Human impact on the oceansBrielle Arnold

Human impact on the oceans‐ Glacial melting‐ Fertilizer run-off‐ Pesticides‐ Plastic‐ Dumping Toxic Waste plastic-pollution.org

nytimes.comepa.gov nbcnews.com

Plastic pollution overview- 8 million metric tons of plastic entered the ocean in 2010 alone

(NOAA).

- Possibly 150 million metric tons of debris in marine environments

(Kollar)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrationbbc.com

Garbage Patches- Vortexes of "plastic waste and debris

broken down into smaller particles by

the ocean" (National Geographic)

- 5 major gyres

- North Atlantic, South Atlantic,

Indian, North Pacific, South Pacific

- Caused by global wind patterns

and forces created by Earth's rotationNational Geographic

(National Geographic)

The great pacific garbage patch

- Located between Hawaii & California

- 7.7 million square mi: twice the size of Texas

- Warm water from South Pacific and cool

water from Arctic (Kornan) (www.MarineDebris.noaa.gov)

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, (forbes.com)

- Two sections: Eastern & Western Garbage Patches

- 54% of garbage from N. America & Asia

- 20% from boaters, offshore oil rigs, and cargo ships

(National Geographic, on the NOAA)

Impact on oceanic ecosystems- Ghost-fishing

- Plastic consumption:

- 60% of all sea birds

- Fish ingest 12,000 to 24,000 tons of

Plastic each year (Nat'l Geographic)

- Transportation of Invasive SpeciesNational Geographic, above and below

National Geographic

Microplastic- - "More than 5.2 trillion particles were swirling in

the planet's oceans, and, in time,much of it would

be ingested by ocean dwellers and creatures

that eat fish, including people" (Kormann).

- Microplastic ingestion is transferred up the food chain

- ¼ of fish in California markets contain microplastics (National

Geographic).

- 83% of tap water samples contain microplastics; the rate in the USA

is 94% (Kormann).

National Geographic

New challenges- COVID-19 PPE production

- 129 billion face masks and

65 billion gloves are being used

each month (Giuliani-Hoffman)

- Cut the straps on face masks (RSPAC)

ft.org

Seagull, BBC News Peregrine Falcon, BBC News

Dumping toxic waste- Nonpoint source: run-off

- Point source: Oil Spills

- Largest oil spill:

- BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of

Mexico in April, 2010

- 4 million barrels of oil spilled

- Finally stopped the spill in July, 2010

(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

nationalgeographic.com

politicalgrafitti.wordpress.com

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

How did this spill, and others, impact aquatic animals?- Ridley turtles, which are under the Endangered

Species Act, were hard-hit. Up to 20% of theturtles present during the spill died from oilExposure (NOAA).

- Louisiana bottleneck dolphins: experienced a 50% population decline- Oil can…

- Destroy insulating/water repellency- Impact lung function & reproduction- Poison animals if ingested- Reduce growth, lead to changes in heart

and respiration rates, fin erosion, etc.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Fertilizer- Fertilizer: "a substance (such as manure or

a chemical mixture) used to make soil

more fertile" (Merriam-Webster).

- Contains: Nitrogen and Phosphorus

- How does it end up in our waters? (EPA)

- Precipitation: rain, snow

- Leaches into ground water

- Gases (Nitrogen Oxide, Ammonia, etc.) are

deposited onto the surface of water

thelawninstitute.org

almanac.com

Harmful Algal Blooms

Red Tide, nytimes.comRed Tide, nytimes.com Algal Blooms, livescience.com(Harmful Algal Blooms, EPA).

seagrant.sunysb.edu

Brown Tide- Aureococcus anophagefferens = Brown Tide Algae

- Studied impact of glucose, urea (which contains

Organic nitrogen, and is common in fertilizer), and

Nitrate (inorganic nitrogen)

- Results: net increase in population growth is the greatest in the

presence of organic nitrogen (as is found in fertilizers) but not

inorganic nitrogen

Brown Tide, seagrant.sunysb.edu

What is eutrophication?

