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Plastic pollution does not only affect animals that live solely in oceans. Seabirds are also greatly affected. In 2004, it was estimated that gulls in the North Sea had an average of thirty pieces of plastic in their stomachs. [206] Seabirds often mistake trash floating on the ocean's surface as prey.
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.
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 ...
Both lessened polluting the ocean with mercury, the former by banning the dumping of ships and aircraft into the ocean and the latter by obligating participants to reduce land-based pollution on coastlines. [55] [56] The first real global legislation regarding mercury pollution was the Basel Convention of 1989.
Sea turtles existing in the exact areas where oil spills occur are not the only ones at risk due to the strong and far reaching ocean currents which can move pollution to great distances from its derivation. [8] Breeding season is in particular a dangerous time for sea turtles due to the pollution of beach nesting sites. [9]
The sea animal's aquatic ecosystem may also collapse due to the destruction of the food chain. Additionally, ghost fishing is a major threat due to capture fisheries. [16] Ghost fishing occurs when a net, such as a gill net or trawl, is lost or discarded at sea and drifts within the oceans, and can still act to capture marine organisms. [16]
In addition to human health, animal health is also seriously threatened by mercury pollution in the ocean. The effects of high mercury levels on animal health were revealed by the severe mercury poisoning in Minamata Bay in which many animals exhibited extremely strange behaviors and high mortality rates after consuming contaminated seafood or ...