How are humans related to ocean pollution?

The Introduction

It is estimated that 14 billion pounds of trash and other pollutants enter the ocean

every year. These pollutants can be very harmful to marine life and even harmful to us

humans in many different ways.

So, you may be asking a couple different questions now, whether it’s about how the

pollutants enter the ocean, or about how we can get affected?

However, before you ask those questions, we must first learn the importance of the

ocean. To start, the ocean produces over 50% of the oxygen we breathe in. In addition to that,

the ocean also takes in about 50 times more carbon dioxide than our atmosphere.

If that doesn’t surprise you, then you should know that the ocean covers over 70% of

earth’s surface. The ocean is also very important in regulating the climate and making sure

that the weather patterns are normal.

Now if that was enough, the ocean is responsible for most of the world’s trade routes

and plays a good role in the global economy. The ocean is also responsible for a lot of food

for everyone. Not only does the ocean provide us with seafood, it also provides the

ingredients for the simplest of foods.

Speaking of ingredients, many medical products come from the ocean. Those

medicines help fight diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. Now that we know how

important the ocean is to us, we must learn how we are polluting it.
How are we polluting the ocean?

There are many different ways in which we are polluting the ocean. Whether it is

normal sewage, or oil spills, they all cause some egregious form of harm. Now if you were

wondering what are the many ways in which we are polluting the ocean, here are some

examples.

Plastic Pollution

Plastic is one of biggest polluters in the ocean, and since the invention of one-use,

plastic numbers had been increasing in the oceans. If we were to mention the numbers, it

would be in the trillions. Yes, you heard it right over 5 trillion pieces of micro and usual

plastic are in our oceans. To get more specific, that is 46,000 pieces every square mile.

Despite of those numbers only a few percentages of that number stays on afloat on the

surface. It is said that soon, the amount of plastic in the ocean will outnumber the amount of

fish in the ocean.

Chemical Pollution

Chemical pollution is the result of industries and farms releasing harmful chemicals

into the ocean. These chemicals include pesticides, detergents, industrial chemicals, nuclear

waste and etc. Although we do not know the exact number of chemicals in the ocean, we

should be responsible when we are disposing such chemicals. They can cause harm and will

affect us in a very negative way.

Oil Spills

Oil spills can be a big problem for most marine life. They are often a big case and

they are very hard to clean. They can be caused by oil that spilled into rivers, bays, and the
ocean. Most often are caused by accidents involving tankers, barges, pipelines, refineries,

drilling rigs, and storage facilities.

Noise Pollution

Noise or sound pollution, is the disturbance in natural sounds in natural habitats.

Sound waves travel faster in water than so this can be a problem to marine life. Sound waves

can be carried over miles without disintegrating that much. Sound pollution can originate

from ships, sonar devices, oil rigs and recreational activities etc. In water, sound waves can

go on for miles before slowly vanishing. The increased presence of loud sounds from ships,

sonar devices, and oil rigs can disrupt nature’s noises in the oceans. For many marine

mammals, like whales and dolphins, low visibility and large distances make non-visual

underwater communication challenging. These unnatural noises interrupt communication,

disrupting migration, communication, hunting, and reproduction patterns for many marine

animals.

The Issues Caused by These Pollutants

Now that we know how we are polluting our oceans, we must learn what each type of

pollution can cause.

The Problem with Plastic

As stated before, there is plenty of plastic on our oceans. However, the problem with

plastic is that, not only is it abundant, but also it is also extremely hazardous. For example,

sea turtles see plastic bags as jellyfish, which is their main food. This means that they can

choke, sustain internal injury and die, or even starve by thinking they’re full from eating

plastic.
 Seabirds also eat plastic because of a chemical in it that is similar to their natural

food. This reduces the storage volume of the stomach, also causing starvation. Dead seabirds

are often found with stomachs full of plastic, which is not a good sign at all

Discarded fishing nets and bits of synthetic fiber can entangle fish and marine

mammals. Entanglement in plastic debris has also led to injury and mortality.

Plastic can also be fatal to fish that eats it. This plastic can then either go deeper into

the food chain, or even reach to us humans who eat it. This can be a problem since the

ingestion of plastic can cause the consumer to consume the chemicals that are in plastic.

There are different types of ways that plastic is dangerous for humans. Direct toxicity

from plastics comes from lead, cadmium, and mercury. These toxins have also been found in

many fish in the ocean, which is very dangerous for humans. DEHP contained in some

plastics, is a toxic can cause cancer. Other toxins in plastics are directly linked to cancers,

birth defects, immune system problems, and childhood developmental issues.

How Chemicals are Destroying the Oceans

After learning how dangerous plastic could be, you certainly thought that there is

nothing worse right? No, there is something with more devastating effects than plastic

pollution, its chemical pollution.

There are many different ways in which chemicals can pollute the oceans. However,

one way is altering the pH level of the waters. Most aquatic plants and animals cannot

survive in adverse pH levels. This can be known as ocean acidification. Ocean acidification

can make it more difficult for bivalves such as mussels, clams and oysters to form shells and

decreasing their likelihood of survival which ruins the food chain and impacts the

multibillion-dollar shellfish industry.

