3. Introduction
• Pollution is defined as the process of introducing harmful or poisonous
substances into the natural environment.
• Marine pollution is therefore defined as the introduction of toxic
materials such as plastic , oil , chemicals , agricultural waste ,
residential waste and industrial waste into the ocean waters .
4. • Marine pollution is the introduction of substances or energy from
humans into the marine environment resulting in such deleterious
effects as harm to living resources, hazards to human health,
hindrance to marine activities including fishing, impairment of
quality for use of seawater, and reduction of amenities. (WHO)
• 80% of marine pollution comes from land. Air pollution is also a
contributing factor by carrying off pesticides or dirt into the ocean.
Land and air pollution have proven to be harmful to marine life and
its habitats
5. Contd..
• More than 220 million tones of plastic are produced each year.
• Recent research has suggested that the amount of discarded plastics
will outweigh the amount of fish in our oceans by 2050.
• 60 -90% of marine pollution is made up of different types of plastic.
• In 2006, the UN Environment Programe estimated that every
square mile of ocean contained 46,000 pieces of floating plastic.
• A plastic bottle can last up to 450 years in the marine environment.
• A recent study (Lavers & Bond, 2017) found Henderson’s
beaches (particularly the North and East Beaches) to have the highest
density of anthropogenic debris recorded anywhere in the world,
with 99.8% of the pollution being plastic . Nearly 38 million pieces
of plastic were estimated to be present, weighing a combined 17.6
tons.
6. Sources/causes
Most sources of marine pollution are land based. The pollution often
come from nonpoint sources but the leading causes include :
Sewage
Industrial chemicals
Nuclear water
Thermal pollution
Plastics
Acid rain
Oil spillage/spills
Deep sea mining
7. • Shipping activities : oil, fumes , ballast water, radiation by nuclear-
powered ships, garbage, chemicals, liquid gas, radioactive, sewage
• Dumping : Disposing waste of land based activities, radioactive waste,
military materials, sewage, industrial waste.
• Sea-bed activities : structures , industrial debris, domestic refuse ,
chemicals
• Land based and atmospheric pollution : Sewage, industrial waste ,
chemicals, fertilizers, pesticides
Oil from cars, heavy machinery, industry, other land based sources ,
from accident at sea ; also offshore oil drilling and natural seepage.
8. • Sediments : Erosion from mining , forestry ,
farming and other land use ; coastal dredging and mining
• Natural sources:
Erosion of ore-bearing rocks
Atmospheric inputs-wind blown dust
Volcanic activity
Riverine inputs into oceans
• Metallic waste : mercury , lead, copper
9. Impacts
1. Effect of Toxic Wastes on Marine Animals
• The oil spill is dangerous to marine life in several ways. The oil
spilled in the ocean could get on to the gills and feathers of marine
animals, which makes it difficult for them to move or fly properly
or feed their children. The long term effect on marine life can
include cancer, failure in the reproductive system, behavioral
changes, and even death.
2. Disruption to the Cycle of Coral Reefs
• Oil spill floats on the surface of the water and prevents sunlight
from reaching to marine plants and affects the process of
photosynthesis. Skin irritation, eye irritation, lung and liver
problems can impact marine life over a long period of time.
3. Depletes Oxygen Content in Water
10. Contd..
• Most of the debris in the ocean does not decompose and remain in the
ocean for years. It uses oxygen as it degrades. As a result of this, oxygen
levels go down. When oxygen levels go down, the chances of survival of
marine animals like whales, turtles, sharks, dolphins, penguins for a long
time also goes down.
4. Failure in the Reproductive System of Sea Animals
• Industrial and agricultural wastes include various poisonous chemicals that
are considered hazardous for marine life. Chemicals from pesticides can
accumulate in the fatty tissue of animals, leading to failure in their
reproductive system.
5. Effect on Food Chain
11. Contd..
• Chemicals used in industries and agriculture get washed into the rivers
and from there are carried into the oceans. These chemicals do not get
dissolved and sink at the bottom of the ocean. Small animals ingest these
chemicals and are later eaten by large animals, which then affects the
whole food chain.
6. Affects Human Health
Animals from impacted food chain are then eaten by humans which affects
their health as toxins from these contaminated animals get deposited in the
tissues of people and can lead to cancer, birth defects or long term health
problems.
7. Affect marine bird
The presence of heavy metal and organic pollutant cause damage to marine
birds by thinning eggshell and damage. Also on ingestion of plastic cause
gastro-intestinal disorder.
12. Contd..
7.Eutrophication:
An increase in chemical nutrients, typically nitrogen or phosphorous , in an ecosystem
. It can result in an increase in the ecosystem’s primary productivity and further
effects including lacks of oxygen.
