Posted: March 19th, 2023

Marine Pollution and Its Anthropogenic Factors

Marine Pollution and Its Anthropogenic Factors

Marine pollution is the introduction of harmful substances or energy into the marine environment, resulting in adverse effects on marine organisms, ecosystems, and human health. Marine pollution can be caused by natural phenomena, such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and storms, but the majority of marine pollution is anthropogenic, meaning it originates from human activities. Some of the main anthropogenic factors that contribute to marine pollution are:

– Land-based sources: These include agricultural runoff, industrial effluents, sewage, solid waste, and urban stormwater. Land-based sources account for about 80% of marine pollution, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). These sources can introduce nutrients, pathogens, metals, organic chemicals, plastics, and microplastics into the marine environment, causing eutrophication, disease outbreaks, bioaccumulation, toxicity, and physical damage to marine life.

– Marine-based sources: These include shipping, fishing, aquaculture, offshore oil and gas exploration and production, and military activities. Marine-based sources account for about 20% of marine pollution, according to UNEP. These sources can introduce oil spills, chemical spills, noise pollution, invasive species, ghost fishing gear, and marine debris into the marine environment, causing habitat degradation, biodiversity loss, mortality, injury, and behavioral changes in marine life.

– Atmospheric sources: These include emissions from fossil fuel combustion, biomass burning, industrial processes, and agricultural activities. Atmospheric sources can transport pollutants over long distances and deposit them into the marine environment through wet and dry deposition. These sources can introduce acid rain, greenhouse gases, aerosols, and persistent organic pollutants into the marine environment, causing acidification, climate change, reduced visibility, and endocrine disruption in marine life.

Marine pollution is a global problem that requires urgent action from governments, industries, and individuals. Some of the possible solutions to reduce marine pollution are:

– Implementing and enforcing laws and regulations to prevent and control marine pollution from various sources.
– Developing and applying best management practices and technologies to reduce the generation and discharge of pollutants into the marine environment.
– Promoting and supporting research and monitoring to assess the sources, impacts, and trends of marine pollution and to identify effective mitigation measures.
– Raising awareness and education among stakeholders and the public about the causes and consequences of marine pollution and the actions they can take to prevent and reduce it.
– Enhancing cooperation and coordination among countries and regions to address transboundary issues of marine pollution and to share information and experiences.

References:

– UNEP. (2016). Marine Litter: A Global Challenge. Nairobi: UNEP. https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/25513/marine_litter.pdf
– UNEP. (2020). Research paper writing service Marine Pollution: Sources & Impacts. https://www.unenvironment.org/explore-topics/oceans-seas/what-we-do/addressing-land-based-pollution/marine-pollution-sources
– Halpern B.S., Frazier M., Afflerbach J., et al. (2019). Recent pace of change in human impact on the world’s ocean. Scientific Reports 9: 11609. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-47201-9
– GESAMP (Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection). (2019). Guidelines for Assessing the Sources Impacts And Low-Cost Mitigation Measures Of Marine Litter In The Asia-Pacific Region. GESAMP Reports & Studies No. 104. http://www.gesamp.org/publications/guidelines-for-assessing-the-sources-impacts-and-low-cost-mitigation-measures-of-marine-litter-in-the-asia-pacific-region