Category: Ocean Pollution

Ocean Pollution: Challenges, Efforts, and Impact

Introduction

The focus of my group’s project was ocean conservation. The oceans are one of Earth’s best gifts to humans, beautiful ecosystems growing with life that provide fresh food to jobs that millions of people can enjoy. These oceans may seem perfectly fine, and there wouldn’t be any major difficulties and concerns, but that’s not the case. The oceans and coral reefs are getting destroyed each and every day. The ocean has been a major concern due to trash and human interaction.

Ocean conservation is a method that is working to save some of those concerns. This type of conservation works to save marine animals and the coral reefs. While what we did in the past will always affect the future, there is always time to create a better outcome, and that all starts by understanding the problem that we are creating. Using the eight lenses, economic, environmental, futuristic, cultural and social, artistic, political and historical, and scientific, my group is focusing on the benefits of helping the ocean life and what are the problems with the ocean. This research question was made from researching controversial topics, and this topic intrigued us.

The future and environmental

The future of the ocean is dependent on how we handle situations like plastic, trash, coral Acidification, and Destruction of Habitats. Plastic is the leading cause of turtle death. Turtles will eat the left-out plastic like fishing gear, food wrappers, and bottles, and once it gets into their system, it kills the sea turtles in the digestive system. Turtles can also get tangled in the left-out plastic, and that can kill them. Pollution disrupts nesting behavior and causes hatchling death by leading them away from the sea. Another way turtles are dying is a way called direct take; direct take is when sea turtles and their eggs are killed by people throughout the world for food and for products, including oil, leather, and shell.

Six of the seven sea turtle species are classified as threatened or endangered due to human actions and lifestyles. One way we can stop this from happening is to reduce fishing nets and fishing lines from getting into the ocean and also recycle properly, meaning throw your trash into the trash can. Most people tend to just leave a wrapper on the beach, thinking that it will not cause any damage; well, they were wrong. That little wrapper that they left on the beach is now in turtles or fish stomachs. Another leading cause for the ocean needing saving is coral reef acidification.

Coral acidification refers to a reduction in the pH of the ocean over an extended period of time caused primarily by the uptake of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Over 52 percent of the coral reefs have died due to coral acidification. On the website www.independent.co.uk, Elena B. put the title “More than 90% of the coral reef will be dead by 2050.” This made me wonder why the corals would be almost gone in just 30 years. Elena states how, just in the past 30 years, over half of the coral reefs have been killed due to coral acidification and coral bleaching.

The coral can die due to the temperature changing even 1.8 degrees; this causes coral bleaching that kills the coral reefs. If the water were to cool down, then the coral reefs could restore themselves and become the beautiful reefs we know them to be. One way we could save the coral reefs is to either train the coral reefs to get used to the heat intake they take or reduce the number of people going exploring the coral reefs. Some coral reefs die out due to human interaction; people tend to want to touch the reefs. If a human touches the reefs, they will die. The sunscreen that most people use comes off in the water, clings to the coral reefs, and coats them with chemical ingredients.

Art

Art has been a newer way to save the ocean; places like SeaWorld use plastic found near or in the ocean to make art sculptures. Art activist uses art as a way to communicate with people all around the world about ocean destruction. The goal is to raise awareness and change the environmentally damaging habits that people and countries do to the ocean. Younger people are more likely to be intrigued by art, and if we use art in a positive way for the ocean, younger people will learn that the ocean needs to be saved and we need to do everything and anything possible to save it. Art comes in all different types and forms; art doesn’t just have to be painted on a canvas or a sculpture. It can be a bracelet or necklace.

A company called 4ocean used its brand to make bracelets that support ocean conservation. The bracelet is made out of all recycled products found on the beach. Wearing the 4ocean bracelet identifies you as a member of their team; they fight for a clean ocean. I learned that every bracelet purchased can clean out a pound of trash from the ocean, which is incredible. Another brand that uses its brand to help save the ocean is Pura Vida. They have multiple charities that they support, but one of their bracelets is directed toward the coral reefs called “Save the coral reefs,” and another is dedicated to the Surfrider Foundation.

