2. The Dangers of Water Pollution

3. The Ocean The Ocean holds the largest of Earth’s biomes. It covers 70% of the planet’s surface. There are many different ecosystems within the ocean depending on conditions such as water temperature, the amount of sunlight that filters through the water, and the amount of nutrients. Almost all marine life (about 90%) lives within this top, sunlit layer of the ocean. The ocean was believed to be the first one to exist. The five ocean biomes in the world are the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Southern and the Arctic Oceans.

5. The Impacts of Water Pollution Heavy metal poisoning (lead and mercury)builds up in the tissues of predators like whales and sharks, causing birth defects and nervous system damage. Oil pollution, burning wood and coal cause genetic problems in marine animals. Sewage can cause nutrient load up and increase the algae in the water, decreasing the amount of oxygen. Many marine animals die from lack of oxygen.

6. The Impacts of Water Pollution Continued… Medical waste found in the ocean is being tested to see if swimmers have a chance of developing Hepatitis or AID. The boat engines give off excess gasoline, which pollutes the water and kills the animals. Garbage Dumping is the dumping of materials into the ocean. Most of the waste that has been dumped into the ocean in the early 1990’s is still there today.

8. Human Activity –Water Pollution Marine Pollution can start as far away as central America. Toxic materials that are put into bodies of water eventually can flow to the oceans. Run-off from drains and areas near to the ocean are also a severe problem because they bring in all types of materials to marine life. Over 3.5 million tons of plastic (about the size of Texas) are in the oceans, which is destroying the oceans and the food chains that live in them. Since the pollution is reaching the marine life and their food chains, the pollution can eventually end up in the seafood that we eat.

9. Human Activity-Water Pollution Continued… Lead is the worst type of pollution because it can lead to health problems such as birth defects. The animals mistake the pollution for food and eat it.

11. Prevention Only turn a boat engine on all the way when you need it. You can recycle as much garbage as you can so that there is a smaller amount of pollution in the oceans.

13. By: Caroline Ioele, Mia Caterisano, and Bea O’Conner

14. Sources: www.windows2universe.org www.bioexpedition.com www.Seapics.com www.greatgarbagepatch.org www.library.thinkquest.org www.youtube.com Googleimages