THE PROBLEM
Oceans, which account for 70% of the surface of Earth, have a crucial role in keeping our planet and those who inhabit it healthy. Unfortunately, water bodies on our planet are slowly, yet exponentially, becoming more harmful than helpful to humanity, wildlife and marine life due to various different reasons:
Direct Pollution
Ocean pollution is caused mainly by the introduction of toxic materials and harmful pollutants such as agricultural and industrial waste, chemicals, oil spills, and plastic litter. This crucial reason, pollution, is one factor that has risen in worrying numbers over the industrialization period of humanity, and it must be cut down.
Indirect Pollution
Indirect pollution, or in other words, non-point source pollution (NPS) is one other major cause to the decline in the cleanliness of ocean waters. This kind of pollution occurs when rainfall or snow-melt moves man-made pollutants from the ground into the ocean. This factor is the biggest source to pollution and one of the most concerning as it adds insecticides, herbicides and other toxins into the oceans.
Ocean Mining
Deep-sea ocean mining is the process of scraping the ocean's floor by the use of drilling machines in search for substances such as zinc, silver, gold and copper. However, this action leaves back hazardous sulfide deposits in the lowest levels of the ocean.
Deliberate Discharge
Factories around the world release toxic wastes into the ocean, including a deadly substance called mercury. This liquid metal has proved to be highly toxic to the extent where the central nervous system of fish has been severely damaged. Additionally, sewage also contributes to the cause as it contains contaminated water, which in most cases, is not treated with importance.
Climate Change
Although not directly, climate change has indeed negatively affected the health of our oceans' water. The reasoning behind such sense is the fact that climate change builds up the level of the menace, carbon dioxide, in our atmosphere. Hence, during rainfall, oceans become more acidic and therefore more harmful to coral habitats.
Racket in The Ocean
Something as simple as noise pollution can in fact harm the aquatic life. Sources of noise pollution in the ocean such as ship movements, seismic surveys and construction have proven to "drown out the healthy ocean soundscape", scientists say. Water creatures, especially in the class of vertebrates, have suffered cellular damage due to the racket we caused.
