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Pollution and Marine Life 1 Running Head: POLLUTION AND MARINE LIFE The Effects of Pollution on Marine Life Shae A. Doty Saint Mary’s College Pollution and Marine Life 2 Introduction Research from the University of California San Diego Scripps Institution of Oceanography said that species in the ocean consume a projected 12,000 to 24,000 tons of plastic every year in the Pacific Ocean (Nall, 2014). Pollution from recyclable materials such as: plastic bags, soda can holders, water bottles, etc. in the oceans is one of the leading causes of near extinction in some marine species. Imagine a world where we didn’t constantly worry about the vicious cycle of humans affecting animals and then animals in turn affecting us through our consumption. This issue of polluting our environment is only a strand in the web of environmental issues that systems thinking explores. Yet, this research paper provides information that magnifies this smaller issue to create an understanding of the magnitude of larger environmental issues that people need to be responsible for, through the framework of a land ethic and one’s obligation. Marine Biologists, Earth scientists, photobioreactor researchers and marine journalists would all agree that pollution of our oceans is a problem. The future of this problem is where their ideas tend to differ. This literature review attempts to demonstrate and support the belief that pollution is becoming worse in the ocean and more marine life ecosystems are being affected, through qualitative data of personal accounts and stories and quantitative date of sea otter recovery charts and revival rates of ecosystems, charts of the number of plastic in the ocean and tables, maps and charts to describe the expansion of plastic in the oceans. But, there are solutions that we as humans can do to change this. If we do not realize our own responsibility, as well as a collective obligation to humanity and marine life, then we will need to start thinking of other ways to replace those food and water resources, which is extremely unattainable. Pollution and Marine Life 3 Literature Review “Recovery of Marine Animal Populations and Ecosystems.” Trends in Ecology & Evolution. Heike Lotze, Marta Coll, Anna Magera, Christine Ward- Paige, Laura Airoldi In a research article by Lotze, Coll, Magera, Ward and Airoldi (2011) they examine the positive side of how ecosystems in the ocean can recover even though they are faced with countless struggles every day. Heike Lotze is the Canada Research Chair in Marine Renewable Resources; Marta Coll has a PhD in Marine Science and is currently a researcher at the Marine Exploited Ecosystems Mixed Research Unit. Anna Magera is a fisheries biologist and works for the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board; Christine Ward-Paige is a research consultant at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and she created a database for the Thailand eShark project. Laura Airoldi is an editorial board member of the Marine Ecology Progress Series, as well as an author and co-author of sixty peer review papers and eight book chapters. These authors ask the main question: How common is improvement among depleted populations and degraded ecosystems in the ocean? Through the use of illustrations of sea otter recovery and charts of revival rates in ecosystems, it is hypothesized that over the years, ecosystems are moving towards renewal and essentially in the future, they will increase. The results of the research these scholars did on recovery of certain ecosystems stated that 10-50% of ecosystems actually show some rate of progression (Lotze, Coll, Magera, Ward, Airoldi, 2011). This has significance when looking at pollution and the effects it has on marine life: “Pollution controls and habitat restoration have had important roles in the recovery of diadromous fishes. Overall, in terms of relative importance of the different factors, it Pollution and Marine Life 4 has been shown that 95% of recoveries of exploited marine species in estuarine and coastal regions were enabled by reduced or banned exploitation” (Lotze, Coll, Magera, Ward, Airoldi, 2011). The results also indicate how improvement is possible in other ecosystems as well, not just with the example of diadromous fish. All of these results combined confirmed the overall hypothesis that pollution is becoming worse in the ocean and more marine life ecosystems are being affected, but these scholars believe there is hope for these ecosystems in the future through rehabilitation and less human interference. Marine life ecosystems can be saved if humans limit their pollution, ban commercial exploiting and protect habitats. One limitation to the study is that the recovery of these ecosystems appears unachievable since “long-lived marine animals might take many decades to recover from low population abundance owing to their slow life-history characteristics and low annual growth rates”(Lotze, Coll, Magera, Ward, Airoldi, 2011). Another limitation