The Ocean represent 80% of everything we use in general on earth. From what we breathe, to even products that we use every day has at least some water base. According to National Geographic and many other science sites, Pollution is “the introduction of harmful materials into the environment. These harmful materials are called pollutants. Pollutants can be natural, such as volcanic ash. They can also be created by human activity, such as trash or runoff produced by factories. Pollutants damage the quality of air, water, and land.” Throughout this essay, we are mostly going to focus on Marine Pollution, it is defined as the initiation by man whether it is directly or indirectly of substances in the ocean that affects the fishes and even humans …show more content…
It is therefore important to know the definition, the cause, the effect and even the solution to Marine Pollution.
First of all, it is important to know that there are different types of pollutants that affects the Ocean. We can start talking about a first cause of Marine Pollution and that is marine debris which is considered as being the most important one because it is an issue that is solvable. Marine debris is considered as being the entrance of any manufacture or waste solid material in the water especially debris made of plastic. This problem is definitely not something that recently surface but ocean dumping has been an issue over centuries, before it was less of an issue because our waste were mostly organic and degradable materials. Plastic debris found in the ocean includes cigarettes, ropes and gear, baby diapers, beverages bottles and others. Based on studies made by The United Nations Joint group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Pollution, it is proven that 80% of the sources causing marine pollution is coming from land. Debris found in parking lots, the street, some being left in the beaches by visitors. Also considered has a marine debris is our boats and ships, the trash and litter that they throw in the
It is well known that the human population has been polluting the land and oceans for years. Usually pollution is thought of as physical pieces of garbage, harmful chemical agents, or biological pollutants. However, another form of pollution that spreads across our oceans includes noise pollution from a variety of natural and man-made sources. Natural acoustic pollution can originate from sources such as earthquakes, lightning strikes, volcanic eruptions, and noise from other organisms in the water (Weilgart 2007). Wilson et al.
These solid wastes specifically trash such as plastics, fishing wire, and rope are carried down the river and into the Sound and from there pulled into the ocean. Though it may seem as though it isn’t the large of a deal the trash floating over time breaks down but is never fully ridden from the water. This mean that if for example a water bottle were to float into the North Atlantic, the sun over time would help to break down the bonds of the plastic and eventually the plastic would completely dissolve, now this were the problem comes in no longer do you have just one piece of plastic but instead you have tiny pieces of plastic scattered throughout a wider area of the ocean than you did before. The introduction of these solid materials can result in a decrease in biodiversity as animals ingest the small plastic particles or get tangled up in rope, wire or plastic. It can also result in a huge payout of money by the State of North Carolina in an effort to clean up their shores.
Marine organisms are animals, plants, and other living things that live in the ocean. A Marine biologist is a scientist who studies marine organisms and studies the bodies, behavior, and the history of marine organisms. They also study how marine organisms interact with each other and their environment. I have chosen to research about Marine biology because I would like to learn about sea life, the ocean, and its surrounding environment. To start off, a Marine biologist might study coral, crabs, fish, microscopic marine organisms, sea stars, seaweed, squid, or whales.
Before, it was assumed that because the ocean was so big, vast, and deep, that the effects of dumping trash and littering into the sea will only have minimal consequences. But after decades of littering, we have seen the consequences. Oil spills, floating plastic, and toxic wastes
Water Pollution is a huge environmental problem that has serious effects on marine habitats, animals, and water quality. BP1: The world's marine habitat has been getting worse because of how bad the pollution has gotten. “ Over 80% of marine pollution comes from land based activities “ (source 5 ). This quote explains how most of the water pollution is caused by human activity. “ Plastic litter does not degrade, can be expected to last in the oceans for hundreds of years “ ( source 6 ).
The amount of plastic products that ended up in the ocean as of 2015 are quite high. How high you may ask yourself? No not 1 million but 9 million tons of plastic waste laid in the ocean as of 2015. Who could be responsible for most of this plastic in the ocean? Surprisingly its china, they are responsible for 2.4 million tons per year.
Modern human life is polluting the world. The products that make our life livable, are a big threat to the oceans. Even places that are untouched by mankind, are experiencing the effects of pollution. Entire populations of fish species are being wiped out by overfishing, not even mentioning the species caught as bycatch. The oceans suffer a lot from pollution as well.
