Ocean Pollution Issue: Causes and Solutions

                      Ocean Pollution Name Institution Affiliation                 Ocean Pollution Ocean Pollution Issue Oceans cover the approximately 71% of the earth’s surfaces and harbors about 1 million species (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)). They contain valuable and beautiful ecosystems that are a source of numerous benefits, including fresh foods and careers for thousands of people living in the vicinity of the beaches. Oceans are sources of seafood such as finfish, marine mammals, crustaceans, reptiles, mollusks, and seaweed. In addition, several industries have been established as a result of the existence of these beautiful bodies. Tourism, oil companies, mariculture, and fishery are sectors that offer jobs to millions of individuals across the world (NOAA, 2011). Nevertheless, the oceans are not in peace as they appear to be. The world population has tremendously grown, which has been accompanied by a massive generation of waste products both from homes and industries. A large portion of such waste is being directed to the oceans, leading to severe destruction of marine ecosystems. Ocean pollution is a problem that has plagued various countries around the world for a long time now (Christofersen and Cummins, 2009).  Causes of Ocean Pollution The main sources of ocean pollution include nonpoint pollutants that originate from the big industries such as oil and sewerage companies. The other major sources of ocean pollution are nonpoint pollutants, which mainly consist of herbicides, insecticides, and fertilizers. They are referred to as nonpoint because they are not directly dumped into the ocean, but carried from the farms by surface runoff during the rainy days (Clair, & Cummins, 2009). Human-created wastes such as plastic products have severely affected marine life for a long time. The increased use of plastic products has resulted in a massive disposal problem due to their non-biodegradable nature.  Normally, plastic cans and papers take several years before they completely disappear. According to the United Nations Regional Information Center, about 12 million barrels of oil are used to manufacture approximately 102 billion plastic bags every year in the United States (Eriksen et al., 2014). Moreover, around 2.4 tons of plastic and bottles are disposed of annually all over the world. Effects  Ocean pollution is a cause for concern due to the adverse effects it has on the marine ecosystems. For instance, disposal of the raw sewage from the ships and sewerage companies forms a large part of the waste dumped into the oceans (Han & Liu, 2014). Raw sewage disposal has severe repercussions on marine life because of its high levels of nitrogen. Nitrogen compounds such as ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites among others promote the eutrophication, a process that causes algal blooms (Han & Liu, 2014). Subsequently, there is increased competition for oxygen between the marine life and algae, resulting from the p...