The oceans need to be protected because it is where life began and if not taken care of, life as we know it will end. When dangerous substances go into the ocean, ecosystems are suffer and become endangered along with lives of people and of marine life. Surfrider Foundation recognizes the importance of protecting and preserving the quality and biodiversity of the world's coasts because they are truly irreplaceable. There is also historical evidence of ocean pollution being present in the past, but the problem still lingers today. Heal the Bay discovered that,“Did you know there is a DDT and PCB hot spot off the coast of Palos Verdes? This superfund site (which indicates it's one of the most polluted places in the United States), is left over from a 1930's era chemical plant. Because DDT takes so long to break down in the marine environment, it persists to this day, contaminating certain species of fish. There are also highly polluted sediments in the Long Beach area, a sign of the heavy shipping in the port. Heal the Bay works on developing effective capping and removal plans to keep those toxins from spreading” (Heal the Bay). DDT is still highly concentrated in the South Bay area and still contaminating different species of fish. Even after more than 80 years DDT, a toxic insecticide, is still very concentrated and during upwellings, DDT particles come back up and continue to harm marine life. If humans are careless about what is thrown on the floor or sprayed on lawns, it can lead to disastrous affects when it comes to the condition of the ocean's ecosystems, and can endanger life itself leading to a problem that only we can mend.
The ocean can serve man purposes things for many different people; as a school, a home, a park...
... middle of paper ...
...harges of Human-made Debris Comprise the Largest Source of Marine Debris in Oceans World-wide (nearly 80%)." Plastic Debris Rivers to Sea Project. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.
Murray, Dana. "Heal the Bay." Local Sea Stars Under Siege. Heal The Bay, 09 Dec. 2013. Web. 15 Mar. 2014.
Saillant, Catherine. "L.A. Starts 2014 with Its New Plastic-bag Ban." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2013. Web. 14 Mar. 2014.
Surfrider Foundation. "BLUE WATER TASK FORCE | Surfrider Foundation." BLUE WATER TASK FORCE | Surfrider Foundation. Surfrider Foundation, n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2014.
Surfrider Foundation. Blue Water Task Force. San Clemente: Surfrider Foundation, 2012. PDF.
Surfrider Foundation. "Ocean Friendly Gardens." Surfrider Foundation. Surfrider Foundation, n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2014.
"What YOU Can Do to Prevent NPS Pollution." Home. EPA, n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2014.
This ad is directed to many people in the Chesapeake Bay region because there are tons of pollution each year that are destroying the nation’s largest estuary, or part of a body of water where the fresh and salt water mix, and are also killing the Bay’s crabs, oysters, and fish, which is a huge industry in the area and also something the state of Maryland is known nationally for (Environment, p. 8). Pollution is destroying the Chesapeake Bay every single day, however now people are taking steps in the right direction to fix this problem but many people fear that time has run out.
The plastic apocalypse is upon us. Our oceans are currently burdened by massive expanses of floating plastic products and shreds extending farther than the eye can see in multiple locations. The biggest of these, located in the North Pacific Ocean,1 is known by many as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. This dangerous collection of trash is surrounded by the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre,1 or a series of circling currents located in the Southern Hemisphere that carry plastics and other slow-degrading garbage and trap them inside its bounds.2 This specific Garbage Patch stretches from North America to Japan and the plastic-to-water ratio varies throughout.1 Because of this phenomenon, plastic is being distributed throughout oceans and deposited
Do you know that people are polluting oceans in so many ways, and what we are doing about it. First, my evidence shows that two billion people within thirty miles of the coast create 100 million metric tons of coastal plastic waste (Doc.1). In my own words, this evidence show that all this pollution is really harmful to ocean creatures and us. More evidence is that the North Pacific Gyre has collected lots of these pollutants, so it is nicknamed the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (O.I.). This shows how we are polluting the oceans. My next evidence shows that a Beach Act was passed in 2000 saying the EPA or the Environmental Protection Agency will help states test and monitor coastal water pollution to protect swimmers (Doc.2). This evidence
Ocean Pollution is a serious issue in today's global politics. The delicate balance of Earth's ecosystem is put in jeopardy when the ocean is not clean. Problem evolving from ocean pollution directly harm marine life and indirectly affect human health and the Earth's many valuable resources. Ocean Pollution is a Broad term that encpompasses any and all foregin matter that directly or indirectly makes its way into the ocean. This includes everything from the extreme: oil spills, Toxic Waste dumping and industrial dumping-- to the small scael: human activities and basic carelessness. Because the oceans and all other water bodies are invariably, somehow connected, and because they account for 3/4 of the Earth's surface, they are an ideal method of transportation for pollution, allowing the rapid spread of seemingly far away toxins into a river near you! It is increasingly important that we educate ourselves as to what, exactly, ocean pollution is, so that we can identify the causes at their source and take action in small and large ways, and hopefully, prevent this terrible form of pollution from getting any worse than it is today.
Each living person generates an average 2.2 tons (22t) of domestic waste every year and a lot of that waste ends up in the ocean. 70% of ocean pollution sinks underwater damaging life on the ocean floor. “The world proudes 200 billion IB, of plastic a year which 10% ends up in the ocean.” (Kester. The world book encyclopedia volume 15.) Ocean pollution doesn’t help anything its only puts something in more danger. People should try to reduce the amount of pollution by recycling our bottles, plastic and paper. The more things we do to save the environment the fewer problems we have.
