Pollution
The ocean may seem like a vast expanse of water far removed from the impacts of humans, but it is still subject to our influence. Dramatic oil spills, such as the devastating Exxon-Valdez spill of 1989 in Alaska, are still a problem today. Although they might be one of the most visible form of pollution that threatens our ocean, oil spills are not the biggest threat. Every year, more and more garbage finds its way into ocean gyres on the high seas. Feeding seabirds, mistaking plastic for sea eggs, ingest the plastic debris we throw away in our daily life and later feed it to their chicks. Sea turtles accidentally ingest plastic bags, when floating in the ocean highly resemble thier natural prey of jellyfish. Seabirds and sea turtles die from mistakingly injesting plastics and nothing in their millions of years of evolution could prepare them for this deadly deception.
Pollution in the form of wastewater and runoff from our land impacts coastal systems and traces can even be found far from shore. The over-use of nitrogen fertilizers used on crops, especially in the Midwest, have caused a giant dead zone to form at the mouth of the Mississippi River. Many large fish such as tuna and swordfish now have high concentrations of mercury in their tissues and should not be eaten, and many marine mammals such as killer whales have high concentrations of toxins such as PCB’s. Exhaust from our cars and factories is finding itself in the atmosphere contributing to global warming, changing marine environments and potentially altering ocean currents and ocean chemistry. Toxic algae and red tides have increased in recent years and invasive species have established themselves in marine ecosystems across the USA. With tougher controls and regulations and paying more attention to reducing our own pollution levels, we can control the pollution that affects our ocean and waterways.
EXPLORE BY THEME or PLACES IN THE SEA RELATED TO POLLUTION
Gulf of Mexico
Gulf Stream
Hudson Canyon
Puget Sound
LEARN MORE
Altered Oceans – an LA Times series
Harmful Algae
Marine Pollution on Wikipedia
The Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone
Marine Environment Plagued by Pollution, UN Says
Ocean Literacy
Photo:EPA
Fish kill.
Exxon Valdes oil spill. Photo: USGS