The topic of this research paper will cover over Ocean Acidification and the effects on marine ecosystems. Ocean acidification is the decrease in pH levels of the Earth 's oceans, due to overbearing carbon dioxide being brought by the atmosphere. The carbon dioxide is drawn by seawater, where the chemical reactions take place, which minimize the pH levels in the ocean, the carbonate levels and the important calcium carbonate which these sea creatures need. When carbon dioxide disperses in this ocean, it causes the levels of acidity to rise towards the the surface, where most shell growth in marine animals have been stopped and has created the cause of reproductive disorders in multiple fish. Part of the problem with ocean acidification is human activity.
Obviously the development of producing plastic went to quick and people did not think of a unified and sustainable way of how to dispose the huge amount of plastic. Unfortunately many countries decided to dispose all the garbage into the ocean but also ship accidents are a reason why so much plastic accumulated in our ocean. Every year more than eight million tons of plastic waste leak into the ocean. A big issue nowadays is that most of the plastic which is produced in one year is used to make disposable items of packaging or other short lived products that are discarded within a year (Philosophical Transactions of The Royal Society, 2009).
Pollution is the introduction or release of substances or energy that decrease the quality of the marine environment. Many pollutants are toxic of harmful to marine life (Castro and Huber, 2010). South Africa is known around the world for being one of the most diverse marine environment in the world, with 83% of the known fish families residing in South Africa (Van der Elst, 2007). There are also many marine species that are endemic to South Africa, which means they are only found in South Africa. Almost 30% of the South African population lives on the coastline (Taljaard et al. 2006), which has led to the urbanization of the coastlines and which then led to the industrialization of these areas.
Marine pollution such as presence of organic matter in the ocean can result in the condition known as hypoxia or oxygen depletion and this can have adverse effect on the marine life including plant and animals and fish. Death of these fish can result in loss of millions of US dollars that are generate from the fishing industry. Marine pollution can also result in presence of foul smell resulting from the decomposing sewage being directed to the ocean and this has the effects to hinder recreational activities taking place in the sea as well as cause discomfort and breathing problem to the surrounding population (Laura, 11).marine pollution can also result in danger to human health. The human swimmers and water sport lovers can become endangered by swimming in the polluted marine waters (Laura,
One of the greatest issues that we face towards the environment has been an increasingly difficult problem over the last few years. Earths climate is changing at rapid paces and solutions are needed as quickly as possible to replenish natural ecosystems and cultures that depend on the environment. Climate change not only affects the animals in our ecosystem, but us humans as well. With the human population increasing every year, climate change is only getting worse. Many argue that the effects of climate change towards the environment are due to other extraneous factors, however, I myself am a strong believer that the problems such as rising sea levels, warmer temperatures and natural disasters are all due to both natural causes and human activity.
Most of the waste produced on land is either intentionally or unconsciously discharged into the oceans. Marine pollution and aquatic debris can utterly destroy the oceans causing extinction of the marine creatures. Innovative techniques should be implemented in the law to prevent the marine environment from any further damage. In order to improve the marine environment, the government and the Environment Public Authority of Kuwait should take immediate actions that can influence the society and help in minimizing aquatic debris and pollution. Aquatic littering and marine pollution can be caused by a number of different sources.
Water pollution is a serious issue as not only is water the most precious natural resource, but all sources of water support life that is very necessary for the survival of the planet. Water pollution destroys life and ecology and such damage is irreparable. Those who are still not serious about water pollution must also remember that the pollutants present in water not only destroy the life in the rivers and oceans, but also affect our food chain. Many people have the wrong notion that since they are not disposing the pollutants in the water they are not to blame. These people forget that 70% of the earth is covered by water, and any activity on the land can wash to the seas and oceans.
• Pollution: Pollution of air, water and soil require millions of years to recoup. Industry and motor vehicles exhaust are the number one pollutants. Heavy Metals, nitrates and plastic are toxins for pollution. While water pollution is caused by oil spill, acid rain, urban runoff; air pollution is caused by various gases and toxins