They give around 5% of their profit to those foundations. If you go to SeaWorld, you may notice a particular garden; this garden is the “SEA garden.” This “garden” is four sculptures made from coastal trash they have collected during coastal cleanups. Visitors will come across thousands of pieces of trash, from aluminum cans and plastic bottles to styrofoam and old brushes that either washed ashore or were abandoned on the beach. Seaworld has made four animal sculptures they have made a seahorse, an octopus, a sea anemone, and an octopus.

Historical and political lens

The environmental movement of ocean conservation began in 1972. One thing that brought attention to the need for ocean conservancy was the ‘Convention on Fishing and Conservation of the Living Resources of the High Seas Agreement of 1966. In 1972, the US government prohibited anyone who did not have a license to fish or hunt marine life within the United States. According to https://fourfish.org/a/pe3l-UQimmN5m, “Since then, most of the waste dumped in American waters are dredged materials that are permitted beforehand by the EPA. Before disposal, these materials are evaluated to ensure that they won’t cause any harmful effects to either humans or the marine environment.”.

The following year, in 1973, the International Maritime Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations, created the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships. They aimed to reduce the amount of marine pollution caused by ships. In 1993, Dr.Elliot published Global Marine Biological Diversity (https://marine-conservation.org/who-we-are/history/). This book ended up being the most cited book on marine conservation. To get more scientists to apply their understanding to marine conservation decision-making, he founded the Marine Conservation Biology Institute in 1996 (which became the Marine Conservation Institute in 2011).

On the flip side of this topic, many countries put trash into the ocean, thinking that they are doing no harm. The top six countries for ocean garbage are China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Americans alone generate 10.5 million tons of plastic waste per year, but they only recycle 1-2 % of it. Around 14 billion pounds of trash, mostly plastic, is dumped into the world’s oceans every year. The ocean is around 88% full of trash.

Conclusion

Without the ocean, all life would be different; the Earth would be one huge desert. The ocean is one of the biggest if not the biggest, support systems for Earth and living. A lot of ocean conservation has been successful, but nothing will fully be fixed until all of the problems get resolved, which means no trash, no extra amount of fishing, and no chemicals in the ocean.

References

1. Independent. (n.d.). More than 90% of the world’s coral reefs will be dead by 2050. Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/coral-reefs-dead-2050-90-per-cent-global-warming-pollution-fishing-a7378851.html
2. Four Fish. (n.d.). The role of seafood in a balanced diet. Four Fish. https://fourfish.org/a/pe3l-UQimmN5m
3. Marine Conservation Institute. (n.d.). Our history. Marine Conservation Institute. https://marine-conservation.org/who-we-are/history/

The Harmful Effects of Ocean Pollution and the Urgent Need for Action

Introduction

Have you ever been to the beach and expected to see a beautiful, refreshing, and clean environment? Instead, you find a beach that is covered with plastic waste, pieces of metal, and chemicals. For example, in the North Pacific Ocean sits a massive patch. It has been famously known as The Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Charles Moore describes it as a ‘Collection of marine debris that is the result of rotating ocean currents between Japan and the United States’ (cited in Perdew and White 6). It has ‘Been estimated to be twice the size of Texas’ (Ottum 52). The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is an impressive illustration of what marine pollution is.

Impact on Marine Mammals

Each year, about eight million metric tons of plastic waste are found in the ocean. It is referred to as marine pollution. Marine pollution occurs when harmful material such as plastic, metal, chemicals, etc., waste enters and poses a threat to the ocean environment. Most of the pollution that goes into the ocean occurs from activities going on on land. Approximately 12 billion gallons of wastewater is dumped into the ocean. The majority of trash that goes into the ocean is plastic because plastic does not biodegrade. The harmful effects of marine pollution are it kills marine mammals, demolishes habitats, and poses dangerous risks to humans.

