MARINE AND

THERMAL
POLLUTION
MARINE POLLUTION
 INTRODUCTION

Pollution is defined as the process of

introducing harmful or poisonous
substances into the natural
environment. Ocean pollution is
therefore defined as the
introduction of toxic materials such
as plastic, oil, chemicals, agricultural
waste, and industrial waste into the
ocean waters.
 MARINE POLLUTION

● Marine pollution occurs when harmful effects result from

the entry into the ocean of chemicals, particles, industrial,
agricultural and residential waste, noise, or the spread of
invasive organisms. Eighty percent of marine pollution
comes from land.
● Marine pollution is associated with changes in physical ,
chemical and biological conditions of seawater
POLLUTANTS : SOURCES AND THEIR
EFFECTS
Pollutants can be simply defined as the materials which cause pollution.
The following are the important pollutants that cause marine pollution.
● Sewage
● Pesticides
● Plastic waste
● Metallic waste
● Oil
● Sediment plumes (by deep sea mining)
● Heat
● Radioactive waste
● Dredge spoil
 SEWAGE
● Sewage maybe entering sea by

- by direct drainage

- from inland towns and factories

- tipping at sea from ships

● Detrimental effects of sewage include

- Eutrophication

- Deoxygenation

- Foul deposits, Reduced salinity,

Infection and toxic residues.
 PESTICIDES

● Pesticides are originally active chemicals

which are used for killing the pests.
● Pesticides may enter the ocean

- from the atmosphere after aerial

spraying

- from overland runoff of sprayed areas

- from the intentional dumping in the sea

● Pesticides affect food chains directly

PLASTIC AND
METALLIC WASTES
● Marine plastic pollution has effected over 267 species
worldwide as a result of ingestion, starvation,
suffocation, infection, drowning, and entanglement.
● Plastic waste disrupts the entire bio-geo cycle causing
unwanted problems to the whole marine eco-system.
● Heavy metals are natural constituents of the marine
and freshwater environment, generally found in very
low concentrations. Human activity has inevitably
increased the levels of metal ions in many of these
natural water systems.
● Mine drainage, offshore oil and gas exploration,
industrial (pesticides, paints, leather, textile,
fertilizers, pharmaceuticals) and domestic effluents,
agricultural runoff, acid rain etc. have all contributed
to the increased metal load in these waters being
ultimately incorporated into aquatic sediments.
 OIL
Oil may enter the sea by number of ways as follows,

● International discharge of oil wastes

● Bilge pumping at sea
● Import oil losses
● Tanker accidents and maritime accidents due to
collisions
● Oil leakage from pipelines
● Oily wastes from oil fields and refines

The overall detrimental effects of oil pollution of water are

as follows,

● Reduction in dissolved oxygen

● Reduction in light penetration
● Lethal toxicity to aquatic flora
● Kills lichens and algae
● Heavy damage to fishery
ANIMALS AFFECTED DUE TO OIL SPILL
IN SEAS AND OCEAN
RADIOACTIVE WASTE
Radioactive waste enter into oceans by the
following ways,

● From natural background source

● From fallout of nuclear weapon
testing
● Operation of nuclear reactors
● Mining of ores to produce radio
isotopes
● Leakage from underground nuclear
detonations
● From shipboard reactors
PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF MARINE
POLLUTION

● Stabilization of ecosystem
● Reutilization, recycling, renovation and recharge of wastes
● Rival of pollutants
● To control oil pollution-

- skimming

- burning

- Biodegradation

● Adopting appropriate methods to remove heavy metals from marine water

● Radioactive waste can be removed by ion exchange techniques and
precipitation of radio-nuclides
 CASE STUDY ON MARINE POLLUTION

The United Arab Emirates is facing drinking water crisis because of oil spills in
the world’s busiest shipping lane. Oil pollution has become a major concern in
the oil rich gulf state where in the last two years (1996 and 1997),
desalination plants have been shut down following accidents in the gulf
involving oil laiden tankers and barges.

Nearly 60% of the UAE’s drinking water requirements are meeting from the
sea. The desalination plants are crucial for meeting the country’s alarming
water needs. In the past, several cases of oil spillage have forced authorities to
close desalination plants. On January, 7, 1998, nearly 4000 tonnes of oil
spilled from a barge near Ummal Qaiwain, forcing the closer of the Ajman
desalination plant.
OIL SPILL IN UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (UAE)
 CONCLUSION

Spectacular catastrophes which are the oil slicks, pollution by

used water, waste domestic, agricultural, industrial and
radioactive, eutrophication by nutritive salts and organic
matter, the seas became dumps. In short, like writes it
celebrates it American ecologist Barry Commoner: "there is
not quite simply enough water on the ground to absorb and
neutralize all the poisons which the man introduced into the
medium" .
THERMAL POLLUTION
 THERMAL POLLUTION
Thermal pollution, sometimes called "thermal enrichment," is
the degradation of water quality by any process that changes
ambient water temperature. A common cause of thermal
pollution is the use of water as a coolant by power plants and
industrial manufacturers.
DIAGRAMMATIC REPRESENTATION OF
THERMAL POLLUTION
 SOURCES OF THERMAL POLLUTION
● Nuclear power plant
● Coal-fired power plant
● Domestic sewage
● Industrial effluents
● Hydro-electric power
● Thermal power plants
The effluents discharged by these sources have high
temperature than the intake water that reduces the
concentration of oxygen from the water which causes the
deleterious effects on the marine ecosystems.
HARMFUL EFFECTS OF THERMAL
POLLUTION
● Reduction in dissolved oxygen

The pollutants from various industrial plants are heated which decreases
the concentration of oxygen with increasing temperature

● Change in water properties

The decrease in density, viscosity and solubility of gases in water increases

the setting speed of suspended particles which seriously affect the food
supplies of aquatic organism.
 ● Increase in toxicity

The concentrated pollutant causes the rise in the temperature of water which
increases the toxicity of the poison present in water. The toxicity in water will increase
the death rate in marine life.

● Disruption of biological activities

Temperature changes disrupt the entire marine ecosystem because changes in

temperature causes change in physiology, metabolism and biological process like
respiration rate, digestion, excretion and development of an aquatic organism.

● Damage of biotic organisms

Aquatic organisms like juvenile fish, plankton, fish, eggs, larva, algae and protozoa
which pass through screens and condenser cooling system are extremely sensitive to
abrupt temperature changes. They are habitual of warmer water may suddenly face
increase or decrease in temperature of water bodies and thus die because of sudden
changes in the temperature of water.
PREVENTION OF THERMAL POLLUTION

The following measures can be taken to prevent or control high

temperature caused by thermal pollution:

● Heated water from the industries can treated before discharging

directly to the water bodies.
● Heated water from the industries can be treated by the
installation of cooling ponds and cooling towers.
● Industrial treated water can be recycled for domestic use or
industrial heating.
● Through artificial lakes: In this lake Industries can discharge
their used or heated water at one end and water for cooling
purposes may be withdrawn from the other end. The heat is
eventually dissipated through evaporation.
COOLING POND AND ARTIFICIAL LAKE
 CONCLUSION

● Ensure to use 100% renewable sources.

● This pollution negatively affect the yield and quality of crops.

● The plant can be considered at most important modes to use

solar thermal and biomass power in future.