Intro

Peer Review Rough Draft on Marine Pollution

Each year, an estimated 11 million tons of plastic goes into the ocean each year. Only 1

per cent ends up in garbage patches; however, scientists aren't sure where the other 99 percent

goes. According to Kersley’s article, ocean pollution has been an occurring problem since the

1970s and has been normalized in modern society when it poses a global threat. Marine pollution

is defined as “the contamination of marine environments through the dumping of various

pollutants into the ocean by humans” according to (“Ocean”). Various forms of ocean pollution

include: chemical, industrial, plastic and artificial. Adding on, throughout history marine

scientists have been warning the public about plastic pollution; however, “the problem only

surfaced in the public consciousness thanks to the efforts of boat captain Charles Moore who

came face to face with the true extent of it in 1997.” (“Kersley”) showing how oblivious the

public was to the dangers of marine pollution. Oceanographers were aware about the

accumulating hotspots in the Pacific since the 1970s and continues to be a global issue in present

time. Therefore, the effect of dumping various pollutants into the ocean affects the ecosystem

and threatens the food chain's sustainability, proving as a worldwide threat.

Over the years, marine pollution has transformed into an international issue that threatens

marine and terrestrial life by interfering with the food chain. In the Pacific Ocean, there is a

hotspot of trash called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch that stretches twice as big as texas. This

poses a threat to the ecosystem by “continuing to grow, destroying sea life as the plastic slowly

breaks apart filling the ocean with poisonous bits of plastic debris that is eaten by birds, fish and,

ultimately, by humans” (“Pacific”). Plastic in the ocean breaks down into microplastics which

marine life misinterprets as food causing the plastic to enter the food chain and endangering
multiple species by infecting their immune system and spreading throughout the food pyramid.

Furthermore, Kersley states that “collecting large bits of plastic isn't going to deal with the tiny

plastic particles that make up most of the waste in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch…there is

currently no viable way to get microplastics out of the ocean” causing plastic pollution to be

irreversible and has an unknown percentage of how much is already floating in the ocean. While

removing large loads of plastic in the ocean is effective, microplastics are still lingering around

the ocean and doing irreversible damage to the ocean and potentially endangering multiple

species.

There are various forms of ocean pollution; however, dumping chemicals is one of the

most common practices and causes the area to be a hazard zone for marine life. Chemical spills

in the ocean causes the area to be uninhabitable by “greenhouse gasses contribute to the ocean

becoming more acidic, changing the pH of the water,” showing that as soon as chemicals fuse

with the ocean, it can change the pH levels and make it inhabitable for marine life. The pH level

affects reproductive rates and the respiration rates which can lead to multiple organisms dying if

the levels become too low. Additionally, pH level is so important to maintain because it

“deoxygenates the water levels that creates massive dead zones where few organisms can

survive” according to the article. 25% of marine life relies on coral reefs for shelter and areas for

reproduction. It’s harmful to fish, crabs, oysters, and other aquatic animals; which is a huge part

of the human diet. Approximately 95,000 square miles of dead zone is in the ocean. In

conclusion, chemical spills are prone to kill marine habitats and affect their reproductive rates by

deoxygenating the water levels.

Marine pollution is an environmental threat that’s been an occurring problem dating back

to the 1970s. One possible solution to this predicament is to have locals and individuals
participate in regulatory programs that’ll prohibit plastic or other types of waste from going into

the ocean. According to Weise, “the single largest type of plastic the researchers found floating

in the water - about 40% - came from single-use plastics such as beverage and food containers,”

showing that installing regulatory programs can help minimize plastic pollution in the ocean up

to 40% by reducing food containers alone. Adding on, Weise states in the text that “The London

Convention attempted to establish protections for the marine environment by instituting a

number of regulatory programs and prohibiting the dumping of hazardous materials into the

ocean.” London established an agreement in 1975 enforcing regulatory programs to prevent

medical and industrial waste percentages from going up. London’s act on preventing marine

pollution influenced the United States to pass a legislation on restricting chemical waste. Even

though enforcing regulatory programs to prevent dumping hazardous chemicals and plastic as a

state/national legislation or law, companies and civilians continue to dump illegally and haven’t

found an alternative solution for the chemical placement. The regulatory programs and

regulations have multiple weaknesses, it's still effective and helps the percentages go down over

the years.

