MarEnv - Topic 2 - Sources of Pollution and Its Effects To The Marine Environment

Protection of Marine Environment
(MarEnv)
Topic 2
Sources of Pollution and its Effects to the
Marine Environment
Objectives
Discuss the different major sources of pollution and its
effect to the maritime.
Basic Principle of Marine Pollution
As seen from the space, the blue color of the planet earth is the
vast water of ocean surrounding the beautiful planet about 70%
of earth is comprised of water.
Ocean are the biggest stores of water on earth.
Water leaves the oceans through the evaporation and then
enters again through rainfalls, lakes, rivers and ground water.
There was a time man thought that the ocean was infinite and
everything was absorbed by it.
Ocean and seas literally became the receptors of almost all
kinds of refuse originating from shore, as well as waste coming
from ship.
MARINE POLLUTION
The word pollution defined as
something that makes a pure
thing impure. Scientifically,
pollution is the chemical
gaseous and organic waste,
which contaminate air, soil, or
water.
Anything that pollutes these
earth’s element is called
pollutant.
MARINE POLLUTION
Marine Pollution is defined as “an

introduction of man directly or
indirectly, of substance or energy
into the marine environment
(including estuaries) resulting in
such deleterious effect as harmful to
living resources, hazard to human
health, hindrance to marine
activities including fishing,
impairment of quality for use of sea
water and reduction of amenities.
SHIPBOARD SEA POLLUTION SOURCES
SOURCES OF MARINE POLLUTION
Land-based Sources
by products of industry
run-off from agricultural
pesticides and herbicides
effluents discharged from urban
areas
Exploration and exploitation
activities
Shipping and Maritime
Industry
collision
grounding or accidental
discharge
operational discharges
tank washing
ballasting / deballasting
machinery space discharge
docking
 Common items of marine litter in the sea include cigarette butts,

crisp/sweet packets, cotton bud sticks, bags and bottles.
 Man-made items of debris are found in marine habitats throughout the world, from
the poles to the equator, from shorelines and estuaries to remote areas of the high
seas, and from the sea surface to the ocean floor.
 About 80% of marine litter comes from land-based sources (eg. through
drains, sewage outfalls, industrial outfalls, direct littering) while 20%
comes from marine-based activities such as illegal dumping and
shipping for transport, tourism and fishing.
 Plastics are estimated to represent between 60 and 80% of the total
marine debris. Manufactured in abundance since the mid-20th century,
most of the plastics that have been produced are still present in the
environment.
 The cumulative amount of plastic produced since the mid-20th century
is of the order of 5 billion tons, enough to wrap the Earth in a layer of
plastic wrap. The amount projected by 2050, on current trends, is about
40 billion tons, which is enough to wrap 6 layers of plastic wrap around
the planet.
Dangers to marine environment
 Observed effects in wildlife

attributed to microcontaminant
exposure (a diverse class of
chemicals including
pharmaceuticals, pesticides and
industrial chemicals) include
reproductive abnormalities and
behavioural effects.
 All sea turtle species, 45% of all

species of marine mammals, and
21% of all species of sea birds
have been affected by ingestion of
or entanglement in marine debris,
with plastic items being the most
frequently documented.
 Plastics can absorb toxins from

surrounding seawater, such as
pesticides and those in the class
of chemicals known as Persistent
Organic Pollutants (POPs). They
can also release harmful
constituents such as Bisphenol A
(known to mimic the hormone
estrogen), as they degrade.
 Because of their small size,

microplastics (plastic fragments <
5mm) can be ingested by a wide
range of organisms. This can
cause physical damage from
abrasions, blockages or
accumulation of toxins in
organisms.
Effects of Marine Pollution
It blankets the surface interfering
with the oxygen exchanged between
the sea and the atmosphere.
Blankets the seabed, interfering
with the growth of marine life
elements are mostly toxic and can
enter the food chain
oil may enter sea water distilling
inlets and it may be deposited on
tidal mudflats again with detrimental
result
interferes with the recreational uses
of beaches
Some of the known cause of oil pollution
1967 - March 18, Cornwall, Eng.: Torrey Canyon ran aground, spilling her entire cargo
of 120,000 tons of crude oil off the Scilly Islands while entering the English
Channel.This resulted in the biggest oil pollution incident ever recorded up to that
time and was a result of poor navigational practices.
1978 - March 16, off Portsall, France: wrecked supertanker Amoco Cadiz spilled 68
million gallons, causing widespread environmental damage over 100 mi of
Brittany coast
1979 - July 19, Tobago: the Atlantic Empress and the Aegean Captain collided, spilling
46 million gallons of crude. While being towed, the Atlantic Empress spilled an
additional 41 million gallons off Barbados on Aug. 2.
1983 - Aug. 6, Cape Town, South Africa: the Spanish tanker Castillo de Bellver caught
fire, spilling 78 million gallons of oil off the coast
1989 - March 24, Prince William Sound, Alaska: tanker Exxon Valdez hit an undersea
reef and spilled 10 million gallons of oil into the water, causing the worst oil spill
in U.S. history and probably the one which gained the biggest media coverage to
date. The U.S. public demanded action - and duly got it. The United States
introduced its Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90), making it mandatory for all
tankers calling at U.S. ports to have double hulls.
1991 - April 11, Genoa, Italy: Haven spilled 42 million gallons of oil in Genoa port.
May 28, Angola: ABT Summer exploded and leaked 15–78 million gallons of oil
off the coast of Angola. It's not clear how much sank or burned.
1993 - Aug. 10, Tampa Bay, Fla.: three ships collided, the barge Bouchard B155, the
freighter Balsa 37, and the barge Ocean 255. The Bouchard spilled an estimated
336,000 gallons of No. 6 fuel oil into Tampa Bay.
1996 - Feb. 15, off Welsh coast: super tanker Sea Empress ran aground at port of Milford
Haven, Wales, spewed out 70,000 tons of crude oil, and created a 25-mile slick.
1999 - Dec. 12, French Atlantic coast: Maltese-registered tanker Erika broke apart and
sank off Brittany, spilling 3 million gallons of heavy oil into the sea.
2000 - Nov. 28, Mississippi River south of New Orleans: oil tanker Westchester lost
power and ran aground near Port Sulphur, La., dumping 567,000 gallons of crude
oil into lower Mississippi. The spill was the largest in U.S. waters since Exxon
Valdez disaster in March 1989.
2002 - Nov. 13, Spain: Prestige suffered a damaged hull and was towed to sea and sank.
The oil tanker “Prestige” sank off Spain's NW coast, taking more than 70,000
tonnes of fuel into the Atlantic

MarEnv - Topic 2 - Sources of Pollution and Its Effects To The Marine Environment

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

MarEnv - Topic 2 - Sources of Pollution and Its Effects To The Marine Environment

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

MarEnv - Topic 2 - Sources of Pollution and Its Effects To The Marine Environment

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Protection of Marine Environment

Marine Pollution is defined as “an

 Common items of marine litter in the sea include cigarette butts,

 Observed effects in wildlife

 All sea turtle species, 45% of all

 Plastics can absorb toxins from

 Because of their small size,

You might also like