MARINE POLLUTION:

Type of Marine Pollution

and Cause of Marine
Pollution
Hanafi
Rafizam
Syarifuddin
Aiman
Mus'ab
Outlines
1. Introduction to Marine Pollution

2. Type of Marine Pollution

3. Cause of Marine Pollution

 “Solution for Pollution is Dillution”
1.1 Definition of marine pollution :

Pollution is the introduction of

harmful contaminants that are outside
the norm for a given ecosystem.
Common man-made pollutants that
reach the ocean include pesticides,
herbicides, chemical fertilizers,
detergents, oil, sewage, plastics, and
other solids. Many of these pollutants
found at the ocean's depths, where
they are consumed by small marine
organisms and introduced into the
global food chain.
 “The spreading of harmful substances in the ocean such
as oil, plastic, industrial and agricultural waste or any
condition that proven to be harmful to marine life and its
habitats.”
1.2 History

The Oceans were so Vast

Unlimited ability to dilute
1960 - radioactive waste

• in early 1960s, there are

controversies about dumping
radioactive waste into Irish Sea by
Atomic Energy Commission
• and controversies about by the
French Commissariat à l'Energie
Atomique into the Mediterranean
sea
1967- SS Torrey Canyon Oil spill

• 100,000 tons of crude oil

• 161 bombs, 16 rockets, 1,500
tons of napalm and 44,500 litres
of kerosene were used to
minimize the spill
• Torrey Canyon struck Pollard's
Rock on Seven Stones reef,
between the Cornish mainland
and the Isles of Scilly, on 18
March
1969 - Santa Barbara oil spill
• Fault in drilling
• the high-pressure oil and gas left
the well bore, ripping through
the floor of the ocean itself 200
feet (61 m) down; this is causing
the surface disturbance to the
left of the rig.
1972 - London Convention
• The London Convention did not
ban marine pollution, but it lists
for substances to be banned
such as cyanide.
• The London Convention applied
only to waste dumped from
ships
Type of marine pollution
1. Acidification
2. Eutrophication
3. Plastic debris
4.Toxins
5. Underwater noise
1. Acidification
• Ocean acidification occur when carbon dioxide is absorbed by
seawater, this will cause the chemical reaction that reduce seawater
pH (pH > 7).

Impact
• The growth of phytoplankton will be disturbed
• Depressing metabolic rates and immune response in some organism
• Coral bleaching
2. Eutrophication
• Is when a water body becomes overly enriched with minerals and
nutrients that induce excersive growth of algae
• Eutrophication is a common phenomena in costal water

Impact
• Decreased biodiversity
• Algae bloom
Plastic Debris
Plastic Debris
• Plastics are synthetic organic polymers
• The versatility of these materials has lead to a great increase in their use over the
past three decades (Hansen, 1990; Laist, 1987)
• Lightweight, strong, durable and cheap
• Reasons why plastics are a serious hazard to the environment
• Since they are also buoyant, an increasing load of plastic debris is being dispersed
over long distances, and when they finally settle in sediments they may persist for
centuries (Hansen, 1990; Ryan, 1987b; Goldberg, 1995, Goldberg, 1997).
Plastic Debris
Plastic Debris

• Research by Alfred Wegener Institute

from Germany
• Cited by Geschrieben von Marisa
Pettit, 10.04.2017 in article Reset
Digital for Good
Plastic Debris

• If ocean plastic pollution is not

curtailed, there could be more plastic
than fish, by weight, in the world’s
oceans by 2050 (World Economic
Forum, January 2016)
Impact of Plastic Debris
• Environmental Impact
 ingested marine debris is quite common in samples of dead and captured seabirds and turtles
 damaging effects on marine habitats, such as corals reef and sea grass destruction
 results in more indirect disruptions of ecological functions
 Alien Species Transport
 Wildlife Entanglement and Ghostfishing (Derelict nets, ropes, line, or other fishing gear, packing bands,
rubber bands, balloon string, six-pack rings)

• Economic loss
 degrades the beauty of the coastal environment
4. Toxin in maritime

• Polychloerinated Biphenyl(PCBs), Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), TBT,

pesticides, furans, dioxins, phenols, and radioactive waste. (Not disintegrate)
• Heavy metal :mercury, lead, nickel, arsenic, and cadmium (bioaccumulation)
Example of toxification cases
• Chinese and Russian industrial pollution such as phenols and heavy metals in the
Amur River have devastated fish stocks and damaged its estuary soil
• Since the end of World War II, various nations, including the Soviet Union, the
United Kingdom, the United States, and Germany, have disposed of chemical
weapons in the Baltic Sea, raising concerns of environmental contamination.
• In 2005, the 'Ndrangheta, an Italian mafia syndicate, was accused of sinking at
least 30 ships loaded with toxic waste, much of it radioactive. This has led to
widespread investigations into radioactive waste disposal rackets
Impact of marine toxification
• Ecological
 can degrade or destroy marine ecosystems.
 can kill marine life through ingestion, inhalation or absorption
 can have long-term effects on spawning grounds and recovery of fish stocks and populations of most
other marine animals

• Human Health
 can harm those who consume contaminated water or seafood
 Symptoms can include chest pain, coughing, dizziness, headaches, respiratory distress and vomiting.