- An overabundance of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) in bodies

of water, increasing the amount of plant and algae growth

- Chain Reaction: (NOAA)

- Excess algae and plant matter decompose

- Large amounts of CO₂ are produced

- Lowers the pH of the water = Ocean Acidification

- Growth of fish & shellfish is stunted; shell formation can be

prevented in bivalve mollusks (scallops, oysters, clams)

eniscuola.net

earthhow.comoceanservice.noaa.gov

How does this impact the oceanic ecosystem?- Bivalve mollusks (Maryland Dep't of Resources)

- Help maintain equilibrium with filter-feeding

- Regulating species population decreases

- Less nitrogen and phosphorus filtered out; algae can grow even

more

- Coral Reefs (EPA, Effect of Ocean…)

- Important habitats for ¼ of sea life

- Calcium carbonate skeletons

- Anoxia (NOAA)

- Low-oxygen environments become unliveable

phys.org

nature.com

ScientificAmerican.com

pesticides- Two main kinds:

- 1.) Pyrethoids

- Less toxic to humans, but still harmful to aquatic organisms

- 2.) Organophosphates

- Target nervous system

- Malathion, acephate, disulfoton: toxic threat to aquatic life

- Highly water soluble

((University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources)

(Pesticides and Drinking Water)domyown.com

homedepot.com

target.comfood.ndtv.com

Table of Aquatic Impact on Organisms

(https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-science-and-assessing-pesticide-risks/aquatic-life-benchmarks-a

nd-ecological-risk)

How Do Pesticides Enter Our Waterways and Oceans?- Pyrethoids: attach to soil particles, washed into

waterways on sediment (Pesticides & Water Quality)

- Washed down storm drains or sewer pipes

- Sewage treatment plants do not filter out

pesticides

- To Learn More about Pesticides:

- <USGS NAWQA: The Pesticide National Synthesis Project>

(Celeste Rusconi = artist, Pesticides and Water Quality)

If none of this worried you, maybe its impact on humans will

- Pesticides: can contaminate surface and groundwater, which are

critical sources of drinking water (US Geological Survey)

- Eutrophication: has been financially detrimental to Long Island

based commercial shellfisheries since 1985

- Without intervention, by 2030, ⅔ of the Long Island Sound

could lack enough oxygen for fish to survive (NOAA).

Besides Reduce, REuse, REcycle,What can you do to help?

- Cut the loops/handles of plastic carrier bags, elastic bands, balloons, disposable gloves and mask straps

- Clean and empty containers after use and pinch cans shut or cutcontainers in half before recycling (RSPAC)

- Research the best times and ways to use fertilizer- Properly dispose of pesticides at your local

Household Hazardous Waste site- 1-800-CLEANUP to find a

Disposal site in your area

thebocavoice.com

change.org

George Waldenberger, a Florida meteorologist

formplastics.com

Works citedChichester, F. W. (1977). Effects of Increased Fertilizer Rates on Nitrogen Content of Runoff and Percolate From Monolith Lysimeters.

Journal of Environmental Quality, 6(2), 211-217. doi:10.2134/jeq1977.00472425000600020023x

“Deepwater Horizon – BP Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill.” EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, 19 Apr. 2017,

www.epa.gov/enforcement/deepwater-horizon-bp-gulf-mexico-oil-spill.

Effects of Ocean and Coastal Acidification on Ecosystems. (2019, October 04). Retrieved October 05, 2020, from

https://www.epa.gov/ocean-acidification/effects-ocean-and-coastal-acidification-ecosystems

Eriksen, M., Lebreton, L. C., Carson, H. S., Thiel, M., Moore, C. J., Borerro, J. C., . . . Reisser, J. (2014, December). Plastic Pollution in the

World's Oceans: More than 5 Trillion Plastic Pieces Weighing over 250,000 Tons Afloat at Sea. Retrieved October 1, 2020, from

http://web.a.ebscohost.com.proxy.library.stonybrook.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=2&sid=c198f77b-98d3-4672-8e85-768142de1407

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“Fertilizer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fertilizer. Accessed 1 Oct.

