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Effects of marine pollution on marine ecosystem
Effects of ocean pollution on marine ecosystems
Effects of ocean pollution on marine ecosystems
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The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which is sometimes referred to as the Eastern Pacific Garbage Patch and the Pacific Trash Vortex is a floating patch of garbage that has collected in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, which is located in the middle of two high-pressure areas between Hawaii and California. The majority of the garbage, which is also called marine debris, in the patch is plastic, but items made from other materials such as glass and rubber are also present. Though the garbage patch is too large and goes too deep under the surface of the ocean for scientists to determine exactly how much garbage is in it, they have collected up to 750,000 bits of plastic one square kilometer (CITE). This sort of debris floating around in the ocean is dangerous for several reasons. One important reason is that marine animals mistake some of the garbage, especially plastics, for food (CITE). Another reason that the floating debris is so dangerous is because it can block sunlight from reaching deeper levels of the ocean, and thus, it removes the energy source for many autotrophs like alga...
The author gave a brief explanation about sea skaters including how they live and what they eat. Sea skaters can stand and literally walk on the surface of the ocean and that is why these insects were given this nickname. Sea skater are used to live by the water, but after they reproduce,, they have to find something solid where they can lay their eggs and this is where microplastic becomes an advantage for them. Also, the author described where exactly huge amounts of microplastic are located in the world. Hitchings mentioned that there is a specific place between Asia and North America where most of the microplastic has been accumulated in the past years, best know as the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch”. This amount of trash has been compared to the size of the United States because of its identical size. (Hitchings, 2012)
Which means their obviously bad for the aquatic marine life environment & are cause many different forms of damage for them & us as one. On p.g. 23 of The New York Times upfront magazine “Birds,fish, sea turtles, & others are getting tangled in plastic bags or mistake them for food & choke”. Someone else might argue that they could the plastic bags in landfills instead of oceans. But that counter- argument is flawed because you’re just polluting by burning plastic which is bad on our part we’re not doing our part to support & taking care of the earth. Plastic in the ocean isn't just bad for plants & animals but for humans too because of the food chain some of us eat animals as a meat source such as aqua marine life like fish. If the fishermen catch fish that have been eating plastic then it's in our food supply if we eat that fish it's gonna be bad for us so many will end up getting sick from the plastic inside of the fish then what will we do our aqua marine food supply will go down the drain we couldn’t eat the fish since it's basically contaminated with plastic that we’re dumping there instead of trying to fix it & getting rid of plastic bags for good for the good of the earth. We’re causing damage towards the earth by dumping all that plastic into the ocean which damages our water supply it’ll poison us although we clean the water it depends on how big the plastic particles are, it’ll make us sick & sense it’s been lying in the oceans could bring in new pathogens &
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, also known as the Pacific trash vortex, is a collection of litter which has ended up in oceans, seas and other large bodies of water. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch spans from the West Coast of America to Japan. These areas are linked together by the North Pacific Subtropical Convergence Zone; this convergence zone acts as a highway for litter to move from one patch to another. It has also been theorised that the ocean floor beneath the Great pacific garbage patch is also littered with a lot of rubbish on its own. This is a valid theory because it has been proven by Oceanographers and Ecologists that 70% of marine debris actually sinks down to the ocean floor. Although the scientists have researched this garbage vortex, they did not find it. However, when the founder of this garbage vortex, Charles Moore, was boat racing, he found this garbage vortex while he was travelling from Hawaii to California. He and his crew members noticed that their ship was surrounded by millions of
M., Gutierrez…). This is something that the Marine Debris Program is looking to eliminate. By removing the plastic from the water, and preventing it from leaking its chemicals, the eating of the plastic in general, and the prospect of these plastics being breeding grounds for dangerous pathogens, the marine environment would be safer for animals and humans alike. So, it is clear, the removal of this harmful debris, specifically plastic is something that must be done through this Citizen Science
The ability to correctly understand and differentiate between the areas which need the most help is important in order to make effective change. People have ideas about where they think the a lot of ocean trash is located, but are not actually certain that the information is true. For example, Preston asserts that “the name of the ‘Great Pacific Garbage Patch,’ a collection of marine debris in the northern Pacific Ocean, might conjure up a vast, floating trash island. In reality, though, much of the debris is tiny or below the surface; a person could sail through the area without seeing any garbage at all.” This demonstrates how a majority of people have a specific image about what the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” is even though the actuality drastically differs. It is imperative that scientists and other researchers ensure that the information provided is as extensive as possible so people are certain about which areas are highly concentrated with debris. As a result of more thorough information, people would know where to focus their efforts to more effectively solve the
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is the largest garbage dump in the world. According to estimates made by experts, the patch holds approximately three and a half million tons of garbage. Majority of this garbage is made of plastic. This waste is a threatening problem to the patch’s surrounding wildlife. Many animals are caught in the floating pieces of trash and it is the cause of the deaths of about one million birds and about one hundred thousand other sea animals. Due to the oceans nature and constant moving currents, the trash is also constantly moving. Therefore the size of the patch never stays the exact same. However, scientists believe it be approximately two times the size of Texas. The plastic is mostly broken down from larger materials into small pieces. The patch has been referred to as one scientist as a, “plastic soup”. This garbage poses such a threat mainly because it does not biodegrade. These plastics will be in the ocean essentially forever. Many plastics also contain chemicals, and absorb other chemicals and pollutants they become exposed to. These newly absorbed toxins are then leaked and distributed back into the ocean over time. The chemicals can directly enter the bodies of the animals which consume them. A study was being conducted by scientists of the fish that inhabit the area around the patch. What the researchers found inside the belly of one fish (that was no larger in size than that of a finger), was eighty four small fragments of plastic. It does not take scientists to recognize the impact of this problem, Zach Gold, who is sixteen, is from Santa Monica California. Zach enjoys s...