 Now that is just one way in which chemicals are harmful. Nutrients and fertilizers that

are dumped into the oceans in large amounts such as nitrogen can stimulate the explosive

growth of algae. When the algae decompose, oxygen in the surrounding waters is consumed,

creating a vast dead zone that can result in the deaths of a lot of fish therefore creating zones

known as “dead zones”.

Dead zones are places where few or no organisms can survive in their oxygen-

depleted waters. Dead zones become oceanic deserts, devoid of the usual aquatic

biodiversity. Immobile organisms can die in the low-oxygen conditions. Animals that

develop near low-oxygen waters can also be affected. Shrimp grow more slowly, or stop

growing altogether, in a low-oxygen environment. This makes it harder to find bigger shrimp,

inflating the price of large shrimp for consumers, causing a big impact to our economy.

The Mess Caused by Oil Spills

Although this pollution is often caused by accidents, they prove to be fatal as well.

They can form a layer on the water preventing oxygen circulation. Lack of oxygen in the

ocean waters results in the destruction of marine life over a long period.

Since most oils float, the creatures most affected by oil are animals like sea otters and

seabirds that are found on the sea surface or on shorelines if the oil comes ashore. During

most oil spills, loads of seabirds are harmed and killed. Sea otters can also be easily harmed

by oil, since their ability to stay warm depends on their fur remaining clean. To top it all up

oil is difficult to clean up. It’s also toxic, suffocating, and devastating to marine life
The Solutions

Now that we know the problems, how will we revert these dreadful problems?

Chemical pollutants often cannot be broken down for long periods of time, or they increase in

concentration as they move up the food chain. Because plastic is thought to take hundreds of

years to break down, it poses a threat to the marine environment for centuries. Then, how do

we fix it?

The Solution to Plastic Pollution

The best solution to plastic is to reduce the amount of plastic used. There are plenty of

ways to cut down on the plastic you use every day. Single-use plastics are among the most

wasteful, but they're also the easiest change you can make to your lifestyle. Instead of buying

single-use plastic water bottles in bulk, switch to reusable bottles you can fill up again and

again. Cut the use of other single-use completely and try to find an alternative to it. Examples

of single-use plastic include: plastic bags, plastic straws, plastic utensils, plastic, plastic

bottles and etc.

Another way to reduce the use of plastic is to practice the three Rs, reuse, reduce, and

recycle. Recycling litter can help a lot in reducing pollution. This means that we can improve

the lives of many marine creatures and humans.

On top of that, you should donate to ocean cleaning charities. These charities were

made to help clean the oceans and make the world a better place. Since they also have the

actual resources to do so, it would be wise to donate to them than try to clean ourselves.

A Solution to Chemical Pollution

 If we want to clean the chemicals in our oceans we must work relentlessly. We should

establish chemical-use through consumer actions and reduce the amount of chemicals

released.

Farmers should use less fertilizers in their fields. After that, they should manage their

excess nutrients/run-off responsibly. Farmers should also use crop covers to help anchor soil

in place. In states that use extensive irrigation, recapturing nutrients from irrigation water

would help reduce nutrient being dumped into the ocean. Although some farmers do this not

all farmers do. The government should start making new laws on the amount of fertilizers and

run-off management.

The use of chemical fertilizers must also be controlled and regulated. It must be

remembered that excess use of chemical fertilizers harms not only the soil but also the water

bodies nearby and the ocean.

Cleaning Oil Spills

Once oil has spilled, any of various local, state, and federal government agencies as

well as volunteer organizations may respond to the incident, depending on who and what is

needed.

The people who clean use special tools to clean those oil. These tools are known as:

1. Booms, which are floating barriers to oil

2. Skimmers, which are boats that scoop spilled oil from the water surface.

3. sorbents, which are big sponges used to absorb oil.

4. Chemical dispersants and biological agents, which break down the oil into its

chemical constituents.
 5. Situ burning, which is a method of burning freshly spilled oil, usually while it's

floating on the water. washing oil off beaches with either high-pressure or low-

pressure hoses.

6. Vacuum trucks, which can vacuum spilled oil off of beaches or the water surface.

7. Shovels and road equipment, which are sometimes used to pick up oil or move oiled

beach sand and gravel down to where it can be cleaned by being tumbled around in

the waves.

The Solution to Noise Pollution

Noise pollution can fatal, however doing some of the actions stated can help ease it.

First, ships should travel at a reduced speed. This can help because it produces way less

noise. Another solution is to turn off sonar sensors and detectors when it’s not needed. After

that, we can call for restrictions on activities in biologically sensitive habitats to ensure that

everything is ok.

Conclusion

The ocean is a very important part of the world, and we must protect it at all costs.

There are many creatures living in it and its essential that we protect them. We should

remember that the ocean plays a big role in sustaining the ecosystem and our weather.

Polluting it would only cause danger for us. We humans should be responsible and clean up

after ourselves. We should also recycle whenever we can and try to convince other to do so as

well.
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