"Invasive organisms enter the ocean and cause harmful effects there...The majority of this waste (80%) comes from land-based activity, although marine transportation significantly contributes as well."
The contamination of the ocean and its ecosystems by human activity, including oil spills, litter, and chemical pollutants.
Introduction to Marine Pollution: This topic involves the basics of marine pollution like types of pollutants, sources of pollution, and its impact on marine life and ecosystems.
Water Quality Monitoring: It involves the study of the physicochemical parameters of the water that can indicate pollution levels in the sea.
Marine Debris: This topic covers the non-biodegradable waste that accumulates on the ocean surface and causes harm to marine life.
Oil Spills: It involves studying the causes, effects, prevention, and cleanup techniques of oil spills and their effects on the environment.
Chemical Pollution: This topic covers the hazardous chemicals that pollute the ocean, their sources, and their impact on the marine ecosystem.
Wastewater Discharges: It involves the study of the discharge of wastewater from ships, factories, and ports that pollute the sea.
Marine Bioremediation: This topic covers the use of biological agents like bacteria, fungi, and algae to remove pollutants from the marine environment.
Marine Hazardous Materials Management: It covers the management of hazardous materials like chemicals, radioactive materials, and biological agents on ships and ports.
Marine Pollution Control Regulations: It involves the study of the international and national regulations for controlling marine pollution.
Black Carbon and Ocean Acidification: This topic involves the study of black carbon emissions from ships and their impact on ocean acidification.
Climate Change and Marine Pollution: It involves the study of the impact of climate change on the marine environment, its effect on marine pollution and ecosystems.
Environmental Impact Assessment: It covers the study of the environmental impact assessments done before starting any projects that affect the marine environment.
Marine Spatial Planning: This topic covers the planning and management of marine areas to reduce the impact of pollution on the marine ecosystem.
Oil Spill Response Planning: It covers the planning and preparation for the response to oil spills at sea.
Marine Pollution Prevention Technologies: It covers the study of technologies and equipment used for preventing marine pollution like air and water pollution control.
Marine Life Conservation: This topic covers the preservation and conservation of marine life and ecosystem from the harmful effects of marine pollution.
Oil Pollution: The release of oil or petroleum products into marine environments, usually caused by oil spills or leaks from ships, offshore drilling platforms, or oil refineries.
Plastic Pollution: The accumulation of plastic waste in the ocean and coastal areas, from sources such as plastic bags, bottles, packaging, and fishing gear.
Chemical Pollution: The discharge of toxic substances, such as pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, and industrial chemicals, into the ocean, which may harm marine life and affect human health.
Sewage Pollution: The discharge of untreated or partially treated sewage into the ocean, which poses a risk to human health and marine ecosystems.
Thermal Pollution: The release of heated water or effluent into the ocean, which can cause significant damage to marine life and habitats, particularly in shallow coastal waters.
Noise Pollution: The impact of excessive noise from ship traffic, offshore construction, and other human activities on marine animals, such as whales, dolphins, and seals.
Radioactive Pollution: The release of radioactive materials, such as waste from nuclear power plants or nuclear testing, into the ocean, which can have long-term effects on human health and marine ecosystems.
Agricultural Pollution: The runoff of animal waste, fertilizers, and pesticides from farms into the ocean, which can cause algal blooms and fish kills.
Acidification: The increase in acidity levels of the ocean, primarily caused by the absorption of carbon dioxide emissions from human activities.
Land-based Activities: A broad category of pollutants that originate from the land, including litter, debris, and other forms of solid waste, which can enter the ocean through runoff and other forms of pollution.
Microplastics: Tiny plastic particles measuring less than five millimeters in diameter that result from the breakdown of larger plastic products, and have become a significant pollution concern in marine environments.
Heavy Metals: The release of toxic substances into the ocean, such as lead, mercury, and cadmium, which can cause harm to both marine and human life.
"Air pollution is also a contributing factor by carrying off iron, carbonic acid, nitrogen, silicon, sulfur, pesticides, or dust particles into the ocean."
"Pathways of pollution include direct discharge, land runoff, ship pollution, bilge pollution, atmospheric pollution, and potentially deep-sea mining."
"The types of marine pollution can be grouped as pollution from marine debris, plastic pollution, including microplastics, ocean acidification, nutrient pollution, toxins, and underwater noise."
"Plastic pollution in the ocean is a type of marine pollution by plastics, ranging in size from large original material such as bottles and bags, down to microplastics formed from the fragmentation of plastic material."
"These nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients (which are also contained in fertilizers) stimulate phytoplankton and macroalgal growth, which can lead to harmful algal blooms (eutrophication) which can be harmful to humans as well as marine creatures."
"Excessive algal growth can also smother sensitive coral reefs and lead to loss of biodiversity and coral health."
"Once in the food webs, these pesticides can cause mutations, as well as diseases, which can be harmful to humans as well as the entire food web."
"Toxic metals can cause a change to tissue matter, biochemistry, behavior, reproduction, and suppress growth in marine life."
"Many animal feeds have a high fish meal or fish hydrolysate content. In this way, marine toxins can be transferred to land animals and appear later in meat and dairy products."
"The majority of this waste (80%) comes from land-based activity."
"This pollution results in damage to the environment, to the health of all organisms, and to economic structures worldwide."
"These nonpoint sources are largely due to runoff that enters the ocean through rivers, but wind-blown debris, and dust can also play a role."
"These toxins are concentrated upward within ocean food chains...causing mutations, as well as diseases, which can be harmful to humans as well as the entire food web."
"Excessive algal growth can smother sensitive coral reefs and lead to loss of biodiversity and coral health."
"A situation that may worsen with climate change as warming reduces vertical mixing of the water column."
"Potentially deep-sea mining" is listed as one of the pathways of marine pollution, suggesting environmental risks associated with it.
"Plastic pollution is harmful to marine life."
"These toxins can be harmful to humans as well as marine creatures."
"One of the types of marine pollution is underwater noise."