Effects Of Beach Pollution On The Beach

Leaving plastic on the beach or throwing trash on the floor can cause it to go into the ocean, creating a dangerous environment for marine life especially since plastic never goes away, it can only get smaller. People do not realize that the trash that they throw on the floor , even if someone lives inland, can end up in the ocean. One of Algalita's sponsored programs called Plastic Debris Rivers to Seas inform, “Nearly 80% of marine debris comes from land-based sources.(4) Most of the land-based debris is conveyed to oceans via urban runoff through storm drains. The main sources of plastic and other types of anthropogenic (human-made) debris in urban runoff include: litter (mostly bags, packaging and single-use disposable products), industrial discharges, garbage transportation, landfills, construction debris, and debris from commercial establishments and public

In the textbook, Taylor states, pollution is “The direct or indirect introduction as a result of human activity… which may be harmful to human health or the quality of the environment”(239). Therefore, the cleanup focuses on cleaning up pollution from the habitat of the beach in order to return some of the quality to the land organisms live on. In addition, due to the overabundance of trash that ends up in the landfill yearly, 750 kg per a person during the year of 2000 (Taylor, 255), the consumption habits of people relates to the clean up because the need to consume rather than reuse is what causes so much waste. A key concept that can help reduce the amount of waste caused pollution is to follow the waste hierarchy when consuming. The waste hierarchy, as discussed by Taylor (254, 260), is looking at consumption in a cradle-to-cradle style rather than cradle-to-grave, as a means of giving products a second life through reprocessing and reuse rather than a product’s use ending in a landfill. One possible solution can be found through green consumption, which relates to the prevention or reuse of products as mentioned in the waste hierarchy (Taylor, 260). If more reusable items are used this means less material will end up in the landfill, and less in the landfill means less overflow will end up in the Great Lakes. Therefore, the beach clean up related to waste and

stores they go to. When we are finished with the plastic bags we either use them or throw them away. This is controversial because most people believe its a problem that we should or should not pay for it. There should be a fee on plastic bags because plastic cannot decompose, wildlife is dying and it damages the ocean.

Beaches are some of the most romanticized places on the planet, for good reason; however, the encroachment of humans onto beach and coastal habitats has resulted in several negative outcomes. At Santa Monica State Beach (and adjoining pier), one of the most popular and polluted beaches in California, the impacts of urban development, industry, and other man-made problems have caused mass pollution in the surrounding environment. The effects this pollution has on the coastal wildlife, water quality, and human health are catastrophic to the ecology and natural habitat of the beach. The beach began to decline in the early twentieth century with the construction of the Santa Monica Pier in 1909 after sixteen weeks of construction that on its own resulted in many tons of concrete being poured into Santa Monica Bay (City of Santa Monica, 2015). Over the next few decades land developers, and beach goers alike contributed a toxic combination of chemicals, bacteria, and trash that has resulted in Santa Monica Bay having several dead zones (Heal the Bay, 2015), which devastate the marine life population.

Beach pollution may not seem like a huge deal, but it is actually very important and a bigger deal than one might think. That one plastic bottle or piece of trash that got left at the beach and it "wasn't a big deal" just further polluted our beaches and now puts our marine life and even humans at risk. The number one reason our oceans and beaches are polluted are directly from improperly disposed trash. Animals such as birds, fish and even mammals often mistake litter (plastic in particular) as food and eat it, causing them to choke, get poisoned, or possibly be contaminated with toxic chemicals. Just a simple walk on the beach will do all the talking. An associate of National Geographic Howard Villa says, "The majority of pollutants going into the ocean come from activities on land" (3). Just look around

Beach pollution is an ongoing problem in Florida’s waters. Beach pollution is not only the actual garbage left on the beach, but is contaminated sewage and runoff water. Runoff water is water from rain that flows over streets, sewage, and dirt. Sewage is the remnants of human waste. The Environmental Protection Agency and the National Resource Defense Council make rules and regulations as one effort to keep the waters clean. Many other organizations are stepping up and getting involved to do what they can to help keep Florida’s beautiful beaches clean and safe. Now it’s your turn to do your part in protecting the beaches.