8.Development of oil slick:
When oil is spilled on the sea, it spread over the surface forming a thin film called oil
slick which damage marine life thereby inhibiting photosynthesis .
9.Ocean acidification:
Ocean are a natural carbon sink. Increased acidity due to increase in atmospheric co2
combined with other environmental stressor like increasing ocean temperature and
pollution make it harder for marine organism to absorb nitrgen, phosphorus , iron and
other elements essential for growth. Also it decrease the availability of carbonate
ions affecting the coral reefs and the ability of shellfish to form shell.
16. What you can do:
• Shift in awareness towards greener lifestyle.
• Reduce, Recycle and Reuse
• Appropriate disposal of waste, both domestic and public.
• Consume and pollute less
• Buy unpacked food
• Look for alternative packaging for example paper
• Use paper, steel or bamboo straws
• Reduce your carbon footprint.
Prevention:
17. Contd..
What they can do.
Industries:
• Improve sewage disposal facilities and disposal system
• Treat waste oils and other waste water before disposing into the sea.
• Refrain from the construction of illegal seaside ports or harbours.
Government:
• Creating awareness and providing education to general public and
industries.
• Port management authorities must examine ships and portside industries for
harmful emissions.
18. Contd..
• Quick action force to prevent the spread of oil slicks and ocean fires.
• Proper maintenance of beaches.
• Setting aside funds for preventing marine pollution.
• Prevent illegal sand mining and theft along costal reefs
19. Contd..
Scientific community:
• Protection and enhancement of coral reefs.
• Neutralization of acidic or basic emission.
• Analytical quality control services for marine pollution monitoring .
• Study of coral flora and fauna .
• Monitor research and development authorities.
• Oceanography study
• Cultivation of marine bacterial plants that enhance degradation of
organic pollutants.( Bioremediation)
20. Policy response:
In 1948, Harry Truman signed a law formerly known as the Federal
Water Pollution Control Act that allowed the federal government to
control marine pollution in United States of America.
In 1972, the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of
1972 was passed by the Council on Environmental Quality which
controls ocean dumping.
In 1973 and 1978, MARPOL 73/78 was a treaty written to control
vessel pollution, especially regarding oil.
21. Contd..
In 1983, the International Convention for the Prevention of
Pollution from Ships enforced the MARPOL 73/78 treaty
internationally.
The 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
(UNCLOS) was established to protect the marine environment by
governing states to control their pollution to the ocean. It put
restrictions on the amount of toxins and pollutants that come from all
ships internationally.
22. Contd..
• 1972 London convention is one of the first global convention to
protect the marine environment from human activities. In 1996, the
London Protocol was agreed to further modernize the convention and
eventually, replace it . This has been in force since 1975 .
Objectives:
to control all sources of marine pollution and prevent pollution of the
sea through regulation of dumping into the sea of waste materials. A
so-called "black- and grey-list" approach is applied for wastes, which
can be considered for disposal at sea according to the hazard they
present to the environment.
23. Contd..
• United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea - UNCLOS 34 •
Entered into force in 1994,
Governs all aspects of ocean space, including marine delimitation,
environmental control, marine scientific research, economic and
commercial activities, settlement of disputes.
Defines rights and obligations of States, including dumping of wastes.
• UNEP Global Programe of Action (GPA) for the Protection of the
Marine Environment from Land-based Activities, 1995: “Prevention
of the degradation of the marine environment from all land-based
activities.”
24. Contd..
• Ocean Act of 2000The Oceans Act of 2000 established the United States
Commission on Ocean Policy, a working group tasked with the
development of what would be known as the National Oceans Report.
• The objective of the report is to promote the following:
• Protection of life and property;
• Stewardship of ocean and coastal resources;
• Protection of marine environment and prevention of marine pollution;
• Enhancement of maritime commerce;
• Expansion of human knowledge of the marine environment;
• Investments in technologies to promote energy and food security
25. • Ballast Water Management Convention
Adopted in February 2004 to prevent the potentially devastating effects
of harmful aquatic organisms carried in ships' ballast water.
• The Marine Strategy Framework Directive(MSFD) adopted by
European Union (EU) on 17 June 2008 aims
to achieve Good Environmental Status (GES) of the EU's marine
waters by 2020 and
to protect the resource base upon which marine-related economic and
social activities
26. • In December 2017 , the UN Environment Assembly passed a non-
binding resolution on marine litter and micro-plastics that encouraged
member states to ‘’ develop integrated and source –to- sea approaches
to combat marine litter and micro-plastics from all sources’’ and it
recognized ‘ that private sector and civil society , including non-
governmental organizations can contribute significantly to prevent and
reduce marine litter and micro-plastics.
27. Contd..
• There has also been a recent focus on global plastic pollution in the
Sustainability Development Goal(SDG) in particular , which focuses
on Life Below Water.