to the study is that there is no statistical data showing how ecosystems in the past have changed or recovered. There is only data describing what is happening now and possibilities for what could happen in the future. Oceans: The Threats To Our Seas and What You Can Do To Turn The Tide: Jon Bowermaster, Participant Guide Media In a book of collected essays edited by Jon Bowermaster, he asks the main question: How many of the billions of people living in this world, who frequently look at our oceans, stop and wonder how they are doing? Bowermaster is a six-time grantee of the National Geographic Expeditions Council and an award-winning author, journalist and filmmaker. He uses qualitative data through personal accounts and stories from people regarding Pollution and Marine Life 5 pollution and pictures. He hypothesizes that there are three details people need to keep in consideration when thinking about our oceans: Loving them, losing them and saving them. The results in this book supported the hypothesis of loving, losing or saving our oceans by bringing up the fact that our oceans are full of plastic and “It began with a line of plastic bags ghosting the surface, followed by an ugly tangle of junk: nets and ropes and bottles, motor-oil jugs and cracked bath toys” (Bowermaster, 2010, p. 72). This has significance when looking at pollution and the effects it has on marine life: “More than a million seabirds, 100,000 marine mammals, and countless fish die in the North Pacific each year, either from mistakenly eating this junk or from being ensnared in it and drowning”(Bowermaster, 2010, 74). These results operate against the hypothesis that recovery is possible for the future (Lotze, Coll, Magera, Ward, Airoldi, 2011) by saying that every year, millions of animals and marine life are dying because of human pollution. It is also later reported that: “Though marine dumping is part of the problem, escaped nurdles and other plastic litter migrate to the gyre largely from land. That polystyrene cup you saw floating in the creek, if it doesn’t get picked up and specifically taken to a landfill, will eventually be washed out to sea” (Bowermaster, 2010, p. 79). All of these results combined confirm the overall hypothesis that pollution is growing worse in the ocean and more marine life ecosystems are being affected, but there are things that we as humans can do to change this. By offering solutions to pollution in the ocean, Bowermaster signifies the importance of educating ourselves on how reliant we are on this water that comes from our oceans. One limitation to the study is that while numerous significant and extremely important points were made, the majority of them were made without statistics to back them up. Pollution and Marine Life 6 “Are We “Digging Our Own Grave” Under the Oceans?” Environmental Science & Technology. Raveender Vannela In a research article by Raveender Vannela (2012) he asks: Are the millions of tons of plastic that we are putting into the ocean every year not only affecting marine life but also us as humans? Vannela currently leads a research group for photobioreactor research and works with green chemistry. Through the use of statistical data and pictures of amounts of marine debris in the ocean, he hypothesizes that the amount of pollution we as humans put into the ocean every year is largely affecting both the marine life and humans because of the food chain system. The results in this study supported the hypothesis of the research on pollution affecting marine life and humans as well by stating, “An estimated 70% of 20 million tons of plastic eventually sinks into bottom of the oceans damaging precious life… that makes living off the oceans owe their dependency to the ‘untouched and super-productive world’” (Vannela, 2012). This has significance when looking at pollution since: “The large plastic items thrown into the ocean eventually disintegrate into thousands of tiny pieces of plastic that form a large cloud of ‘plastic gunk/soup’ beneath the ocean surface across the pelagic water column” (Vannela, 2012). This indicates that pollution is affecting us as humans through our food chain and that we are essentially the ones creating this catastrophe in the first place. These results agree with the hypothesis that every year, millions of marine creatures are dying and that humans have a hand in this entire web of pollution as a whole (Bowermaster, 2011). All of these results combined confirm the overall hypothesis that pollution is becoming worse in the ocean and more marine life ecosystems are being affected, but there are things that we as Pollution and Marine Life 7 humans can do to change this. One limitation to the study is the lack of data on how we as humans are being affected through the food chain from this pollution in the ocean. “The Present and Future Of Microplastic Pollution In The Marine Environment.” Environmental Pollution. Ivar do Sul, Monica Costa In a research article by Ivar do Sul and Monica Costa (2013) the main question is asked: How widespread