Effects of Plastic in The Ocean

The most important issue I chose is ocean pollution. The oceans are a huge component in human life, for providing a steady food source for communities around the world, and because of its oxygen making properties. Around 70% of the oxygen that we breath is produced by marine plants. We have been slowly destroying the ocean by overfishing, ocean acidification, and plastic waste. I think it is sad that people don’t realize how they are negatively impacting the ocean, and how they see it as unimportant to human sustenance. Just in one year, 2.2 billion tons of plastic was dumped into the ocean, and this hurts the oceanic ecosystems because it blocks out sunlight for plants, are a hazard for fish, and can throw off the animal populations. Overall ocean pollution is a very important issue because it does not just affect the ocean, but the environment, land animals, and humans, thus need to take key steps in stopping the acidification, and pollution of the ocean.

Spotted Oceanic Triggerfish, hiding in the middle of plastic garbage.

Sources:

1. “Ocean Pollution.” National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, www.noaa.gov/resource-collections/ocean-pollution.
2. Denchak, Melissa. “Ocean Pollution: The Dirty Facts.” NRDC, 4 Dec. 2018, www.nrdc.org/stories/ocean-pollution-dirty-facts.
3. “Marine Pollution.” National Geographic, National Geographic, 13 June 2017, http://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/oceans/critical-issues-marine-pollution/.