Marine Pollution

Chemicals and debris, mostly from terrestrial sources, are washed or blown into the ocean, making up marine pollution. Pollution harms the environment, the health of all organisms, and economic structures worldwide. In this chapter, we will briefly discuss the various factors and processes that are responsible for the contamination of marine water. There are various kinds of impact of pollution on aquatic, plant and human life.

What is marine pollution?

When substances utilized or spread by people, such as agricultural, industrial, residential trash, noise, excess carbon dioxide, particulates, invading creatures, etc. reach the water and have adverse impacts, this phenomenon is referred to as marine pollution. Most of this trash (80%) comes from land-based activities, although marine transportation also plays a considerable role. Because the majority of inputs come from land, whether through rivers, sewage, or the atmosphere, continental shelves are more susceptible to pollution. Air pollution contributes to ocean contamination by transporting iron, carbonic acid, silicon, nitrogen, pesticides, sulphur, and dust particles.

Marine pollution causes 

• Ship or Cargo discharge: Ships damage rivers and oceans in a variety of ways. Oil spills can have disastrous consequences. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are found in crude oil, are extremely difficult to clean up and can persist for years in the sediment & marine environment. Oil spills are perhaps the most emotionally charged kind of marine pollution. While a tanker catastrophe may make front-page news, much of the oil in the world’s waters comes from smaller sources like tankers emptying ballast water from oil tanks used on returnships, leaking pipelines, or motor oil flushed down sewers.
• Surface runoff from paved areas: Water temperature can be influenced by runoff from parking lots, roadways, and other surfaces. Temperatures might rise during the summer, resulting in warm water discharge. Marine pollution can occur if runoff reaches sewer systems and aquatic bodies.
• Natural occurrences: Marine pollution is caused by more than just humans. Excess heat in bodies of water can be caused by natural factors such as geothermal vents, hot springs, and volcanoes. In addition, lightning can cause heat to be released into bodies of water.
• Pesticides & herbicides are used to control pests that impede crop yield on agricultural land. Pesticides that remain and accumulate in soils can affect the biological processes, enhance plant uptake of the chemical, and be hazardous to soil species, resulting in soil pollution. The persistence of pesticides and herbicides is determined by the chemical, which influences adsorption dynamics and, as a result, fate & transport in the soil ecosystem. Animals that feed infected bugs and soil organisms can collect pesticides.
• Pesticides made from natural ingredients are known as biopesticides (plants, microorganisms, animals, certain minerals). As an alternative to standard pesticides, biopesticides can help to minimize overall marine pollution since they are easy to use, have a short residual time, and are generally non-toxic to useful invertebrates and vertebrates. However, there are also worries that biopesticides may deleteriously impact nontarget species populations.
• Contamination occurs when naturally existing soil and rocks chemicals dissolve in water. Iron, radionuclides, Sulfates, manganese, fluorides, arsenic, and chlorides are among these compounds. Others, such as potting soil components, may seep into underground water and move as particles. As per the WHO records, Fluoride and arsenic are the most common contaminants. The Groundwater Assessment Platform can be used to investigate the natural causes of pollution, and GAP uses geological, environmental, and topographical data to calculate pollution levels.

Effects of Marine Pollution

Nutrient pollution, is a type of water pollution that impacts the life of aquatic bodies, is water contamination by excess nutrients. It happens when the marine system gets polluted with fertilizers and pesticides. After that, they integrate into the food chain and became part of the ecosystem which causes various harmful impacts on the living beings. These toxic pesticides create mutations and diseases in the marine food webs, which can endanger the entire food web and humans. It impacts biochemistry, the reproduction process, and tissue matter. These can modify tissue matter, biochemistry, behaviour, and reproduction and suppress and alter the growth of marine life. Toxins from the sea can be transferred to land animals that eat fish or fish hydrolysate. Pollutants are then transferred to dairy products & meat from these land animals.

Steps to Prevent Marine Pollution

• Stop using plastic & littering because these items clog drains and pollute the oceans.
• Ensure that the chemicals listed above are not utilized anywhere near streams of water, and attempt to reduce your use of them.
• Farmers must transition away from artificial fertilizers and pesticides and toward organic farming methods.
• Make use of public transportation and decrease your carbon footprint by taking simple but significant steps that will help reduce pollution in the environment and secure a healthy and safe future for future generations.

Conclusion

Oceans are the biggest bodies of water in the world. In recent decades, excessive human activities have harmed marine life in the world’s waters. The introduction of dangerous chemicals such as oil, industrial, plastic, and agricultural waste and chemical particles into the water is ocean pollution.