Queensland is home to natural resources such as coal, uranium and liquid natural gas (LNG). These minerals are shipped to countries such as China and India. For large ships to get to ports such as Gladstone Harbour, the harbour must be made deeper and wider. This process is called dredging. The sand and soil that is removed (spoils) must then be dumped out to sea. This can increase the turbidity of the water.
Heavy metals which lay dormant on the ocean / harbour floor. (from previous heavy industry) is stirred up and enters the food chain causing devastating problems.
Increased shipping increases the risk of tankers running aground on coral, spilling oil onto the reef.
The issue of food waste within Australia is a large issue. The issue this investigation focuses on is the amount of food we waste as a nation and then formulating a conclusion to reduce the amount or prevent the damages it is now causing.
The chemicals from Industries can quite harmful depending on what 's flowing into the water. Releasing toxic liquids directly into the water affects marine life as is, but it can also change the temperature of the water, also known as thermal pollution causing animals and plants that can 't handle that temperature to eventually die. Land run off usually happens when rain or perhaps a flood carry a harmful pollutants, which include fertilizers, petroleum, and waste from animals. One of the major sources of ocean pollution would be oil spills that can come from Ships. However, oil is not only extremely toxic, but it is very difficult to clean up. Unfortunately when there is a spill people may try to clean it up as best as they can, but a good amount will stay. Ocean mining can be extremely harmful to the ocean. They use ocean mining to drill for silver, gold, copper, cobalt and zinc, however in doing so they create sulfide deposits deep down in the ocean causing long term effects to the area. Finally, littering is another huge source of ocean pollution. Such things can include debris, especially plastic, which never goes away.
Coral reef destruction is a big deal. There are many environmental threats on coral reefs which means they are slowly dying. Coral reefs play a very important part in marine ecosystems. Sea creatures depend on them for protection, camouflage, as a home, and also for food. Scientists believe this could be from natural causes like erosion, and global warming as reasons that coral reefs die off but one of the main reasons is pollution. There are many different ways pollution can affect coral reefs. There is a chemical in sunscreen called oxybenzone that may be contributing to the destruction of coral reefs as swimmers are trying to protect their skin. This chemical has toxic effects on young coral that can damage their DNA,
At present, much of the edible food of Australia is being needlessly thrown away. This problem should be controlled, due to the fact that is one of the most significant causes of environmental disasters. In addition, it may entail issues related to hunger in both wealthy and poor countries.
that the oil is being shipped in are at an enormous risk for having an oil spill. This is because most of the ships that pick up the oil are not doubled hulled. The vast majority
A main hazard to this ecosystem caused by humans would be pollution. The acid precipitation, toxic chemicals, and other contaminants are harming the aquatic environment, and it contributes to the dwindling population of species in this ecosystem. According to (Dickey, Reece & Simon, 2010), this human behavior has contributed to the decline in commercial fish species, dying coral reefs, and even the closing of some beaches due to pollution.
Some scientists mind people that the South Australia Outback is the best, the safest, the most geologically and environmentally stable place on the planet to store the nuclear waste. (Valente,2016) However, as we know, Nuclear Waste is generally mixture of solids, liquids and gases which are produced during the generation of nuclear energy during fission, mining of uranium, nuclear research and weapons production. It is radioactive and that is the primary cause of the negative effects on human health and bodies. When humans are exposed to moderate radiation for a long time, it can lead to permanent problems and even lead to death. Nuclear waste radiation can damage or kill cells of people. Cancer is the primary health effect from radiation
Out of all of these ways, oil spills can cause a noticeably excessive amount of damage to the ocean. Although only 12% of the oil entering the sea is caused by spills, they can deteriorate ocean life and environment more than any other pollution. One gallon of used oil spilled into the ocean, which contains toxic chemicals and heavy metals severely dangerous to the micro-organism at the base of the food chain, can cause an eight-acre layer
The oil spills results of shipping accidents play a significant role in increasing the pollution. For example, in the 3rd of April 2010 4 tonnes of oil was spilled into the water.
In addition, offshore oil drilling causes water pollution and disrupts the marine ecosystem. Doctor Ermal Xhelilaj states in his article, "The Behavior and Effects of Oil Pollution into Marine Environment and Oceans” that “Shorelines are also vulnerable to the oil pollution and a study of the US Coast Guard has revealed that exposed rocky cliffs and seawalls, wave cut rocky platforms, fine to medium-grained sand beaches, coarse-grained sand beaches, mixed sand and gravel beaches, gravel beaches/ riprap
There are lots of threats from the environment and from humans. Here are some of the many threats and some fun facts. The first threat is unsustainable fishing, it is the largest ocean threat. 90% of the world’s fisheries are already overfished, while other unwanted animals die needlessly each year. The second threat is pollution, over 80% of marine pollution comes from land based activity. Oil spills, fertilizers, seas of garbage, sewage disposal, and toxic chemicals can cause pollution. The third threat is shipping, substandard ships and poor shipping practices are leading to massive marine pollution, and damage. The last threat is climate change. The key impacts of climate change are coral bleaching, stormy weather, moving homes, rising sea levels, acidic oceans, altered lifestyles, and decreased mixing. Now here are some fun facts, or environmental factors. The marine biome is the biggest biome in the world, it covers 70% of the Earth, and accounts for 90% of the world’s water supply. The ocean biome is considered to be the oldest of all biomes, humans have only explored about 10% of the ocean biome. The oceans are normally very salty, there is about one cup of salt for every gallon of water in the ocean. At 36,200 feet deep, the Mariana Trench is the deepest part of the ocean biome, oceans contain nearly 20 million pounds of gold. There is a semi-light part of the ocean called the twilight
Offshore oil drilling is a controversial topic because when oil spills, it does extensive amounts of damage to the environment. Countries capable of mining oil in the ocean reap the economic benefits in addition to reducing their dependency on external oil. While it is uncontroversial that offshore drilling is a massive boon for those countries, the environmental consequences of a spill also affect the economic welfare of nearby residents. Oil contaminates animals through a process called biomagnification, where chemicals progressively become more detrimental to the animals the higher they are on the food chain. When oil spills into the ocean, it impairs the growth of native species and deteriorates the ecosystem. As a result, the livelihood of people in the tourist industry, fisherman, and shrimpers is crippled and may take decades to recover.
Pollution threatens our marine resources as well. Pollutants are released into the ocean as a
There have been many oil spills in the ocean, some big and some small. All of these oil spills have had a huge effect on the wildlife in the ocean. The oil from the oil rig stays on the surface of the water because oil is less dense than the water, this causes the oil to just float cause it can't go anywhere else and it won't mix in with the water. This is harmful in so many different ways to the life in the ocean. The oil can prevent sunlight from penetrating the surface, which can cause it to be dark under the surface. The oil also can cover thousands of birds, mammals, and sea turtles. When birds land in the water they become covered in oil. The oil ruins the insulating and waterproofing properties of the fur and feathers, and without feathers
But the main problem of why ocean pollution still occurs is due to the carelessness of humans to dispose waste. Some contributing factors are oil industry, manufacturing, agriculture, littering, and dumping. A lot of the toxic waste that end up in the ocean are actually directly polluting ocean,. For example, all drains and most sewages directly pour out to oceans, releasing many hazardous waste that has a deadly effect to the marine ecosystem.