Jump to main content or area navigation.

Contact Us

ReefLink Database

Toxics

Toxics

Toxics are chemical pollutants that are poisonous, carcinogenic, or otherwise directly harmful to humans, plants, or animals. Toxic chemicals include volatile organic compounds (VOCs), metals such as lead or mercury, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, and hydrocarbons.

CMap

The Agriculture Sector includes both animal and crop production. Algae are aquatic, photosynthetic plant-like organisms and include calcareous macroalgae, fleshy macroalgae, turf algae, and crustose coralline algae. Anemones & zooanthids are cnidarians very similar to coral, but are not characteristic reef builders. Applied chemicals are chemicals applied to lands, vehicles, buildings, or during manufacturing for a variety of purposes, including maintaining pests, improving soil quality, or cleaning surfaces. Atmospheric Emissions include discharges of atmospheric pollutants, including mercury, greenhouse gases, nitrogen and sulfur dioxides, and volatile organic compounds from the operation of factories, vehicles, and other sources. Coral is a colonial marine animal consisting of polyps. Cultural services are the nonmaterial benefits people obtain from ecosystems through spiritual enrichment, cognitive development, recreational opportunities, aesthetic experiences, sense of place, and educational and research opportunities. Culture sectors contribute to the social, emotional, and intellectual well-being of the community. Discharge limitations are responses to regulate and control the discharge of pollutants and the use of chemicals. Discharges are the intentional or unintentional distribution of chemicals, debris, or other pollution, into the environment as a consequence of human activities. Ecosystem monitoring and restoration refers to responses to directly alter the condition of the reef ecosystem through restoration or remediation activities, setting limits on degradation through biological criteria or water quality criteria, or improving knowledge through monitoring, mapping, and scientific research. Ecosystem services are the benefits people obtain from ecosystems . Environmental education refers to organized efforts to teach about how natural environments function and, particularly, how human beings can manage their behavior and ecosystems in order to live sustainably. Fish are cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates that breathe through gills and usually have scales. Food & energy policies are legislation, restrictions, and guidelines that pertain to sectors that harvest or extract natural resources. The Food and Raw Materials sector includes groups that harvest natural resources from the earth, including agriculture, aquaculture, fishing, forestry, mining, and the oil and gas industry. Infrastructural policies are responses, including zoning, codes, or regulations, that impact the distribution and functioning of socio-economic sectors that provide infrastructure. Infrastructural sectors provide the physical, organizational, and technical support for the economy to function, including construction, utilities, transportation, finance, manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade, and technical services. An Invertebrate is any animal that lacks a backbone. Household and Landscaping Services are subsectors that provide for the maintenance of homes, buildings, and urban landscapes. Industries in the Manufacturing and Trade subsector produce and sell food, beverage, tobacco, wood, plastics, chemical products, metals, electronics, and machinery products, in both wholesale and retail trade. Marine vertebrates are aquatic animals with a backbone, such as sea turtles, whales, dolphins and marine birds. The Mining Industry consists of the operation of mines, quarries, and wells, and the extraction of natural resources, such as solid and liquid minerals and gases, from the earth. Non-point source pollution is runoff from diffuse sources that is caused by rainwater moving over and through the ground, carrying pollutants with it and depositing them in coastal waters. Nutrient and contaminant processing refers to an ecosystem's ability to process and cycle contaminants and nutrients through its system. The Oil and Gas Industry specializes in the finding of natural resources such as crude petroleum and natural gas, and the creation, maintenance, and operation of wells to extract the oil and gas from the earth and prepare it for sale. The Reef Ecosystem includes a suite of abiotic variables that form the physical and chemical environment. Plankton are any plants or animals that are too small to actively move against ocean currents. Waterborne point source discharges are pollution from a discernible, confined conveyance, such as a pipe, vehicle, ship, or animal feeding operation that directly enter the aquatic environment into streams or direct discharge into coastal waters. Pressures are human activities that create stress on the environment. Provisioning services are the products or ecosystem goods obtained from ecosystems, including seafood, genetic and biochemical resources, pharmaceuticals, ornamental resources, and water resources. The state of the Reef Ecosystem is the condition, in terms of quantity and quality, of the abiotic and biotic components including physical, chemical, and biological variables. Reef Habitat is the abundance, distribution, and condition of the benthic components of the reef ecosystem. Reef Inhabitants are all of the motile components of the reef ecosystem, including fish, invertebrates, marine reptiles and mammals, and are quantified by their abundance, distribution, and condition. Reef Life is the abundance, distribution, and condition of the biological components of the coral reef ecosystem. Regulating Services are benefits obtained from ecosystem processes that regulate the environment, including erosion regulation, natural hazard regulation, and climate regulation. Responses are actions taken by groups or individuals in society and government to prevent, compensate, ameliorate or adapt to changes in Ecosystem Services or their perceived value. Sea temperature is a measure of the warmth of ocean waters, and depends on water depth, solar radiation, water circulation patterns, and atmospheric temperatures. Seawater flow reflects circulation patterns, currents, and wave action that move water throughout the ocean and towards the coastline. Sediment includes dirt, sand, silt, clay, and small rocks that form soil on land or soft substrate in marine habitats, and may be transported by water, wind, or human activities. Shelter includes sectors that provide for the comfort and protection of humans in relation to their living spaces. Socio-Economic Drivers include the sectors that fulfill human needs for Food & Raw Materials, Water, Shelter, Health, Culture, and Security, and the Infrastructure that supports the sectors. Sponges are sessile colonial animals with soft porous bodies supported by a fibrous skeletal framework. Supporting services are ecological processes that indirectly benefit humans by maintaining a functional ecosystem for the production of other ecosystem goods and services. Toxics are chemical pollutants that are poisonous, carcinogenic, or otherwise directly harmful to humans, plants, or animals. The Transportation Sector involves comprises all modes of transportation (Aviation, Maritime, Mass Transit, Highway, Freight Rail, and Pipeline) The Transportation Systems Sector is segmented into six key subsectors, or modes, which operate independently within both a regulated and non-regulated environment, yet are also highly interdependent. Tunicates, or Utilities specialize in providing basic services for public use, including telecommunications, water systems, natural gas, electric power, and waste management. Waterborne discharges include direct and indirect discharges of pollutants into the aquatic environment, including chemicals, nutrients, sediment, and pathogens. A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with moisture either permanently or seasonally.

CMap Description

Toxic chemicals can affect the growth and reproduction of reef species, or cause mortality. Regulation of chemical use, including registration, labeling, use guidelines, and evaluation of risk, can be used to identify potentially toxic chemicals. Point and non-point source controls can set limitations on the quantity and frequency of chemical applications, atmospheric emissions, or wastewater discharges that introduce toxic chemicals into marine environments. Energy management policies can be enacted to reduce contaminant runoff from mining activities or reduce the risk of petroleum spills. Agricultural practices can be implemented to reduce the over application of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Many of the same socio-economic sectors that create pressures on the reef also benefit from reef goods and services, such as shoreline protection or recreational opportunities that contribute to the cultural identity of the local community. Nutrient and contaminant processing by sponges and wetlands can improve water quality and reduce human exposure to contaminants.

Jump to main content.