Marine pollution kills marine mammals that encounter marine debris daily. In 2010, the largest marine oil spill occurred in the Gulf of Mexico from the BP-operated Macondo Prospect. According to The New York Times, ‘As of Aug 16, more than 7,000 birds, sea turtles, and dolphins have been dead or debilitated in the gulf since the oil spill began.’ Not only is oil harmful to marine mammals, but so is plastic. Most mammals, like sea turtles, often mistake plastic bags for jellyfish. They eat it, but plastic bags block their digestive tracts, making it difficult to take in other food. Since it is impossible for them to eat, they end up starving, leading them to die from starvation.

Plastic has been found 11 Kilometers deep in the ocean, ‘The UN estimates that more than one million birds and 100,000 mammals die every year from plastic by poisoning, entanglement, and choking’ (Scherer 84). Some harmful waste can break down over time, but plastic cannot. Plastic will always be around them, causing them danger. Marine mammals take in pollutants into their body by using their gills. Judith S. Weis exclaims, ‘An animal in a polluted area accumulates toxic chemicals from each item of contaminated food that it eats’ (10). This means the animal takes in the harsh chemicals into their body and kills them. The chemicals poison their body, making them not be able to survive any longer.

Destruction of Habitats

In addition, marine pollution destroys habitats and the homes of millions of marine species. When chemicals are released into the ocean, many plants are highly affected. For example, coral reefs provide protection and are homes to marine mammals around. However, because the chemicals and nutrients are released, coral reefs end up dying. Not given a home or protection, the mammals need to hide from predators. An article from Ocean Health Index states that ‘When seagrass, mangrove, and salt marsh habitats are destroyed, they are no longer able to sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.’ This means significant amounts of carbon dioxide are released and produced back into the atmosphere.

Most habitats provide sufficient food, like plants for marine species. For instance, an oil spill can impair a plant’s ability to grow and function properly. It can leave the species without food to depend on, or it can be contaminated. Noise pollution is an indirect effect of how it ‘Reduces food availability outside normal habitats, increased exposure to predators or other risks’ (Sarić and Randonja 37). Marine mammals might run out of food and decide to go out for food only to find out they hear a loud and scary sound, making them change direction to wander around in different habitats that are homes to their predators.

Human Health Risks

Furthermore, not only does marine pollution affect marine life, but it is also a dangerous risk for humans. Many people love to go to the beach, but they encounter debris that is unhealthy for the body. When swimmers go to the beach, some may be swimming in trash. Swimmers who swim in sewage-polluted water could contract an illness that was spread by the contaminated water. However, surfers and divers are at greater risk of being infected or catching an illness from the polluted water than swimmers. ‘Debris is a hazard to swimmers and divers who can become entangled in plastics or cut by sharp objects’ (Perdew and White 55). Humans can get seriously injured just by swimming in places they would not expect harmful things to be at.

While many people love the beach, they also love their seafood. Although seafood has a rich nutrient of protein, vitamins, and minerals, it can be risky to public health. To illustrate, Weis states that ‘The high variability in Hg in common seafood has ramifications for public health’ (94). Making it risky to consume large fish because Methylmercury biomagnifies in food webs. When humans consume fish that have ingested plastic, it is risky because of the toxic concentration in them. ‘Some effects can be it increases breast cancer in women, early puberty for girls…, affect developmental, reproductive, neurological and immune system’ (Perdew and White 55, 57). Some seafood may carry around bacteria and viruses from debris that could pose a health risk for consumers. Always be cautious of what you eat, so you and your body can both be healthy.

Conclusion

In conclusion, marine pollution poses a threat to the ocean by killing its marine mammals, destroying their habitats, and putting human life at risk. Every day, the oceans are being threatened by pollution, which marine life is suffering. Many thought since the ocean was a huge and deep place, dumping litter in the ocean would not face or have extreme consequences. It does not disappear but, instead, enters the food chain. Unfortunately, marine mammals are killed by marine debris, such as plastic they eat or chemicals that may enter their body. It even destroys their habitats because when chemicals are released, they can break down pieces of their home.

Not giving them the protection they need and food to survive. Humans are at risk, too, when swimming; swimmers can get injured by getting caught up in plastic or cutting themselves. Even from seafood, they eat, like fish that take in chemicals or consume plastic. It can cause many humans to be ill and not be healthy. When saltwater moves pollutants, it can travel from the ocean to freshwater, making wells that contaminate the groundwater.

