Introduction
Water covers over 70% of the planet’s surface area, yet the ocean is used and treated as a trash can by the vast majority of the world. Our ocean is the Earth’s climate regulator: it keeps us calm and prevents the effects of global warming. The ocean is responsible for producing over 50% of the world’s oxygen via plankton and storing over 50 times more carbon dioxide than the Earth’s atmosphere does (NOAA). It has also allowed the United States to generate billions of dollars through trade and oil and gas production (USDI 16).
However, with the ocean’s poor treatment, neglect can take all this away. Finding ways to combat these problems is crucial to our ocean’s survival. Ocean pollution destroys the ocean’s environment because of the large-scale plastic pollution, rising global temperatures, and hazardous chemical contaminants.
The Scale and Impact of Oceanic Plastic Pollution
Ocean pollution is one of the most significant environmental problems the world is currently facing. Plastic pollution is among the most widely recognized environmental pollutants, especially relevant for the marine context, with its far-reaching consequences yet to be uncovered. Oceanic plastic pollution has reached alarming levels, with millions of tons of plastic waste ending up in the ocean yearly. According to the most recent estimates, around 8 million tonnes, or 3% of global annual plastic waste, will go into the ocean in 2022 (Ritchie and Roser).
The plastic debris accumulates in the ocean, forming vast floating garbage patches. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is one of the most extensive, estimated to cover an area two times larger than Texas, and is growing rapidly (“The Great Pacific Garbage Patch;” Lebreton 1). The most troubling fact is that the amount of plastic in the oceans’ surface waters is orders of magnitude lower than what gets into the ocean annually (Ritchie and Roser). As plastic does not biodegrade, it remains in the ocean indefinitely, causing significant harm to marine life, including entanglement and ingestion.
The Puzzle of Missing Plastic and the Rise of Microplastics
The issue of missing plastic still puzzles scholars, though a few possible explanations exist. The only known degradation process that plastic undergoes naturally under the influence of ultraviolet light only makes the problem worse by turning it into microplastics – microscopic particles that are notoriously difficult to detect and collect. Easily entering the bloodstream through ingestion, these particles can absorb organic and inorganic toxicants and pollutants from the environment into organisms, acting cumulatively to produce a variety of adverse health issues (Alimba and Faggio 70).
Microplastics: Hidden Threats to Marine and Human Health
Microplastics are a potential answer to the missing plastic problem – and a source of anxiety for climatologists and biologists worldwide. The adverse effects of ingesting microplastics in large quantities are still not fully understood. Still, current evidence suggests a broad range of health issues associated with it, including endocrine system disruption, neurotoxicity, and reproductive abnormalities (Alimba and Faggio 65). However, while plastic pollution is considered critical and extremely alarming, some scholars argue it might draw attention away from other, more serious problems, including climate change.
Global Warming and Its Effects on Ocean Health
The second major factor contributing to ocean pollution is global warming. Global warming is causing significant changes in the world’s oceans, potentially devastating consequences for the planet’s ecosystem and human populations. The ocean plays a vital role in regulating the Earth’s climate, but the increase in carbon emissions leads to a rise in the ocean’s temperature (Stafford and Jones 188).
As carbon dioxide from the atmosphere dissolves in the ocean, it forms carbonic acid, leading to a decrease in the ocean’s pH levels. This process is known as ocean acidification, and it can have a devastating impact, particularly on animals that rely on calcium carbonate to build their shells or skeletons. Its adverse effects negatively impact marine life, including fish and mammals, as they cannot adapt to rapidly changing conditions. Coral reefs are especially susceptible to changes in temperature, and rising ocean temperatures can cause coral bleaching, leading to the eventual death and destruction of whole coral reefs.
Sea-Level Rise and the Disruption of Oceanic Systems
As global temperatures continue to rise, melting glaciers and ice sheets are causing sea levels to rise. The disruption of the global oceanic currents leads to anomalous weather patterns worldwide, which cause increasingly unpredictable and severe droughts, floods, hurricanes, blizzards, and other extreme weather phenomena (Cheng 128). This rising sea level is particularly concerning for coastal cities, as it increases the risk of flooding, storm surges, and coastal erosion (Cheng 128). Ocean currents can also alter the distribution of nutrients and affect the migration patterns of fish and other marine life. The consequences of these changes are harsh to predict due to many variables and the high degree of interconnectedness inside and between the global ecosystems.
Toxic Chemicals: The Invisible Danger in Marine Ecosystems
Finally, releasing toxic chemicals into the ocean contributes to pollution. Hazardous substances originate from many sources, including industrial and agricultural runoff, oil spills, and wastewater discharge. They can also occur naturally, for example, during the blooming of certain algae that live in warm waters – another indirect consequence of rising ocean temperature. Ocean pollution, deemed the world’s most significant environmental cause of disease today, leads to around nine million premature deaths annually, causes significant economic losses, and severely damages ecosystems (Landrigan 1).
These pollutants harm marine life and threaten human health when consumed through seafood or ingested during swimming. Some chemicals, such as mercury, can accumulate in the food chain, ultimately posing extreme hazards for all animals, including humans. Addressing this issue requires a global effort from governments and international organizations, though the cumulative adverse effects of the current pollution levels are yet to be fully revealed and experienced.
Conclusion
In conclusion, ocean pollution is a severe problem that affects the health of the planet and all its inhabitants. The ocean is vital to the Earth’s ecosystem, regulating the planet’s climate, producing oxygen, and providing economic benefits through trade and resource production. However, the ocean’s survival is at risk due to neglect and pollution. Excessive amounts of plastic waste, global warming, and toxic chemicals are all major contributors to the degradation of the ocean’s environment.
Combating these problems is essential to ensure the ocean’s survival and maintain the planet’s ecosystem’s delicate balance. Humanity must take action to reduce the anthropogenic impact on the ocean by reducing the use of plastic, decreasing carbon emissions, and regulating the release of toxic chemicals into the environment. Governments and international organizations must work together to address these issues, and individuals must also take responsibility for their actions and make conscious choices to reduce pollution and protect the ocean. Taking these steps jointly makes protecting the ocean and its valuable resources possible for future generations.
Works Cited
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