As the world develops and the human population grows there is more pollution being dumped into the oceans, causing major problems to marine life and ecosystems. Major causes of marine pollution involve non-point pollutants, marine garbage, toxic ocean pollutants and sewage disposal in oceans. From heavy metal poisoning including lead and mercury killing predators such as sharks and whales, to waste getting trapped in the digestive tracts of marine animals, this essay focuses on how human interference causes horrifying problems to the marine life, but also how to fix it. It will also explore the normal activities of people including farming and how this can cause an imbalance in an ecosystem. Everyday activities can cause massive nutrient loading in an ecosystem, but by reducing the amount of washing you do within the week, or using earth friendly washing detergents and fertilizers, this problem can be reduced.
Marine Pollution: Causes
Aquatic Biodiversity
Biological diversity is the variability among living organisms from many different sources including marine and aquatic ecosystems, and the diversity within species and of ecosystems. (Gray 1996) Some of the major components of marine biodiversity include genetic diversity, species diversity, functional diversity, community and ecosystem diversity, and habitat diversity. There are numerous amounts of living creatures and plants under the water’s surface that have not been identified. 90% of fish live off the coral reefs, although only 1% or 17,650 of the life forms and species of the sea have been properly identified and studied. (Miller & Spoolman 2012).
Toxic ocean pollutants
One of the major causes of marine pollution is toxic ocean pollutants. Heavy metals such as ...
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..., Biological Institute, University of Oslo, Norway, viewed on 28 April 2015, http://www.avesmarinhas.com.br/20%20-<%20marine%20biodiversity%20%20patterns,%20threats%20and.pdf>
Harrison, RM 2001, Pollution: Causes, Effects and Control, 4th edn, The Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, UK.
Marine Polution: Causes and Consequences, 2003, EMCBTAP-ENVIS Newsletter, Department of Geology, University of Kerala, Kariavattom, viewed 27 April 2015,
Miller, G & Spoolman, S 2012, Living in the Environment, 17th edn, Brooke/Cole, Cengage Learning, USA.
Nixon, SW 1995, Coastal Marine Eutrophication: a Definition, Social Causes, and Future Concerns, Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, Narragansett, USA, viewed on 28 April 2015,
"Ocean Pollution." MarineBio Conservation Society ~ Marine Biology, Ocean Life Conservation, Sea Creatures, Biodiversity, Research... Web. 19 May 2014.
Somehow our oceans maintain the balance between being some of the most powerful forces on the earth, and the most easily disturbed masses on the planet. There are so many things that could go wrong within the countless cycles, and the delicate processes that stabalize nature and sustain the biosphere; and people are continually interfering with these cycles. Ocean acidification is one of the most obvious results of human interference upon nature. “Pollution is nothing but the resources we are not harvesting. We allow them to disperse because we've been ignorant of their value.” ("R. Buckminster Fuller, in Memoriam").
Ever since the industrial revolution, humans have been responsible for the releasing of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as a result of industrial and agricultural uses. The ocean absorbs roughly a quarter of this carbon dioxide. Originally, scientists believed this to be a benefit because the ocean was removing CO2 from the atmosphere. Ocean acidification, however, began to change the chemical composition of the water. NOVA’s documentary, Lethal Seas, explores the effects of ocean acidification located in Papua New Guinea, Aurora Australis, and on America’s northwest coast.
Guinotte, J. M. and Fabry, V. J. (2008), Ocean Acidification and Its Potential Effects on Marine Ecosystems. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1134: 320–342. doi: 10.1196/annals.1439.013
The influence of human activity concerning marine chemistry has numerous negative effects on the marine environment.
marine life and give the local ecosystem a boost” (Ocean Leadership, pg1). With the help of
The key to reducing and eventually eliminating marine pollution is for everyone to be aware of the detrimental types of marine pollution, which are nutrient loading and sedimentation, sewage and human non degradable waste, and petroleum
Water pollution has had devastating effects on the environment, which include irreversible effects to the oceans ecosystem. People often underestimate the importance of the ocean. They don’t realize how much damage pollution has caused to the ocean and the thousand of creatures that inhabit it. Earth is a huge place, but resources are actually very limited and will not last forever; unless there is a balance. We must protect the resources we have in order for them to last into the next generation. Every time we throw away a plastic bottle, drive our cars, and even burn those millions of fossil fuels to operate all those huge factories, there is a chance it will pollute the ocean and eventually effect the way we live. There should be stricter laws regulating human pollution, in order to protect our oceans ecosystem.
