marine-pollution (1)

Marine Pollution
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The oceans cover over 70% of the globe. Its health, wellbeing of humanity and the living
environment that sustains us all are inextricably linked. Yet neglect of ocean acidification,
climate change, polluting activities and over-exploitation of marine resources have
made oceans, one of the earth’s most threatened ecosystems.
Marine pollution, also known as ocean pollution, is the spreading of harmful

substances such as oil, plastic, industrial and agricultural waste and chemical
particles into the ocean.
Causes of Ocean Pollution

There are various ways in which pollution enters the ocean:
Sewage: Sewage or polluting substances flow through sewage, rivers, or drainages

directly into the ocean.
Toxic Chemicals From Industries: Industrial waste which is directly discharged into
the oceans, results in ocean pollution.
The hazardous and toxic chemicals affects marine life.
Also, they raise the temperature of the ocean and cause thermal pollution.
Aquatic animals and plants have difficulty surviving at higher temperatures.
Land Runoff: Land-based sources (such as agricultural run-off, discharge of nutrients
and pesticides and untreated sewage including plastics) account for approximately
80% of marine pollution.
The runoff picks up man-made, harmful contaminants that pollute the ocean,
including fertilizers, petroleum, pesticides and other forms of soil contaminants.
Large Scale Oil Spills: Pollution caused by ships, is a huge source of ocean pollution,
the most devastating effect of which is oil spills.
Crude oil lasts for years in the sea and is extremely toxic to marine life, it
suffocates the marine animals to death.
Crude oil is also extremely difficult to clean up.
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Ocean Mining: Ocean mining sites drilling for silver, gold, copper, cobalt, and zinc
create sulfide deposits up to three and a half thousand meters down into the ocean.
Plastic Pollution: In 2006, the United Nations Environment Programme
estimated that every square mile of ocean contains 46,000 pieces of floating
plastic.
Once discarded, plastics are weathered and eroded into very small fragments
known as micro-plastics. These together with plastic pellets are already found
in most beaches around the world.
Plastic materials and other litter can become concentrated in certain areas
called gyres as a result of marine pollution gathered by oceanic currents.
For example, the North Pacific Gyre is now referred to as the Great
Pacific Garbage Patch, where waste material from across the North
Pacific Ocean, including coastal waters off North America and Japan, are
drawn together.
In addition to all these factors, the oceans are highly affected by carbon dioxide and
climate changes, which impacts primarily the ecosystems and fish communities that
live in the ocean.
In particular, the rising levels of CO2 leads to ocean acidification.
Other factors like coastal tourism, port and harbour developments, damming of
rivers, urban development and construction, mining, fisheries, aquaculture etc.,
are all sources of marine pollution threatening coastal and marine habitats.
Effects of Ocean Pollution

Effect of Toxic Wastes on Marine Animals: The long term effect on marine life can
include cancer, failure in the reproductive system, behavioural changes, and even
death.
Disruption to the Cycle of Coral Reefs: Oil spill floats on the surface of the water
and prevents sunlight from reaching marine plants and affects the process of
photosynthesis.
Depletes Oxygen Content in Water: Most of the debris in the ocean does not
decompose and remain in the ocean for years.
Due to this, oxygen levels go down, as a result, the chances of survival of marine
animals like whales, turtles, sharks, dolphins, penguins for a long time also goes
down.
Excessive nutrients from sewage outfalls and agricultural runoff have
contributed to the number of low oxygen (hypoxic) areas known as dead zones,
where most marine life cannot survive, resulting in the collapse of some
ecosystems.
There are now close to 500 dead zones covering more than 245,000 km²
globally, equivalent to the surface of the United Kingdom.
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Eutrophication: When a water body becomes overly enriched with minerals and
nutrients which induce excessive growth of algae or algal bloom.
This process also results in oxygen depletion of the water body.
Failure in the Reproductive System of Sea Animals: Chemicals from pesticides can
accumulate in the fatty tissue of animals, leading to failure in their reproductive
system.
Effect on Food Chain: Small animals ingest the discharged chemicals and are later
eaten by large animals, which then affects the whole food chain.
Global Initiatives
The Global Programme of Action (GPA) for the Protection of the Marine
Environment from Land-based Activities:
The GPA is the only global intergovernmental mechanism directly addressing the
connectivity between terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystems.
International conventions:
MARPOL convention (1973)
It covers pollution of the marine environment by ships from operational
or accidental causes.
It lists various forms of marine pollution caused by oil, noxious liquid
substances, harmful substances in packaged form, sewage and garbage
from ships, etc.
The London Convention (1972)
Its objective is to promote the effective control of all sources of marine
pollution and to take all practicable steps to prevent pollution of the sea
by dumping of wastes and other matter.
Greenpeace:
It is an environmental NGO that is dedicated to conserving the oceans and
marine life across the globe.
Its grassroots efforts have resulted in the ban of destructive fishing practices,
companies changing their fishing policies, and the creation of whale sanctuaries.
How to prevent Ocean pollution?

Implement renewable energy sources, such as wind or solar power, to limit off-shore
drilling.
Limit agricultural pesticides and encourage organic farming & eco-friendly pesticide
use.
Proper sewage treatment and exploration of eco-friendly wastewater treatment
options.
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Cut down on the industry and manufacturing waste and contain it into landfills to
avoid spillage.
Use of Biotechnology: Bioremediation (use of specific microorganisms to
metabolize and remove harmful substances) to treat oil spills.
At individual level reduce carbon footprint by adopting a "green" lifestyle.
Have a global treaty on banning single-use plastics and collaborated effort to clean
up the ocean.
The world’s oceans – their temperature, chemistry, currents and life - drive global systems
that make the Earth habitable for humankind. Over three billion people depend on marine
and coastal biodiversity for their livelihoods.
In this context, ocean health must be treated as a global issue and all nations should act in
concert to implement Sustainable Development Goal: 14 i.e. To conserve and
sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.
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Marine Pollution

Marine pollution, also known as ocean pollution, is the spreading of harmful

Causes of Ocean Pollution

Sewage: Sewage or polluting substances flow through sewage, rivers, or drainages

Effects of Ocean Pollution

How to prevent Ocean pollution?

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