Shocking Ocean Pollution Facts
As I was doing research for this weeks post, I came across a list of 20 facts about ocean pollution and some of them I knew or kind of assumed, but some of them I found to be really shocking.
Over one million seabirds are killed by ocean pollution each year. Three hundred thousand dolphins and porpoises die each year as a result of becoming entangled in discarded fishing nets, among other items. One hundred thousand sea mammals are killed in the ocean by pollution each year. – I found this one to be pretty shocking mainly because the first thing you think about when you think of ocean pollution are the animals that actually live in the ocean, but the birds and other animals that don’t actually live in the ocean don’t come to mind right away. Even though birds don’t live in the ocean they still eat animals that live in the ocean and a lot of things that are washed onto shore from the ocean.
Oil is the fastest source of deterioration to the ocean, being far more harmful than trash and waste. However, only a small percentage of oil (around 12%) dumped in the ocean comes as a result of actual oil spills. Most oil causing harm in the ocean is a result of drainage from land. Oil spills suffocate marine life to death, and leads to behavioral changes and a breakdown in thermal insulation to those that do survive. It essentially changes the entire ecosystem of an affected area, such as a long coastline or deep ocean. – I found this one to be pretty shocking just because I would have thought that just because of the sheer volume of trash and plastic in the ocean it would be far more harmful that oil. I also found it pretty shocking that only 12% of the oil in the ocean is from oil spills, I would have thought that number would have been much higher.
Until 1970’s, the chemicals and garbage was deliberately dumped into the oceans and became as common practice for disposing everything including pesticides and radioactive waste, assuming that it would get dissolved to safe levels. – I found this one a little shocking just because I knew that people use to think the ocean was a pretty much indestructible thing its still shocking that this use to be a common practice just due to the fact that we’ve always known there were marine animals and those aren’t immune to the chemicals.
Till today, in many parts of the world, sewage water is discharged in the ocean – untreated or under-treated. This can cause serious effect on marine and human life and can also lead to eutrophication. – This is shocking because even knowing everything we know now this is still something that’s being done and that just blows my mind.
Those are the few facts on the list that I found to be really shocking, and in the case of the last one, disturbing. I think it kind of goes to show that not only should we all do our parts to help reduce the amount of pollution that gets into the ocean, we also need to raise awareness so that the government can step in a set regulations against dumping things into the ocean or the policies about how companies have to do things when it comes to taking ocean resources.
http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/various-ocean-pollution-facts.php