Pollution in the oceans, though not commonly known to humans, creates serious problems in our environment. Oil spills, plastic, garbage, and sewage combine together to form the major problem known as pollution. Coral reefs begin to disappear as a result of ocean pollution and many other factors. Carbon dioxide levels increase as greenhouses release gases into the air. As pollution continues to grow and become much worse, organizations create new laws to help reduce or end some of the major problems in our seas.
Oil Spills disturb the environment and produce a threat to the animals living in that area. Both ships and refineries release oil into the rivers and oceans which leads to the damage and death of plants and animals (Leggett 25). Exxon Valdez, a famous tanker that split in Alaska, spilled eleven million gallons of crude oil into the oceans, damaging everything around it (Earle 145). A Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded and released sixty thousand barrels of oil each day (Hollar 20). World War II ships exploded bombs and released diesel fuel which turned beaches black for months. Moreover, oil engulfs plants and blocks the sunlight from nourishing them. It also smothers animals, suffocating them with a painful death (Leggett 24). Sea otters and seabirds are two of the main animals affected by oil spills (Earle 146). Animals such as deer, bears, and bald eagles died a much slower death because they eat the animals from beaches that were covered in oil (Leggett 39). If humans do not clean up the spilled oil right away, it mixes with the water and becomes much harder to eliminate from the sea (39). Furthermore, oil spills
Many other factors, such as plastic, garbage, and sewage, contribute to the increasin...
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...ing into rivers, which lead to oceans (Gold). California lawmakers proposed a statewide ban on plastic bags to decrease the amount of plastic in the environment and limit the materials needed to create the plastic bags (Ross). Legislation in New York City requires customers to purchase their plastic bags which would make them want to buy reusable bags instead (Ross). Moreover, people become aware of pollution and try to put an end to it by creating new and improved laws and regulations.
Ocean pollution poses many threats to the surrounding environment. Many different factors cause pollution and generate a large obstacle to overcome. Coral reefs and fish are just two of the many innocent parts of the ocean that pollution damages. Pollution is a growing problem that, if not fixed soon, will continue to worsen and produce problems for generations to come.
In 2010, there was a huge oil spill near the Gulf of Mexico that we now know as the BP Oil Spill today. The Spill sent about 170 million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. The spill killed 11 men aboard the deep-water Horizon. The BP Oil Spill impacted the environment very negatively. There were different types of environmental impact as a result of the Oil Spill, but the two that grabbed my attention the most are the Polluted Air and the Contaminated Food Chain. The first impact that grabbed my attention was the Polluted Air. Because of the Oil Spill, the air around the surroundings neighborhoods was polluted. All the lightest chemicals in the oil that had spill evaporated within hours of the incidence forming air pollution particles. These particles that are in the air poses significant threats to the human health from being inhaled. The chemical found in the particles that was formed is known as Volatile, which has been known to cause respiratory irritation and central nervous system depression (Solomon & Janssen, 2010). The second impact that grabbed my attention was the contamination of the food chain, specifically the food chain of sea animals that lives near the Gulf of Mexico. Scientists found traces of oil in zooplanktons; this could only mean that the sea creature has had contact with the spilled oil. According to the Staff at Houston Business Journal (2012), “Baby fish and shrimp feed on the tiny, drifting zooplankton, and then introduce contamination and pollution to the larger sea creatures in the food web.” With these findings, it isn’t going to take long before the baby fishes become grown and caught by fishermen and before we know it, it’s on our dinner plate. And here we are eating fishes w...
This problem may seem prevalent and it is very important to know about. It affects marine life in many ways, but humans are also greatly affected.by this problem. People don’t realize what this problem does to them. However the human race can always work and solve this issue. People shouldn’t dump trash in the ocean or any water source. Trash can destroy coral reefs and other important ecosystems and ruin marine life. Most important sewage plants shouldn’t dump raw sewage into the ocean because it provides nutrients to harmful algae. Governments around the world should put more restrictions on sewage and the disposal of it. But if the solution wants to be solved people must work together.
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").
