presentation about ocean pollution

ENCYCLOPEDIC ENTRY

Marine pollution.

Marine pollution is a combination of chemicals and trash, most of which comes from land sources and is washed or blown into the ocean. This pollution results in damage to the environment, to the health of all organisms, and to economic structures worldwide.

Biology, Ecology, Earth Science, Oceanography

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Learning materials

Instructional links.

• Marine Pollution (Google Doc)

Marine pollution is a growing problem in today’s world. Our ocean is being flooded with two main types of pollution: chemicals and trash.

Chemical contamination, or nutrient pollution, is concerning for health, environmental, and economic reasons. 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 flow into the ocean. The increased concentration of chemicals, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, in the coastal ocean promotes the growth of algal blooms , which can be toxic to wildlife and harmful to humans. The negative effects on health and the environment caused by algal blooms hurt local fishing and tourism industries.

Marine trash encompasses all manufactured products—most of them plastic —that end up in the ocean. Littering, storm winds, and poor waste management all contribute to the accumulation of this debris , 80 percent of which comes from sources on land. Common types of marine debris include various plastic items like shopping bags and beverage bottles, along with cigarette butts, bottle caps, food wrappers, and fishing gear. Plastic waste is particularly problematic as a pollutant because it is so long-lasting. Plastic items can take hundreds of years to decompose.

This trash poses dangers to both humans and animals. Fish become tangled and injured in the debris , and some animals mistake items like plastic bags for food and eat them. Small organisms feed on tiny bits of broken-down plastic , called micro plastic , and absorb the chemicals from the plastic into their tissues. Micro plastics are less than five millimeters (0.2 inches) in diameter and have been detected in a range of marine species, including plankton and whales. When small organisms that consume micro plastics are eaten by larger animals, the toxic chemicals then become part of their tissues. In this way, the micro plastic pollution migrates up the food chain , eventually becoming part of the food that humans eat.

Solutions for marine pollution include prevention and cleanup. Disposable and single-use plastic is abundantly used in today’s society, from shopping bags to shipping packaging to plastic bottles. Changing society’s approach to plastic use will be a long and economically challenging process. Cleanup, in contrast, may be impossible for some items. Many types of debris (including some plastics ) do not float, so they are lost deep in the ocean. Plastics that do float tend to collect in large “patches” in ocean gyres. The Pacific Garbage Patch is one example of such a collection, with plastics and micro plastics floating on and below the surface of swirling ocean currents between California and Hawaii in an area of about 1.6 million square kilometers (617,763 square miles), although its size is not fixed. These patches are less like islands of trash and, as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says, more like flecks of micro plastic pepper swirling around an ocean soup. Even some promising solutions are inadequate for combating marine pollution. So-called “ biodegradable ” plastics often break down only at temperatures higher than will ever be reached in the ocean.

Nonetheless, many countries are taking action. According to a 2018 report from the United Nations, more than sixty countries have enacted regulations to limit or ban the use of disposable plastic items. The National Geographic Society is making this content available under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-SA license . The License excludes the National Geographic Logo (meaning the words National Geographic + the Yellow Border Logo) and any images that are included as part of each content piece. For clarity the Logo and images may not be removed, altered, or changed in any way.

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February 22, 2024

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Each year, billions of pounds of trash and other pollutants enter the ocean.

Keep exploring

Find even more resources on ocean pollution and marine debris  in our searchable resource database.

Sanctuaries resource collection: Marine debris

Each year, billions of pounds of trash and other pollutants enter the ocean. Where does this pollution come from? Where does it go? Some of the debris ends up on our beaches, washed in with the waves and tides. Some debris sinks, some is eaten by marine animals that mistake it for food, and some accumulates in ocean gyres . Other forms of pollution that impact the health of the ocean come from sources like oil spills or from accumulation of many dispersed sources, such as fertilizer from our yards.

Litter such as plastic detergent bottles, crates, buoys, combs, and water bottles blanket Kanapou Bay, on the Island of Kaho’olawe in Hawaii. This region is a hot-spot for marine debris accumulation. (Image credit: NOAA)

Where does pollution come from?