is the expansion of microplastic in ecosystems in relation to the considerable implications it presents to marine life? Sul has a doctorate in statistical modeling and marine and coastal pollution; Costa is an Associate Professor at UFPE with a background in Earth Sciences. Through statistics, tables, maps and charts, they hypothesize that through laboratory studies, it will be provable that microplastic expansion has gotten worse over the years and is greatly impacting marine life. The results in this study supported the hypothesis of the research since it states: “Several million tonnes of plastics have been produced since the middle of the last century (more than two hundred million tonnes annually)” (Ivar do Sul, Costa, 2013). This has significance when looking at pollution since: “Microplastics are reportedly present on six continents, and higher amounts are commonly related to densely populated areas. In a study of the types (mostly fibers) and materials (frequently polyester and acrylic) of microplastics, suggested that the plastics were produced by sewage effluents, including wastewater from washing machines” (Ivar do Sul, Costa, 2013). These results indicate that pollution is present on six of the seven continents and it comes from largely populated areas. These results agree with the hypothesis that our “untouched and superproductive world” is affecting marine life ecosystems (Vannela, 2012). All of these Pollution and Marine Life 8 results combined confirm the overall hypothesis that pollution is becoming worse in the ocean and more marine life ecosystems are being affected, but there are matters that we as humans can do to change this. While much consideration is given for going into lengthy depths of how microplastic pollution affects creatures in the ocean, one limitation to the study is some lack of statistical data showing how much of this pollution is directly related to humans. In conclusion, the results indicate that the ecosystems being affected in the ocean by pollution are a vicious cycle of human complacency (Bowermaster, 2010; Lotze, et al., 2011; Sul & Costa, 2013; Vannela, 2012). It is important to understand that humans play an essential role in the effects of pollution of marine life. Also, that as pollution in the oceans grow worse over the years, we may in turn be affecting ourselves through consumption. It can be assumed from these four sources that we live in a world of a massive butterfly effect where humans create the pollution that affects marine life, which in turn affects humans. Future research needs to focus on the significant data and the statistics of how much pollution is directly related to human negligence. If more focus was placed on this area of research as well as how pollution is affecting marine life, then humans might take more into consideration the next time they throw their water bottle into a garbage can or down a sewage drain. The research that I have done will contribute to these arguments made about pollution by delving deeper into the statements made; proving that pollution is, over time getting worse in the oceans and that marine species are significantly being affected. Pollution and Marine Life 9 According to the Marin Academy's Oceanography website, “There are over 46,000 pieces of plastic floating in each square mile of ocean off of the Northeast coast of the United States. This plastic contributes to the death of 100,000 marine mammals and two million sea birds yearly” (Marin Academy, 2010). A square mile of ocean may seem large, but in comparison to the amount of plastic encompassed in this area, it is significant. Ravendeer Vannela, leader of the research group of photobioreactor research states, “An estimated 70% of 20 million tons of plastic eventually sinks into bottom of the oceans damaging precious life… that makes living off the oceans owe their dependency to the ‘untouched and super-productive world’” (Vannela, 2012). This 20 million tons of plastic are getting into the throats of marine species like seals, dolphins, whales, turtles and seabirds and is the cause of thousands of deaths every year. The causes of pollution in the oceans appear rather clear after researching this topic. Humans single handedly pollute thousands of tons of plastic waste every year without a second thought. Since humans don’t recycle their plastic waste and many throw their bottles or trash onto the highways, beaches or on the sidewalk, this waste is ending up inside of the stomachs of thousands of marine species. Jon Bowermaster, six-time grantee of the National Geographic Expeditions Council, perfectly describes that humans are the main cause of pollution in the oceans by saying: “…we as humans are a rapacious species, seemingly incapable of taking good care of any place; over the past five centuries or so, we’ve done a very good job of taking from the ocean without pause to consider its fragility and the damage we’ve done to it by our indifference”(Bowermaster, 2010, p. xii). We as humans are incredibly comfortable with the