Sources Of Ocean Pollution

In today’s world it’s hard to go anywhere without finding something wrapped in plastic. Plastic bags, packages, bottles and other items are scattered across the world. This has become a problem for the entire world and specifically the oceans. Plastic and other garbages that are resistant to the natural recycling process take a long time to recycle. These items will gather at certain points in the pacific ocean. Such places are known as garbage patches. The garbage patch isn’t the only thing causing problems for our oceans. Dead zones and rising ph levels are also contributing to create uninhabitable areas within the ocean. Depending on the ability of the marine life, some will make it to a place they can live, while others will not have enough oxygen, or proper ph levels to maintain their own lives. With marine debris rampant throughout the oceans accumulation is a real problem.

The oceans need to be protected because it is where life began and if not taken care of, life as we know it will end. The well-being of the ocean is constantly being threatened and needs to stop. When dangerous substances go into the ocean, ecosystems suffer and become endangered along with the lives of people and marine life. The importance of protecting and preserving the quality and biodiversity of the world 's coasts must be recognized because they are truly irreplaceable. If humans are not educated , and become careless about what is thrown on the ground or sprayed on lawns, disastrous effects follow when it comes to the condition of the ocean’s ecosystems, which can endanger life itself, leading to a problem only we can correct. There is historical evidence of ocean pollution, although the problem still shadows us today.

In modern times, it is undeniable that the world is facing a pollution crisis, but the spotlight is placed on carbon emissions causing global warming. However, an equally worrying crisis is taking place in the oceans of our world. In the Pacific Ocean exists a region known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch; a collection of plastic larger than the state of Texas. Unfortunately, 4 smaller regions are known to exist in the oceans of the worlds [1]. In addition, from a journal written by a group of researchers at the National Center for ecological Analysis and Synthesis, they could quantify the input of plastics to a staggering 8 million tons of plastics entering the oceans yearly [2]. Our innovation will address this pollution problem in the ocean and hopefully bring greater awareness to the public.

In the documentary “Inside the Garbage of the World”, the main social problem being explained is that there has been a great influx of plastic and other type of garbage in oceans and their beaches. This buildup of pollution has largely affected the wildlife population ranging from animals on the beaches to the creatures of the ocean. In oceans, what is called ‘garbage patches’, a large buildup of garbage that flow to one area in the oceans, are being created. Approximately 50 percent of all plastic sinks to the bottom of the ocean floor but about 2 times that much is actually already on the ocean floor. In fact, according to the documentary, there is a garbage patch that is to the left of California that is the size of half of the United States. Each year, about 4.7 million tons of plastic goes in the ocean a year and it is estimated that by 2050, there will be another 33 billion tons of plastic added to the present amount. Eighty percent of the current pollution comes from the land. According to marine researchers, twice as much plastic debris is one the ocean floor than it was 10 years ago. In the futures, plastic will break down into smaller pieces of plastic, creating a bigger problem from the habitat. This plastic pollution is one of the leading cause for beach and ocean inhabiting creatures be extinct because animals are mistaking these plastic pieces for food. When scientist began to dissect beach animals such as birds, they discovered that at least fifteen pounds of

Pollution of the ocean is widely seen all around. The litter comes in so many very different forms that are almost terrifying. It ranges from a cigarette to a 4,000-pound fishing net (Franc, 2013). Medical waste such as needles were even noticed in New York and New Jersey in 1988. The world’s merchant shipping fleet in 1975 was blamed for 85% of 14 billion pounds of garbage dumped into the sea (Amaral, n.d.). Out of all of the garbage and waste in the ocean it is said that more than 80% of the garbage in the ocean comes from land alone (Mosbergen, 2017). In just one hour, nine minutes, and 44 seconds, a very large number of 2,877,783 pounds of plastic has entered the ocean (Leeson & Elliot, 2016). Today after all of the dumping that goes on there are over 25 trillion pieces of plastic inside of the ocean. While that is a large number, only 269,000 tons can be seen afloat the water (“Ocean Pollution: 14 Facts that will Blow Your Mind,” 2017). The easier way of explaining just how much waste enters our ocean would be just to say “too much,” but to be exact, in 2007 2.12 billion tons of garbage enter the ocean and just three years later in 2010, 215 million metric tons of plastic entered the ocean (Lonne, 2016). In 2006 the United Nations Environment Program did an experiment on how much plastic there was every square mile of the ocean. They ended up estimating about 46,000 pieces of plastic every square mile (“Facts and Figures on Marine Pollution,” 2017). In the Northern Pacific Ocean lies the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It is said to be about seven million square miles (“Marine Debris Impacts,” n.d.). Plastic accounts for about 70% of all the litter in the ocean and can take a very short time or a very long time

Pollution is one of the biggest threats to our ocean. It is estimated that 1.4 billion pounds of trash enters the ocean every year (Ocean Pollution)! Although it was once believed that the ocean was too big for pollution to ever pose a serious problem, that theory has since been disproven. There is a limit to how much garbage the ocean can handle, and that limit has already been exceeded. Perhaps the most well-known pollution related problem is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. While those who have heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch may claim to understand what it is and what problems it poses, there are many misconceptions about what the Great Pacific Garbage Patch actually is, how it formed, and what can be done about it. The goal of this paper is to clarify each of the misconceptions surrounding the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in order to provide a better understanding of the problem, and what can be done about it.

