Marine pollution is a growing problem in today’s world. This refers to the presence of sediments, thermal pollution (cold or hot water) as well as the introduction of waste into the oceans by humans. Marine Pollution is caused when harmful or even potentially harmful chemicals, particles, industrial, agricultural and residential waste, noise or may be even invasive species of plants or animals enter the ocean and disrupt the whole system. Water Pollution is a huge environmental problem that has serious effects on marine habitats, animals, and water quality. … This issue will adversely impact the corals and shellfish living in the oceans. Eighty percent of pollution to the marine environment comes from the land. Polythene, plastic bag, bottles, etc. Radioactive Pollution Chemical pollution may also be contributed to by physical pollutants. Oil booms being used to limit the spread of an oil spill in the ocean. Marine pollution is a long standing and growing issue in Fiji and includes the entry of chemicals, industrial waste, sewage, nutrients, and pesticides into the ocean as well as noise. Biological pollution refers to the introduction of living organisms, which grow and become invasive, into the environment. Reduce Your Use of Single-Use Plastics. There are many ways to categorize and examine the inputs of pollution into marine ecosystems. Thermal pollution results in a temperature rise which is the main cause for the melting of the polar ice caps, which is in turn leading to a rise in the water levels. Water pollution is affecting marine life in many harmful and threatening ways. One of the biggest sources is called nonpoint source pollution, which occurs as a result of runoff. Retrieved from: http://www.elcamino.edu/faculty/kvillatoro/bio15_lectures/waterpollution.pdf, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (2006). Chemical contamination, or nutrient pollution, is concerning for health, environmental, and economic reasons. Retrieved from: http://www.invadingspecies.com/download/fact.sheets/zebra%mussel.pdf, Study.com (2016). When the highly polluted rivers drain into the ocean, it might result in the formation of dead zones where the water is highly depleted of oxygen. Natural causes of water pollution include algae blooms and volcanos. are thrown in the sea. Plastic pollution. Acute and loud noise arising from use of seismic air guns to locate fossil fuels in the seabed by use of sound waves. The change can lead to an excessive growth of plants and their subsequent decay. “Water Pollution: Affecting and Improving Water Quality”. Study.com Website. The dissolved oxygen concentration in the water also decreases due to eutrophication which induces the death of marine fauna. Animals often ingest the tiny pieces of plastic and it can build up in their stomachs. Chemical pollution refers to the introduction of chemicals into the ocean environment. You can do so at Appearance > Widgets in the WordPress settings. Industrial Pollution along the Calumet River. Pollution can be devastating for marine life, which is often sensitive to changes in their environment. When the highly polluted rivers drain into the ocean, it might result in the formation of dead zones where the water is highly depleted of oxygen. Garbage. With reference to my last post, where i talked about how plastic was the most common foreign element found in the ocean, plastic waste is a pertinent form of physical pollution to the ocean environment. These mussels invaded into these waters, reducing the food available for fish and other aquatic animals (Invading Species Awareness Programme, 2006). Plastics take 500-1000 years to degrade; currently 79% is sent to landfills or the ocean, while only 9% is recycled, and 12% gets incinerated. However, as the atmospheric concentration of the gas is increasing, the oceans are becoming more acidic. Plastic pollution. Retrieved from: http://study.com/academy/lesson/pollution-physical-chemical-biological.html, When The Mermaids Cry: The Great Plastic Tide, http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/kits/pollution/03pointsource.html, http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/aquaticanimals/zebramussel/index.html. These all pollutants are primarily coming from following sources such as Sewage (Waste Water), Agricultural Pollution, Oil Pollution, Radioactive Substances, River dumping, Marine Dumping etc. This makes it hard for oxygen loving marine life – plants, fish and animals – to survive in the oceans.2. Pollution is defined as the process of introducing harmful or poisonous substances into the natural environment. Light pollution. Again, this makes them poisonous to marine life and causes harm to fish and marine mammals as well as marine plants and corals.3. Ingestion of plastic waste leads to the slow and painful death of these animals. (Possible) Solutions to Marine Pollution: Coastal Cleanups. According to the Flow Rate Technical Group, the BP oil spoll in April 2010, the largest accidental release of oil into the marine waters to date, spewed an estimated 4.9 … However, trash and chemicals can get thrown into the ocean and lakes. Marine Pollution. Retrieved from: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/aquaticanimals/zebramussel/index.html, Ontario’s Invading Species Awareness Programme (2006). Now that we have broadly defined the different kinds of pollution, we are in a better place to begin discussing and assessing marine pollution. Just like different types of pollution, Plastic is continuously affecting both oceans and land. The entry of potentially harmful pollutants in the oceans is called marine pollution. All this plastic waste can pose a serious threat to the survival of marine fauna who can die by ingestion, entanglement, and suffocation. How Does Pollution Affect Marine Life? The explosions are six times louder than ships. Eutrophication When there is an excess of chemical nutrients mainly nitrates and phosphates in the water, it leads to eutrophication or nutrient pollution. 3. “Zebra Mussels invade Ontario Waters.” Ontario’s Invading Species Awareness Programme Website. Ocean pollution comes from many different sources and affects marine environments around the world. Thermal pollution has increased significantly since the eighteen hundreds resulting in a hotter earth. Sources that directly … When temperatures get warmer, it will begin to leech or release harmful chemicals into the ocean (Algalita, 2016). Oil Spills are probably the most well known of the 3 major types of pollution in the ocean. When such toxins enter the body of marine animals, they accumulate in their tissues by a process called bioaccumulation. There are two types of noise pollution: Chronic sound at low frequencies by ships and oil rigs. While we often hear about physical and chemical pollution, biological pollution was something that was quite new to me, and hence peaked my interest. Many factors cause these types of pollution. “Plastic Water Bottles: Harmful to the Ocean, Air and You.” Algalita Website. Eutrophication decreases the level of oxygen, reduces the quality of water, makes the water inhabitable for fish, affects the breeding process within the marine life and increases the primary productivity of the marine ecosystem. This type of pollution occurs when human activities, notably the use of fertilizer on farms, lead to the runoff of chemicals into waterways that ultimately … El Camino College Website. (Possible) Solutions to Marine Pollution #3: Technology, (Possible) Solutions to Marine Pollution #2: Use of Legislation. Modern live, population are increasingly so do the plastic waste is increasing too. “Zebra Mussel”. According to NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), there are 4 major sources of oil spill enhancing marine pollution. There are many different types of pollution worldwide. Some of the types of marine pollution have been mentioned below: Oceans of our planet act as a natural carbon sink. However, human activities often introduce unnecessary noise in the marine ecosystem which is detrimental to life in the area. Death of Biological Resources Thus, the oceans help lower the atmospheric CO2 concentration which, in turn, reduces the effects of global warming on the planet. MNDNR Website. Magnetizing the oil to clean an oil spill? It is estimated that the mass of plastic in the oceans could be as high as 100,000,000 tonnes. According to NOAA the largest source of ocean pollution is nonpoint source pollution – essentially runoff, or waste flowing from land into the sea.