SEA POLLUTION: 4 MAIN CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES - ENVIRONMENT - 2025

The pollution of the sea are mainly produced by causes that come from the mainland: sewage, oil spills, sewers, septic tanks, and industries are the main pollutants in the ocean.

Marine pollution affects marine ecosystems, the health of wildlife, and human well-being. It has serious consequences for the marine ecosystem. A polluted ocean is harmful to the animals that live in it.

If these animals die, the food chain throughout the environment is affected. Pollution can cause ecosystems to be destroyed. Diseases can also be transmitted to humans.

Marine pollution is the act of spreading harmful substances, whether they are oils, plastics, industrial or agricultural waste, and chemical particles, into the ocean. It can occur directly or indirectly.

That is why in recent decades human activities have seriously affected marine life in Earth's oceans.

For example, mining is a major source of pollution for the ocean, as it interferes with the life cycles of many species.

Oil spills cause a thick layer to form on the surface of the water that prevents marine plants from getting enough light. Additionally, these spills kill thousands of animals since oil is harmful.

Due to the importance of water to Earth, ocean pollution is a big problem. The main effect of ocean pollution occurs on organisms and vegetation that survive in this environment.

But on a human level, thousands of people die each year from the consumption of contaminated organisms.

Depending on the class of pollutants and their concentration, the effects on the ocean and the life that depends on it vary.

At times, the effects can be catastrophic for the entire ecosystem. As technology in the world advances, ocean pollution becomes a bigger problem.

Although not all the effects of marine pollution are immediately visible, it is important to know the great impact it can have on life. With a little thought and preparation, ocean pollution can decrease.

The oceans are home to thousands of marine plant and animal species. It should be the responsibility of each person to take care of the oceans so that these marine species can be out of danger.

4 Causes of Sea Pollution

1- Oil spills

An oil spill can be defined as an unintentional release of oil into the environment as a result of human activity.

Much of the oil pollution at sea comes from tankers washing their holds at sea to save time in port.

In those cases, the laws relating to the discharge of oil must be followed by the captain of each vessel.

Oil spills make up about 12% of the oil that enters the ocean. The rest comes from the unloading and the trips made by the tankers.

A tanker spill is a big problem as it concentrates a high amount of oil in one place.

These spills can cause a very localized problem, but can be catastrophic for all local marine life, including fish, birds, and sea lions.

Part of the problem is that oil cannot be dissolved in water, so it forms a thick layer on the surface.

This layer suffocates the fish, stays in the feathers of seabirds, preventing them from flying and blocking the light necessary for photosynthesis of aquatic plants.

Oil spills last for years at sea, making them extremely toxic to marine life. Additionally, oil is extremely difficult to clean up, which means that once it is spilled it remains in place.

2- Chemical contamination

Usually this type of pollution is carried out by industries and farmers. It occurs when some of the waste from these areas is released into the sea; there are many forms and cases of this type of contamination.

An example of this is the factories that dump their waste in the sea, since it is cheaper than disposing of it in the way that the law indicates.

Besides being harmful to marine health, these wastes increase the temperature of the ocean; animals and plants cannot survive these temperatures and die.

The most common contaminants from industrial sources include:

-Asbestos, which pose a great risk to health and are carcinogenic.

-Lead, a non-biodegradable metallic element that is difficult to clean once the environment is contaminated. This element is dangerous as it inhibits the action of enzymes.

–Mercury, another non-biodegradable element that cannot be cleaned. It is especially dangerous for animal health, as it can cause mercury poisoning (also in people who consume contaminated animals)

-Sulfur, a non-metallic substance that is harmful to marine life.

3- Garbage

Pollution in the atmosphere is a major source of pollution for the ocean. This occurs because objects on land are carried by the wind over long distances and end up in the ocean. It also occurs when people dump garbage directly into the sea.

These objects that reach the sea can be natural things like dust and dirt, or garbage and debris. Most wastes, especially those made of plastic, are not biodegradable, so they do not decompose and remain in ocean currents for years.

Animals can become entangled in pieces of plastic or ingest them thinking they are food, but since it is toxic the animals die. The most common victims are turtles, dolphins, fish, sharks, seabirds, crustaceans, etc.

The accumulation of garbage also causes other effects. Although the ocean can absorb carbon dioxide, these levels are increasing due to pollution.

This causes its absorption mechanisms, due to the increase in ocean temperatures, to be unable to continue absorbing this element.

4- Wastewater

Liquid waste that comes from housework, such as cooking, washing clothes, the toilet, and showering, ends up in the oceans.

In most communities, this wastewater is treated, cleaned, and released into the oceans. But even though they are treated, they never reach the level of pure water.

In undeveloped countries, this wastewater is not even treated; they are dumped in the oceans or bodies of water directly.

This is dangerous as it can contaminate the environment and bodies of water, spreading many diseases to humans.

4 Consequences of Sea Pollution

1- Death and failure in the reproductive system of aquatic animals

The main consequence of ocean pollution is that it kills the organisms that depend on this body of water to live.

Oil spilled in the ocean can get into the feathers of seabirds or the bronchial tubes of fish, making it difficult for them to move or feed.

The effects of toxic waste can include cancer, changes in behavior, failure of your reproductive system, and death.

Pesticide chemicals are especially dangerous as they can build up in animal tissue causing reproductive failure.

2- Interruption of the food chain / effects on human health

Contamination causes a break in the food chain. Pollutants like lead and cadmium are ingested by small animals.

Later on, these animals are consumed by larger fish and crustaceans, so the food chain continues to be affected at all levels. This affects even humans who eat fish.

Animals that are affected in this food chain are consumed by humans. This contamination affects human health, since the toxins of these contaminated animals are deposited in the tissues of people.

In turn, these harmful toxins can cause hepatitis, cancer, birth defects, and long-term health problems.

3- Destruction in ecosystems

Ecosystems can be completely changed or even destroyed by ocean pollution.

There are ecosystems that can be completely destroyed by increasingly hot ocean temperatures, as in the case of coral reefs.

Coral reefs also face another problem related to pollution: the need for clean water to live.

Garbage and pollution found in the sea affect the quality of the water. If the destruction of coral reefs continues, it is estimated that 60% of them will disappear in the next 30 years.

Additionally, this change in water temperatures due to pollution forces certain marine species to seek cooler waters in other regions. This causes a damaging ecological change in the affected area.

4- Algae bloom

Sea pollution can also increase the frequency of algal blooms. These cocoons cause the oxygen in the water to be depleted, causing thousands of fish to suffocate.

Additionally, fish can also die when large amounts of algae get trapped in their bronchial tubes.

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