2020.

Giuliani-Hoffman, F. (2020, June 24). Conservationists warn Covid waste may result in 'more masks than jellyfish' in the sea. Retrieved

October 05, 2020, from https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/24/us/plastic-pollution-ocean-covid-waste-trnd/index.html

Harmful Algal Blooms. (2019, December 19). Retrieved October 04, 2020, from

https://www.epa.gov/nutrientpollution/harmful-algal-blooms

Harmful Algal Blooms in Maryland. (n.d.). Retrieved October 04, 2020, from

https://dnr.maryland.gov/waters/bay/Pages/algal_blooms/Brown-Tide-Impacts.aspx

Kana, T. M., Lomas, M. W., Maclntyre, H. L., Cornwell, J. C., & Gobler, C. J. (2004, November). Stimulation of the brown tide organism,

Aureococcus anophagefferens, by selective nutrient additions to in situ mesocosms. Retrieved October 2, 2020, from

http://web.b.ebscohost.com.proxy.library.stonybrook.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=60649e41-7337-4384-98ef-958c62c0cffe%

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Kollar, S., Leonard, G., & Mallos, N. (2020, October 02). Plastics in the Ocean. Retrieved October 06, 2020, from

https://oceanconservancy.org/trash-free-seas/plastics-in-the-ocean/

Korrman, C. (2020, February 04). The Widening Gyre. Retrieved October 01, 2020, from

http://web.b.ebscohost.com.proxy.library.stonybrook.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=55ccfa11-36b8-4f25-a864-d96ad6a0aa15%

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Learn about Ocean Dumping. (2020, September 11). Retrieved October 03, 2020, from

https://www.epa.gov/ocean-dumping/learn-about-ocean-dumping

National Geographic Society. (2012, October 09). Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Retrieved October 05, 2020, from

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/great-pacific-garbage-patch/

Ocean pollution. (n.d.). Retrieved October 05, 2020, from https://www.noaa.gov/education/resource-collections/ocean-coasts/ocean-pollution

Ocean Plastics Pollution. www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/ocean_plastics/.

Pesticides and Water Quality. (n.d.). Retrieved October 04, 2020, from http://ipm.ucanr.edu/WATER/U/watqual.html

'Snip the Straps' off Face Masks as Great British September Clean Launches (2020, September 10). Retrieved October 1, 2020, from

https://www.rspca.org.uk/-/news-face-masks-spring-clean?inheritRedirect=true

The Sources and Solutions: Agriculture. (2020, July 30). Retrieved October 04, 2020, from

https://www.epa.gov/nutrientpollution/sources-and-solutions-agriculture

NY Sea Grant: NYSG: Brown Tide Research Initiative (News - 'Tis the Season for Brown Tide, July '11). (n.d.). Retrieved October 04, 2020,

from https://seagrant.sunysb.edu/articles/t/tis-the-season-for-brown-tide-brown-tide-research-initiative-news

Thomson, Peter. “Preserving Ocean Life Is Essential to Preserving Human Life.” TIME Magazine, vol. 194, no. 11/12, Sept. 2019, p. 66.

EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=138582370&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

US Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Deepwater Horizon: Effect on Marine Mammals and Sea

Turtles, 2 Feb. 2017, oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/apr17/dwh-protected-species.html.

Waters, R., Faulkowski, P. G., Nuzzi, R., Wyman, K., Wallace, D. W., & LaRoche, J. (1997, October). Brown tide blooms in Long Island's

coastal waters linked to interannual variability in groundwater flow. Retrieved October 2, 2020, from

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"What is Eutrophication?" National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (2019, April 02). What is eutrophication? Retrieved October

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