The majority of pollutants that make their way into the ocean come from human activities along the coastlines and far inland. One of the biggest sources of pollution is nonpoint source pollution , which occurs as a result of runoff . Nonpoint source pollution can come from many sources, like septic tanks, vehicles, farms, livestock ranches, and timber harvest areas. Pollution that comes from a single source, like an oil or chemical spill, is known as point source pollution . Point source pollution events often have large impacts, but fortunately, they occur less often. Discharge from faulty or damaged factories or water treatment systems is also considered point source pollution.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are chemicals created by humans that are notorious for being resistant to biodegradation and have been found in ground, surface, and drinking water. Makayla Neldner, a 2022 Hollings scholar, spent her summer internship at NOAA’s Hollings Marine Lab in Charleston, South Carolina, researching how two PFAS compounds affected the life cycle of larval grass shrimp ( Palaemon pugio ).

Nutrients and algal blooms: Too much of a good thing?

Sometimes it is not the type of material, but its concentration that determines whether a substance is a pollutant. For example, the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus are essential elements for plant growth. However, if they are too abundant in a body of water, they can stimulate an overgrowth of algae, triggering an event called an algal bloom . Harmful algal blooms (HABs) , also known as “ red tides ,” grow rapidly and produce toxic effects that can affect marine life and sometimes even humans. Excess nutrients entering a body of water, either through natural or human activities, can also result in hypoxia or dead zones . When large amounts of algae sink and decompose in the water, the decomposition process consumes oxygen and depletes the supply available to healthy marine life. Many of the marine species that live in these areas either die or, if they are mobile (such as fish), leave the area.

Using ecological forecasting , NOAA is able to predict changes in ecosystems in response to HABs and other environmental drivers. These forecasts provide information about how people, economies, and communities may be affected. For example, the Harmful Algal Bloom Monitoring System developed by NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science provides information to the public and local authorities to help decide whether beaches need to be closed temporarily to protect public health.

Researchers at the St. Jones Reserve, a component of the Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve, observed trash in songbird nests around the reserve’s visitor center. Hollings scholar Eleanor Meng studied whether this trash occurred more frequently in nests near the visitor center compared to nests further away.

Marine debris

Marine debris is a persistent pollution problem that reaches throughout the entire ocean and Great Lakes. Our ocean and waterways are polluted with a wide variety of marine debris, ranging from tiny microplastics , smaller than 5 mm, to derelict fishing gear and abandoned vessels. Worldwide, hundreds of marine species have been negatively impacted by marine debris, which can harm or kill an animal when it is ingested or they become entangled, and can threaten the habitats they depend on. Marine debris can also interfere with navigation safety and potentially pose a threat to human health.

All marine debris comes from people with a majority of it originating on land and entering the ocean and Great Lakes through littering, poor waste management practices, storm water discharge, and extreme natural events such as tsunamis and hurricanes. Some debris, such as derelict fishing gear , can also come from ocean-based sources. This lost or abandoned gear is a major problem because it can continue to capture and kill wildlife, damage sensitive habitats, and even compete with and damage active fishing gear.

Local, national, and international efforts are needed to address this environmental problem. The Save our Seas Act of 2018 amends and reauthorizes the Marine Debris Act to promote international action, authorize cleanup and response actions, and increase coordination among federal agencies on this topic.

Garbage patches: What and where are they?

Garbage patches are large areas of the ocean where trash, fishing gear, and other marine debris collects. The term “garbage patch” is a misleading nickname, making many believe that garbage patches are "islands of trash" that are visible from afar. These areas are actually made up of debris ranging in size, from microplastics to large bundles of derelict fishing gear.

These patches are formed by large, rotating ocean currents called gyres that pull debris into one location, often to the gyre’s center. There are five gyres in the ocean : one in the Indian Ocean, two in the Atlantic Ocean, and two in the Pacific Ocean. Garbage patches of varying sizes are located in each gyre. Due to winds and currents, garbage patches are constantly changing size and shape. The debris making up the garbage patches can be found from the surface of the ocean all the way to the ocean floor .

A group of teens from Mystic Aquarium received funding from NOAA and the North American Association for Environmental Education to lead an action project in their local community. The team chose to work with a non-profit organization to implement a project that focused on raising awareness on plastic pollution and recycling a common type of plastic used on boats.