Another effective solution to this problem would be recycling. The current pollution in

the ocean is slowly decreasing; although, the percentage of pollution is still high. Recycling can

help reduce and improve rates by using alternative methods. Kersley stated that “recycling rates

have shot up and countries have begun banning or taxing some single-use plastic.” Ever since

rates have skyrocketed the limitations and regulations against plastic; majority of fast food

industries or supermarkets that sell single-use plastic brings up plastic pollution by 40%.

However, not all countries enforce plastic regulations even though its a worldwide issue, that’s

why “the UN is working on a new global treaty to control the production and disposal of the
material, a move that conservationists hope could set limits on the volume of new plastics, or at

least improve the process of disposal and recycling” (Kersley). The United Nations believes that

this global issue can be reduced. Although, the solution to enforce recycling and setting limits to

plastic usage is deemed to be effective in multiple countries; organizations and locals illegally

dump waste into the ocean even with enforced laws.

Without a doubt, the most effective solution researchers have found to reduce marine

pollution is to enforce regulations on marine pollution by enacting legislations aimed at

protecting and minimizing damage to the marine environment. One example why enforcing

regulations is the best solution is because “in 1999, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

began working with the US Navy to remove toxic substances from their boats and submarines.

While such efforts did much to reduce damage to the ocean environment, ocean pollution

remains a serious ecological problem”(“ocean”). While ocean pollution remains an economical

issue, having constant cleanups of removing toxic substances from the ocean can help reduce the

problem faster if implied worldwide. Furthermore, the domino effect played out when “the first

notable global measure aimed at curbing such harmful practices was the London Convention, an

international agreement penned in 1972 and enacted in 1975” (“ocean”). The London

Convention influenced the United States to enact their legislation a few years later in 1988 for

protecting the marine environment. All things considered, given that marine pollution is still a

huge threat to the ecosystem, approaching the problem by using legislation and laws to help

clean up by preventing the pollution numbers from increasing.

Marine Pollution is a serious environmental issue that poses a threat to marine life and

environment; meaning, this issue needs to be addressed immediately. While researchers search

for a stronger solution, locals and individuals participate in regulatory programs to prevent
marine pollution. An estimated 11 million tonnes of plastic trash goes into the ocean, only 1

percent of the trash is known. In the end, improving participation rates in cleaning the ocean and

restrictions on chemical pollution to help preserve the wildlife. The ocean is the largest

ecosystem on earth; because of this, ocean pollution affects the pH level, oxygen levels which

controls the reproduction rates. Ocean pollution threatens the food chain’s structure and poses an

ecological threat.
 Works Cited

Kersley, Andrew. "Should the oceans be cleaned up?" Kersley, Andrew. New Scientist,

vol. 261, no. 3474, 17 Jan. 2024, pp. 36+. Gale In Context: High School,

[Link]/apps /doc/A780390204/SUIC?u=azstatelibdev&sid=bookmark-SUIC&xi

Accessed 3 Oct. 2024.

"Pacific Garbage Patch: Plastic in the Ocean." Publishers Weekly Online, 27 Feb. 2008.

Gale In Context: High School, [Link]/apps/doc/A477403687/SUIC?

u=azstatelibdev &sid=bookmark-SUIC&xid Accessed 2 Oct. 2024.

"Ocean Pollution." Gale In Context Online Collection, Gale, 2024. Gale In Context:

High School, [Link]/apps/doc/RGKRAN083627738/SUIC?

u=azstatelibdev&sid=bookmark-SU Accessed 3 Oct. 2024.

Weise, Elizabeth. "Plastic pollution sinks deeper into the ocean." USA Today, 10 June

2019, p. 02A. Gale In Context: High School, [Link]/apps/doc/A588392144/SUI

C?u=azstatelibdev&sid=bookmark-SUIC&xid=841f2736. Accessed 21 Oct. 2024.