Ocean Pollution Essay

Ocean pollution is an artificial problem, and it poses a severe threat to both human and marine life. The proportion of plastic waste in the ocean has reached dangerous levels. Nearly 14 million tons of plastic are dumped into the oceans annually. 

Decades of reckless waste disposal have led to the formation of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch- an enormous collection of marine debris. The patch is situated in the North Pacific Ocean, and it’s estimated to span 1.6 million square kilometers, which is approximately three times the size of France.

Ocean pollution is a toxic mix of metals, petroleum, plastic, pesticides, pharmaceutical chemicals, sewage, agricultural runoff, and industrial waste. Direct dumping of untreated garbage is also part of the problem. The concentration of toxic chemicals is highest near the shores. 

The increased concentration of chemicals in the coastal water, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, stimulates the formation of algal blooms. These microorganisms can be poisonous to marine species and detrimental to human health. Therefore, they can harm the local fishing and tourism economies.

Although ocean pollution results from multiple human activities, the presence of plastic pollutants in the ocean pose a significant risk. Because of its long-lasting nature, plastic trash is particularly harmful as a contaminant. It can take a few decades to a few hundred years for plastic goods to degrade.

Fishes become entangled in the debris, and some marine animals mistake items such as plastic bags for food and consume them. According to marine experts, most of the plastic debris sinks to the bottom of the ocean. The contaminants break down over the course of time and become microplastic. Tiny organisms feed on microplastic and absorb the toxins in the plastic into their tissues. 

Scientists have discovered microplastics in a variety of marine organisms, including plankton and whales. These particles have a diameter of fewer than five millimeters (0.2 inches). When larger animals devour small species that consume microplastics, the poisonous compounds become incorporated into their tissues. 

As a result, microplastic contamination migrates up the food chain, eventually becoming a food component that humans consume. Therefore, microplastics infiltrate the entire food chain and adversely affect all life forms.

Presently, there is no solution to removing microplastics from the ocean. However, widespread ocean clean-ups can help reduce the number of plastic debris floating in our oceans today. But, for ocean clean-ups to be successful, we must first stop the improper disposal of garbage into the water bodies. The simplest way to reduce ocean pollution is to recycle, upcycle, and treat our waste as much as possible.