The impact of marine pollution on seafood

Heavy metals and other contaminants can accumulate in seafood, making it harmful for humans to consume. Microplastics can be ingested by fish and other species that filter their food out of the water. With more than one-third of the shellfish-growing waters of the United States adversely affected by coastal pollution, it’s important for NOAA and it’s partners to study the impacts of microplastics and harmful contaminants in seafood. There is ongoing research around the country focusing on the potential risk to wildlife and humans from debris exposure and ingestion. NOAA monitors seafood contamination and provides safety tips through the Sustainable Seafood portal .

The B’more Conscious environmental fun festival at the National Aquarium focused on blue crab populations in Baltimore, plastic pollution and microplastics, eutrophication and food waste, and the urbanization of Baltimore City. 

EDUCATION CONNECTION

Whether humans live near the coasts or far inland, they are a part of the problem — and the solution — to ocean pollution. Through this collection of resources and information, students can be informed of the types of pollution harming our ocean, and learn about actions they can take to prevent further pollution no matter where they live. The NOAA Marine Debris Program provides many educational resources for educators, students, families, and adults to help better understand this global issue.

Plastic Pollution

A global overview from our world in data.

These slides provide a global overview of plastics production, waste, and pollution of our oceans. They are designed to provide a summary of the plastics challenge and what this tells us about how to address it. A more detailed exploration of this topic can be found at our topic page on Plastic Pollution

• How much plastic does the world produce?
• What is the fate of our plastics?
• How much plastic waste do we produce & how much ends up in the ocean?
• Where does plastic waste come from?
• How much plastic waste is traded?
• How do we tackle plastic pollution?

Annual global production of plastics has increased more than 200-fold since 1950.

In 2019 the world produced more than 450 million tonnes of plastic.

By 2019 cumulative plastic production was around 9.5 billion tonnes.

This is equivalent to more than one tonne of plastic for every person alive today.

Of the global plastic produced over the period from 1950 to 2015:

• 55% straight to landfill
• 30% was still in use
• 8% was incinerated
• 6-7% was recycled

Of 5.8 billion tonnes of plastic no longer in use, ~9% was recycled.

You can explore how the trend in global recycling, incineration and landfill has changed over time here .

Whilst recycling is preferable to incineration or landfill by displacing new plastic production, most plastic can be recycled only once or twice .

This means that most recycled plastic eventually ends up in landfill or incineration.

"Recycling delays, rather than avoids, final disposal" (Geyer et al. 2017)

The world produces around 350 million tonnes of plastic waste each year.

Estimates vary, but studies suggest that 1 to 2 million tonnes enter the oceans annually.

That means 0.5% of plastic waste ends up in the ocean.

We can answer this in multiple ways:

• By land-based and marine sources
• By country or region

Packaging is the largest contributor to plastic waste.

Plastic waste can arise from land (via coastlines and rivers) and from marine sources (such as fishing nets, ropes, lines and abandoned vessels).

How significant is each source for ocean plastics?

However, in certain locations, marine sources can be more significant. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch has more than half (52%) from marine sources due to intensive fishing activity in the Pacific Ocean.

To identify the main geographical contributors to plastic pollution, we need to explore these figures in several steps:

• How much total plastic waste is generated by country
• How much plastic waste is generated by coastal populations - this is plastic which is most at risk of entering the ocean
• How much of coastal plastic waste is mismanaged (open, dumped or not enclosed) and can therefore enter waterways.

This interactive map shows the total plastic waste generation by country in 2010.

Here we see that the largest producers (China, USA, Brazil, Germany, Japan, Pakistan, Nigeria) span all continents.

But to understand the largest contributors to plastic pollution, we must correct for:

• coastal populations (taken as populations within 50km of a coastline)
• how much of this plastic is 'mismanaged'

Mismanaged plastic waste is waste which is inadequately managed (seen in the chart opposite), plus littered waste (seen here ).

High-income countries tend to have effective waste management systems and therefore low levels of inadequately managed waste.

Once we correct for these factors we can understand the geographical distribution of plastic waste at high risk of entering the ocean.

Here we see very strong regional dominance particularly across Asia.

When we aggregate by region we see the majority of plastic at risk of entering the ocean arises from Asia and Africa, with the Americas playing a notable role.

