Elvis 1

Toxic Waste In Oceans

Trenton Elvis
Mrs. Crist
English IV
2/18/16
Essential Question: How does toxic waste affect marine life?
Thesis: Toxic waste can prevent the fish from breathing by taking oxygen out of the water and it
can cause the animals to die.
Annotated Bibliography
Beaumont, Peter. "Oil Spills Cause Long-Term Health Issues for Marine Mammals."
Endangered Oceans. Ed. Helga Schier and Lynn M. Zott. Farmington Hills, MI:
Greenhaven Press, 2014. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Gulf's Dolphins Pay Heavy
Price for Deepwater Oil Spill." Guardian 31 Mar. 2012. Opposing Viewpoints in Context.
Web. 11 Feb. 2016.
This article is about the effect of toxic waste in marine life. Many dolphins in the areas
surrounding the BP oil spill were found underweight, anemic and suffering from lung and liver
disease. Many dolphins also had low levels of hormones that help them deal with stress and
regulate metabolism. President Obama called this Americas worst environmental disaster. Coral
was also covered with oil in the areas that the spill had occurred. Zooplankton has also been
contaminated by oil where the spill occurred. Damages also extended to the areas around where
the spill occurred certain species of arthropods were affected by the spill. This will help me write
my paper because it shows how marine life was affected by the BP oil spill.

Elvis 2

Refined Thesis: Toxic waste is harmful to marine animals because it can take oxygen out
of the water and can cause damage to the sea floor and coral reefs by coating them
Annotated Bibliography 2
Reed, Orpheus. "The Environmental Damage from the Oil Spill Has Been Downplayed." BP Oil
Spill. Ed. David Haugen. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. At Issue. Rpt. from "'Damage
Control' and the Real Damage Done: Gulf Oil Disaster Is NOT Over." Revolution 209 (15
Aug. 2010). Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 18 Feb. 2016.
Most of the oil that came out during the spill has been cleaned up but there is still a lot of
oil left in the Gulf. There is another danger with the BP oil spill in the Gulf, marine life is dying
due to lack of oxygen in the water. Oxygen levels in waters around and in some parts of the Gulf
were about half of what they normally are. The government sprayed Corexit dispersants to break
up oil on the surface. The chemical was used to push the oil under the water so that the cost of
contamination would be less. This article will help me write my paper because it shows the
amount of oil that was spilled and how marine life was affected.