anthropocentric mindset we have when it comes to the land that we live off of. In the twenty-first century we are living such a fast paced lifestyle, so we don’t recognize that our selfish actions are actually Pollution and Marine Life 10 hurting the species that we share this land with. The status of pollution in the oceans as of 2014 is better in some places than in others. In an article called Marine Protected Areas in the Coral Triangle: Progress, Issues, and Options by researchers Alan White, Porfirio Alino, Annick Cros, Nurulhuda Fatan, Alison Green, Shwu Teoh, Lynette Laroya, Nate Peterson, Stanley Tan, Stacey Tighe, Ruben Venegas-Li, Anne Walton and Wen Wen, they discuss that in the six countries known as the Triangle countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste, that: “each have evolving systems of marine protected areas (MPAs) at the national and local levels”(White, et. al, 2014). The same cannot be said for areas surrounding the United States, since statistics are still proving that thousands of marine species are dying every year because of the waste that we let float out into the oceans. These six countries, working toward cleaner marine ecosystems, can say a great deal about their biocentric viewpoint of the environment that extends value to all living species rather than the anthropocentric viewpoint most countries are currently portraying that regards humans as the supreme central species. The expansion and implementation of more marine protected areas around the world is exactly what the future of marine species ecosystems needs. With more MPAs being created around the world, we could witness the number of marine species deaths drop in the future. This issue of pollution in the oceans directly affects humans through their consumption of marine species through a butterfly effect. Humans throw their waste into the ocean; marine species such as seagulls, turtles and seals eat the waste and as a result, become sick. Then humans eat these marine species and become sick too with illnesses as Pollution and Marine Life 11 severe as cancer. In an article called Levels of PCDD/PCDFs and PCBs in edible marine species and human intake by Jose L. Domingo and Ana Bocio, they present three environmental contaminants that exist in marine species because of the waste that they are consuming, which in turn, is making humans extremely ill. They say: “Although human exposure to PCDD/Fs and PCBs can occur by various routes, food is the primary source. A number of studies have shown that the major food sources of these organic pollutants are fat-containing animal products, including fish and other seafood”(Domingo & Bocio, 2007). Humans are consuming these unsanitary species and countless people are becoming ill, which is why tons of species keep ending up on a list of marine foods that we shouldn’t eat. This is an interesting concept because if humans came together and made a collective effort by cutting down the amount of recycled waste that travels into the ocean every year, we wouldn’t need to worry about getting sick from eating seafood. There are numerous activists working to eliminate the problem of pollution in the oceans in the future and through my research, I have focused on three activist groups specifically. Firstly, I focused on The Ocean Cleanup. It is an organization that wants to extract, prevent and seize the plastic waste in the oceans. In an article called Ocean Cleanup Array developed by 19-year-old could save millions each year, and impact human health by Antonia, author on the Natural News & Scientific Discoveries website, discusses the plans that nineteen year old Boyan Slat has for the future of our environment are discussed. In the article the author states: “The Ocean Cleanup Array project has the potential to remove 7,250,000 tons of plastic from the world’s oceans: save hundreds of thousands of aquatic life each year; and reduce PCB, DDT, and other pollutants from affecting the food chain, which includes humans”(Antonia, 2013). This Pollution and Marine Life 12 solution involves an array of barriers that will float in the ocean and collect the plastic waste and solely use wind and natural currents of the ocean. This idea will eventually obliterate the plastic islands floating in the oceans and if it were successful, would be a very effective idea to remove all of the plastic waste in the oceans. I next focused on The Surfrider Foundation. In an article called Beach cleanups target cigarette butts by David Fleshler, he says: “…the Surfrider Foundation conducts monthly cleanups, where cigarettes are invariably the most common item... ‘It’s killing fish, it’s lingering in our oceans. Our oceans are turning into a plastic soup’”(Fleshler, 2012). Their solution involves volunteers from all over the United States coming together and cleaning up plastic waste off of the beaches. They advocate for reduction of plastic use and raise awareness of what polluting the oceans does, not only to marine life but also to humans. They leave people with the final thought