Global trade of plastics has changed a lot in the last few years.

Historically, China has been the largest plastic importer. But in 2017, it banned imports of non-industrial plastic waste.

A number of other middle-income countries have done the same.

We can see this income group's share of global plastic imports has fallen dramatically

You can also see that the amount of plastic waste that rich countries export has fallen.

This is because middle-income countries are less willing to trade.

“If we all do a little, we’ll only achieve a little”

David mackay (sustainable energy without the hot air), high-impact immediate priorities:, development of effective waste management infrastructure in all countries.

Most ocean plastic arises from countries with poor waste management infrastructure.

Cease plastic trade from rich to low or middle-income countries without sufficient investment in waste management infrastructure

The largest plastic exporters are some of the world's richest countries.

Rich countries should handle waste domestically & cease trade of plastic trade unless sufficient infrastructure is in place. A tax for exporting countries is one suggested method of raising funds for waste management services.

Strict legislation and management of fishing activity and waste

Marine plastics can be a major source of ocean pollution (most notably the Great Pacific Garbage Patch ).

Fishing activity should be better-regulated and managed to limit these sources.

Longer-term shifts in consumption models

• How essential plastic is in many aspects (e.g. preventing food losses & waste, sterile environments, construction, medical supplies)
• Plastic alternatives often have other environmental impacts . There are usually trade-offs
• To be globally effective, must be scalable and cheap

Explore this topic in detail at our:

Main topic on plastic pollution.

About the author: Hannah Ritchie is a scientist at the University of Oxford. She is a Researcher at the Oxford Martin Programme on Global Development . About Our World in Data: Our World in Data is an online publication that shows how living conditions are changing. The aim is to give a global overview and to show changes over the very long run, so that we can see where we are coming from, where we are today, and what is possible for the future. www.ourworldindata.org | @HannahRitchie02

Tackling marine pollution: Individual action, key to ocean restoration

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On Monday, thousands of people gathered at Altice Arena in Lisbon, Portugal, for the first day of the long-awaited UN Ocean Conference. Riding on the global momentum generated by the event, experts are pushing for a new international commitment to combat pollution, including at sea.

According to the UN Environment Programme ( UNEP ), the amount of marine litter and plastic waste, has been growing rapidly . And without meaningful action, emissions of plastics into aquatic ecosystems, are projected to nearly triple by 2040.

"I want to share the magic and the power of the ocean."Newly designated @ UNESCO Champion for the Ocean and Youth and world-famous Brazilian surfer, Maya Gabeira, reminds us at the #UNOceanConference, that collectively we can #SaveOurOcean. #OceanDecade pic.twitter.com/pL1ashuf48 UNESCO 🏛️ #Education #Sciences #Culture 🇺🇳😷 UNESCO

Following the high-level plenary , a panel of experts met to discuss the marine pollution issue, focusing on finding solutions.

Urgency of pollution crisis

Pollution cuts across several sectors and is strongly interconnected with the other planetary crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. Combatting marine pollution is a global challenge, that needs a global approach if it’s to be mitigated, experts remarked.

“Sea-based pollution, including discharges and spills from vessels and the presence of abandoned, lost, or otherwise discarded fishing gear, continues to be of concern, with plastics and microplastics from numerous sources, untreated wastewater and nutrient run-off still polluting the oceans”, said a statement published by organizers of the event. 

Speaking in Lisbon, Janis Searles Jones, Chief Executive Officer at the Ocean Conservancy, in Portland, Oregon, stressed that “life below water is essential to life above water”, and underlined the urgency of reducing single-use plastic, and faster action.

‘Scream loud’: ban single-use plastic

On the sidelines of the Conference, the UN educational and scientific agency (UNESCO) named giant-wave surfer and two-time Guinness World Record holder, Maya Gabeira, Champion of the Ocean and Youth.

Speaking at an event in the SDG Media Zone – “Empowering youth for the Ocean we need” - the Brazilian athlete shared that even in her most remote surfing spot - which she can only reach after travelling for 55 hours - she finds plastic surrounding her when she is catching the waves.

“It is very sad when you are surfing and the tide turns and all that plastic moves into you, and you are trying to make space, or put whatever you can in your pockets to bring to a recycling trash, but we know that’s not even a dent, and that is not the solution.”