"Fun Facts! - Ocean Pollution." Fun Facts! - Ocean Pollution. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2013.
Threats to the marine habitat are inclusive of “hard” damage to the marine environment, caused by destructive fishing practices, which include bottom dredging, blast fishing, and trawling among others. Issues like water pollution, development of coastal wetlands, and the decline of coral reefs due to ocean acidification are some other threats to the marine environment. Furthermore, there is a severe lack of regulation, especially aimed at the protection and conservation of highly migratory species, which is a contributing factor to the continued damage to the marine environment.
The Earth’s surface is covered by over two-thirds of water. With half of the world being covered by water; pollution in the water is a very big crisis that can actually be reduced to some extent. Water pollution is a human problem because it seems to be a recent development that started round the end of the 19th century. Scientists say that “humans have limits with an estimated 7 billion people on the planet, and pollution is a sign of exceeded pollution. According to the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) pollution is a serious problem. “Pollution from toxic chemicals threatens life on this planet. Every ocean and every continent, from the tropics to the once-pristine polar regions, is contaminated." Now that we know how serious it is, let’s talk about what pollution is, what causes it, the effects, and how we can help.
Even though the ocean may seem far away from your front door, there are things you can do in your life and in your home that can help to slow ocean acidification and carbon dioxide emissions. Ocean acidification is an environmental problem that affects us globally. Currently, it is impossible to predict exactly how the increased lowering of the pH of our oceans will effect marine food-chains and ecosystems since focus on this particular problem has just begun to increase in the ocean science community. It’s important that this issue becomes a main topic in the ocean science community so we can learn more about what is going on and, therefore, take the needed actions to remedy our mistakes. We do know, however, that at the current pace of ocean acidification we desperately need to make some changes in our world and become more considerate toward our environment, as we are main contributors to the carbon dioxide both in the air and in our oceans. Ultimately, we are putting more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than can be absorbed by the earth's natural processes, which is leading to this carbon dioxide imbalance and an unsteady state system. Future predictions we do currently have indicate that the oceans will continue to
Marine ecosystems face many threats–mostly from overfishing, but also from pollution, shipping, offshore wind farms, climate change, eutrophication and more. Pressure on the oceans increases every year whilst efforts to limit the destructive impacts are out of proportion. Global marine conservation lags far behind terrestrial efforts. Marine Protected Areas, in particular when forming an ecologically coherent network, are considered as one of the essential tools for ocean recovery. Currently, only about 1.5 % of our oceans are designated as protected areas, with varying degrees of management, but also considering that the initial percentage of protected marine areas was 0.5 % in 2004, there are some signs of improvement.
Hennigan, Robert D. "Water Pollution." Oxford University Press 19.11 (1969): 976-78. Web. 16 Apr. 2014.
Research from the University of California San Diego Scripps Institution of Oceanography said that species in the ocean consume a projected 12,000 to 24,000 tons of plastic every year in the Pacific Ocean (Nall, 2014). Pollution of recyclable materials in the oceans is one of the leading causes of why some marine species are nearing extinction. Many authors of articles and books analyzing this topic tend to agree that pollution of our oceans is a problem. The future of this problem is where their ideas tend to differ. The following four literature reviews attempt to demonstrate and support my belief that pollution is getting worse in the ocean and more marine life ecosystems are being affected, but there are things that we as humans can do to change this. Imagine a world where we didn’t have to constantly worry about the vicious cycle of humans affecting animals and then animals in turn affecting us through consumption.