What is Ocean
Pollution?
Oceans are the largest water bodies on the
planet Earth. Over the last few decades, surplus human activities have severely
affected the marine life on the Earth’s oceans. Ocean pollution, also known as
marine pollution, is the spreading of harmful substances such as oil, plastic,
industrial and agricultural waste and chemical
particles into the ocean. Since oceans provide home to wide variety of marine
animals and plants, it is responsibility of every citizen to play his or her
part in making these oceans clean so that marine species can thrive for long
period of time.
Mining for materials such as copper and gold is
a major source of contamination in the ocean. For example, copper is a major source of pollutant in the ocean and
can interfere with the life cycles of numerous marine organisms and life.
“Many ocean pollutants are released into
the environment far upstream from coastlines. Nitrogen-rich fertilizers applied
by farmers inland, for example, end up in local streams, rivers, and groundwater
and are eventually deposited in estuaries, bays, and deltas. These excess
nutrients can spawn massive blooms of algae that rob the water of oxygen,
leaving areas where little or no marine life can exist.”
Causes of Ocean Pollution
There are various ways by which pollution
enters the ocean. Some of them are:
1. Sewage
Pollution can enter the ocean directly.
Sewage or polluting substances flow through sewage, rivers, or drainages
directly into the ocean. This is often how minerals and substances from mining
camps find their way into the ocean.
The release of other chemical
nutrients into the ocean’s ecosystem leads to reductions in oxygen levels, the
decay of plant life, a severe decline in the quality of the sea water itself.
As a result, all levels of oceanic life, plants and animals, are highly
affected.
2. Toxic Chemicals From
Industries
Industrial and agricultural waste are another most
common form of wastes that are directly discharged into the oceans, resulting
in ocean pollution. The dumping of toxic liquids in the ocean
directly affects the marine life as they are considered hazardous and secondly,
they raise the temperature of the ocean, known as thermal pollution, as the
temperature of these liquids is quite high. Animals and plants that cannot
survive at higher temperatures eventually perish.
3. Land Runoff
Land runoff is another source of pollution in the ocean. This
occurs when water infiltrates the soil to its maximum extent and the excess
water from rain, flooding or melting flows over the land and into the ocean.
Often times, this water picks up man-made, harmful contaminants that pollute
the ocean, including fertilizers, petroleum, pesticides and other forms of soil
contaminants. Fertilizers and waste from land animals and humans can be
a huge detriment to the ocean by creating dead zones.
4. Large Scale Oil Spills
Ship pollution is a huge source of ocean
pollution, the most devastating effect of which is oil spills. Crude oil lasts
for years in the sea and is extremely toxic to marine life, often suffocating
marine animals to death once it entraps them. Crude oil is also extremely
difficult to clean up, unfortunately meaning that when it is split; it is
usually there to stay.
In addition, many ships lose thousands of
crates each year due to storms, emergencies, and accidents. This causes noise pollution (excessive,
unexpected noise that interrupts the balance of life, most often caused by modes of transportation), excessive algae,
and ballast water. Often times, other species can also invade an ecosystem and
do harm to it by interrupting the life cycles of other organisms, causing a
clash of nature that has already been damaged by the overflow of pollution.
5. Ocean Mining
Ocean mining in the deep sea is yet another
source of ocean pollution. Ocean mining sites drilling for silver, gold,
copper, cobalt and zinc create sulfide deposits up to three and a half thousand
meters down in to the ocean. While we have yet the gathering of scientific
evidence to fully explain the harsh environmental impacts of deep sea
mining, we do have a general idea that deep sea mining causes damage to the
lowest levels of the ocean and increase the toxicity of the region. This permanent
damage dealt also causes leaking, corrosion and oil spills that only
drastically further hinder the ecosystem of the region.
6. Littering
Pollution from the atmosphere is, believe it or
not, a huge source of ocean pollution. This occurs when objects that are far
inland are blown by the wind over long distances and end up in the ocean. These
objects can be anything from natural things like dust and sand, to man-made
objects such as debris and trash. Most debris, especially plastic debris, cannot decompose
and remains suspended in the oceans current for years.
Animals can become snagged on the plastic or
mistake it for food, slowly killing them over a long period of time. Animals
who are most often the victims of plastic debris include turtles,
dolphins, fish, sharks, crabs, sea birds, and crocodiles.
In addition, the temperature of the ocean is
highly affected by carbon dioxide and climate changes, which impacts primarily
the ecosystems and fish communities that live in the ocean. In particular, the
rising levels of Co2 acidify the ocean in the form of acid rain. Even though the ocean can
absorb carbon dioxide that originates from the atmosphere, the carbon dioxide
levels are steadily increasing and the ocean’s absorbing mechanisms, due to the
rising of the ocean’s temperatures, are unable to keep up with the pace.
Effects of Ocean Pollution
1. Effect of Toxic Wastes on
Marine Animals
Oil spill is dangerous to marine life in
several ways. The oil spilled in the ocean could get on to the gills and
feathers of marine animals, which makes it difficult for them to move or fly
properly or feed their children. The long term effect on marine life can
include cancer, failure in the reproductive system, behavioral changes, and
even death.
2. Disruption to the Cycle
of Coral Reefs
Oil spill floats on the surface of water and
prevents sunlight from reaching to marine plants and affects in the process of
photosynthesis. Skin irritation, eye irritation, lung and liver problems can
impact marine life over long period of time.
3: Depletes Oxygen Content
in Water
Most of the debris in the ocean does not
decompose and remain in the ocean for years. It uses oxygen as it degrades. As
a result of this, oxygen levels go down. When oxygen levels go down, the
chances of survival of marine animals like whales, turtles, sharks, dolphins,
penguins for long time also goes down.
4: Failure in the
Reproductive System of Sea Animals
Industrial and agricultural
wastes include various poisonous chemicals that are considered hazardous for
marine life. Chemicals from pesticides can accumulate in the fatty tissue of
animals, leading to failure in their reproductive system.
5: Effect on Food Chain
Chemicals used in industries and agriculture
get washed into the rivers and from there are carried into the oceans. These
chemicals do not get dissolved and sink at the bottom of the ocean. Small
animals ingest these chemicals and are later eaten by large animals, which then
affects the whole food chain.
6. Affects Human Health
Animals from impacted food chain are then eaten by
humans which affects their health as toxins from these contaminated animals
gets deposited in the tissues of people and can lead to cancer, birth defects
or long term health problems.
We have only seen some of the causes and effects. There are lots more
problems that are causing ocean pollution and claiming marine life. The 95% of
the impacts are created by human activities, and only if we create awareness
about the damage, people will stop polluting the ocean in the future. Let’s
save marine life and our planet’s resources. Go Green! Save Earth!
