Ocean Pollution
what's the problem
There are many problems with ocean pollution mostly how it effects us and marine life. It can destroy the marine environment and cause problems with the food chain. It can give humanity diseases that could kill people. It’s also growing rapidly and its predicted that by 2050 all the amount of plastic in the sea will way the amount of all sea creatures. If we don’t take action oceans will be full of unwanted waste.
There are many types of pollution and all are harmful. It goes from oil pollution to plastic pollution and just pollution in general. People are already coming up with inventions and innovations to change this problem. One of the big inventions is the sea vax. People are also trying to stop oil spills from ships.
how does ocean pollution affect us?
Animals are suffering to the cause of pollution due to humanity because we litter, and animals can get affected badly. Just because animas get affected does not mean that humanity is immune to this threat
Humans can get affected by ocean pollution too, for example, even taking a shower could be a danger, your pipes could be connected to a water source that has been polluted. Or of u live near a contaminated water source you could breathe in the fumes which is also dangerous. There are other things that can be a danger, like eating seafood is a risk to your health because fish eat Microplastics and plastic releases toxic chemicals. There are many other examples in which ocean pollution can affect us.
Bacteria and viruses are typically born in water, and if they touch water directly the water will get polluted or infected. This can cause severe illnesses. It's not just the ocean that can give you serious diseases like typhoid and cholera it could be drinking or bathing water it might even be washing. Toxic chemicals are another common type of ocean pollution. These chemicals are a threat to animals and humans, which were accidentally discharged into the ocean from factories or production companies. A lot of different forms of bad chemicals will end up in the ocean, Types include nuclear waste sites, nuclear power plants or submarines, and many more. Such types of pollution sink to the bottom of the ocean where animals that feed and then consume the toxins that disrupts the food chain. Then the big fish eat the small fish which have consumed the chemicals at the bottom and when humans eat the big fish, they will get an illness like birth defects, reproductive disorders, cancer and other long-term health issues.
how does ocean pollution affect animal
Single use plastic is the most commonly eaten plastic by sea animals. For example, sea turtles often mistake plastic bags for jellyfish, they often choke, suffer internal injury, or starve to death by believing they're filled with food. Sea birds consume a lot plastic due to plastic releasing a chemical that makes plastic smell like a seas bird natural food. Every year fish at the North pacific consume 12,000 to 24,000 tons of plastic. This can cause led to severe injury and death, and plastic can pass on to the lager fish, and human seafood eaters across the food chain.
Every year many animals' deaths are caused by entanglement or starvation. Seals, whales, turtles and other species are strangled to the death. or tangled in a six pack or abandoned fishing equipment. Scientists found microplastics in more than a 100 aquatic species, including fish, shrimp and mussels that end up on our dinner plate. In 2016, 13 sperm whales had been found washed up on shore with their stomachs full of pollution, for example fishing lines and car parts
44% of all seabirds have ingested plastic by accident, eating plastic comes with fatal effects. Around 267 marine species are affected by plastic garbage-animals are known to swallow plastic bags in the middle of the ocean. Tests show damage to the liver and cells and disruptions to reproductive systems, species that are affected by this produce fewer eggs, such as oysters. Newer tests show that larval fish in the first days of life eat nanofibers, causing new concerns about the impact of plastics on the fish populations.
oil spills
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Oil spills can harm lots of stuff like plants animal’s water, the ecosystem and lots more. Oil spills are dangerous to a lot of things like animals and plants. There are many things we can do to reduce oil spills like:
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You can tighten the bolts of the engine of a boat to prevent oil spills.
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They can fix small cracks on boats to help prevent oil spills.
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Don’t over fill the tank with oil and leaving other oil for extra.
Oil spills are dangerous because the fish breath in water and they can die from breathing polluted water. Birds can get too heavy to fly causing them to maybe drown. Oil spills can be caused by severe injures on a boat can cause oil spills damaging lie of plants and fish. The biggest oil spill known to mankind is the Persian Gulf War Oil Spill (1991). It was so big of a leak. Would you believe about 520 million gallons of oil spilled! The second biggest oil spill known is BP’s Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill (2010)
This spill was accidental but to spill 134 million gallons of oil they had to pay 65 billion dollars. The third biggest oil spill is The Ixtoc 1 Oil Spill (1979). The spill released 140 million gallons of oil spilled. They also had to pay hundreds and millions of dollars. The fourth biggest oil spill is known as The Atlantic Empress Oil Spill (1979). The spill released 90 million gallons of crude oil. This was caused by a cyclone destroying the ship into pieces.