Seventy percent of the marine debris is found at the bottom of the ocean, and the other 30 percent may be floating in the ocean or at shore. In many parts of the world, sewage water leads to the ocean being untreated and not cared for. There are different types of marine pollution, such as acidification, eutrophication, plastic debris, toxins, and underwater noise. They all have terrible effects on the ocean and its marine life. However, we can all put a stop to polluting our oceans. Michael J. Kennish describes how “Marine wastes may be organized into several distinct categories: degradable wastes, fertilizers, dissipating wastes, particulates, and conservative wastes” (3).

Together, we can keep our oceans clean and stop polluting so that marine life will not be affected. There are many organizations all around the world fighting to save and clean our oceans, as 97 percent of the earth’s water comes from the oceans. Rose George once said, ‘We are wasting our water mostly by putting waste into it. One cubic meter of wastewater can pollute ten cubic meters of water. Discharging wastewater into oceans turns freshwaters into the less useful salty stuff, and desalination is expensive.’

Works Cited

1. BrainyQuote “Rose George Quotes.” Xplore, www.brainyquote.com/quotes/rose_george_634015
2. Ocean Health Index “Trash Pollution.”, www.oceanhealthindex.org/methodology/components/trash-pollution.
3. Otuum, Joshua. ‘Sounds Like Garbage: Paddling through an Imaginary Island of Trash toward a New Sonic Ecology.’ Social Alternatives, vol. 33, no. 1, Jan. 2014, pp. 52–59. Academic Search Complete, db22.linccweb.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=96402387&site=ehost-live
4. Perdew, Laura, and Angelicque White. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Essential Library, an Imprint of Abdo Publishing, 2018
5. Sarić, Ivan and Radoslav Radonja. ‘Noise as a Source of Marine Pollution.’ Scientific Journal of Maritime Research, vol. 28, no. 1, Jan. 2014, pp. 31-39. Academic Search Complete, db22.linccweb.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=113414448&site=ehost-live.
6. Scherer, Lauri S. Oceans. Greenhaven Press, 2011. The New York Times, The New York Times, Apr 28, 2010, archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/04/28/us/20100428-spill-map.html?_r=0.
7. Weis, Judith S. Marine Pollution: What Everyone Needs to Know. Oxford University Press, 2015.
8. Kennish, M., Kennish, M., Lutz, P. (2017). Practical Handbook of Estuarine and Marine Pollution. Boca Raton: CRC Press.

Ocean Pollution: Mitigating the Impending Destruction of Ocean Life

Introduction

Millions of ocean species are soon to face mass extinction due to pollution. Pollution is everywhere we look, even the Ocean. All the trash that does not end up in the trash lands on the ground and eventually in the Ocean. Ocean life is on the verge of destruction by humans.

The Looming Threat to Ocean Life

Humans are dumping trash anywhere they feel like. Some of the trash lands on the shore of the Ocean brought in from the waves and tides; some descend, some are consumed by the ocean animals that confuse it for food, and some trash collects in ocean gyres (National et al. Administration). When it ends up in the Ocean, all the harmful chemicals are making the ocean and ocean life sick. Plastic poisons fish, birds, marine mammals, and sea turtles, wipe out habitats, and even changes animals’ mating routine, which can have a calamitous corollary and can erase an entire breed (Lonne).

What we don’t think about is all the chemicals that trash is made of are in the things we use every day. There are lots of fixes to saving the Ocean, but a major one is to pick up after ourselves. We as a community need to pay more attention to things around us and pick up after ourselves and others. Picking up a little piece of trash can save the Ocean from having more harmful trash in it. Humans just dump trash anywhere because we are too lazy and do not care. Humans do whatever they feel, like throwing trash not in its rightful place, and we just leave it on the ground and step over or around it.