Speaking to UN News , Ms. Gabeira reiterated the importance of educating herself and of learning ways of creating less of a footprint – not just by using less plastic, but also by using her platform to “scream as loud” as possible, to drive change, adding that every single one of us, can make a difference.

At the event, UNESCO’s Director-General Audrey Azoulay reiterated the commitment to integrate ocean education into national curricula of all Member States by 2025, underlining the importance of ocean literacy .

Changes in consumption patterns needed

According to UNEP’s most recent data , and despite current initiatives and efforts, the amount of plastic in the ocean is now estimated to be 75-199 million tons.

Population increases, changes in consumption patterns and other types of behaviour, and greater market accessibility lead to higher waste generation, while the resources and technical capacity for sound waste management are limited in some countries which decide they have more pressing public spending needs.

All these pollution challenges require national and regional cooperation and knowledge-sharing among diverse stakeholders, experts warned.

For fashion designer and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, Oskar Metsavaht, fashion is also a way of changing attitudes and behaviour, just like any other art form, such as cinema and music, he told UN News.

Youth is essential

A major concern among environmentalists is what happens during the breakdown of plastics in the ocean, chiefly in the form of microplastics – which are small pieces of plastic less than 5 mm in diameter - and chemical additives, which are known to be toxic and hazardous to human and wildlife health, as well as ecosystems.

“Youth [needs] not only to question the system, but changing their behaviours of consumerism, and using nature, conservancy, and sustainable development, oceans and forests, to be inspirational”, the creator of the lifestyle brand Osklen added.

“New fabrics, new materials, and new technologies need to be implemented in a sustainable way – we still need to find a solution to avoid the microplastics in fashion”, Mr. Metsavaht concluded.

One of the expected outcomes of the Conference and of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development is to identify science-based and innovative actions to overcome challenges in reaching SDG Goal 14 including in the preventing, reducing, and elimination of marine plastic litter.

During the week, UN News will bring you daily coverage on the Conference as well as interviews, podcasts, and features, which you can access  here .

• marine pollution

Children play on the shore of Manila Bay in the Philippines, which is polluted by plastic waste.

• ENVIRONMENT

The world's plastic pollution crisis, explained

Much of the planet is swimming in discarded plastic, which is harming animal and possibly human health. Can it be cleaned up?

Plastic pollution has become one of the most pressing environmental issues , as rapidly increasing production of disposable plastic products overwhelms the world’s ability to deal with them. Plastic pollution is most visible in developing Asian and African nations, where garbage collection systems are often inefficient or nonexistent. But the developed world, especially in countries with low recycling rates , also has trouble properly collecting discarded plastics. Plastic trash has become so ubiquitous it has prompted efforts to write a global treaty negotiated by the United Nations.

Why was plastic invented?

Plastics made from fossil fuels are just over a century old. Production and development of thousands of new plastic products accelerated after World War II, so transforming the modern age that life without plastics would be unrecognizable today. In plastic, inventors found a light, durable material that can be used in everything from transportation to medicine.  

Plastics revolutionized medicine with life-saving devices, made space travel possible, lightened cars and jets—saving fuel and pollution—and saved lives with helmets, incubators, and equipment for clean drinking water.

The conveniences plastics offer, however, led to a throw-away culture that reveals the material’s dark side: today, single-use plastics account for 40 percent of the plastic produced every year. Many of these products, such as plastic bags and food wrappers, have a lifespan of mere minutes to hours, yet they may persist in the environment for hundreds of years.

Plastics by the numbers

Some key facts:

• Half of all plastics ever manufactured have been made in the last 20 years.
• Production increased exponentially, from 2.3 million tons in 1950 to 448 million tons by 2015. Production is expected to double by 2050.
• Every year, about eight million tons of plastic waste escapes into the oceans from coastal nations. That’s the equivalent of setting five garbage bags full of trash on every foot of coastline around the world.
• Plastics often contain additives making them stronger, more flexible, and durable. But many of these additives can extend the life of products if they become litter, with some estimates ranging to at least 400 years to break down.

For Hungry Minds

How plastics move around the world.