Before conducting any formal research, we should address any information that we know, assume, or want to know. Plastic has become essential in our lives, perhaps we take plastic-made objects for granted. It is something that we don’t often think about because there is so much of it. However, plastic never goes away or disappears, and consequently ends up in our world’s oceans. Oceans have a natural cycling pattern called gyres in which plastics end up getting stuck. These can accumulate for years and create -what are called- garbage patches. The Great Pacific Garbage patch is the most commonly known, and is compared to the size of Texas. After it gets to the

Our world is rapidly being contaminated by heaping amounts of plastic. A major contributor to this plastic waste can be pinpointed to the average person asking the cashier for a plastic bag to hold their purchases, whether it is made at a clothing store or grocery store. According to the article, “Plastic Bag Pollution,” by Sharon Jacobsen, five-hundred billion plastic bags are currently being used around the world and about one-hundred billion plastic bags are being used primarily by the United States. With all this plastic, does it stay in the same place, where is it going? In the article, “Plastic Pollution in the World’s Oceans: More Than 5 Trillion Plastic Pieces Weighting over 250,000 Tons Afloat at Sea,” the authors state that

Plastic bags start out as litter on beaches, streets and sidewalks. The plastic bags go down storm water runoffs, which can often cause severe flooding. The flooding picks up more plastic bags, and ends up in the ocean. Plastic bags are finding their way into the ocean in many ways, and this is just one of them. Another common way for plastic bags to end up in the ocean, is when people dump them on the sand, so that when the tide comes in it picks them up and they go into the sea. Plastic bags can take up to 1000 years to break down in the environment, which means that every single conventional plastic ever made still exists. Professor Andrew Holmes claims that ‘no-one in their daily life within a period of ten

In order to comprehend the environmental impact of plastic, it is important to understand the journey plastic takes from the time one throws it away, to the time it ends up in the vast unknown. The first place most plastic travels to after being disposed of is a landfill. It can sit in these ever expanding landfills for up to 1,000 years before it's able to decompose. During the time plastic lives there, rain water periodically floods through the waste, getting absorbed by the plastic’s water-soluble compounds. Some of these compounds are highly toxic, and when combined together, they create a more harmful compound called leachate. This liquid is often times absorbed by the ground below, draining through and into other soil, into groundwater, and into streams. As a consequence, the ecosystems and wildlife touched by leachate are polluted and poisoned. Other plastic that doesn’t end up in landfills after use is instead sent through our waterways into our ocean. A 2015 study by the journal Science reported that 8 million tons of plastic ends up in our oceans each year. After arriving to the ocean, plastic spends its first few months floating around until it is carried into a massive vortex of accumulated trash. There are five of these plastic-debris vortexes, called gyres, located around the world: The North Atlantic Gyre, The South Atlantic Gyre, The Indian Ocean Gyre, The Great North Pacific Gyre, and The South Pacific Gyre. Plastic is trapped in the currents of these gyres,

Marine pollution occurs when humans or waste substances are placed into the marine environment resulting in harm to animals and human health. About 1.4 billion pounds of trash is dumped and left per year. It may also often come from nonpoint sources such as wind blown debris and agricultural/land runoff. The trash left like plastic, bottle caps, or even the tiniest bit of garbage creates a huge disaster.

Coastal water pollution is defined as the introduction of contaminants into coastal waters that causes adverse change. The kinds of adversity to human health includes dermatologic, gastrointestinal, respiratory, and otic infections. Coastal water pollution is most common in urban environments due to the high density of the population in those areas. For example, on the island of Oahu, the coastal waters in North Shore are cleaner than the waters in Waikiki due to the low population density. The primary goal is to learn about coastal water pollution and its relationship to human health to raise awareness about polluted waters and to prevent the adverse interaction between the two.

But, at the same time, plastics possess a property which makes nature quite vulnerable to their misuse. This property namely is NON-BIODEGRADABILITY. By closely observing the structure of plastic, we come to know that plastic is made of extremely strong carbon-carbon bonds, which cannot be easily broken down into small units by any natural processes. This property of non-biodegradability poses a serious threat to the environment.

Beach vacations are an annual summer event for many families. But beachgoers at polluted beaches around the country may bring back an unwanted souvenir from their trip: ear infections, stomach flu, skin rashes, and other illnesses that are caused by polluted beachwater. To help keep our beaches clean, NRDC supports improved beachwater testing to detect the pathogens that can cause health problems in swimmers. Bills now pending in Congress would provide funding for much-needed beach cleanup efforts and help ensure that the public is notified promptly when beaches are unsafe for swimming.

Another cause of marine pollution is the discarding of garbage into oceans, rivers and dams. The situation is a major problem causing harm to marine life and ecosystems all over the world. Old