Habitats all over the Ocean are being destroyed. The habitats are the home and safe place for ocean life. The habitats are plants like coral reefs, and when the pollution enters the Ocean, the chemicals destroy the plants, so without habitats, the animals have to go somewhere else or are being eaten by other animals. Habitat elimination and degeneration are among our most severe environmental catastrophes, causing animal extinctions and danger to many of the remainder of the wildlife around the world. It takes place anywhere in the Ocean and has lifelong or enduring effects.

Humans and nature can both be causes of ocean destruction and coastal habitats. Hurricanes and typhoons, storm surges, and tsunamis can cause colossal, though usually brief, interruptions in the circle of ocean plant and animal life. Human actions, nonetheless, are automatically more impactful and endless. Agriculture, industrial development, and urban sprawl are examples of artificial stresses that soon lead to decreased capacity and the capacity of habitats for marine life. Tourism brings lots of boaters, snorkelers, and scuba divers into direct contact with fragile wetlands and coastal ecosystems (thank you, Ocean). Stopping the pollution will help save the animal’s habitats and maybe even produce more of the species. Keeping the habitats from being destroyed helps us save the species from becoming extinct.

Overfishing: Disrupting the Balance

Humans are overfishing, causing less and less fish, but not just fish other species in the Ocean as well. A major problem of overfishing is the “open access” nature of fisheries. Because there are no or some property rights, there is an absence of incentive for fishers to put the fish back in the water. Illegal fishing reports for a predicted 20% of the earth’s catches and as much as 50% in some fisheries. The target fishing of top predators (such as billfish, sharks, and tuna) one day will disturb the food chain. This, in turn, has an influence on the rest of marine life, such as the heightened growth of algae, and is a risk to coral reef wellbeing (World et al.).

Yes, some people fish them and release them back into the Ocean, but others will keep them to cook and eat later. Fish fish are a major part of the ocean food chain; most of the species rely on the fish for their main source of food. So when humans come and overfish, taking away all the fish, there is less left for the animals of the Ocean. We could stop overfishing by only fishing at a certain time of the year and keep the fish then. But any other time, we fish to release them back into the Ocean when we get done. That way, we get to take some but also leave enough for ocean life.

Conclusion

Ocean life is on the verge of destruction by humans. We can stop the Ocean’s destruction of the Ocean by stopping so much pollution from entering the Ocean. Stopping the pollution can help save habitats, but we also need to think more about being careful underwater. We also have to stop the overfishing problem that we have, but we need to have the laws enforced.

References

1. Lonne, B. (n.d.). How does plastic pollution affect the ocean? Ocean Conservancy. https://oceanconservancy.org/blog/2018/08/10/plastic-pollution-affect-ocean/
2. Thank You Ocean. (n.d.). Coastal habitat destruction. http://www.thankyouocean.org/threats-to-our-ocean/coastal-habitat-destruction/
3. World Wildlife Fund. (n.d.). Overfishing. https://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/overfishing

Menace of Ocean Pollution and Its Impact on Ecosystems and Human Health

Introduction

The Earth is covered by oceans. The ocean covers more than 70% of the Earth’s surface, holds 97% of the world’s water, hosts some of the planet’s most diverse ecosystems, and supports economies in countries around the world. There are many causes of why our oceans are becoming toxic. Ocean pollution is widespread, becoming worse by the decade, and shows a clear and present threat to human health. According to a Boston College study, more than 80 percent comes from land-based sources, and it reaches the oceans through rivers, runoff, and deposition from the atmosphere. Airborne pollutants are washed into the ocean by rain and snow and direct dumping, such as pollution from waste-water treatment plants and discarded waste.

Causes of Ocean Pollution

The ocean is an important aspect of human health and human life. It provides food to billions of people and livelihood to millions of people. In spite of the ocean’s size, it is not safe and is under threat. The main source of the ocean’s threat is human activity. The toxification of the ocean is caused by multiple things, mainly pollution and hazardous waste material released into the environment due to human activities. Pollution is also a great and growing threat to human health. According to M.D P. Landrigan in a Boston college-led study, This is the largest environmental cause of disease in the world today, responsible for an estimated 9 million premature deaths per year. The toxification of the ocean would not only lead to the loss of millions of human lives but would also cause huge economic losses.