Most of the plastic trash in the oceans, Earth’s last sink, flows from land. Trash is also carried to sea by major rivers , which act as conveyor belts, picking up more and more trash as they move downstream. Once at sea, much of the plastic trash remains in coastal waters. But once caught up in ocean currents, it can be transported around the world.

On Henderson Island , an uninhabited atoll in the Pitcairn Group isolated halfway between Chile and New Zealand, scientists found plastic items from Russia, the United States, Europe, South America, Japan, and China. They were carried to the South Pacific by the South Pacific gyre, a circular ocean current.

Microplastics—a new health threat

Once at sea, sunlight, wind, and wave action break down plastic waste into small particles, often less than one-fifth of an inch across. These so-called microplastics are spread throughout the water column and have been found in every corner of the globe, from Mount Everest, the highest peak, to the Mariana Trench , the deepest trough.  

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Microplastics are breaking down further into smaller and smaller pieces. Plastic microfibers, meanwhile, have been found in municipal drinking water systems and drifting through the air.

It's no surprise then that scientists have found microplastics in people. The tiny particles are in our blood, lungs, and even in feces . Exactly how much microplastics might be harming human health is a question scientists are urgently trying to answer. ( Learn more. )

Harm to wildlife

Millions of animals are killed by plastics every year, from birds to fish to other marine organisms. Nearly 700 species, including endangered ones, are known to have been affected by plastics. Nearly every species of seabird eats plastics.

Most of the deaths to animals are caused by entanglement or starvation. Seals, whales , turtles, and other animals are strangled by abandoned fishing gear or discarded six-pack rings . Microplastics have been found   in more than 100 aquatic species, including fish, shrimp, and mussels destined for our dinner plates. In many cases, these tiny bits pass through the digestive system and are expelled without consequence. But plastics have also been found to have blocked digestive tracts or pierced organs, causing death. Stomachs so packed with plastics reduce the urge to eat, causing starvation.

Plastics have been consumed by land-based animals, including elephants, hyenas, zebras, tigers, camels, cattle, and other large mammals, in some cases causing death .

Tests have also confirmed liver and cell damage and disruptions to reproductive systems,   prompting some species, such as oysters, to produce fewer eggs. New research shows that larval fish are eating nanofibers in the first days of life, raising new questions about the effects of plastics on fish populations.

Stopping plastic pollution

Once in the ocean, it is difficult—if not impossible—to retrieve plastic waste. Mechanical systems, such as Mr. Trash Wheel , a litter interceptor in Maryland’s Baltimore Harbor, can be effective at picking up large pieces of plastic, such as foam cups and food containers, from inland waters. But once plastics break down into microplastics and drift throughout the water column in the open ocean, they are virtually impossible to recover.

The solution is to prevent plastic waste from entering rivers and seas in the first place, many scientists and conservationists—including the National Geographic Society —say. This could be accomplished with improved waste management systems and recycling , better product design that takes into account the short life of disposable packaging, and a reduction in manufacturing of unnecessary single-use plastics.

Related Topics

• WATER POLLUTION
• TOXIC WASTE

We Made Plastic. We Depend on It. Now We’re Drowning in It.

In a first, microplastic particles have been linked to heart disease

One Stanley bottle helps the environment. But a whole collection?

‘Forever chemicals’ are hiding in your kitchen. Here’s where—and what you can do

The U.S. plans to limit PFAS in drinking water. What does that really mean?

• Environment
• Perpetual Planet

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Ocean Pollution

Jul 21, 2014

630 likes | 1.92k Views

Ocean Pollution. By: Alexis Kirven. What Causes Ocean Pollution?. One of the major causes of ocean pollution is the discharge of crude oil, accidental or deliberate, in the oceans. This happens in course of transportation of ships, when these ships discharge their waste in the ocean.

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• human wastewater
• devastating oil spills
• air pollution
• beaches environmental assessment
• various ocean pollution causes

Presentation Transcript

Ocean Pollution By: Alexis Kirven

What Causes Ocean Pollution? • One of the major causes of ocean pollution is the discharge of crude oil, accidental or deliberate, in the oceans. • This happens in course of transportation of ships, when these ships discharge their waste in the ocean. • Ocean pollution statistics give the gruesome picture of the hazard the marine life is facing. This problem is faced by all the oceans of the world. • Transportation of vessels carrying various ores can also lead to pollution of the water body when these ore sediments are accidentally dumped in it.

