Step back! We are affecting oceans
We live in a wonderous world where ocean provides invaluable benefits and services: oxygen, food sources, renewable energy, transportation and many others.
But, In return, what we are giving back to oceans?
Destructing of ocean habitats have been affected by drilling of minerals such as- cobalt, nickel, and manganese through deep-sea mining, dredging to remove sediments like- silt through giant scoop or high-pressure suction, anchoring to stabilize the vessel and to limit progress through the water which cause serious damage to corals, removal of corals by blasting of massive areas of reef with dynamite and reclamation of land from oceans, seas, riverbeds or lake beds..
Since the industrial revolution, we have increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere which causes Ocean acidification which makes it harder for some creatures like corals, oysters, and mussels to form shells and disturbs the food chain.
Figure shows the impacts of human activities on Marine Environment (Source: United for wildlife)
Harmful chemical spills from land-use sources: pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, detergents, oil, industrial chemicals, and sewage which affects animals through ingestion and changes the reproduction cycles and other biological processes.
Sound can travel long distances underwater. Aquatic animals produce sound to navigate path, locate mates and avoid predators. But from last few decades noise pollution in oceans through ships, mining, explosions, sonar, and construction has gradually increased which effects marine life negatively.
Plastic, it’s a non- biodegradable material which travels to oceans through land in the form of cigarette buds, caps, bottles, straws, food wrappers, cups, plates and many more. It effects ocean animals through ingestion, suffocation and entanglement of hundreds of marine species.
Destructive fishing, deoxygenation and many more than we often realize.
References-
CORAL REEF MINING, HARVESTING AND TRADE: Undermining the future value of coral reefs? (n.d.). Available at: https://coral.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/coralmining.pdf.
EPA (2018). Effects of Ocean and Coastal Acidification on Ecosystems | US EPA. [online] US EPA. Available at: https://www.epa.gov/ocean-acidification/effects-ocean-and-coastal-acidification-ecosystems.
Ge, Y. and Jun-yan, Z. (2011). Analysis of the impact on ecosystem and environment of marine reclamation–A case study in Jiaozhou Bay. Energy Procedia, 5, pp.105–111. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2011.03.020.
Hirschlag, A. (2022). Can we fix our ocean noise problem? [online] www.bbc.com. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220712-how-to-fix-our-ocean-noise-pollution-problem.
ioc.unesco.org. (n.d.). Deoxygenation (Ocean) | IOC UNESCO. [online] Available at: https://ioc.unesco.org/topics/deoxygenation-ocean#:~:text=Burning%20of%20fossil%20fuels%20and [Accessed 24 May 2023].
IUCN (2022). Deep-sea mining. [online] IUCN. Available at: https://www.iucn.org/resources/issues-brief/deep-sea-mining.
NOAA (2017). A Guide to Plastic in the Ocean. [online] Noaa.gov. Available at: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/hazards/marinedebris/plastics-in-the-ocean.html.
Oceanography, M. and Biology (1998). THE IMPACT OF DREDGING WORKS IN COASTAL WATERS: A REVIEW OF THE SENSITIVITY TO DISTURBANCE AND SUBSEQUENT RECOVERY OF BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES ON THE SEA BED. An nual Review, [online] 36, pp.127–78. Available at: http://www.sussex.ac.uk/geography/researchprojects/coastview/dredging/Impact_of_Dredging_Oc_Bio.Ann_Rev.pdf.
Report anchor damage to Southeast Florida Action Network (SEAFAN) online or call 866-770-7335. (n.d.). Available at: https://floridadep.gov/sites/default/files/Anchor-Damage-Fact-Sheet.pdf.
Turns, A. (2022). The hidden ocean pollution killing marine mammals. [online] www.bbc.com. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20221130-the-hidden-ocean-pollution-killing-marine-mammals.