on their website, “What goes in the ocean goes in you”(Surfrider Foundation). Lastly, I focused on the Algalita Marine Research Foundation. In an article called Ingestion of plastic found among small ocean fish by Tony Barboza, he says: “About 35% of the fish collected on a 2008 research expedition off the West Coast had plastic in their stomachs…Algalita, a Long Beach-based nonprofit named for its founder’s 50-foot catamaran, conducts scientific research on the global spread of marine debris…”(Barboza, 2011). The Algalita Marine Research Foundation is dedicated to protecting the marine environment and educating people around the world on the impact of pollution in the oceans. By going on expeditions and studying the species that have ingested plastic waste, they are providing information for other activists as a resource. These could all be systematic solutions since they aren’t costly, they all can feed off of each other’s research information to create a better environment, and they Pollution and Marine Life 13 potentially save the lives of thousands of species every year. Consequently, all of this research can provide an optimistic outlook on the future knowing that so many activists are working to save our oceans. But, if we as a human race do not come together and stop our pollution of plastic waste in the oceans, our environmental future doesn’t look exceptionally bright. There will be long-term implications if we cannot stop polluting. Eventually we are going to kill off all of the species in the oceans if we fail to address this problem. In addition to pollution hurting the marine species, it also affects the water in the oceans where some of the water we rely on to drink comes from. We rely so heavily on these entities in the ocean, so the only answer is to stop polluting. The solutions to pollution that are currently in the works are grand ideas that need to be tested in order to salvage our environment. The problem with some of these solutions taking place is that countries; political and ethical values overpower the small voices of these activist groups. Since the projected costs to remove all of the plastic in the oceans is still unknown, countries step aside, pushing the blame elsewhere since they don’t want to be held responsible. Our problem is that the majority of humans around the world need to take a biocentric standpoint on this issue and lessen their anthropocentric views in order to save this environment that we depend on. If we don’t all collectively join in on stopping pollution than we as humans are going to face serious consequences like a loss of food and water resources. Throughout researching I have come to define a firm standpoint against polluting in the oceans and have decided to become involved with local volunteer groups like the Surfrider Foundation and Save the Bay that help remove plastic waste. Through banning the sale of plastic bottles, implementing more policies protecting our oceans and creating more organizations to Pollution and Marine Life 14 voice these problems, we can all work together collectively to rid the ocean of plastic. If we do not realize our own responsibility through a framework of a land ethic, as well as a collective obligation to humanity and marine life, then we will need to start thinking of other ways to replace those food and water resources, which is highly impossible. Pollution and Marine Life 15 References Antonia. "Ocean Cleanup Array Developed by 19-year-old Could save Millions Each Year, and Impact Human Health." Natural News (2013): n. pg. Web. 3 May 2014. Barboza, Tony. "Ingestion of Plastic Found among Small Ocean Fish." Los Angeles Times (2011): n. pg. Web. 3 May 2014. Beavan, C. (2014, 04 06). No impact man: Plastic in the food chain http://noimpactman.typepad.com/blog/2007/06/plastic_in_the_.html Bowermaster, J. (2010). The threats to our seas and what you can do to turn the tide: A participant media guide. New York: Public Affairs. Domingo, José L., and Ana Bocio. "Levels of PCDD/PCDFs and PCBs in Edible Marine Species and Human Intake: A Literature Review." Environment International 33.3 (2007): 397-405. Print. Fleshler, David. "Beach Cleanups Target Cigarette Butts." Sun Sentinel (2012): n. pg. Web. 3 May 2014. Ivar do Sul, J. A., & Costa, M. (2013). The present and future of microplastic pollution in the marine environment. Environmental Pollution. Lotze, H., Coll, M., Magera, A., Ward-Paige, C., & Airoldi, L. (2011). Recovery of marine animal populations and ecosystems. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 26(11), 595-605. Ravendeer, V. (2012). Are we "digging our own grave" under the oceans?. Environmental Science & Technology, 46(15), 7932-933. White, Alan, Porfirio Alino, Annick Cros, Nurulhuda Fatan, Alison Green, Shwu Teoh, Lynette Laroya, Nate Peterson, Stanley Tan, Stacey Tighe, Ruben Venegas-Li, Pollution and Marine Life 16 Anne Walton, and Wen Wen. "Marine Protected Areas in the Coral Triangle: Progress, Issues, and Options." Coastal Management 42.2 (2014): 87-106. Web. 3 May 2014.