Ocean Dumping: Key Issues

One problem in our ocean is, hundreds to millions of animals are being affected everyday by marine debris. Each year, an increasing number of animals are consuming marine debris.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) define marine debris as "any persistent solid material that is manufactured or processed and directly or indirectly, intentionally or unintentionally, disposed of or abandoned into the marine environment” (NOAA, 2015). Marine debris is classified into two categories:

With extra funding, the EPA would be able to clean sediments down to the 1 ppm level of PCBs that the majority of similar waterway cleanups are subjected to, rather than the 50 ppm level they are planning on. This target level would allow the harbor to be safely fished for the first time in decades. Furthermore, we are demanding that the contaminated sediments are shipped off-site to a federally approved landfill as they were in the initial plan, rather than disposed of hazardously on-site in CDFs or CADs. Storing the contaminated soil on site would require that the soils be exposed to air while dewatering, which would allow the PCBs to become airborne and pose a serious health risk (4, 5).

Under the Sea Dumping Act, the Commonwealth aims to minimise pollution threats by prohibiting ocean disposal of waste considered too harmful to be released in the marine environment and regulating permitted waste disposal to ensure environmental impacts are minimised. Permits are required for all sea dumping operations and are most commonly issued for dredging operations and the creation of artificial reefs applying to all vessels, aircraft and platforms in Australian waters. Under the Australian Government Department of Environment (2015), the Sea Dumping Act has a relationship with Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act), as the act attends to all forms such as coal seam gas, mining and sea dumping. When an operation that requires the handling of goods that can potentially impact the environment, such as exporting fuel or plants and animals, the permit must be approved by the EPBC Act as well as the Sea Dumping Act. Many stakeholders believe that the changes need to be made to ensure minimal impact to the environment occurs. A recent example of pollution to Australian waters, is the investigation by the Gladstone Ports Corporation (GQC) of an alleged oil spill in Gladstone harbour which revealed the substance with the water to be coal fines. Coal fines are the small particles of coal material that are washed-off the coal during the preparation plant process. The GPC could not pin-point what caused coal fines to be in the water, but a spokeswoman for GPC said it was suspected the material had spilled out from one of the wharf's sample plants; Where the penalty for deliberately discharging oil or chemicals into Queensland waters is $550,000 for an individual and $11 million for a corporation (The Observer, 2013). The result of the spill has caused locally sourced fish to “have been found with sores, rashes, and infected eyes, some possibly blind” which has not only

A large number of marine species are known to be harmed and/or killed by plastic debris, which jeopardize their survival, since many are already endangered by other forms of anthropogenic activities. Marine animals are affected through entanglement in and ingestion of plastic litter (Marine Debris). Less conspicuous forms, such as plastic pellets and “scrubbers” are also hazardous. To address the problem of plastic debris in the oceans is a difficult task, and a variety of approaches are required. According to research conducted by the National Academy of Sciences, 14 billion pounds of trash is dumped into the ocean each year. That is more than 38 million pounds a day. More than 85% of all the trash that is dumped comes from the world’s merchant shipping fleet. According to the same research, the United States is responsible for an estimated one- third of all the trash that is dumped into the ocean (Amaral). The reason this is still going on is because the majority of the trash that is dumped is in international waters. United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea that convened in 1982 defines territorial waters and international waters as: territorial waters are waters extending up to 12 nautical miles from a coastal state, and they are considered to be within the jurisdiction of that particular state or ‘territorial waters’ If oceans, seas, rivers or lakes extend beyond international boundaries and are not territorial waters, they are classed as

Have you ever been to the beach? I have and swimming in the ocean is one of my favourite things to do when I go on vacation! You wouldn’t want someone to come into your house and throw their cigarette butts or their plastic drink container on your kitchen floor when they’re done would you? I know I wouldn’t. Littering in the ocean does not magically get rid of your garbage; the marine wildlife has to deal with it in their homes. Roughly 75% of our earth is covered with water (IDRC 2010). Many people think that when you dump trash into the ocean that nature will biodegrade. It can take up to hundreds of years for this trash to fully

SCAT surveys addressed all shorelines within the Area of Response (Michel et al., 2013). The end of Stage III marked a target date to meet cleanup goals by the spring of 2011, when the shoreline would become heavily used by birds, sea turtles and people. Shoreline Treatment Recommendations (STRs) were created by the SCAT team and authorized by the Unified Command. STRs were issued for each part of the shoreline, specifying the area type and types of cleanup operations to be conducted (Michel et al., 2013). The goal was to meet the 2010 “No Further Treatment (NFT) Guidelines” developed for each habitat type. NFT guidelines held the objective to continue shoreline treatment until the remediation efforts were no longer effective and caused more harm than good i.e. proceed until a “Net Environmental Benefit” is achieved (Michel et al., 2013).

