Marine Pollution – A Big Threat to the Environment The Earth is covered with almost 2/3rd of its portion with ocean water. Ocean water plays
a very important role to maintain our ecology. Not only maintaining ecology but oceans have many other reasons that make it one of the important parts of mankind such as trade, industry, adventure, commerce, food etc. Human beings have started using the oceans in varied ways and also get success. Unfortunately, one of the very harmful use what humans have started using the
ocean for disposing the wastes into large scales. This has led to a very critical situation for marine life. Marine life is an important part of the ecology and human have disturbed the ecology by polluting marine life. We are continuously contaminating sea water by releasing a huge variety of waste from various sources such as industrial waste, agricultural waste, oil spilling, ocean
mining etc. There are various species of plants & animals that are living in the sea water and gets affected by marine pollution. Imbalance in the ecology is causing various diseases to water animals which are dangerous situations for the environment. Table of Contents What Are the Types of Marine Pollution?Marine pollution i.e. also be termed as ocean pollution has become one of the biggest threats due to industrialization and agricultural activities. it is hazardous not only for the water kingdom but for human beings directly or indirectly. There are different types of marine pollution such as –
Toxins are one of the very dangerous marine pollution’s that occurs due to various toxins accumulated the oceans. Toxins such as DDT, Furan, Radioactive waste, pesticides, PCB, TBT, Phenol etc. neither gets dissolve nor gets fragmented and hence cause dangerous effects to marine life.
It affects the breeding process of animals. Eutrophication actually means nutrient pollution which occurs when excessive chemical nutrients (especially nitrates & phosphates) are present in water. It diminishes the quality of water and also reduces the oxygen level in the water which leads to inhabitable condition to marine life.
The continuous growth in the usage of plastic has covered the oceans badly across the world. The rate of plastic dumped in the oceans is increasing simultaneously with the increase of human population. The plastic dumps are affecting the marine life so badly that the situation has become alarming for the marine ecosystem.
Oceans also help the environment by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Unfortunately, the water of the oceans is becoming acidic due to the excessive carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere. Acidification of oceans is also affecting marine life. What Are the Sources of Marine Pollution?In simple terms “seawater contamination is known as marine pollution”. There are numerous sources that contaminate marine ecology such pollution occurs due to soil erosion & mining.
What Are the Causes of Marine Pollution?Marine pollution is caused due to various reasons out of which most of the reasons are man-made. Sometimes, it causes due to wastage dumped and sometimes due to ocean mining. Whatever is the cause but the fact is that marine pollution is causing hazardous effects on marine animals and vegetation. There are various causes of marine pollution which are discussed below –
Pollution directly enters the ocean in the form of sewage. Sewage enters into the ocean water through rivers and pollutes the marine life. It causes the reduction of oxygen level in the water which hampers the life of animals and plants of oceans.
Oil spills from ships also cause marine pollution. It is one of the major toxins that contaminate ocean water which does not clean up so easily. Oil spills lead to the death of thousands of innocent marine animals due to suffocation and toxic effects of it.
Ocean pollution is also caused due to the toxins and chemicals entered into seawater through industrial & agricultural wastes. These chemical acts as heavy pollutants that cause thermal pollution. The temperature of the ocean increases due to thermal pollution. There are some animals in oceans who cannot survive in high temperature, hence they die.
Ocean mining not only comes under the causes of marine pollution but also causes noise pollution. Deep-sea mining affects the base level of the ocean. The pollutants that release through mining of metals such as silver, gold, copper etc. into the seawater affect the life of the marine ecosystem.
Marine water also gets polluted through land runoff. It occurs when excessive water from rain, flood etc. after penetration enters into the sea water. This water enters the oceans along with contaminants such as pesticides, oil, fertilizers, waste from land animals etc. and pollutes the ocean water. These pollutants cause harmful effects to oceanic life and lead to the death of water animal & plants. Other causes of marine pollution –
What are the harmful effects of marine pollution?Ocean life is highly affected by marine pollution. The toxins, chemicals, contaminated wastes etc. are some of the dangerous causes of marine pollution. These pollutants affect the oceanic Eco-system in various ways such as –
Most of the waste dumped in oceans across the world does not able to decompose for many years that decreasing the oxygen level in the water quite rapidly. Excessive debris in sea water is reducing the oxygen level at an alarming rate. The low level of oxygen is directly affecting the health of the plants and animals of the sea such as sharks, penguins, whales, dolphin, turtles, seal etc.
The river that eventually enters into the sea takes agricultural & industrial waste with it into the sea water. The agricultural & industrial debris such as pesticides, chemicals, radioactive dumped waste etc. sediments into the bottom level of the ocean and remains as usual for many years. This deposited waste affects from the bottom to the top surface of the ocean. The small animals of ocean swallow these chemicals and then these small animals are eaten by large animals. In this way, the entire food chain gets affected.
Oil spills that cover the surface of seawater do not allow sunlight to reach oceanic plants. Hence it affects photosynthesis process. As a result, the cycle of coral reef gets disturbed.
The waste from industries and agriculture are composed of harmful chemicals that affect marine life badly. These chemicals are so dangerous that it can damage the organs of water animals such as the reproductive system. The failure of the reproductive system affects the breeding process of the species of water animals.
The toxins that is accumulating day by day in oceans showing dangerous results on water animals such as cancer, damage of tissues & cells, failure of organs, behavioral changes, failure of reproductive system etc. The harmful chemicals, pesticides, oil spills get into the body of these animals directly or indirectly & causes various health issues and sometimes lead to death. Other effects of marine pollution –
As we all know that prevention is better than cure, so we all need to work together to prevent marine pollution. Marine life is an important part of our Eco-system and it is everyone’s responsibility to save marine animals and natural resources. We can make a difference working together to prevent marine pollution. Some of the important preventive measures of marine pollution have been listed below –
Causes and effects of marine pollution is on the rise. As we read above many types of marine pollution, We must act together to protect ocean life and keep the water animals safe and maintaining a pleasant environment on the earth for every species. What are the 10 effects of water pollution?EFFECTS OF WATER POLLUTION. Destruction of biodiversity. Water pollution depletes aquatic ecosystems and triggers unbridled proliferation of phytoplankton in lakes — eutrophication —.. Contamination of the food chain. ... . Lack of potable water. ... . Disease. ... . Infant mortality.. What are the 5 effects of marine pollution?Other specific effects of ocean pollution on sea life include: Oil covering the feathers of birds and the gills of fish. Skin and eye irritation and lung and liver problems from oil deposits and byproducts. Reproductive system failure from exposure to poisonous industrial and agricultural chemicals.
What are the causes of pollution in the ocean?Most ocean pollution begins on land.
Much of this runoff flows to the sea, carrying with it agricultural fertilizers and pesticides. Eighty percent of pollution to the marine environment comes from the land. One of the biggest sources is called nonpoint source pollution, which occurs as a result of runoff.
Who is most affected by ocean pollution?Thousands of seabirds and sea turtles, seals and other marine mammals are killed each year after ingesting plastic or getting entangled in it. Endangered wildlife like Hawaiian monk seals and Pacific loggerhead sea turtles are among nearly 700 species that eat and get caught in plastic litter.
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