Do you know that people are polluting oceans in so many ways, and what we are doing about it. First, my evidence shows that two billion people within thirty miles of the coast create 100 million metric tons of coastal plastic waste (Doc.1). In my own words, this evidence show that all this pollution is really harmful to ocean creatures and us. More evidence is that the North Pacific Gyre has collected lots of these pollutants, so it is nicknamed the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (O.I.). This shows how we are polluting the oceans. My next evidence shows that a Beach Act was passed in 2000 saying the EPA or the Environmental Protection Agency will help states test and monitor coastal water pollution to protect swimmers (Doc.2). This evidence
The 2010 BP oil spill ultimately affected both people and the environment, polluting and damaging large areas and vast populations of wildlife. The BP oil spill caused took a toll on marine life, human life, and the economy, including the fishing and tourism industry in the Gulf of Mexico. Many factors such as Petroleum toxicity, oxygen depletion, and much more can be viewed as the major sources of the disaster which led to the negative impact on wildlife. It is very clear that an oil spill is recognized to be a disaster for both for people and the environment, any tragedy of this scale would clearly bring forth regulations that will attempt to prohibit the same calamity from happening again.
...rs” the reef and prevents light that is necessary to the coral’s survival from reaching the reef (48). Another major environmental threat to coral reefs is pollution. Pollution can come from a wide array of sources and have a variety of adverse effects on coral reefs. Some common pollutants of coral reefs include sewage, silt, urban and industrial waste, oil, fertilizer runoff, pesticides and other chemicals. Common effects of these pollutants include overgrowth of algae and poisoning of the plants and animals within the reef (DuTemple, 45).
The coral reefs require clear, salty water. Pollution from the land, like dirt and mud, enters streams and rivers. It enters the ocean through its natural process of erosion and makes the water cloudy. Other materials dumped at sea are metal, glass, wood, plastic and chemicals. The build up of greenhouse gases is causing global temperature to rise which also makes ocean temperatures rise.
"An Ocean Of Trash." Scholastic Action 33.12 (2010): 16. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 31 Jan. 2014.
Water pollution has had devastating effects on the environment, which include irreversible effects on 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 thousands 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.
The Gulf of Mexico oil spill has had an extremely negative effect on the surrounding wildlife and ecosystem. The oil spread across the gulf contaminating any living organism that came into direct or indirect contact with it. The oil cuts off the ability of oxygen from the air to move into the water which directly harms fish and other marine wildlife that require that oxygen. The dispersant that the BP is using to try and break up the oil moves the slick into the entire water column which contaminates the ocean floor which would most likely not have seen any damage if it wasn’t for the use of these dispersants. More than 400 species that live in the Gulf Islands and marshlands are at risk and as of November 2 s...
It can also limit the oxygen in the ocean, causing animals to suffocate. Pollution can make the ocean fall into disorder as animals start to disappear and
What if one day you walked to the beach and saw not the beautiful blue ocean your use to but instead a sea of black sludge. Within that sea you see the bodies of once beautiful, graceful, and lively animals that are now nothing more than rotting corpses. This is an overview of what you’ll see when coming upon an oil spill as this horrific sight will make you wonder, “How did this happen?” Today I will tell you why oil spills are so dangerous as they have short term and long term effects that hurt everyone and I will urge you to maximize your efforts in eliminating this problem that is not only hurting the animals but also the environment, our home.
Pollution is causing the destruction of environments and habits resulting in many adverse affects. The types of environments that are heavily damaged by pollution is normally freshwater ones. Polluting factors such as untreated sewage, mining waste, acid rain, fertilizers and pesticides
Water pollution is also a major thing in the world because almost 60% of it is fishes. It occurs due to several factors; the industrial waste dumped into the rivers and other water body’s cause am imbalance in the water leading to its severe contamination and deaths. And the infamous Global warming is the emission of greenhouse gases particularly CO2 is leading to global warming.
Pollution is a massive problem that the earth faces. Pollution is the action or process of making land, water, air, etc…, dirty and not safe or suitable to use. Pollution of air, water, and soil are the most complex issues. Various types of gases and toxins that are released by industries