1. © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. AP Environmental Science Mr. Grant Lesson 78 Marine Pollution

2. © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. Mastery Check Why are coral reefs biologically valuable? How are they being degrades by human impact? What is causing the disappearance of mangrove forests and salt marshes?

3. © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Objectives: Define the term pelagic zone. Assess impacts from marine pollution. TED - Capt. Charles Moore of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation first discovered the Great Pacific Garbage Patch -- an endless floating waste of plastic trash. Now he's drawing attention to the growing, choking problem of plastic debris in our seas.

4. © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Pelagic zone: The zone between the surface and floor of the ocean Define the term pelagic zone.

5. © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Assess impacts from marine pollution. Plastic trash accumulate in ocean regions where it is trapped by currents. Marine oil pollution results from non-point sources on land as well as from spills at sea from tankers and drilling platforms. Heavy metal contaminants in seafood affect human health. Nutrient pollution can lead to dead zones and harmful algal blooms.

6. © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. Marine Pollution  People use oceans as a sink for waste and pollutants  Even into the mid-20th century, coastal U.S. cities dumped trash and untreated sewage along their shores  Non-point-source pollution comes from all over  Oil, plastic, chemicals, excess nutrients  Also sewage and trash from cruise ships and abandoned fishing gear  Over 25 years, Ocean Conservancy volunteers picked up 65 million kg (144 million lb) of waste from the world’s beaches

7. © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Marine pollution In 2008, 391,000 Ocean Conservancy volunteers from 104 nations picked up 3.1 million kg (6.8 million lb) of trash from 27,000 km (17,000 miles) of shoreline

8. © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. Plastic debris endangers marine life  Plastic items dumped into the sea harm or kill wildlife  Organisms can become entangled in debris and drown  May die from material eaten that they cannot expel

9. © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. Plastic debris endangers marine life  Areas where circulating currents converge called gyres bring and trap plastic trash  The North Pacific Gyre contains the Great Pacific Garbage Patch  an area larger than Texas where floating plastic bits outnumber organisms by a 6 to 1 margin  Plastic is designed not to break down so may drift for decades  Breaks into tiny pieces over time

10. © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Plastic trash is accumulating in the oceans

11. © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. Plastic debris endangers marine life  Trillions of tiny plastic pellets float in the oceans  Some of the pellets sink, accumulating on the ocean floor where they do not degrade  Organisms mistake the floating plastic for food  The average fish in the great Pacific Garbage Patch had over two pieces of plastic in its digestive tract  Over 40% of Albatross chick premature deaths have been attributed to pieces of plastic in their food  Over 260 species are affected by marine plastic debris  Leads to an estimated 100,000 marine mammal and 1 million seabird deaths each year

12. © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Nets and plastic debris endanger life Trillions of tiny plastic pellets float in the oceans and are eaten

13. © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.

14. Plastic debris endangers marine life  Ingested plastics can also have toxic effects  Plastics themselves contain harmful substances such as bisphenol A and pthalates  May concentrate persistent organic pollutants  Floating debris can transport organisms great distances  Some of these become invasive species  Plastics are not easily removed, so prevention is key  The 2006 Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act aids these efforts  Plastic pollution costs Asia over $1 billion in its fisheries and tourism industries

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16. Oil pollution comes from spills of all sizes  About 30% of oil and 50% of natural gas come from seafloor deposits  North Sea, Gulf of Mexico  Drilling in other places is banned  Spills could harm valuable fisheries  The Deepwater Horizon exploded off Louisiana’s coast in April 2010  Spilled 1800 gallons/min for 3 months  Hit coasts of four states  Even ocean floor species miles away were affected

17. © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Oil pollution comes from spills of all sizes

18. © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. Oil pollution comes from spills of all sizes  Major spills make headlines  Foul beaches, coat and kill animals, devastate fisheries  Countless non-point sources produce most oil pollution  Half of all oil comes from natural oil seeps  Also small boat leaks, runoff from land

19. © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Oil spills have severe consequences Major oil spills cause severe environmental and economic problems

20. © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. Oil pollution comes from spills of all sizes  Stricter regulations for oil tankers have been enacted by many governments  The U.S. Oil Pollution Act (1990) created a $1 billion prevention and cleanup fund  Requires that all ships have double hulls by 2015  Spills from tankers have decreased over the last 30 years

21. © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Oil spills have decreased Recently, oil spills have decreased

22. © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. Toxic pollutants can contaminate seafood  Toxic pollutants can make food unsafe to eat  Mercury contamination from coal combustion and other sources bioaccumulates and biomagnifies  Dangerous to children and pregnant or nursing women  Highest mercury levels will be in fish at the top of the food chain  Avoid eating swordfish, shark, and albacore tuna  Eat seafood low in mercury (catfish, salmon, canned light tuna)  Avoid seafood from areas where health advisories have been issued

23. © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Toxic pollutants contaminate seafood

24. © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. Excess nutrients cause algal blooms  Nutrient runoff can allow explosive growth of marine algae populations  Harmful algal blooms  blooms where nutrients increase algae that produce powerful toxins  Dinoflagellate algae toxins attack the nervous system  Red tide  algae that produce red pigments that discolor water  Cause illness and death among wildlife and humans  Economic loss to fishing industries and beach tourism  Reduce nutrient runoff  Do not eat affected organisms

25. © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Excess nutrients cause algal blooms

26. © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. TED Video Charles Moore is founder of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation. He captains the foundation's research vessel, the Alguita, documenting the great expanses of plastic waste that now litter our oceans. "His findings have gone a long way toward educating the science community, if not yet the public, on the magnitude of marine pollution and its impact on life -- all life." - Thomas Kostigen, Discover Magazine Capt. Charles Moore On The Seas Of Plastic (7:23)