2.2.10: Managing ocean pollution

Question 1

Causes of ocean pollution

4

Answer 1

terrestrial/ river runoff
waste disposal
oil spills
pollution from the atmosphere

Question 2

Where does 80% of ocean pollution originate from

Answer 2

land

Question 3

Oil spill example

Answer 3

Gulf of Mexico 2010

Question 4

Example of ocean management of pollution

Answer 4

Ocean cleanup foundation,

boomy mcboomface

Question 5

UNESCO world heritage sites

Answer 5

Places with special status and protection that have ‘outstanding universal value’

Question 6

Example of a UNESCO world heritage site

Answer 6

Great Barrier Reef

Question 7

Great Barrier Reef

Answer 7

World’s largest coral reef system, home to 30 species of dolphin and whale, one of the world’s most important populations of sea cow (dugong)

Question 8

Dead zones

Answer 8

Areas with low oxygen that fail to support marine life and therefore have no or few living organisms

Question 9

How many major dead zones

Answer 9

20 worldwide
Gulf of Mexico and Japan badly affected
North sea: nitrate rich spot which has lost lobster populations due to low oxygen concentrations

Question 10

Eutrophication

Answer 10

Rapid algal growth on the surface of a body of water due to excess of nutrients as a result of leeching and may result in low oxygen concentrations

Question 11

Plastic makes up what percentage of all rubbish floating in the oceans?

Answer 11

90%

Question 12

Garbage patches

Answer 12

Large areas of the ocean where debris such as litter collects and are trapped by gyres

Question 13

Gyres

Answer 13

circulating ocean currents that are involved with large wind movements

Question 14

Effect of plastic pollution on marine life

sea birds

Answer 14

sea birds eat plastic and die of starvation

Question 15

Example of a garbage patch

Answer 15

Great Pacific garbage patch

Question 16

Effect of oil spills on marine life

Answer 16

sea birds covered in oil
loose their waterproof covering and can’t fly
die

Question 17

How many sea turtles exposed to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill?

Answer 17

402,000

Question 18

Strategies to manage ocean pollution

UNCLOS

Answer 18

(states bound by UNCLOS)

can’t deliberately dump waste at sea

Question 19

Causes of unintentional plastic pollution

2

Answer 19

accidental waste discharge - is land based so UNCLOS can’t control
heavy rainfall pushes plastic into sewer systems which is difficult to manage

Question 20

EU and national rules to manage ocean pollution

2

Answer 20

various governments have banned plastic bags and microbeads

Question 21

Local action to manage ocean pollution

Answer 21

Adventure Ecology built ‘plastiki’ boat
Greenpeace campaigns
Ocean cleanup foundation - new techologies

Question 22

Consequences of ocean pollution

3

Answer 22

Eutrophication and dead zones
plastic pollution
oil spills

Question 23

Terrestrial run-off - cause of ocean pollution

6

Answer 23

water containing:
fertilisers and pesticides
oil from road surfaces
waste from industrial activity
sewage
domestic waste water
litter

Question 24

Cause of ocean pollution - waste disposal

Answer 24

rubbish dumped from shipping

over 80% of all waste dumped at sea is material that has been dredged from elsewhere

Question 25

Cause of ocean pollution - oil spills

4

Answer 25

• Result of shipping accidents or extraction activities
• Improvements such as double hulls have reduced tanker spills from 24.5 to 11 since 2010
• Despite decrease still 47,000 tonnes of oil has been lost from 2000-2017
• BP oil rig fault, 2010, Gulf of Mexico

Question 26

Cause of ocean pollution - pollution from the atmosphere

Answer 26

Ocean naturally absorbs CO2

As the CO2 conc. increases, due to climate change, the oceans become more acidic