There are several causes as to why the ocean is becoming toxic. One of the main causes is the Dumping of Sewage; this happens more often as dumping of sewage waste into the ocean is the cheapest and easiest method of sewage disposal. Most of the untreated sewage that may contain lethal or hazardous substances makes its way into the ocean waters through the sewage systems, which causes severe effects on the health of marine animals and flora.

Another source of pollutants in the oceans is Industrial Chemicals. These untreated discharges of chemicals are also released into water bodies from several industries. Industries like fossil fuel, plastic manufacturing, agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, and more. Typically contains harmful toxins like mercury, phthalates, Bisphenol-A, and other chemical substances. These substances make the oceans toxic by altering the pH level of the ocean water, which in turn contributes to the deaths of marine animals. This could also pose a threat to human life as toxins enter the bodies of marine animals. They are further transferred up the food chain, which will reach humans through the consumption of marine animals in toxic waters.

Conclusion

According to researchers, the increased buildup of harmful chemicals in the ocean leads to Eutrophication. The combination of hazardous waste, sewage dumping, and more leads to an alarming growth rate of algae and other life-threatening microorganisms that will inevitably disrupt the ocean ecosystem. This will lead to the depletion of oxygen due to Eutrophication and will cause a formation of dead zones in the ocean.

References

1. “Plastic Ocean: How a Sea Captain’s Chance Discovery Launched a Determined Quest to Save the Oceans” by Captain Charles Moore
2. “The Outlaw Ocean: Journeys Across the Last Untamed Frontier” by Ian Urbina
3. “The World Is Blue: How Our Fate and the Ocean’s Are One” by Sylvia A. Earle

The Urgent Need to Address Ocean Pollution: Effects, Causes, and Solutions

Introduction

Hello everyone, and welcome back to my blog page. There’s a very serious topic I’d like to discuss this week, and that is Ocean Pollution. More recently than ever, ocean pollution has become a MAJOR problem. Its effects have become much more serious and hurtful to ocean life and our own as well.

The Pervasive Threat of Ocean Pollution

I recently read an article that really goes into detail about what’s happening in our oceans and the kinds of pollution that are causing such harmful effects. I’d like to share this website article with you all as it’s just extremely interesting and taught me a lot that I didn’t even know about pollution. This web article is written by Melissa Denchak and is titled “Ocean Pollution: The Dirty Facts.” This article is recent in that it was posted only about a year ago, on January 22, 2018. This article came from a website that is called the NRDC, which stands for Natural Resource Defense Council. They post lots of different articles about climate change, communities, energy, food, health, water, the wild, and most importantly, our topic today: oceans.

About once a year, they post articles pertaining to the ocean, more specifically ocean pollution, that’s about a page-long read. Some of their titles, from the years 2015-2017, are “What You Need to Know About Ocean Acidification,” “10 Ways to Reduce Plastic Pollution”, and “Go Green in Margaritaville: Eco-Friendly Beach Vacation Tips.” This website also has a couple of videos pertaining to the ocean as well that give valuable information that goes along with some of the articles on ocean pollution. Now, regarding why I chose this website article to talk about, in comparison to many other articles online, is their credibility. The NRDC is a group of around 600 people who are either scientists, lawyers, or policy advocates. Now, I don’t know about you, but I find scientists, lawyers, etc., to be credible people. The website has a part of it that you can go to called “Our Experts,” and you can click on it and read about the different people listed and their credibility and expertise pertaining to different fields in wildlife, etc. So, with all that out of the way, let me just dive right into the article itself.

Root Causes and the Call for Collective Responsibility

Melissa Denchak’s January 2018 NRDC article “Ocean Pollution: The Dirty Facts” discusses how “many forms of pollution are having a seriously negative impact on ocean life when she states, “As a result, collectively, our impact on the seas is degrading their health at an alarming rate,” There are many kinds of pollution that humans are contributing to that are really beginning to affect the ocean and its inhabitants in a very serious way.