• Economical
 Local economies have to deal with costs resulting from contaminated or diminished fish stocks.
 The BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill caused Louisiana to lose 50 percent of its seafood production, a US
$2.4 billion dollar industry in Louisiana that supplied as much as 30 percent of the domestic seafood for
the continental U.S. (Nawaguna-Clemente 2011).
5. Underwater Noise
• sound pollution from sources such as passing ships, oil exploration seismic
surveys, and naval low-frequency active sonar
• Marine animals such as whales and dolphins depend on their hearing for finding
food, communicating and protecting themselves from predators.
• Population of cetacean (whales and dolphins) has declined in areas prone to such
noise pollution from ships
• Marine mammals, fish and birds can all be affected by the noise from ships and
boats. One problem is that more and more noise at sea is drowning out the
sounds that marine animals need to listen out for. For example, noise from the
propellers of large ships can confuse whales and cause them to get stranded on
beaches.
Source of Underwater Sound
• Biotic Sound
produced by fish, invertebrates, marine mammals for communication, orientation, mate and
prey detection, and echolocation
Produced in various ways for example cod can produce sound by vibrating their swim bladder
through muscle strength,catfishes produce sound using their pectoral girdlesome, cichlids
create sound using their pharyngeal teeth, and the snapping shrimp produces mid-frequency
sound with its claws
• Abiotic Sound
provide important information about surrounding environments to marine organisms
can be divided into two categories: natural background sound and anthropogenic sound.
Impact of Noise Pollution
• Acoustic Masking and Physiological Damage to Hearing System
• Behavior Alteration
• Changes in Population Distribution and Abundance
Cause of Marine Polution
1.Sewage
2.Ocean mining
3.Littering
4.Toxic chemical from industries
5.Land runoff
6.Large scale oil spill
 Littering
• Man-made objects such as debris and trash. Most
debris, especially plastic debris, cannot decompose
and remains suspended in the oceans current for
years. Animals can become snagged on the plastic
or mistake it for food, slowly killing them over a
long period of time. Animals who are most often
the victims of plastic debris include turtles,
dolphins, fish, sharks, crabs, sea birds, and
crocodiles. The temperature increase effect by the
rising levels of Co2 acidify the ocean in the form
of acid rain.
 Littering
• Man-made objects such as debris and trash. Most
debris, especially plastic debris, cannot decompose
and remains suspended in the oceans current for
years. Animals can become snagged on the plastic
or mistake it for food, slowly killing them over a
long period of time. Animals who are most often
the victims of plastic debris include turtles,
dolphins, fish, sharks, crabs, sea birds, and
crocodiles. The temperature increase effect by the
rising levels of Co2 acidify the ocean in the form
of acid rain.
 Ocean Mining
Ocean mining in the deep sea is yet
another source of ocean pollution.
Ocean mining sites drilling for silver,
gold, copper, cobalt and zinc create
sulfide deposits up to three and a half
thousand meters down in to the
ocean.

. While we have yet the gathering of scientific evidence to fully explain the harsh environmental

impacts of deep sea mining, we do have a general idea that deep sea mining causes damage to
the lowest levels of the ocean and increase the toxicity of the region. This permanent damage
dealt also causes leaking, corrosion and oil spills that only drastically further hinder
the ecosystem of the region.
 Sewage
Pollution can enter the ocean directly. Sewage or polluting substances flow through sewage, rivers,
or drainages directly into the ocean. This is often how minerals and substances from mining camps
find their way into the ocean.

The release of other chemical nutrients into

the ocean’s ecosystem leads to reductions in
oxygen levels, the decay of plant life, a
severe decline in the quality of the sea water
itself. As a result, all levels of oceanic
life, plants and animals, are highly affected.
 LAND RUNOFF
• Land runoff or nonpoint source is caused when rainwater
or melted snow moves over and through into the ground
or drainage. As the water moves its pick up and carries
pollutants to nearby lakes, streams, and rivers. The
pollutant may then flow into the ocean.

Pollutant included in land runoff are:

 Fertilizers
 Pesticides
 Motor oils
 Chemical cleaners
 Untreated or poorly treated sewage
 Loose dirt that occur from sources like construction site
 Toxic Chemicals From Industries

• Industrial and agricultural waste are another

most common form of wastes that are directly
discharged into the oceans, resulting in ocean
pollution.
• This affects the marine life as they are
considered hazardous and secondly, they raise
the temperature of the ocean, known as
thermal pollution, as the temperature of
these liquids is quite high.

• Animals and plants that cannot survive at

higher temperatures eventually perish.
 Large Scale
Oil Spills

• The most source of marine pollution

come from oil spill.
• Crude oil is extremely toxic to marine life,
often suffocating marine animals to
death once it entraps them.
• Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
contain in crude oil are very difficult to
clean up and last for years in the
sediment and marine environment.