which is very satisfying to know.
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ReplyDeleteDoes the “El Niño” have any effect on the Baja California marine life?
ReplyDeletejaymeskephart asked..."What type of effects does the Tijuana River have on the sea life and environment of the ocean where it enters the open water?"
ReplyDeleteGina Saclauso- Caro answered.........
An average of thirteen to fifteen million gallons of untreated sewage flows to the waters of San Diego through the Tijuana River Valley daily. It may be an alarming statistic when we think about it but in the long run nature will always takes care of cleaning itself. Biologists believe that strong off shore current prevents the sewer problem from creating a long - term damage to the marine life.
Long term effect may not be as devastating but there are some short term effects that people should be aware of. First, toxins from sewage can result to the death of the bottom feeders because these sediments settle on the ocean floor. Second, raw sewage on the water blocks the sunlight that is essential for plant growth and photosynthesis. (www1) Finally, the high concentration of nitrogen and phosphorous in sewage heightens the production of microscopic plants. These microscopic plants cause the amount of oxygen in the water to severely decline which limits the survival of marine life. (www2)
Source:
1. http://www1.american.edu/ted/SANDIEGO.HTM
2. http://www.pollutionissues.com/Ve-Z/Water-Pollution-Marine.html
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ReplyDeleteQuestion:
ReplyDeleteHow the development of resorts,golf courses, private beaches and private marinas, etc. affect the life (economically, psychologically and in terms of their health) of the local population of San Jose del Cabo and Cabos San Lucas?
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ReplyDeleteWhat is being done about the endangered California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus)?
ReplyDelete-Jose Antonio Vera II
Part 2
ReplyDeleteGina said..."Does the “El Niño” has any effect on the Baja California marine life?"
http://math.ucr.edu/ftm/bajaPages/Weather.html#Section4
El Niño Effects
The basic rule seems to be that the warmer Pacific currents tend to produce warmer air and water temperatures, and more moisture. This rule translates into differing effects in the southern and northern halves of the peninsula.
It takes ocean waters of 82°(F) or more to sustain a hurricane. Since the warmer waters reached much further north, hurricanes tended to move to higher latitudes than normal. For example, Hurricane Linda,the strongest hurricane that has been recorded in NE Pacific waters, was predicted to head into Southern California at one point - with an expected land fall near Santa Barbara. So the exaggeration of effects brought on by El Niño can also move the general weather patterns of Baja California further north in the summer, and further south in the winter. The water temperatures in the Sea of Cortez went as high as 90°(F), and many of the far-ranging fish migrated far to the north, especially on the Pacific side.
The effects of El Niño produced both bad results (Hurricane Pauline) and good results (rebuilt water tables and turned the peninsula into a garden). The same should be true in the more northern areas during the winter months, if El Niño produces major weather changes. Keep in mind the fact that, in the northern areas, the winter storms will not be of hurricane strength.
Kenia Cano
ReplyDeleteBio 143 502 Class Blog Week1 Part2
Answer to Christian Martinez:
"What are some animal species in Baja California that are in danger of extinction and why are they in danger?"
Baja California is very rich in a wide variety of species. unfortunately mankind and its evolution has played a negative effect on nature. One of the the species that has severely been impacted by excessive hunting is the Gray Whale. The Baja California Desert has also suffered with many species being endangered as well. For example the San Quintin Kangaroo Rat, the Baja California rock squirrel, and a vast variety of spider, scorpion and bee species have also taken its toll due to human activities such as ranching, salt extraction and hunting.
Source: www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld.profiles/terrestrial/na/na1301_full.html
Bonnie Flynn Part 2: In response to Marco Hermosillo’s question. “In Mark Rose's article “Cave Paintings of Baja California,” he assures that mineral earths, charcoal, solidified volcanic ash, crushed lava, and ocher where used to paint the four rock shelters in Baja. My question is: how are these elements found in nature? That is, do they appear as pure substances in nature or do they need to be processed in order to obtain them from the ground?”
ReplyDeleteConsidering the rather violent volcanic past of the region, it is fair to say that both crushed lava and solidified volcanic ash were readily found in the Baja region during the period the paintings were made. Volcanic ash is usually the result of a rather violent eruption where magma and rock particles are blasted into the air. The force that causes this to happen is so strong that the rock and magma are broken up into tiny particles that solidify once they become airborne and fall as ash. The lava rocks on the other hand are formed from lava flows that eventually cooled. When lava cools it can form basalt, pumice, scoria, and obsidian to name a few. These rocks can range in color from black to brown or even yellow or red. The brown, red and yellow colors usually form from the oxidation and weathering of rocks with a higher iron content. These types of rocks would be abundant and would not need to be processed. Charcoal could have simply come from the fires in which the natives used to keep warm. The wood that was used to build the fire would turn to charcoal as it was burned. Charcoal could have also been found naturally in areas of lava flows. As a lava flow engulfs a forest, the plants and trees that were not completely burned by the lava could have turned to charcoal; however, it is more likely that the charcoal came from the fires of the natives. Ocher comes from limonite. Limonite is abundant as well and is also formed when iron is oxidized. Limonite can be found within rocks or even in the soil. Limonite is still used today in paints. Yellow ocher can also be heated to obtain an orange or brick red color.
