Marine Pollution

One of the many problems that plague the earth lies hand in hand with the living situations that people are used to. This standard of living causes many to be ignorant to the environmental conditions that surrounds these actions which correlate to the health of our planet. Over time, this issue has been recognized and one extremely important resource that the world has to offer is the vast ocean, and this source of life must be protected for the better of the planet. The struggles of dealing with the pollution in the ocean is a constant problem for the Environmental Protection Agency in order to ensure a clean ocean to the public and wild life.

Human impact on ocean ecosystems is comparable to that on terrestrial ecosystems. In 1997 60% of the human population lived near coastal waters using 8% of the ocean’s primary productivity; this percent increases to 25% in upwelling areas and 35% in temperate shelf systems. For humans living near coastal waters, 50% of water masses have been transformed by human activity. For example over fishing the top trophic levels of food webs has caused an increase of toxic algal blooms that release allelopathic chemicals that harm other organisms.

When the discussion about pollution rises, the first thought that comes to people’s minds is the long-debated topic of air pollution from greenhouse gases. Certainly, this type of pollution will have a critical impact on the future of Earth’s ability to sustain life, but the widespread discussion on this one specific type of pollution has also masked necessary discussions on some seldom mentioned types of pollution which will be detrimental to the future of some of Earth’s life. One example of the various other forms of pollution is a kind which has existed for less than a century, yet it now greatly plagues a significant portion of the Earth: plastic pollution in the oceans. Although it may seem that this issue only endangers the health of marine life, plastic pollution is also harmful to all the species higher up in the food chain including humans. If not properly addressed, then plastic pollution will lead to a rise of significant health issues for both ocean life and humans as the issue escalates in the coming decades.

“[P]ollution of the marine environment means the introduction by man, directly or indirectly, of substances or energy into the marine environment, including estuaries, which results or is likely to result in such deleterious effects as harm to living resources and marine life, hazards to human health, hindrance to marine activities, including fishing and other legitimate uses of the sea, impairment of quality for use of sea water and reduction of amenities.”

The attitude of man towards its environment has a lot to say with regards to the condition of our oceans. Today, you don’t just normally see the blue ocean with its marine residents, but floating ashore are different toxic materials that have contributed to the slow death of the marine

Our oceans are so polluted that 100,000 marine mammals die each year from trash related ocean pollution. (The Gale Encyclopedia, 2014). Our oceans are in such critical condition due to several types of marine pollution. From the causes and staggering statistics, to the drastic effects on marine life, and the extent of solutions it is clear that marine pollution has a colossal negative impact on our oceans.

Clearly, ocean pollution has a negative effect on humans. Many studies have shown that “human health issues are connected to oil contaminated seafood” (Farrington 12). Being completely unaware, people consume seafood regularly and are possibly eating oil contaminated fish. “Breast, prostate and testicular cancer as well as reduced sperm production are some of the potential effects on human health.” Another instance where humans are being negatively affected is through “pollutants entering through skin exposure” (Scholz). Simply submerging one’s body into contaminated water can pose health risks for

Living in a beach community my whole life makes me appreciate the ocean a lot more than most. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 1.4 billion pounds of trash a year ends up in our oceans. This enormous number does not belong to our beautiful blue oceans that take up more than 70 percent of earth. If this doesn’t catch your attention right away, then how about our oceans being slowly destroyed as we move on with our daily lives might help you become aware. For starters ocean pollution is when direct or indirect objects or chemicals enter the ocean causing serious harm to marine life and human health. Ocean pollution is being caused mostly by people on land who visit beaches all around the world. Not living near the ocean does not give one an excuse to not be concerned about ocean pollution, if this mess keeps up, marine life can eventually become extinct, more and more people will become ill, and many of jobs can become destroyed, as well as many other ocean related hazards.

