Marine Pollution
What is marine pollution?
a combination of chemicals and trash, most of which comes from land sources and is washed or blown into the ocean.
What is Chemical Runoff?
A major source of water pollution
Occurs when there is more water than the land can absorb
Name the 3 major oil spills
1. Exxon Valdez
2. Deepwater horizon
3. Persian Gulf War
What are some human impacts.
Using fertilizers when farming
Overage of oil and gas in the realm of transportation
Lack of awareness
Name 2 solutions to help clean up oil spills
1. Spraying beaches with low toxicity dependents
2. Developing effective physical barriers
name 3 types of marine pollution
Plastic debris pollution
Nitrogen Phosphorus
Industrial discharge
What are some causes of Chemical Runoff?
Fertilizers
Pesticides
Vehicle and Industrial emission
Name 3 damages on wildlife from oil spills
1. Birds feathers are flattened and can't fly
2. Fish eggs can become damaged and the fish can't reproduce as a result
3. Clog fish gills
What is one thing you can do to help?
Promote awareness
message government members to insert laws
What is one thing the government can do to help both chemical runoff and oil spills?
Pass legislation and policy
Spread awareness
What is the most common compound that contributes to marine pollution?
Nitrate compounds
Which water sources are the most impacted?
Estuaries
What are oil tankers?
large vessels moving oil across the ocean, one of the biggest causes of oil spills
Why is it important to be aware of these issues and how human impacts contribute?
Preserving biodiversity
Improve ecosystems
stop climate change
promote aquatic life
What are some solutions for Chemical Runoff?
Reduce chemical fertilizer use
Mangrove restoration
Effective wastewater treatment
What was the repercussions for BP from the oil spill?
They had to pay 8.8 billion dollars and another 5.5 billion dollars for violating the clean water act
Name 3 of the types of chemical pollution
Chemical runoff
oils spills
light pollution
What was the worst Oil spill in history?
Deepwater Horizon
How do factories contribute?
Release metals into the water which raises toxicity.
What are some less destructive clean up methods?
spraying beaches with low-toxicity dispersants
developing effective physical barriers
addition of nutrients to increase microbial populations that break down oil, oil-degrading strains of bacteria
How many marine animals were harmed by marine pollution in 2024?
5 trillion
What are the main impacts for chemical runoff?
Dead Zones
Cultural Eutrophication
Algal Blooms
What is one policy that was put in place to prevent oil spills?
Changing the oil tankers to become double-hulled
Who caused the Persian Gulf War oil spill?
Iraq
What is a dispersant?
A chemical used to break oil into smaller droplets making it easier for microbes to degrade.