MARINE POLLUTION
What Causes Marine Pollution?
Marine pollution occurs when pollutants such as plastic trash or toxic chemicals enter the ocean, having devastating effects on the organisms living there. A majority of these pollutants originate from human activities both along coastlines and inland. Nonpoint source pollution, which occurs due to runoff, is one of the largest sources of pollution, and it can come from many sources such as vehicles or timber harvest areas. Point source pollution, on the other hand, originates from a single source, like an oil spill, and often has large impacts on ecosystems in the area. Fortunately, this type of pollution doesn’t occur as often.
What is Marine Debris? Where Does It Come From?
Marine debris is a troubling pollution problem ranging from tiny microplastics (pieces of plastic less than 5 millimeters that pollute the environment) to abandoned vessels, and it pollutes our oceans and waterways. Worldwide, hundreds of marine species have been harmed and even killed as they either ingest or are entangled in marine debris.
All of marine debris comes from humans and a majority of this debris originates from land. Through littering, poor waste management practices, storm water discharge, and extreme natural disasters (such as hurricanes or tsunamis), this waste finds its way into oceans, harming wildlife and sensitive habitats.
How are Nutrients and Algal Blooms a Potential Danger?
Nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus are essential for plant growth but an excess of these elements can trigger an algal bloom, or a rapid overgrowth of algae, which can be harmful to aquatic wildlife. When these large amounts of algae sink and decompose in water, their decomposition depletes the amount of oxygen in the area, harming other organisms. This creates dead zones, or areas where oxygen levels are low.
What are Garbage Patches? Where are They Located?
Garbage patches are large areas of the ocean where marine debris collects. They are not always visible, as the name may suggest, and can be made up of a multitude of debris ranging in size, from microplastics to large bundles of abandoned fishing gear.
These patches are formed by gyres, or large rotating ocean currents. There are five gyres in the ocean: two in the Atlantic, two in the Pacific, and one in the Indian Ocean. Garbage patches have varying sizes and are constantly changing size and shape as a result of wind and ocean currents. Debris making up these patches can be found all the way from the surface to the ocean floor.
How is Marine Pollution Impacting Seafood?
Fish and other species that filter their food out of the water ingest microplastics, and with more than one-third of shellfish-growing waters being polluted due to rising coastal populations, many contaminants can accumulate in seafood, which is harmful for humans to consume. Fortunately, there is ongoing research around the country focusing on the potential risk to wildlife and humans from debris exposure and ingestion.
Marine pollution occurs when pollutants such as plastic trash or toxic chemicals enter the ocean, having devastating effects on the organisms living there. A majority of these pollutants originate from human activities both along coastlines and inland. Nonpoint source pollution, which occurs due to runoff, is one of the largest sources of pollution, and it can come from many sources such as vehicles or timber harvest areas. Point source pollution, on the other hand, originates from a single source, like an oil spill, and often has large impacts on ecosystems in the area. Fortunately, this type of pollution doesn’t occur as often.
What is Marine Debris? Where Does It Come From?
Marine debris is a troubling pollution problem ranging from tiny microplastics (pieces of plastic less than 5 millimeters that pollute the environment) to abandoned vessels, and it pollutes our oceans and waterways. Worldwide, hundreds of marine species have been harmed and even killed as they either ingest or are entangled in marine debris.
All of marine debris comes from humans and a majority of this debris originates from land. Through littering, poor waste management practices, storm water discharge, and extreme natural disasters (such as hurricanes or tsunamis), this waste finds its way into oceans, harming wildlife and sensitive habitats.
How are Nutrients and Algal Blooms a Potential Danger?
Nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus are essential for plant growth but an excess of these elements can trigger an algal bloom, or a rapid overgrowth of algae, which can be harmful to aquatic wildlife. When these large amounts of algae sink and decompose in water, their decomposition depletes the amount of oxygen in the area, harming other organisms. This creates dead zones, or areas where oxygen levels are low.
What are Garbage Patches? Where are They Located?
Garbage patches are large areas of the ocean where marine debris collects. They are not always visible, as the name may suggest, and can be made up of a multitude of debris ranging in size, from microplastics to large bundles of abandoned fishing gear.
These patches are formed by gyres, or large rotating ocean currents. There are five gyres in the ocean: two in the Atlantic, two in the Pacific, and one in the Indian Ocean. Garbage patches have varying sizes and are constantly changing size and shape as a result of wind and ocean currents. Debris making up these patches can be found all the way from the surface to the ocean floor.
How is Marine Pollution Impacting Seafood?
Fish and other species that filter their food out of the water ingest microplastics, and with more than one-third of shellfish-growing waters being polluted due to rising coastal populations, many contaminants can accumulate in seafood, which is harmful for humans to consume. Fortunately, there is ongoing research around the country focusing on the potential risk to wildlife and humans from debris exposure and ingestion.