The marine ecosystems are located in the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and the Arctic oceans. The National Geographic provides information about different types of marine ecosystems. Some types of ecosystems include:salt marshes, lagoons, deep sea, sea floor, mangroves, coral reefs, intertidal zones, and estuaries. The marine ecosystems are being polluted greatly and the effects are frightening. Pollution is a global problem, it does not just affect the marine ecosystems it also affects humans. The National Geographic lists the forms of contamination that are affecting the marine population through noise, light, air, water, and pollution on land. Noise pollution consists of loud, disruptive noises which can be extremely dangerous for marine animals, It prevents them from being able to communicate or find food. Light pollution is when there light at night this can confuse nocturnal animals into staying awake during the day and diurnal animals into staying up at night.Their

Our polluted oceans have become one of the biggest world problems. Most marine pollution starts on land and then is taken into the water. Marine pollution also known as, Ocean Pollution, spreads many harmful and toxic materials into the ocean. By placing any waste, toxic chemicals, oil, etc on land or in water, humans and animals are put in danger. Marine pollution presents threats to animal and human population; this paper will analyze the worst of these threats and offer a better outcome. Pollution of this kind is caused by numerous issues from careless humans on the beach, or oil spills from factories and such. According to National Geographic,

One of the most expansive and diverse places on the Earth is dying at the hands of humans. Fossil fuels, fertilizers, and energy plants are releasing chemicals into the environment harming oceans. The ocean's ecosystem can not handle the extensive impact of today’s agriculture. The acidity of the ocean continues to increase, making the ocean’s ecosystem unstable for marine life. In order to restore oceans back to their original state, the government needs to adopt policies to help oceans face today’s agriculture.

Oil spills from routine activities or accidental incidents; Oil poisons marine life, and oil slicks keep sunlight from penetrating the ocean’s water, killing plants and damaging the entire marine ecosystem. Disposal of marine debris; Plastics thrown into the sea can stay there for many years and harm marine life. A huge number of marine animals die every year from either ingesting or becoming entangled in plastic trash. Garbage can also threaten ships and raise costs when it becomes trapped on propellers and in seawater intakes. Spills of hazardous materials including chemical and radioactive materials; When released into the oceans, chemicals used in the shipping industry (sometimes referred to as chemical runoff) can cause harm to marine life as well as to maritime workers. Disposal of waste materials and sewage; Sewage contains chemicals that alter the marine environment, causing some marine life to die and other marine

Pollutants are impacting aquatic organisms distributed by daily human activities and natural occurrences. An extensive amount of pollutants such as pesticides, heavy metals, and hydrocarbons can result in direct significant damage, e.g. death. However lower levels of these harmful substances can be stored in an organism and increase as it continues and follows up the food chain, a process called biomagnification or bioaccumulation, having the greatest effect on the top predator of that food chain. A common result of the pollutants can lead to stress, changing of the immune system, inhibit lysozyme activity, damage gills, metabolism, and growth. Other factors include an excessive amount of nutrients in the environment. Nitrogen can make its way into aquatic ecosystems when there is an increase in nitrous oxide in the air, allowing eutrophication. Algae and bacteria feed off the nitrogen, so a high number of these organisms appear and use oxygen around them as the feed, causing hypoxic zones, or dead zones. Acidification, an increase in the ecosystem’s pH acidity from acid rain, which occurs from an increase in CO2 from air pollution. Aquatic organisms have a range of tolerance, and water with high acidic pH will lead the organism out of the range of tolerance, resulting in stress of the organism, and eventually death. Further studies are being pursuited to see larger impacts of globalized pollution on aquatic species and their ecosystems.

It causes Eutrophication.Eutrophication is a condition where high amount of nitrogen present in some pollutants gets developed on sea’s surface and turns itself into algae and adversely affect fish, plants and animal species.

The ocean which covers more than half the surface of our planet is a vital source to life on Earth. It carries ninety seven percent of Earth’s water and surrounds three quarters of the planet. Millions of different fish and mammals live within the ocean. Today, however, the ocean and all life there is experiencing serious environmental problems. It has been stated, “A staggering amount of waste - much of which has only existed for the past 60 years or so - enters the oceans each year” (WWF). The causes of marine pollution are diverse, such as dumping of garbage waste, toxic chemicals, and fertilizers, all which have caused major damage to our oceans.