Human Impacts on Oceans
Alteration of Coastlines Jetties, breakwaters Courtesy of Mark Dell’Aquila
Coastlines 1982 Coastal Barrier Resource Act CA: 1000 yds from water under Coastal Zone Mngmnt. Regulations
Plastics in Oceans Have stable chemical structures therefore degrade very slowly Float enticingly
Plastics Sea turtles mistake them for jellyfish Birds get tangled in fishing lines lose legs Gill nets, six-packs garrote thousands
Anchor Damage Anchors cause significant damage on reefs Conservation-oriented islands sink permenant mooring for boats to anchor to.
What Is Water Pollution? Any physical, biological or chemical change in water quality that adversely affects living organisms or makes the water unsuitable for desired uses
Point Sources Discharged into the environment through pipes, sewers or ditches from specific factories
Non-point Sources Land pollutants entering a body of water from large areas rather than a single point Agricultural runoff Mining wastes All types of Urban runoff
Marine Contaminants
Sediment Pollution Largest pollutant by vol. in most parts of world Erosion increases sedimentation 25 billion metric tons of topsoil has been lost
Kelp Beds at PV Courtesy of Mark Dell’Aquila
Sewage Pathogens Sewer lines can break or leak releasing pathogens into groundwater
Testing for Unsafe Water Water that is unsafe usually has many types of bacteria in it. Instead of testing for all types, usually the common coliform bacteria is measured Courtesy of National Geographic Magazine
Dynamiting & Bleaching Reefs Quick way to collect fish for parties Smothers corals not immediately killed; chlorine kills ALL inverts & fish in area
Overfishing Fishing methods kill many non-target species drift net/gill net 34% fish at risk Biggest problems = Europe (86% risk) Asia (69% at risk)
Overfishing North Atlantic’s most productive fishing grounds - CLOSED!
Toxins & Oil Spills
The 1989 Alaskan Oil Spill Exxon Valdez spilled 10.9million barrels of crude oil into Prince William Sound Courtesy of National Geographic Magazine
Courtesy of National Geographic Magazine
Decimation of Wildlife Pinnepeds 4000 dead Salmon migration disrupted Sea Birds >30,000 dead
Monetary Loss Fishermen Local Villages suffered huge economic loses as a result of the spill Courtesy of National Geographic Magazine
Clean Up Efforts Exxon paid out over 10 BILLION dollars in settlements and clean up costs Lead to Oil Pollution Act of 1990 Requires double-hulled tankers
Gulf War - 1991 Iran invaded Kuwait; US attacked Protecting its oil supply Courtesy of National Geographic Magazine
Persian Gulf Oil Spill Worlds most massive oil spill 250 million gal. deliberately dumped into Persian Gulf may take a century or more for area to recover
In the Gulf War, the US army burned 10% of Kuwait’s oil fields but made it appear as if the Iraqi’s did it to justify the war and occupation!!
1969 Santa Barbara Spill 200,000 gal. leaked Restrictions on oil platforms
Organic Compounds Pesticides, oils, plastics, pharmaceuticals, pigments, detergents, cleaning solutions, and paints
Oil Oil spills have occurred in most of the shipping lanes in the world (as of 1985) Large effects on sea surface critters
Most synthetic. organic. compounds have. chemical. structures that Most synthetic organic compounds have chemical structures that microrganisms cannot decompose Persist in water Courtesy of National Geographic Magazine
Long Beach Oil Islands