Science Behind Marine Pollution

Marine pollution is one of the biggest causes of marine animal deaths. Debris like plastic, plastic bags, cigarette butts, fishing nets, and even balloons are all dangerous items that cause the injuries or deaths of many animals like turtles, dolphins, whales, sharks, many types of fish, and even birds. Plastic bags floating around in the ocean are often mistaken for jelly fish or squid and are ingested by animals which block the flow of food to make them feel full, when they later slowly die of starvation. Balloons released into the sky from celebrations like birthday parties also sometimes end up in the ocean. Because of their bright coloring, fish are attracted to these balloons which are then eaten- killing them as well. A large percentage of the deaths are cause by fishing nets. Getting entangled in the nets, animals can choke or starve to death. Another lethal pollutant is glass bottles thrown into the ocean. As many people find out from fishing, sea mammals are attracted to shiny objects. Obviously, when ingested, a glass bottle can potentially cut the throats of anyone who tries to swallow it. There are many other forms of marine pollution like oil spills and noise pollution. Oil spills are when liquid petroleum hydrocarbon is released into the ocean due to mistakes humans make. These often take months or even years to clean up. Besides polluting the water, oil spills greatly affect marine animals and birds. For birds, diving into the water to catch a fish is their way of hunting for food. This is interrupted by oil spills, leaving birds without food- and can also cause injuries. When the oil covers a bird, it makes them heavier, which can go as far as preventing them to fly. Birds also ingest this pollution when they try to clean themselves, causing damage to their kidneys, liver, and digestive system. Along with affecting birds, this can also affect mammals like sea otters and seals. Because of how the oil covers their fur, a fluctuation of their temperature can mess up their homeostasis, which can cause hypothermia. Oil spills affect smaller organisms further down in the bottom of the ocean like seaweed and plankton. These organisms use photosynthesis to obtain energy. When there is an oil spill, it is like another layer covering the sun, keeping them from creating the energy they need to live. Another type of pollution is noise pollution. Noise pollution contaminants are not physical particles, but rather waves that interfere with naturally-occurring waves from whales or dolphins. These can distract, irritate, and confuse the animals who try to communicate with each other. Solutions to this would be less use of boats or industrial tools on land. Less vibrations and sounds waves above the water would also help reduce noise pollution because there would be less to interfere with the natural sounds of the ocean. Marine pollution is dangerous to animals and humans alike, and if it is not stopped the food chain can be obstructed because of extinction of animals.