Preston says that “a lot of ocean debris is ‘microplastic,’ or pieces smaller than five millimeters. These may be the beads from a facial scrub, fibers shed by synthetic clothing in the wash, or eroded remnants of larger debris” (Preston). She goes on to say that “compared to the number of studies investigating large-scale debris, Rochman’s group found little research on the effects of these tiny bits. There are a lot of open questions still for microplastic” (Preston). This indicates that the information used to inform the public about the effects of ocean plastic widely focuses on larger pieces of debris rather than smaller ones. This is negative because the debris which average individuals have the most power to control are usually microplastic and come from objects such as facial washes, etc. This is problematic because if a lot of the plastic in the ocean is smaller, but only the effects of large pieces of debris are being reported, not all of the possible effects are presented. Therefore, the harm done by these smaller pieces (facial beads, etc) will continue because people will not be informed about the negative impacts and won’t know that they could improve the issue by changing their
This pollution problem is so ubiquitous plastic can be found throughout the marine environment from coastlines to near shore lagoons to remote ocean hotspots where plastics caught up in marine currents. And gathered up into huge garbage patches that swirl
The ocean is an abundant source of life. It is home to thousand of different creatures, provides a great source of food, and provides the earth with about one half of the oxygen needed to sustain life. (National Geographic) Pollution especially plastic, is a catastrophic problem. Ironically plastic, which is a material designed to last forever is generally used for things we tend to throw away. Every year about one hundred to two hundred billion pounds of plastic are manufactured. Only 31% of that plastic is actually recycled. Biomass packaging estimates 10% of that plastic ends up in the ocean annually. About 20% of it coming from ships and other platforms, and the other 80% coming from land derived sources, such as international garbage dumping, winds or tides either way it finds its way to the ocean.(Biomass Packaging Co., et al)
These four studies evaluated the use of marine protected areas (MPAs) as the primary tool for conservation efforts. Within Fox’s study he identifies four components that increase a MPA’s effectiveness, all of which focus on bringing together the goals of the governing bodies involved, as well those of the locals who rely on the marine systems in question for resources. The research presented by Edgar and his team presents similar findings as they identify five factors that have shown to increase the success of MPAs after they studied 87 different MPA locations. In addition to identifying the key factors that contribute to MPA success, they also identify some factors that lead to MPA failure. Halpern’s study focuses on the limitations of MPA networks and the broader scope issues that need to also be addressed in order to for MPAs to be truly effective. Halpern and his team suggest that an EBM approach may be the best solution for addressing these issues. Chuenpagdee’s research also highlights the challenges and issues surrounding the implementation of effective MPAs. The study included an in-depth look into four case studies that focused on the design stages of MPAs, and the social issues that must be taken into consideration, and how the incorporation of local communities into management efforts could lead to increases in MPA network success and sustainability. The compilation of data presented in these studies, all highlight the fact that nations are increasing the number of MPAs, in order to reach international goals of conservation, however even if the global area goals of protection are met, it is clear that the success of these protected areas will be heavily dependent upon the socioeconomic issues surrounding the impacted ...
First off there's way too much plastic in the ocean that causes pollution. All of this stuff is caused by natural and manmade pollution. We have produced more plastic then we have in the last one-hundred years. The plastic kills fish, birds, marine animals, and sea turtles. Now that is just horrible that so many animals are dying because of pollution tried to stop pollution instead of causing it?
"Oceans." Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection. Detroit: Gale, 2014. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 8 May 2014.
Our oceans are the most productive and more than likely the most helpful environment on the planet today. Oceans not only supply our ozone with life supporting oxygen, control the earth’s weather patterns, it also is home to over a million different species ranging from mammals, invertebrates, to microscopic plankton. The ocean is a very diverse environment and it is very important to keep the ocean and all off its creatures alive and healthy. There are many reasons for this, but the main reason is that what we do in our waters will directly effect the way we live.
California Coastal Commission, “A Plan of Action for Reducing Land-Based Discharges of Marine Debris, from the Plastic Debris Project," 2005, p. 14.
Research from the University of California San Diego Scripps Institution of Oceanography said that species in the ocean consume a projected 12,000 to 24,000 tons of plastic every year in the Pacific Ocean (Nall, 2014). Pollution of recyclable materials in the oceans is one of the leading causes of why some marine species are nearing extinction. Many authors of articles and books analyzing this topic tend to agree that pollution of our oceans is a problem. The future of this problem is where their ideas tend to differ. The following four literature reviews attempt to demonstrate and support my belief that pollution is getting worse in the ocean and more marine life ecosystems are being affected, but there are things that we as humans can do to change this. Imagine a world where we didn’t have to constantly worry about the vicious cycle of humans affecting animals and then animals in turn affecting us through consumption.
...s to take action on contaminated beaches nearby are to speak out, attend public meetings, and/or volunteer. To reduce the contaminants in the ocean, everyone can plant trees, dispose chemicals and pet waste in the correct designated areas, prevent waste from going into seward and storm drains, prevent the clogs in storm drains, organize neighborhood cleanups, recycle paper, plastic, and glass, and maintain cars from oil leaks. To give a helping hand, there are many volunteer programs for people to clean up waste on the shore lines. They have a website where people are able to help out along the coastlines of California near them; www.cacoastkeeper.org/take-action/volunteer. We have created this problem, we should be able to resolve it. Either we change what we’re doing on land, or face the future extinction of many animals and people due to the cause of one species.