Marine Pollution Essay Example

Marine Pollution Paper In the late 1 sass and early 1 sass, there were several controversies about dumping radioactive waste off the coasts of the United States by companies licensed by the Atomic Energy Commission, into the Irish Sea from the British processing facility at Windscreen, and into the Mediterranean Sea by the French Commissariat lingerie Atomize. After the Mediterranean Sea controversy, for example, Jacques Coaster became a worldwide figure in the campaign to stop marine pollution. Marine pollution made further international headlines after the 1967 crash of the oil tanker Torero Canyon, and after the 1 969 Santa Barbara oil spill off the coast of California. Marine pollution was a major area of discussion during the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, held in Stockholm. That year also away the signing of the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter, sometimes called the London Convention. The London Convention did not ban marine pollution, but it established black and gray lists for substances to be banned (black) or regulated by national authorities (gray). Cyanide and high-level radioactive waste, for example, were put on the black list. The London Convention applied only to waste dumped from ships, and thus did nothing to regulate Waste discharged as liquids from pipelines. Chapter 2: Statement of the Problem a) General Statement of the Problem Over 80% of marine pollution comes from land-based activities. We will write a custom essay sample on Marine Pollution specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Marine Pollution specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Marine Pollution specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer From plastic bags to pesticides most of the waste we produce on land eventually reaches the oceans, either through deliberate dumping or from run-off through drains and rivers. B) Specific Statement of the Problem * Direct discharge Pollutants enter rivers and the sea directly from urban sewerage and industrial waste discharges, sometimes in the form of hazardous and toxic wastes. Inland mining for copper, gold. Etc. , is another source of marine pollution. Most of the pollution is simply soil, which ends up in rivers flowing to the sea. However, some minerals discharged in the course of the mining can cause problems, such as copper, a common industrial pollutant, which can interfere with the life history and development of coral polyps. Mining has a poor environmental track record. For example, according to the united States Environmental Protection Agency, mining has contaminated portions of the headwaters of over 40% of watersheds in the western continental US. Much of this pollution finishes up in the sea. Land runoff Surface runoff from farming as well as urban runoff and runoff from the construction of roads, buildings, ports, channels, and harbors, can carry oil and particles laden with carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and minerals. This nutrient-rich water can cause fleshy algae and phytoplankton to thrive in coastal areas; known as algal blooms, which have the potential to create hypochondriacs by using all available oxygen. Polluted runoff from roads and highways can be a significant source of water pollution in coastal areas. About 75 percent of the toxic chemicals that flow into Upset Sound are carried postmaster that runs off paved roads and driveways, rooftops, yards and other developed land. * Ship pollution Ships can pollute waterways and oceans in many ways. Oil spills can have devastating effects. While being toxic to marine life, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (Pass), found in crude oil, are very difficult to clean up, and last for years in the sediment and marine environment. Discharge of cargo residues from bulk carriers can pollute ports, waterways and oceans. In many instances vessels intentionally discharge illegal wastes despite foreign and domestic regulation prohibiting such actions. It has been estimated that container ships lose over 10,000 containers at sea each year (usually during storms). Ships also create noise pollution that disturbs natural lilied, and water from ballast tanks can spread harmful algae and authoritative species. Ballast water taken up at sea and released in port is a major source of unwanted exotic marine life. The invasive freshwater zebra mussels, native to the Black, Caspian and Capo Seas, Were probably transported to the Great Lakes via ballast water from a transoceanic vessel. Mines believes that one of the worst cases of a single invasive species causing harm to an ecosystem can be attributed to a seemingly harmless jellyfish. Nepotisms eyelid, a species of comb jellyfish that spread so it now inhabits estuaries in many parts of the world. It was first introduced in 1 982, and thought to have been transported to the Black Sea in a ships ballast water. The population of the jellyfish shot up exponentially and, by 1988, it was wreaking havoc upon the local fishing industry. Tenancy catch fell from 204,000 tons in 1 984 to 200 tons in 1993; sprat from 24,600 tons in 1 984 to 12,000 tons in 1 993; horse mackerel from 4,000 tons in 1 984 to zero in Now that the jellyfish have exhausted the zooplankton, including fish larvae, their numbers have fallen dramatically, yet they continue to maintain a stranglehold on the ecosystem. Invasive species can take over once occupied areas, facilitate the spread of new diseases, introduce new genetic material, alter underwater seascapes and jeopardize the ability of native species to obtain food. Invasive species are responsible for about $138 billion annually in lost revenue and management costs in the US alone. * Deep Sea Mining Deep sea mining is a relatively new mineral retrieval process that takes place on the ocean floor. Ocean mining sites are usually around large areas of politically nodules or active and extraterritoriality vents at about 1 ,400 3,700 meters below the oceans surface. The vents create sulfide deposits, which contain precious metals such as silver, gold, copper, manganese, cobalt, and zinc. The deposits are mined using either hydraulic pumps or bucket systems that take ore to the surface to be processed. As with all mining operations, deep sea mining raises