Negative Effects of Ocean Pollution
“Each day, oil used to lubricate engines and to power the vessel leaks into the ocean” (Wroble 44). When the residue enters the ocean, it begins to affect the environment and animals. This is just one of the many problems from ocean pollution. “According to Worldwatch research associate Peter Weber, 80 to 90 percent of all of the materials dumped at sea are dredgings...dredgings are rich in toxic chemicals...from nonpoint sources” (Wroble 49). One particular chemical that affects the oceans are Polychlorinated Biphenyls, or PCBs. “[in 1979, PCBs were banned worldwide]...PCBs worked through the food chain until they were consumed by fish, marine mammals, and seabirds...Roger Payne believes that PCB build up
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Birds are common victims of pollution as well as fish, turtles, and whales. “One study found that approximately 98 percent of chicks sampled, contained plastic and the quantity of plastic being ingested was increasing overtime” (“The Problem of…”). Plastic pollution is a well known source of pollution that causes harm to animals. “It is estimated that 60 percent of all seabird species have eaten pieces of plastic. With that predicted to increase to 99 percent by 2050” (“Ocean Plastic Pollution”). Another similar case states that “Hundreds of thousands of seabirds ingest plastic each year...Nearly all Laysan Albatross chicks -97.5 percent - have plastics pieces in their stomachs” (“Ocean Plastic Pollution”). The next well known animal affected by ocean pollution is fish. “Fish in the North Pacific ingest 12,000 to 24,000 tons of plastic each year” (“Ocean Plastic Pollution”). When fish consume the plastic, it will move up the food chain and affect other aquatic animals that consume fish. “Endangered wildlife like Hawaiian Monk Seals and Pacific Loggerhead Sea Turtles are among nearly 300 species that eat and get caught in plastic litter” (“Ocean Plastic Pollution”). If an animal gets caught in plastic, then it could suffocate them. “In 2008, two sperm whales were found stranded along the California coast with large amounts of fishing net scrapes, and other plastic debris in their stomachs” (“Ocean Plastic Pollution”). When an animal eats plastic, it causes their minds to believe that they are full but plastic does not give them the nutrients that they need and will cause them to starve. The last well known pollutant is oil. “When oil comes in contact with animals, it can coat the surface of their bodies with a sticky film that can irritate and even suffocate them” (Wroble 44). This is a dangerous threat to animals because in most cases oil can kill them. “Crude oil called
The objective of the study was to determine if a temporal record of PCB inputs was preserved in the bottom sediment of the lake . The investigation shows that the most contaminated PCB bed sediment has been buried by subsequent sediment deposition since the lake was created by dredging in 1973. 3.5 Remedial actions under CERCLA or other authorities In 1986, based on the fish tissue sample results, the Louisiana Department of Health and Human Resources (LDHHR) recommended that LDEQ post signs at the lake warning the public against fishing and issued an advisory warning the public against fishing in or consuming fish from Devil’s Swamp Lake. DEQ also recommended that the discharge to Devil’s Swamp Lake be reconsidered.
(Ornithology) These seabirds, however, have been affected by plastic being left in the ocean and on the ground. Since the Laysan Albatross eats their food from the top of the water, they usually mistake their food for pieces of plastic and end up being harmed in the process. The plastic that these seabirds eat are hard for them to digest which causes it to become stuck inside of the bird’s body which starves them and kills them in the process. Also the Laysan Albatross can pass this plastic on to their chicks, mistaking it for food which then kills the chicks as well due to the plastic being literally impossible to digest.
Due to the negative effects caused from plastic it will always play a role in our environment. One hundred different chemicals have been created after the 1950s to the current day. Something people do not realize is that throwing a plastic wrapper on the ground will end up in a birds stomach, burning plastic in a fire will end up in the air we breathe, and recycling plastic will end up back in our homes. The author states, “I don’t even shop anymore. Anything I need will just float
D.W. Laist research claims that the polluted gyre affects 267 species worldwide: 86% of all sea turtle species, 44% of all seabird species, and 43% of all marine mammal species. Oesophagus and stomach contents of the endangered green sea turtle were examined from 38 representatives, 23 of which (60.5%) had swallowed debris, especially plastics. Scientists have documented 6 pounds of plastic for every pound of plankton in this area (“Plastic Ocean - The Great Pacific Garbage Patch”). Most of this plastic is eaten by sea birds and animals, including turtles and albatrosses. Sea turtles often eat plastic bags instead of jellies.
In the source used, Thomas Hayden’s (2002) article, “Trashing the Oceans”, the ethos argument is persuasive in its wording because of its easy to understand, inviting nature and relatability, while still informing the reader about the disturbing information coming from the accounts of a research vessel that goes by the title Alguita, a vessel that has been studying the oceanic garbage since 1999. This article has already displayed all three arguments of logos, pathos and ethos in just a few paragraphs. The compared article, written by John H. Tibbetts “Managing Marine Plastic Pollution” does not do this. An example of the ethos attributes of “Trashing the Oceans” is the introduction pertaining to Taco bell.
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 ).
According to a Biological Diversity website (https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/ocean_plastics/), the author states that “Thousands of seabirds and sea turtles, seals and other marine mammals are killed each year after ingesting plastic.” People keep littering and that littering is killing precious marine life. The level of
Fishermen throwing their garbage into the ocean, which affects the health of the coral and the fish that live in it. Climate change is destroying the living environments of various animals, like the walruses. The WWF1 started their campaign Seastars to fight against the threats of the ocean. Overfishing comes down to one thing: Catching too much fish which leads to a degradation
Imagine what happens if we keep on polluting our planet? What happens to our future generation? Since plastic takes years to biodegrade, if we keep polluting our environment with plastic, then our future generation will suffer from the environment around them. It also means that plastic and other trash will continue polluting the ocean, which can cause thousands of sea animals to go extinct, providing us with less source of food. Not only sea animals, but animals all over the world might extinct or become endangered because of pollution.
Oil spills are fatal for plants and animals. The oil is toxic and it can cause a massive loss of species that live in and around the sea. Oil spill penetrates into the feathers of birds,
While researching about how pollution affects sea turtles, we faced some issues on finding different types of pollution. As most people know, the plastic waste that is being dumped into the oceans and onto the beaches is becoming a main food source for sea turtles. When sea turtles see this trash, they consume the plastic causing death or severe sickness which has caused this species to become endangered. They also get tangled with the plastic in the ocean restricting them from normal movement and function. During our research, we found that there are more types of pollution affecting sea turtles than just plastic waste in the ocean.
Plastic pollution in the ocean Introduction Rachel L. Carson said in her book “Water, soil, and the earth´s green mantle of plants make up the world that supports the animal life of the earth” (63). In other words, our planet was always a place which was dominated by nature and it had essential relations between plants and other plants and between plants and other animals (Carson, 1962). Since the modern human started to conquer the world a lot of things have changed and technology has taken over. My essay is about a quite new but very big problem which affects our wonderful planet; it is about plastic in the ocean.
It is impossible to give an accurate estimation of the amount of plastic that is being polluted into the ocean. However, in 1975 the global fishing fleet alone dumped approximately 135 400 tons of plastic fishing gear and 23 600 tons of synthetic packaging materials
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,
The ocean is nowadays undergoing numerous environmental issues that further lead to marine pollution. Marine pollution is a very serious environmental issue that most of the countries of the world encounter. Aquatic littering is considered as one of the major causes of marine environment. The misleading use of the marine environment is extremely impacting the marine life and ecosystems. Moreover, the total amount of toxins and debris discharged by human beings is incredibly increasing in today 's world.