With our Earth consisting almost 98% of oceans, people would think that we would take better care of them. Our planet is extremely unique in the fact that we are the only known planet with liquid water available, which supports all life, but tons of garbage is thrown into the oceans every year. This is affecting ocean life, fishing companies, and any land that is touching the oceans. The solution to these issues has to deal with complete lifestyle changes: recycling, composting, and reducing the amount of garbage that ends up in landfills and oceans. Changing our ways will better the Earth in almost every way possible.

Research indicate that garbage such as plastic can create a problem for humans as well as marine species. Pollution in the ocean endangers defenseless marine creatures that wander in the ocean. Occasionally, when scientists dissect marine life fragments of plastic that has littered the ocean floor is found in their digestive systems. Animals are not equipped to distinguish between trash and food. If individuals experienced conditions similar to the ocean marine life, they would probably hesitate before discarding litter in the water and on the beach. Just like creatures in the sea humans can be exposed to the toxic chemicals from manmade debris. Sea turtles are especially susceptible to choking from discarded plastic. We can preserve beaches

The carelessness of humans has horribly affected the oceanic ecosystem. Bodies of water such as oceans, lakes, rivers, and seas cover nearly 70% of the earth, which makes them a very valuable asset to the human population (Mambra 2017). Oceanic pollution has been an ongoing problem for years, but it is increasingly getting worse. Main causes of ocean pollution are ocean dumping, land runoff, oil spills, littering, ocean mining, and noise pollution. The dumping of waste into the ocean is the most common cause of ocean pollution because this has been known as the cheapest and easiest way to dispose of trash. Non-point pollution typically comes from land runoff. Land runoff brings many materials, such as automobile parts, into the oceans every day. Birds and mammals being the main victims, oil spills are a leading cause of ocean pollution. The feathers of these animals get covered in oil making it impossible for them to fly. Mining underwater is another outlet for pollution. Many miners leave their waste in the ocean which often increases the toxicity of the water, killing its inhabitants. Noise pollution, although it is

Several years ago, supporters of dumping trash into the ocean had a saying, “The solution to pollution is dilution.” This delusional thinking has led to a steady decline in ocean

The ocean absorbs a little over 26 percent of all carbon in the atmosphere. This used to be good for both the ocean and the atmosphere because the ocean would keep the green house affect caused by carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. While the atmosphere would provide carbon dioxide for the marine life to turn into oxygen and use to sustain life. Due to the exponential increase in carbon emissions by cars, trains, planes, and nuclear power plants, the ocean is not only absorbing to much carbon dioxide which is making the average temperature rise to an inhabitable level. But the ocean is also absorbing many of the carcinogens of the emissions by cars which could potentially single handedly destroy all marine life if it is continued to be left unchecked.

It has been known that the ocean covers nearly seventy five percent of the Earth, and as time goes by, marine ecosystems are greatly affected, due to the increase of pressure by populations in coastal regions. As a result of constant marine pollution, the health of the ocean and its organisms have been debilitated. While the previous decades have seen endeavors at the nearby, national, and global levels to address the issues of this problem, not enough has been done. Of the many sources that come from the land, air, and sea itself, one important root of marine pollution are storm sewers. Storm sewers serve to remove excess rain or water from impervious surfaces such as paved streets or sidewalks. Contrary to the water that goes down sewer drains,

The oceans face many types of pollution every day, every second. The ocean is our greatest ecosystem and out most valuable resource. A common misconception is that the rainforests are the lungs of the planet however, the majority of our oxygen is made via the algae in the sea. The oceans feeds, hydrates, and provides us with oxygen; ironically enough, despite its monetary value to mankind, it is what is treated the worst. For ages we have been dumping our trash, chemicals, and waste into the oceans with no fear or regret, almost an “out of sight- out of mind” mentality. People once and still assume that the oceans are so vast that all of the pollution is diluted and would be dispersed through out, going unnoticed. However, dilution is a myth and an idea that renders ocean dumping to be less impactful. Even so much of the man made pollution is becoming even more concentrated and have entered our natural food chain. However vast the waters of the ocean are, they are not meant to house all of these external factors. There are many alternatives to marine pollution including recycling, finding alternative trash dump sites, cutting down on harmful chemicals for agriculture, and most importantly having the ability to recognize when a problem is developing and counter act, immediately.

About 75% of the Earth’s surface is water. The oceans are home to many animals like dolphins, sharks, jellyfish and much more. However, due to the pollution, the sea life is suffering. Ocean, marine, pollution is “the spreading of harmful substances such as oil, plastic, industrial and agricultural waste and chemical particles into the ocean” (Rinkesh 1). The pollution in our oceans is increasing every day; Therefore, it is important we take control and decrease the pollution in the water.

Ocean pollution is one of the most urgent issues in our world today. The ocean is crucial to our ecosystem and it is being severely damaged at an alarmingly increasing rate. In this paper I will educate about the role the ocean plays in our beautiful Earth, why it is being so widely ignored and dismissed, the causes of pollution, and its effects on animals and humans alike.