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Human activities affect marine life and marine habitats through overfishing, habitat loss, the introduction of invasive species, ocean pollution, ocean acidification and ocean warming. These impact marine ecosystems and food webs and may result in consequences as yet unrecognised for the biodiversity and continuation of marine life forms. [3]
While marine pollution can be obvious, as with the marine debris shown above, it is often the pollutants that cannot be seen that cause most harm.. Marine pollution occurs when substances used or spread by humans, such as industrial, agricultural and residential waste, particles, noise, excess carbon dioxide or invasive organisms enter the ocean and cause harmful effects there.
The ocean is currently suffering from the impacts of human damage including pollution, acidification, species loss, and more. This could prove particularly catastrophic given that the ocean takes up the largest part of the planet and serves as the home to many organisms, including the algae that provides around half of the oxygen on Earth. [1]
Oceanic plastic pollution is remarkable for the sheer ubiquity of its presence, from ocean trenches, within deep sea sediment, on the ocean floor and ocean ridges to the ocean surface and coastal margins of oceans. Even remote island atolls can have beaches loaded with plastic from a faraway
There are three primary ways the public can learn about or participate in beach cleaning: educational programs, awareness campaigns, and volunteering. All modes of public engagement can increase awareness of the issue of marine litter, educate participants about marine litter and ocean conservation, and motivate behavior change.
Some of these can have adverse consequences, such as the North pacific seastar which was introduced to Tasmania, Australia. Vectors for the translocation of organisms include hull biofouling, the dumping of ballast water and dumping of water from marine aquaria. A tank of ballast water is estimated to contain around 3,000 non-native species. [25]
The oil industry is causing another life-threatening problem. Plastic waste has invaded the bodies of virtually every breathing lifeform on the planet.
With primary causes being warming ocean waters, ocean acidity, and pollution. [3] In 2008, a worldwide study estimated that 19% of the existing area of coral reefs had already been lost. [ 4 ] Only 46% of the world's reefs could be currently regarded as in good health [ 4 ] and about 60% of the world's reefs may be at risk due to destructive ...