These different forms are ocean acidification, trash in the ocean, ocean noise, and offshore drilling. All these forms of pollution are, in fact, damaging the health of many marine species. Denchak is correct in stating that ocean life is starting to decrease at a terrifying rate if we continue to allow pollution to consume all ocean life until there’s close to nothing left. The government should not be alone in trying to solve ocean pollution. It’ll take the work of all of society as one to begin to change our ways to better the world we live in. So, let me explain in more detail the specific forms of pollution Denchak gives in her article.

Ocean acidification is worsening with the effects that fossil fuel burning is contributing, and if not fixed soon, it will lead to the ocean becoming 150% more acidic than it is today. Research has shown that oceans are acidifying faster now than they have in almost 300 million years! That’s crazy, people! If we don’t come together to fix this problem now, our whole ecosystem will be affected, starting at the bottom with coral reefs and mussels. Did you know that in order to make their shells, these creatures require calcium carbonate? And did you further know that as the pH levels of the ocean rise, calcium carbonate levels go down? Yeah. So, if our ocean continues to increase in acidity, these creatures’ lives are threatened, and so too are the animals that feed off them and the animals that feed off them, etc., until there’s nothing left.

This is a picture of recent coral reefs taken by Oregon State University. As you can see, the tops of the coral are losing their color and turning white. This is due to acidification affecting the calcium carbonate. So right here is proof that ocean life really is being affected by the high rise in acidity.

Forms of Ocean Pollution: Acidification, Trash, Noise, and More

Moving on, a HUGE form of pollution that we are all familiar with is trash in the ocean. One main reason why trash like grocery bags, water bottles, straws, and milk containers (the list of plastic items goes on) is a big deal is that they don’t biodegrade! That’s why we have something called recycling! Well, then, you may wonder how all this trash gets to the ocean. A terrifying and sad reality is that trash is directly dumped into our oceans. But another why all this trash enters our oceans is through drains and sewers.

Melissa Denchak’s January 2018 NRDC article “Ocean Pollution: The Dirty Facts” talks about in her sixth paragraph how not only is trash like plastic a big problem but so is oil drips from different transportation vehicles when she states, “Oil from boats, airplanes, cars, trucks, and even lawn mowers is also swimming in ocean waters.” It is so upsetting to read about this happening because this is such an easy fix and is probably only happening because we are so careless. I personally have a boat on a lake in Michigan, and not once have we dripped oil from it. It’s so easy to be cautious and make sure that you don’t pollute the water you’re riding in.

Speaking of boats, ocean noise is another form of pollution that most people don’t even think about. I know I didn’t until I read this article. While this can be a problem in lakes, our main topic is the ocean, and there is where ocean noise is much worse. As you may or may not know, some marine life uses sound waves to communicate such as whales and dolphins. They use this form of underwater echolocation to locate food, to mate, and simply just to navigate. Well, with huge commercial and container ships roaming the oceans, echolocation for these animals can become very tricky.

This picture was taken by Anngu Chen/EyeEm, and as you can see, there are a TON of massive ships in this part of the ocean. Can you imagine all the sound underwater those gigantic engines are making? All of that loud extra noise disorients sound waves and can cause great problems for animals like whales and dolphins, who rely on sound to live.

Conclusion

Overall, this article gives out so much information that is necessary for us to read about and learn about. A lot of forms of pollution stated in the article I didn’t even know about, and I’m sure it was news to some of you, too. The more we can read up on how to prevent ocean pollution or even how we’re causing pollution in our oceans, the better we can work to help save our planet. It is so sad to think that we’ve ignored the ocean’s plea for help for this long that now it’s almost a matter of do or die. I hope that my review of this article has helped you to understand more about what’s going on and give you a better idea of how you can help prevent the killing of our ocean. My main argument for this post is, “What’s the big deal?”. I hope I’ve enlightened you, answered that question for you, and proved that ocean pollution IS a big deal and we need to act now to save it. Thanks for reading this week’s blog, and I’ll see you next week!

References

1. Denchak, M. (2018, January 22). Ocean Pollution: The Dirty Facts. NRDC. Retrieved from https://www.nrdc.org/stories/ocean-pollution-dirty-facts