What effect the Ocean Pollution? • Ocean pollution is hazardous for marine life. Oil spilled in oceans is disastrous for all forms of marine life including coral reefs, fish, and marine plants. • Coral reefs are in fact the worst affected as excessive ocean pollution and global warming threaten to wipe them off the planet within a few more years. • Ocean pollution leads to depletion of oxygen dissolved in water, which in turn makes it difficult for various sea animals to breathe underwater. • Humans are not left out the hazardous effects of ocean pollution as marine life is a major source of food for humans.

Ocean Pollution prevention Prevention of marine water pollution emphasizes on identifying the various ocean pollution causes and finding a solution for them. These include • Ensuring that there is no leakage of crude oil from tankers by regular monitoring of vessels by proper agencies. • Declaring deliberate discharge of crude oil by vessels and industrial waste by industries on land as an offense with a significant penalty. • Ensuring that garbage produced by humans is treated properly instead of just dumping it in the oceans. • Ensuring that the amount of air pollution, which causes phenomena such as acid rain, is lessened if not totally curbed. • Understanding the importance of marine life for us and making sure that we don't cause harm to them.

Different types of Ocean Pollution • Oil • Dumping • Sewage • Air Pollution • Agricultural Runoff • Sunscreen

Oil • Petroleum products used for fuel from the earth deep below the ocean surfaces. Occasionally, offshore drilling rigs experience accidental leaks. Ships carrying oil have also been known to cause devastating oil spills, but these are large-scale disasters. Oil seepage occurs on a smaller but continuous level, leaching from factories and other plants. In fact, one of the greatest sources of oil pollution is people who pour various cooking oils and grease down the sink drains in their homes.

Dumping • A portion of the billions if not trillions of tons of trash produced each year finds its way into ocean waters. This comes as no surprise to anyone who has seen plastic bottles and other waste floating onto the beaches. Trash is often dumped from ships and offshore drilling rigs directly into the sea. Aside from trash, industrial waste is one of the major issues when it comes to ocean dumping. These toxic chemicals, including radioactive chemicals, are a death sentence for ocean life forms.

Sewage • Animal waste and human wastewater from toilets and other household activities such as bathing and laundering as well as food preparation are often washed directly into the ocean from coastal communities. Untreated sewage contains microbes or pathogens that precipitate disease when infected seafood is consumed or skin contact occurs. In some cases, solid sludge from treated sewage is also dumped into the oceans.

Air Pollution • Air pollution and ocean pollution are inextricably linked. Pollution from automobiles and factories is translated into acid rain, which falls into the ocean and mingles with its waters.

Agricultural Runoff • Rainwater washes pesticides and fertilizers into smaller water sources such as streams and rivers, which ultimately carny those toxic chemicals into the ocean. Another source of agricultural runoff is animal waste, which is not treated like human sewage. For example, runoff from Midwestern farms into the Mississippi River is responsible for the "Dead Zone" in the Gulf of Mexico, which features very little marine life.

Sunscreen • Sunscreen is a lesser known source of pollution, but can have grave effects. The chemicals in sunscreen worn by swimmers and divers washes off into the ocean water and coats plant-life on coral reefs and suffocates them. Vast swaths of reefs have been destroyed, but there are eco-friendly sunscreen products on the market that help to prevent this terrible side-effect, while still protecting skin from cancerous sunrays.

Economic Impact of Pollution • The economic impact of ocean pollution is far-reaching. Since it affects the population of seafood, the fishing and crabbing industries, among others, are directly affected. The local economies of coastal towns that depend on these industries can be devastated by a large scale disaster, such as an oil spill. Tourism also suffers in beach communities that are overcome by pollutants in the ocean.

Ocean Pollution Regulations The US government and international conventions have enacted many laws and treaties to prohibit the dumping of wastes and other contaminates into the world oceans. Such regulations include: • 1890 River and Harbors Act (discharge of dredged materials) • 1972 Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act (Ocean Dumping Act) • 1972 Treaty, the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter (London Convention) • 1973 The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) • 1988 Ocean Dumping Ban Act • 2000 Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act (BEACH Act)

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