Sources:
1.http://imnh.isu.edu/digitalatlas/geo/rocks/rocks.htm
2.http://www.primitiveways.com/paint_a_mammoth.html
3.http://nature.berkeley.edu/classes/eps2//wisc/limonite.html
4.http://www.mine-engineer.com/mining/mineral/limonite.htm
5.http://www-scf.usc.edu/~sarahjb/Native_American_Cultural_Landscapes/Paint.html
6.http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch/2009/09_06_11.html
7.http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Glossary/LavaFlows/description_lava_flows.html
8.http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch/2000/00_10_19.html
Jose Vera asked, “What is being done about the endangered California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus)? “
ReplyDeleteJust to say a little about the California Condor, it’s a large vulture with a bald pink head and with an average wingspan of an adult California Condor being 10 feet. This makes it into the category of one of the world’s largest flying birds. They are located in California, Arizona, and Baja California, Mexico. The sad thing is that they are critically endanger and have actually gone extinct in the wild in the past due to hunting, habitat loss and environmental poisons, but due to captive breeding programs there has been small numbers of them reintroduced back into the wild.
To deal with this problem of the California Condor going extinct the US Fish & Wildlife Service created the California Condor Conservation program. Their goal was to help reintroduce the condor and prevent it from completely going extinct. Their plan was to establish two geographically separate populations, one in California and the other in Arizona. Currently there are 4 sites in California, one in Arizona, and another in Baja California were condors have been reintroduced. This program not only breeds the condors in captivity and reintroduces them into the wild but also keeps track of the species in the wild. In Baja California the Recovery Program has joined forces with the Mexican government to reintroduce this species back and there has been much success. This can be seen in on the main page were news about the progress in the effort.
Sources:
http://animal.discovery.com/guides/endangered/birds/california-condor.html
http://cacondorconservation.org/
Bonnie Flynn’s Part 2 response to own question:
ReplyDeleteWhat geological processes have contributed to Baja California becoming a peninsula? More specifically, what type of tectonic plate activity has caused this in both the past and present?
Originally the Baja Peninsula was located on the North American Plate with mainland Mexico and where the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate met there was a subduction zone. That is, the Pacific Plate slid under the North American Plate. Also around 5 million years ago the East Pacific Rise started to cut into the North American Plate. This caused Baja to be a part of the Pacific Plate. The Pacific Plate eventually stopped subducting under the North American Plate and the two plates started sliding along each other. This is known as a transforming boundry, one of the most famous examples being the San Andreas Fault. As the plates continued to slide past each other and the East Pacific Rise continued to separate Baja from its mainland, seawater began to fill this gap and the Gulf of California was born. Combine these processes over millions of years and the result is Baja California becoming a peninsula. The peninsula is slowly moving in a North, Northwest direction away from mainland Mexico.
Sources:
1. http://www.scribd.com/doc/54211871/Oasis-of-Stone-Visions-of-Baja-California
2.http://pages.uoregon.edu/rdorsey/Downloads/TranslationTerranes.pdf
3.http://www.bookrags.com/wiki/Baja_California_peninsula#Geology
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ReplyDeleteHow many species resident to Baja California are endangered, and how does that compare to other ecosystems?
ReplyDeleteMost of the environmental crises facing Baja California are do to the population explosion that has occurred in the region since the middle of last century. The increased population and lack of infrastructure has created many issues including: Water quality issues, solid and hazardous waste issues, air quality and energy issues.
ReplyDeleteWhat environmental precautions does Baja execute to prevent violations to their eco-system while filming a movie or documentary?
ReplyDeleteJose Vera Part 2
ReplyDeleteGabrielle Ajero asked, “What has been done to improve environmental conditions in Baja California?”
The United States E.P.A. (Environemental Protection Agency) has created the US-Mexico Border 2012 Program which is a collaboration between the United States and Mexico to improve the environmentalong the U.S.-Mexico border. One of the projects under this is the “Tijuana, Baja California: Coastal Tijuana Wastewater Collection Improvement Projects” which will deal with the inadequate collection, treatment and disposal of wastewater that has been occurring in this area. The project claims to help do this by providing collection service and conveying the wastewater flows to wastewater treatment plants which would help in reducing the destruction of the environment by limiting this type of pollution. This will be done by extending the wastewater collection systems to communities within the municipality of Tijuana that currently lack access to wastewater mamagement. This will require the installation of about 8 miles of wastewater collection lines ranging from 8 to 15 inches in diameter and will lead to treatment at the existing San Antonio de los Buenos wastewater treatment plant and the Tecolote La Gloria wastewater treatment plant (currently under construction).
http://www.epa.gov/border2012/infrastructure/coastal-tijuana/index.html
Besides this, there have also been beach clean-ups, organized by individuals and organization, happening on the coast to clean the beaches of trash. Information about beach cleanups can be found on the internet if one is interested in participating in one. One site is http://www.cleanupday.org/.
Conservation efforts and proper waste disposal plans are only but a few of the projects happening to help improve the environment of Baja California or help limit our impact.
Gina asked: Does the “El Niño” have any effect on the Baja California marine life?
ReplyDeleteThe El Niño does have an effect on the Baja Marine life. The El Niño storm created strong storm waves, which produced a rise in ocean temperature (www.1). Kelp is seaweed, which grows on the bed of the sea (www.2). Kelp forests survive best in colder ocean temperatures (www.2). However, because of the warmer ocean temperatures and severe waves brought upon by the El Niño, many kelp forests have been destroyed (www.1). This is a small percentage of the marine life, but many things, which we rely on, come from kelp. Kelp serves as an ingredient for supplements such as calcium and iron (www.1). It is also used in the treatment for arthritis and heart disease patients, and many people all over the world use it as a garnish for cuisine dishes (www.2).
1. http://www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/status/ca_var_environ.pdf
2. http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Kelp
Part 1
ReplyDeleteHow far off the Baja Coast are whales usually to be spotted?