Marine Pollution Flashcards
What do humans use the ocean for?
- Recreation
- Water source
- Inexpensive travel
- Food source
- Biological resources
- Geological resource
- Energy
- Waste disposal
What is Pollution?
Any harmful substance or energy in the environment
What is an environmental bioassay?
A controlled experiment to assess the impact of a pollutant on a specific organism.
What are the limitations for an environmental bioassay?
- Must kill organisms in the lab
- Does not predict long term effects
- Cannot assess the combination of multiple pollutants
- Specific to a single organism
What is marine debris?
Any persistent solid material in the marine environment.
What is marine debris primarily composed of?
Plastic
Is dilution the solution to pollution?
Dilution is not the solution to pollution, but dilution can be used to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water supplies.
What does anthropogenic mean?
Originating from human activity.
Why is petroleum highly valued?
Petroleum is desired for its high energy content. Why is it used? Fuels for transportation, heating, and electricity, and making of chemicals, plastics, etc.
How is petroleum naturally degraded?
Bacteria
How much oil entering the ocean is released anthropogenically (by humans)?
50%
Describe the case study of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
(1989) A super tanker ship, The Exxon Valdez, hit some shallow icebergs and caused 8/11 tankers to rupture. Releasing 44 liters gallons of oil into the ocean.
What major policy came out of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill?
The Oil Pollution act of 1990 - requires all tankers to have a double hull
Describe the case study of the Deepwater Horizon Oil spill
The British Petroleum oil rig received a big rush of natural gas into one of the core pillars causing it to collapse. Biggest oil spill in history, losing 795 million liters of oil.
How are buoy systems involved in supporting oil spill response?
They track the ph. level, salinity, water conditions, etc.
What is non-point source pollution
Pollution that does not originate from a single source.
What is sewage sludge?
Semi-solid waste that is left after treatment
New York Sewage Sludge Case Study
Sewage sludge from NY and Philly was dumped in a few locations in the ocean close to the coast. There was an adverse effect on the coastal ecosystem including reduced biodiversity. Then it was moved to a location further into the ocean but there was a large effect on fish stocks which made them move it back to land. This whole process impacted the coastal ecosystem greatly.
Boston Sewage Sludge Case Study
Boston harbor was a place for sewage sludge to be dumped until the 1980s when they court ordered for the waters to be cleaned up. Opened a treatment facility in 1998 and created a 15km pipe transporting sludge from the facility to deep waters where its dispersed horizontally.
What is a persistent organic pollutant (POPs)?
A synthetic chemical that is harmful to the environment and doesn’t easily biodegrade.
Adverse effect of POPs
Birth defects, illnesses, cancer
What is DDT and how does it effect the environment?
A toxic pesticide used in agriculture to prevent bugs. Decreases the reproductive rate of birds by causing eggshell thinning and embryo deaths. ie. TOXIC TO ANIMALS
What is PCB and why is it dangerous?
Industrial chemical used for insulation and liquid coolant. Causes liver cancer and harmful chemical mutations in animals.
bioaccumulation vs biomagnification
Biomagnification is when pollutants are passed up the food chain to higher trophic levels.
Bioaccumulation is when the level of a pollutant increases in an organism over its lifespan.
How is mercury (Hg) released into the environment?
Volcanoes, burning off fossil fuels, chemical manufacturing.
How is monomethylmercury (MMHg) formed?
Bacteria in the ocean converts it to this state.
What is Minamata disease?
A disease you can get from eating something with too much mercury from biomagnification.
Trash that can legally be dumped in the ocean?
Paper, rags, food, dunnage
What CAN NOT be ever dumped in the ocean?
Plastics - the float and do not easily biodegrade
How do microplastics impact the marine environment?
Cause fish to get diseases, die, delay growth, etc.
What is the Microbead Free Waters Act of 2015?
Banned that use of microplastics in personal care products. LOOP HOLE: act is only for products that you wash off. You don’t wash off deodorant.
How are Garbage patches formed?
Gyres move trash into big patches in the ocean
What is sound pollution?
Any noise that is harmful to the environment.
Effect of sound pollution of marine animals?
Sound pollution can affect animals which use echolocation to locate their mates as they cannot hear them. >120Db is harmful.
What did the study at Stellwagon Bank National Marine Sanctuary show?
The more vessels there were in the ocean, resulted in less communication between whales.
What is the Law of the Sea?
Body of maritime that governs the use of the ocean.
EEZ?
Exclusive economic zone - area 200 miles off the coast of land in all directions which grants access to natural resources in the area.
How much ocean is controlled because of the Law of the Sea?
42%
What is the value of an EEZ?
11.5 million KM
