Introduction
Since the dawn of time, there have been people living on the planet, and water has always been essential in sustaining all living things. For many decades, people have been concerned about the state of the ocean and its pollution. Ocean pollution has resulted in the extinction of aquatic life and, by extension, has harmed humanity. Human activities are widely recognized as a significant contributor to the problem of ocean pollution.
Ocean Pollution Due to Human Activities
Humans should take the initiative to protect the available water supplies to preserve the survival of all living things in the cosmos. People know the importance of water conservation but still engage in activities that lead to the pollution of watersheds. Daily activities carried out by humans and animals, as well as natural occurrences, such as those that occur below volcanic eruptions, are some of the factors that contribute to the contamination of water bodies.
The use of herbicides and pesticides while farming has contributed to ocean pollution. These substances are examples of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that can be detected in the water. The substances, as their names imply, take an exceptionally long time to break down and have the potential to work their way up the taxonomic levels of aquatic life. Chemicals such as mercury and cadmium are examples of toxic metal pollution. Cai and colleagues (2021) argue that the compounds can enter the ocean either by direct dumping or “upstream” sources such as mining and trash dumping. They identified in their study that mercury concentrations in the Pacific Ocean have risen by thirty percent over the past two decades as a direct result of an increase in the number of power plants that burn coal and other industrial activity. Over 90 percent of mercury exposure results from consuming contaminated fish and shellfish, one of the numerous compounds that can be detrimental to human health.
Pollution caused by humans is currently the principal factor leading to the acidity of the seas in the modern world. Marine life is suffering significantly as a direct result of this pollution. According to a study by Hoegh-Guldberg, (2019), coral reefs’ structure and functioning are harmed when there is a rise in carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere owing to the emission of harmful industrial compounds into the environment. Coral reefs are often found in a range of diverse habitats. They supply other species that dwell in water with food and a place to reside. Coral reefs become more prone to harm from elevated calcium levels as a result of acidification’s calcification process. It will drastically affect the functionality and structure of these aquatic animals. As a result of the impact of irresponsible human actions, the ocean’s surface water typically absorbs around 25 percent of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere annually (Cai et al., 2021). This gas will push the pH level of the ocean water down, which will have detrimental consequences on the carbon chemistry of the water.
The ocean’s light pollution problem is exacerbated by the presence of various sources, including coastal communities, offshore mining platforms, and fishing vessels that operate at night. Animals of the sea, such as turtles, affected by artificial lights, such as those used in aquariums, run the risk of being disoriented due to the lights (Falcón et al., 2020). Hatchlings are susceptible to being consumed by predators due to the consequences of light pollution, which include becoming disoriented and taking longer to find water. It leaves them vulnerable to being eaten.
Plastic pollution is one of the most pervasive forms of pollution that can be found in the oceans at present. The proliferation of businesses that wrap their wares in plastic contributes to the problem of plastic pollution (Nguyen et al., 2018). The same may be said of oil and chemical firms like Exxon, Shell, and Dow that produce plastics for commercial use. People who buy products packaged in plastic containers often improperly dispose of the plastic, introducing it into aquatic environments such as the ocean. Plastic pollution has reached such a massive extent that it is now considered a pandemic. According to a report published by the World Wildlife Fund, an incredible quantity of plastic is polluting the oceans and other ecosystems worldwide. Around 500 billion plastic bags are used yearly, and the equivalent of one full garbage truckload’s worth of plastic is tossed into the ocean every minute. The presence of plastics in the water has a devastating effect on marine species, particularly whales (Ahamed et al., 2021). For instance, when a sperm whale died in 2019, it was discovered that he had consumed 220 pounds of garbage during his lifetime.
As a result of the fact that the majority of people on earth get their supply of protein food from the ocean, it is of the utmost importance to prevent the ocean from becoming contaminated. Human health can benefit from the proteins extracted from fish, which are suitable for human health overall (Nguyen et al., 2018). The same contaminants present in an environment that is contaminated will be transferred to humans through the consumption of contaminated fish, which in turn leads to unhealthy lifestyles.
The ocean primarily controls our weather. It acts as a heat sink, carrying warm water from the equator to the poles and cold water from the poles to the tropics as it travels between the two regions (Allen et al., 2020). Without these currents, the climate in some areas would be pretty severe, and there would be fewer locations on the planet where people could live. It controls the amount of rainfall as well as droughts. The oceans, which contain 97 percent of the water on our planet, are the primary source of practically all the precipitation that falls on land (Nguyen et al., 2018). The ocean takes the carbon dioxide, which helps maintain the stability of the carbon cycle and, as a result, the earth’s temperatures. It is comparable to the system we use to regulate the climate on a global scale. Therefore, when the ocean becomes polluted, the entire ecosystem will also become polluted due to the circulation of the currents.
Despite the human activities that lead to ocean pollution, it is not too late to engage in strategies that would help conserve the ocean. Since oceans play a crucial part in the ecosystem, it is of the utmost importance to develop strategies that will aid in preserving the sea and the organisms that live in it. Protecting the ocean should be a priority for humankind, and one way to do this is to be conscientious about how waste products are disposed of. The correct way to dispose of non-biodegradable materials is to collect them and transport them to locations where they can be disposed of in a less hazardous manner (Ahamed et al., 2021). Companies that engage in manufacturing and processing are responsible for treating emissions and ensuring that they are released into the atmosphere in a less detrimental form.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is essential to protect the ocean because anything that human beings throw into the ocean will eventually make its way back to affect those responsible for polluting it. As a result of the fact that all living things are interdependent on one another, it is necessary to pay attention to the health of other living things to coexist on this planet properly.
References
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Allen, S., Allen, D., Moss, K., Le Roux, G., Phoenix, V. R., & Sonke, J. E. (2020). Examination of the ocean as a source for atmospheric microplastics. PLOS ONE, 15(5). Web.
Cai, W.-J., Feely, R. A., Testa, J. M., Li, M., Evans, W., Alin, S. R., Xu, Y.-Y., Pelletier, G., Ahmed, A., Greeley, D. J., Newton, J. A., & Bednaršek, N. (2021). Natural and anthropogenic drivers of acidification in large estuaries. Annual Review of Marine Science, 13(1), 23–55. Web.
Falcón, J., Torriglia, A., Attia, D., Viénot, F., Gronfier, C., Behar-Cohen, F., Martinsons, C., & Hicks, D. (2020). Exposure to artificial light at night and the consequences for flora, fauna, and Ecosystems. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 14. Web.
Hoegh-Guldberg, O., Pendleton, L., & Kaup, A. (2019). People and the changing nature of coral reefs. Regional Studies in Marine Science, 30, 100699. Web.
Nguyen, K. A., Jolly, C. M., & Nguelifack, B. M. (2018). Biodiversity, Coastal Protection and Resource Endowment: Policy options for improving ocean health. Journal of Policy Modeling, 40(2), 242–264. Web.