Ocean Pollution

One of the major pollution problems that are faced by the nations of world is ocean pollution. The oceans of the world are becoming polluted and some of the marine lives have been listed as endangered species. When an ocean is polluted, the marine life is directly affected and this indirectly affects the human beings. Here is a list of pollutants that cause ocean pollution.

Oil Pollution : The main causes of oil pollutants in the ocean are due to the oil leakage of the ships and also oil spilling by the cargo ships. Oil pollution of the ocean affects the creatures of the oceans, which in turn affects the environment. It has been estimated every year, around seven million gallons of oil are accidentally spilled into the oceans of the world. The oil pollution slows down the growth and hampers the life cycle of the coral reefs. Oil could clog the gills of the fishes and blocks the sunlight from being absorbed by the marine plants as well.

Toxic Waste: Another cause of ocean pollution is the dumping of the toxic waste into the ocean. Toxic wastes are poisonous and not only cause harm to the marine life but also to the human beings. The fishes could consume toxic waste, the humans would in turn eat the seafood, which can lead to food poisoning. The toxic waste from the industries, mines and farms are dumped into the sea. The most harmful toxic waste is lead.

Garbage Dumping: Dumping of human wastes, sewage water and plastic into the ocean is known as garbage dumping. Garbage dumping is one of the major causes of ocean pollution. Garbage pollution could lead to oxygen depletion. It could also affects the health of the marine life, which in turn could affect the health of the human beings. Dumping of plastic waste could lead to death of the fishes and other sea animals such as whales, seals, herrings, dolphins, penguins and sharks due to suffocation.

Carbondioxide: One of the major pollutants of ocean is carbon dioxide. The gas harms the coral reefs and the free-swimming algae. You must be wondering how CO₂ would harm the ocean life. The fumes from the automobiles such as cars are the major source of carbon dioxide pollution. The carbon dioxide emitted from the vehicles makes way into the ocean as acid rain.

You might also be interested in knowing the many simple ways to save the environment and prevent global warming.