5/23/2018 PowerSearch - Document - Fresh water: turning the tide on ocean pollution

Fresh water: turning the tide on ocean pollution

Chana Freiman Stiefel
Science World. 53.13 (Apr. 11, 1997): p10+. From Science In Context.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 1997 Scholastic, Inc.
http://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/products/science-world

Abstract:

Land-based activities, such as driving, are responsible for about 80% of marine pollution. Ocean
pollution affects inland areas as water evaporates, condenses and falls as precipitation. Actor Ted
Danson has become active in protecting the oceans from pollution.

Full Text:

Imagine you head to the beach and find a sign: "Water Polluted--No Swimming Allowed." That's what
happened to actor Ted Danson in 1984. The experience changed his life. Frustrated that his daughters
(then aged 5 and 10) couldn't plunge into the ocean the way he had as a teen, Danson founded the
American Oceans Campaign, an organization aimed at protecting Earth's oceans and coastal waters.

"Our oceans feed the world, cool our planet, regulate climate, and create nearly one-half of the global
oxygen supply," Danson says. He's not kidding: Fish are the main source of dietary protein for nearly 1
billion people--most of them in developing nations. Oceans absorb and radiate the Sun's heat to help
keep Earth's temperature in balance. Phytoplankton (microscopic plants) that live on the ocean's
surface take in carbon dioxide to make food-- and the precious oxygen we need to breathe.

"Yet each day, billions of gallons of sewage, pesticides, and industrial chemicals flow into the sea,"
Danson says. According to a United Nations report on the marine environment, about 80 percent of all
marine pollution comes from human activities (like farming and driving) on land.

Even if you live hundreds of miles from the nearest seashore, Danson adds, ocean pollution affects
you. That's because, each day, Earth's atmosphere recycles billions of kiloliters of salty seawater and
turns it into fresh water. Molecules of ocean water evaporate and rise into the atmosphere. There they
condense and precipitate--fall to Earth as rain or snow. This fresh water collects in rivers, streams, and
lakes, or trickles down to underground aquifers (water deposits in rock beds). These are the main
sources of our drinking water.
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Human activities--like mining, forest clearing, farming, and manufacturing--pollute these freshwater
sources, too. But it's not too late to turn the tide, Danson says. You can help by conserving water and
working to keep it clean. Some ideas:

* Organize a beach cleanup.

* Write to Congress and urge your state's senators and representatives to protect waterways.

* Conserve water in your home by fixing leaky faucets and using low-flow shower heads and toilets.

Learn more about water by checking out the graphs, charts, and resources on these pages.

Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)

Stiefel, Chana Freiman. "Fresh water: turning the tide on ocean pollution." Science World, 11 Apr.
1997, p. 10+. Science In Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A19377878/GPS?
u=j043905001&sid=GPS&xid=c031837f. Accessed 23 May 2018.
5/23/2018 PowerSearch - Document - Fresh water: turning the tide on ocean pollution

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