What is Marine Dumping?
"Marine dumping is defined as, the deliberate disposal at sea of wastes or other matter from vessels, aircraft, platforms or other man-made structures, as well as the deliberate disposal of these vessels or platforms themselves." - Safe Drinking Water Foundation.
The Problem
Marine dumping can cause damage to many different marine species and their habitats. There are many different items of trash that are the most influential on the habitats and the animals in the species such. . For example, items such as 6-pack ring packaging, fishing line and abandoned fishing nets hurt cause birds and fish to get caught.
Coral Reefs Coral reefs, in order to survive, need clean and clear water. When pollution gets into them they begin to die. Some pollutants that influence Coral reefs are: coastal development, deforestation, agricultural runoff and chemical spills. These things can impede on coral growth and reproduction. Deforestation results in unwelcome sediments being created and released into the ocean. Chemical spills release toxins that harm coral reefs. When development happens on coasts the materials from building find their way into the ocean and causes more sediments filling the coral.
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Not only does Marine Dumping affect marine life but it can affect enjoyment for us as well. Over 12,000 beaches in the United States have been closed due to unsafe contamination from pollutants. Another thing that marine dumping does is it causes the water to become contaminated. Like I said before 70% of our oxygen comes from the ocean and if the water becomes contaminated it also causes the oxygen to become polluted.
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The Action
These problems are not going to fix themselves. There are many things that need to happen in order for this problem to be solved. These problems may seem large and others small but if we come together it can be solved.
- Do not dispose of household chemicals down the sink or toilet.
- Do not flush pills or other medical substances down the toilet.
- Create a compost pile for food
- Only run the dishwasher or clothes washer when they are full. This prevents the over-use of water and preserves it.
- Minimize the use of herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers. These chemicals come of with run-off and then end up in rivers and eventually in the oceans.
- Stop the dumping of chemical wastes by factories
- Prevent oil spills
- Create a biodegradable plastic
The Result
If these things are done it will help to minimize the amount of pollution in our oceans. First, all of the problems that were listed will be solved. From beaches being reopened to the oxygen we breathe being clean. All these problems that are affecting us and animals would be solved. Once we minimize the pollution we can work even further to eliminate it.