The ocean is an abundant source of life. It is home to thousand of different creatures, provides a great source of food, and provides the earth with about one half of the oxygen needed to sustain life. (National Geographic) Pollution especially plastic, is a catastrophic problem. Ironically plastic, which is a material designed to last forever is generally used for things we tend to throw away. Every year about one hundred to two hundred billion pounds of plastic are manufactured. Only 31% of that plastic is actually recycled. Biomass packaging estimates 10% of that plastic ends up in the ocean annually. About 20% of it coming from ships and other platforms, and the other 80% coming from land derived sources, such as international garbage dumping, winds or tides either way it finds its way to the ocean.(Biomass Packaging Co., et al)
Have you ever seen trash island? This is an island that is made out of non-biodegradable plastic and other trash. It floats in the Pacific ocean about 100 miles from the coast of California. The objects that float in the island cause a huge threat to wildlife including sea turtles and sharks. This has already caused a mass extinction in some types of plankton and fish. Today it is a huge problem. Will there ever be a solution?
The mission of the report is to inform the general public that plastic debris in the ocean is increasing and is an overlooked problem that is underestimated in oceanic pollution damage. Jeanna prepared for the report by looking at reports from the Journal of Geophysical Research Letters, studies and by interviewing the oceanographer who noticed the increase in plastic debris in
“The Great Pacific Garbage Patch – The Environmental Horror In The Pacific Ocean.” Save the Enviornment . N.p., n.d. Web. 17 May 2010.
Over the past several decades, there has been an observable increase in the amount of marine debris that has been accumulating in the world’s oceans. This debris has both marine and terrestrial sources that are both distant and local to accumulation sites. The consequences of the marine debris have numerous and varied effects upon the habitats and ecosystems in which it enters. The issues associated with such pollution are entanglement, ingestion and smothering, as well as the phenomena of “hitch-hiking,” “hanger-on” and the introduction of “alien” species into distant ecosystems. Other issues are those that have direct impacts on human industries such as hazards to shipping, fisheries and coastal recreational activities. Most of debris consists of non-biodegradable plastics and synthetic materials that can remain in marine systems indefinitely. This type of debris is known to attract biota due to it free-floating ability. This buoyancy is ultimately responsible for the distribution of potentially dangerous invasive species into high-risk coastal habitats. Within the review, Gregory addresses the primary issues associated with this marine pollution and the potential widespread unseen, and often overlooked effects that this type of debris has marine systems.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a stretch of several thousand miles where plastic and other debris gather due to what is called the North P...
The North Pacific Garbage Patch is a disaster because it impacts the planet and humanity in terrible ways. The trash kills wildlife kills over 100,000 sea turtles and mammals annually. Sea creatures such as turtles confuse plastic bags with jellyfish and they eat them by mistake. Because the bags block their digestive tracks, it forces them to float making it impossible for them to dive down and eat the real food. A study done by the EPA showed that fifty percent of dead sea turtles have plastic bags in their stomachs.
Solid waste from shipping can, among other things, include glass, paper, cardboard, aluminium and steel cans, and plastics. Estimates suggest that 70% of the waste and garbage from ships sinks directly to the bottom of the ocean, 15% is washed up on shore, while the remaining 15% floats on or just under the surface, which due to sea currents often end up forming large “garbage islands”. If solid wastes are discharged at sea they may end up as marine debris, which in turn can threaten the life of marine mammals, fish, sea turtles, and birds. Although some solid waste generated by cruise ship is landed ashore for disposal or recycling, much of it is incinerated at sea; with the resulting ash typically disposed into the ocean.
People from all over the world go to beautiful beaches that are filled with water as clear as ice or as beautiful as diamonds. But, what will happen if we do not conserve the appealing sites that draw attraction to the public? Contaminated beaches has become a controversial issue to the public because of the causal problem, the harm to the people and marine animals, the government agencies supporting or opposing pollution, and the industries involved in creating such unlawful decisions. To create and find a solution, we must first find the core to the problem.