Cause Of Ocean Pollution

Imagine rushing out into the salty ocean. Water crashing and arising all around. Finally, after many miles of driving ultimately swimming in the sea, a favored interest all around the world. But what is that in the distance? An animal? Gliding towards the object full of curiosity; eventually getting closer, one notices that it is a small sea turtle, desperately trying to free it’s left leg from a plastic 6-pack soda ring. How could someone do this to such a harmless and innocent creature? This is just one of the torturing incidents that many marine animals have to deal with. Ocean pollution is the culprit of hundreds of deaths to marine animals and plants because of human negligence to the ocean.

What is Pollution? It comes in a variety of

“The world produces 200 billion IB, of plastic a year which 10% ends up in the ocean.” (Kester. The world book encyclopedia volume 15.) This sharp increase in plastic entering our waters harms marine life. In the ocean, plastic debris causes damage and kills fish, seabirds and marine mammals. Marine plastic pollution has impacted at least 267 species worldwide, including 86% of all sea turtle species, 44% of all seabird species and 43% of all marine mammal species. The impacts include fatalities as a result of ingestion, starvation, suffocation, infection, drowning, and entanglement.(Laist, 1997). Plastic bags kill 70% of birds. Bags in the ocean make birds, fish, and sharks confused into thinking it is food, leading to swallowing the plastic, causing the bag to get stuck in their throats. The animal is suffocating now because of someone’s cruel and thoughtless

Oceans are polluted by oil daily from oil spills, routine sea shipping, runoffs, and dumping oil straight into the ocean. An oil spill is the discharge of petroleum into habitats by vehicles, vessel or pipelines. It occurs extensively and it mostly takes place in water bodies. It happens due to human carelessness. Spilled oil can harm marine animals because its chemical components are poisonous. This can take a negative toll on animals from internal exposure to oil through swallowing the oil or inhalation and from external exposure through the animals skin and eye irritation. The spilling of oil penetrates into the feathers and fur of birds, breaks down their plume capabilities which makes them heavier, disabling them from flying and killing them through poisoning and/or hypothermia. Birds that groom themselves to get rid of the oil accidentally swallow the poisonous chemical and die due to the toxic effects. During most oil spills, seabirds are harmed and killed in greater numbers than other kinds of creatures. Many baby animals and birds starve to death lost and alone, since their parents cannot search for their natural body scent. Since oils can float on the surface of water, the creatures most affected by oil are animals such as sea otters and seabirds that are found on the ocean surface or on coastlines. Sea otters can be harmed by oil with ease, since