Topic > Marine Pollution Essay - 970

There are many causes for oil in the ocean environment. Oil naturally enters the ocean, but natural concentrations have been largely exceeded. Transporting oil from one place to another contributes the most to the accumulation of oil in the ocean. Crude oil from transport b is discarded into the ocean during cleaning of the bilges, which are the lowest compartment of ships, and the transfer of oil from one tank to another at sea. “Disasters such as shipwrecks, oil tanker accidents and offshore oil rig fires continue to exacerbate this problem, as does municipal waste disposal in oceans, waste oil dumping from passing ships, coastal and offshore commercial entertainment and deep-sea industrial activities. and nuclear waste sites” (“Seawater Quality”). Another major polluter is the oil industry. Tanker ports and refineries are located along the coast for shipping purposes. Coastal areas suffer considerable damage due to spills. “Large numbers of seabirds are killed every year, their oil-coated plumage making flight impossible and exposing them to hypothermia. The oil-soaked fur of marine mammals loses its water repellency, even leading to death from hypothermia. Ingestion of oil by fish, birds and mammals can also cause death” (“Marine Pollution”). Another source of oil pollution comes from city streets. Oil runoff from city streets and sewers enters waterways and the ocean. Oil has a very long-term ecological impact on oceans and marine ecosystems. “The presence of oil in marine waters severely degrades water quality by clogging the food structure of animals, killing larvae, and blocking sunlight available for photosynthesis” (“Seawater Quality”). Oil pollution has been a major problem for a very long period of time. “As early as 1970, oceanographic ecologists noted that they could rarely haul a net across the ocean surface without picking up some form of tar or