Pollution at Sea The Impact of Human Activity on Earth’s Oceans

What is pollution? Chemicals and waste products Introduced by Humans Damaging to environment Sickens or kills living organisms

Types of Marine Pollution Sediment Agriculture Energy Sewage Solid Waste Industry (chemicals, metals, radioactivity) Oil Biologicals

Major Marine Pollutants 10 billion tons of ballast water –Chemicals –Invasive Species 10 billion gallons of sewage, annually 3.25 million metric tons of oil annually Millions of tons of solid waste

Metals Mercury, Lead and Copper have been introduced by human activity –Enter Food Chain –Toxic to organisms with neurological centers –Humans release 5X Hg, 17X Pb as is derived from natural sources Electric utilities; steel & iron manufacturing Fuel oils, additives, & combustion Incineration of urban refuse; land runoff; and dust Paint from ships, shipwrecks, and ship refuse

Solid Waste Non-biodegradable Plastic –400 year molecular decomposition –46,000 pieces of floating plastic/mile 2 of ocean surface off the northeastern U.S. coast –Kill 100,000 marine mammals & 2 million sea birds annually Sea Turtles –Plastic bags look like jelly fish –Cause internal blockages Sea Lions & Seals –Entangled by nets & muzzled by 6-pack rings –Starve to death

Oil

Biological International Maritime Organization’s Top 10: 1.Cholera 2.Cladoceran Water Flea 3.Mitten Crab 4.Toxic Algae (R, G, B tides) 5.Round Goby 6.European Green Crab 7.Asian Kelp 8.Zebra Mussel 9.North Pacific Seastar 10.North American Comb Jelly

Where does it all come from? Land –80% of non-biological marine pollution –Pipes discharge sewage, industrial, chemical, and food processing wastes –Runoff Air –Acid precipitation –Dust and other aerosols Maritime –Ballast water (legal and illegal dumping) –Designated dumping (munitions, sewage, ash, muds) –Accidental spills of hazardous and non-hazardous materials

Impacts of Marine Pollution Ecosystem and Public Health –Eutrophication –Mutagenic –Carcinogenic –Toxicity –Saprogenic (bacterial decay) Recreational Water Quality Economic Viability –Mechanical issues with engines, pumps and propellers

Cost of Marine Pollution 3.25 million metric tons of wasted oil (Jamaica uses 3.4 million metric tons of oil annually) 100,000 mammal and 2 million bird deaths annually Reduction of GDP by decreasing fishery resources and lost tourism earnings Loss of biodiversity and potential life saving medicines

Solutions to Pollution Correction – costly and time intensive –Cleaning up what is there –May be virtually impossible Prevention – change in attitudes –Not adding to the problem –Stiffer laws and consequences “We can no longer view our waste as someone else’s problem. We must think of it as a resource to use in a new and different way. In nature, nothing is wasted, everything is recycled.”

Reduce Consumption & Waste Support a variety of Research & Engineering solutions Encourage Policy-making Planning of Marinas and Harbors Bioremediation Closed-system treatment of all storm runoff and sewage