Through CERCLA, the EPA established a National Priorities List (NPL) of the most contaminated sites nationwide. The list contains both federal and non-federal sites that post the greatest risk to humans and the environment. Proposed, established and deleted sites categorize the NPL; a Hazardous Ranking System (HSR) screening is conducted to determine the site’s status. The NPL is updated periodically. The NPL sites are funded either by the responsible parties, the Trust Fund or other divisions of the federal government (Barden, 2012).

This act establishes the procedures of clean up and regulates the liability and clean up of any contaminated site by any agency either public or private.

All around the world people can be found dumping illegal substances that harm these big bodies of water. Most of the illegal substances are being dumped by at sea ships. There is debate that regulated ocean dumping may be harming or helping the cause but no one knows for sure. Ocean dumping falls under under one of three categories depending on what item is being dumped. There is the black, gray, and white list. The blacklist is made up of very harsh chemicals like mercury, radioactive waste, plastic, crude oil, and substances used for chemical warfare. Gray is still an intense list but not as detrimental as the previously mentioned black list. The makeup of the gray list is: nickel, scrap metal, cyanide, many other types of alloys and metals, and “any material that will affect the ecosystem due to the amount… which… is dumped.” As for the white list, this is where items that do not fall under the black or gray category belong.

The earth’s oceans take up roughly three fourths of the planet’s surface area and hold roughly 97 percent of all water on earth (Silverman). It is important that people make sure that the oceans are kept clean because the ocean contains many essential elements for the survival of both humans and animals. A rising problem that is not often brought up is the increasing amounts of man-made debris, especially plastic, that are accumulating in these waters that is slowly effecting the oceans ecosystem as well as the health of humans. Some may argue that the plastics have little effect on the environment but the facts show that this is not the case. The amount of ocean debris has increased

Although the ocean covers approximately two thirds of the Earth’s surface, it is surprisingly susceptible to human influences. The effects of rubbish dumping have tainted our oceans and they have taken their toll on the vast marine environments and the populations in which they contain. Rubbish dumping involves depositing all the waste materials from factories and industries, tankers and ships and sewerage waste materials into the oceans and seas. In the report “Causes and Effects of Ocean Dumping”, the author Sharda states that “The wastes that are dumped into the oceans tend to have toxic substances which soak in all the oceanic oxygen. This

Marine habitats throughout the world are severely affected by man-made items of debris and solid waste; marine debris contaminates the environment, as well as impacting the economy, and the safety of humans and their health. The extent of the impacts is dictated by the type of marine debris and the location of which it settles in the ocean; whether it be floating, submerged or within a delicate habitat. Marine debris can be viewed as any persistent, manufactured or processed solid material that is disposed of in the marine and coastal environment. While this definition delineates a very comprehensive array of materials, however the most common items usually involve plastic-polystyrene pieces, rope/cord/nets, cotton swabs, and light weight food packaging. Marine debris commonly arise from the shoreline and recreational activities, waterway activities, smoking, and dumping at sea. For example, fishing nets, plastic bags, and tires can sink to the ocean floor and break and smother coral reefs. Fishing line can float along the ocean surface and catch vessel propellers causing costly damage. A syringe can wash up on the beach and be stepped on by a beachgoer resulting in a wound and possibly an infection. Regardless of the type or the location of the marine debris, it can have serious impacts.

A man walks on the shore of a litter filled beach. He doesn’t see good things, as he can

As the world develops and the human population grows there is more pollution being dumped into the oceans, causing major problems to marine life and ecosystems. Major causes of marine pollution involve non-point pollutants, marine garbage, toxic ocean pollutants and sewage disposal in oceans. From heavy metal poisoning including lead and mercury killing predators such as sharks and whales, to waste getting trapped in the digestive tracts of marine animals, this essay focuses on how human interference causes horrifying problems to the marine life, but also how to fix it. It will also explore the normal activities of people including farming and how this can cause an imbalance in an ecosystem. Everyday activities can cause massive nutrient