questions about environmental damages to the surrounding areas Because deep sea mining is a relatively new field, the complete consequences of full scale mining operations are unknown. However, experts are certain that removal of parts of the sea floor will result in disturbances to the benthic are, increased toxicity of the water column and sediment plumes from tailings. Removing parts of the sea floor disturbs the habitat of benthic organisms, possibly, depending on the type of mining and location, causing permanent disturbances. Aside from direct impact of mining the area, leakage, spills and corrosion would alter the mining areas chemical makeup. Among the impacts of deep sea mining, sediment plumes could have the greatest impact. Plumes are caused when the tailings from mining (usually fine particles) are dumped back into the ocean, creating a cloud of particles floating in the water. Two types of plumes occur: near bottom plumes and surface plumes. Near bottom plumes occur when the tailings are pumped back down to the mining site. The floating particles increase the turbidity, or cloudiness, Of the water, clogging filter-feeding apparatuses used by benthic organisms. Surface plumes cause a more serious problem. Depending on the size of the particles and water currents the plumes could spread over vast areas. The plumes could impact zooplankton and light penetration, in turn affecting the food web of the area. * Oil Oil spills cause huge damage to the marine environment but in fact are responsible for only around of he oil entering the seas each year. According to a study by the US National Research Council, 36% comes down drains and rivers as waste and runoff from cities and industry. Fertilizers Fertilizer runoff from farms and lawns is a huge problem for coastal areas. The extra nutrients cause transportation flourishing of algal blooms that deplete the waters dissolved oxygen and suffocate other marine life. Transportation has created enormous dead zones in several parts of the world, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Baltic Sea. * Seas of Garbage Solid garbage also makes its way to the ocean. Plastic gas, balloons, glass bottles, shoe s, packaging material if not disposed of correctly, almost Everett inning we throw away can reach the sea. Plastic garbage, which decomposes very slowly, is often mistaken for food by marine animals. High concentrations of plastic material, particularly plastic bags, have been found blocking the breathing passages and stomachs of many marine species, including whales, dolphins, seals, puffins, and turtles. Plastic six-pack rings for drink bottles can also choke marine animals. This garbage can also come back to shore, where it pollutes beaches and other coastal habitats. Sewage disposal In many parts of the world, sewage flows untreated, or under-treated, into the ocean. For example, 80% of urban sewage discharged into the Mediterranean Sea is untreated. This sewage can also lead to transportation. In addition, it can cause human disease and lead to beach closures. * Toxic chemicals Almost every marine organism, from the tiniest plankton to whales and polar bears, is contaminated with man-made chemicals, such as pesticides and chemicals used in common consumer products. Some of these chemicals enter the sea through deliberate dumping. For centuries, the oceans have been a convenient dumping ground or waste generated on land. This continued until the 1 sass, with dumping at sea the accepted practice for disposal of nearly everything, including toxic material such as pesticides, chemical weapons, and radioactive waste. Dumping of the most toxic materials was banned by the London Dumping Convention in 1 972, and an amended treaty in 1996 (the London Convention) further restricted what could be dumped at sea. However, there are still the problems of already-dumped toxic material, and even the disposal of permitted substances at sea can be a substantial environmental hazard. Chemicals also enter the sea from land-based activities. Chemicals can escape into water, soil, and air during their manufacture, use, or disposal, as well as from accidental leaks or fires in products containing these chemicals. Once in the environment, they can travel for long distances in air and water, including People once assumed that the ocean was so large that all ocean currents. Laotians would be diluted and dispersed to safe levels. But in reality, they have not disappeared and some toxic man-made chemicals have even become more concentrated as they have entered the food chain. Tiny animals at the bottom of the food chain, such as plankton in the oceans, absorb the chemicals as they feed. Because they do not break down easily, the chemicals accumulate in these organisms, becoming much more concentrated in th eir bodies than in the surrounding water or soil. These organisms are eaten by small animals, and the concentration rises again. These animals are in turn eaten by larger animals, which can travel large distances with their even further increased chemical load. Animals higher up the food chain, such as seals, can have contamination levels millions of times higher than the water in which they live. And polar bears, which feed on seals, can have contamination levels up to 3 billion times higher than their people become contaminated either directly from household environment. Products or by eating contaminated seafood and animal fats. Evidence is mounting that a number of man-made chemicals can cause serious health problems including cancer, damage to the immune system, behavioral problems, and reduced fertility. Definition of Terms Transportation Excessive richness Of nutrients in a lake or other body Of water, frequently due to runoff from the land, which causes a dense growth f plant life and death of animal life from lack of oxygen Plankton The small and microscopic organisms drifting or floating in the sea or fresh water, consisting chiefly of diatoms, protozoans, small crustaceans, and the eggs and larval stages of larger animals. Many animals are adapted to feed on plankton, esp.. By filtering the water. Marine pollution occurs when harmful, or potentially harmful, effects result from the entry into the ocean of chemicals, particles, industrial, agricultural and residential waste, noise, or the spread of invasive organisms.