Marine Water Usage, Pollution, and Conservation - Essay Example

MARINE WATER Marine is basically the surrounding of the seas and oceans. When it is mentioned the picture that comesup is saltwater a very large pool of water and all surrounding of an ocean. Usage of marine resources has improved economies of countries not forgetting that some countries are island thus most of the income come from marine for example Japan of which the land is made of sand thus no agriculture can take place for food. So basically in usage I will look at the following points how it used by people, (Edwin 196) sea animals and the plants. Pollution is another topic will check modes of pollution how it affects those use the marine and lastly will be conservation of the marine policies that have been put up to prevent more pollution. Let’s get down to part 1: usage of marine. Usage of marine: Fisheries For food - fish, such as shellfish (e.g., oysters, mussels, crabs and lobsters) are in high demand by communities all over the world. Oil Fuel, plastics, man-made fibers, chemicals (e.g., pain-killers), rubber, fertilizers, just to mention a few all are products of the marine. (Edwin 109) Gas Central heating, cooking, plastic and chemical production, food processing, some transportation. Minerals Many minerals can be mined from the deep sea, for example gold, nickel, cobalt, copper and zinc; and with limited reserves on land Sand and gravel Marine aggregates are used mainly in the construction industry for putting up structures and residential houses, and for the manufacture of concrete. Renewable energy Marine renewable energy turns energy from tidal streams, waves and wind to electricity that we can use on land to fulfill our electricity demands. Offshore wind energy alone could generate power that can be used to be used to run industry in a country. Marine tourism Humans use the sea for leisure and enjoy themselves in many different ways, from scuba diving to whale watching, surfing to sailing, jet-skiing to fishing. Waste disposal, absorption, and detoxification Lately, disposal of waste at sea has been regulated under the global London Dumping Convention. Now, only certain types of wastes may be dumped at sea, including dredged material, sewage sludge, fish wastes, vessels and platforms, inert inorganic geological waste (e.g. mining waste), natural organic material, some bulky items of steel, iron or concrete, and carbon dioxide streams from carbon dioxide sequestration programs. Waste absorption and detoxification are also important regulating services as marine organism’s store, bury and transform many waste materials through assimilation and chemical transformation, either directly or indirectly. Oceans have a unique (though not infinite) ability to clean up sewage, waste material, and pollutants. In particular, bio-the mixing of sediments on the seafloor by burrowing organisms − and accumulation regulate the processes of decomposition and/or sequestration (e.g. by burial) of organic wastes. Carbon dioxide capture and storage. One way that scientists are trying to mitigate climate change is the capture and storage of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Scientists are researching ways to do this, and capturing carbon dioxide as a liquid or solid, and then storing it under the sea is one path of research. Habitats Marine habitats, such as coral reefs, support biodiversity, which we rely on for food (fish), medicines (from certain marine species we get painkillers and cancer drugs), tourism (e.g. fishing and scuba diving). Nutrient cycling Nutrients are essential to life - without them, plants could not grow, and we could not survive. Nutrient cycling is the storage, cycling and maintenance of nutrients by living organisms, and microscopic animals have a major responsibility in this. Marine microbial nutrient cycling is essential for primary production in the sea (for plankton and algae); without it the marine primary production ecosystem, which is the basis for most life on Earth, would collapse. Water circulation and exchange Water circulation is essential for life in the oceans, as it enables transport of nutrients and oxygenated water around the oceans. Water that comes up from the deep ocean (through "upwelling") tends to be nutrient and oxygen-rich, and these "upwelling zones" are associated with high productivity of fisheries. Ocean circulation can be wind-driven in surface waters, and by density in deeper waters. Gas and climate regulation Gas and climate regulation include, in particular, the maintenance of the chemical composition of the atmosphere and oceans. An important mechanism in this regard is the so-called biological pump’, a series of biologically mediated processes that transport organic material (hence carbon and other nutrients) from the ocean surface to deeper layers. The biological pump recycles nutrients and provides food for deep-sea species. It also plays an important role in the Earths carbon cycle, carrying carbon away from the atmosphere and upper ocean layers. Marine organisms act as a reserve or sink for carbon in living tissue and by facilitating burial of carbon in seabed sediments. Through this natural carbon sequestration and storage process, it provides a climate regulation service. Pollution of marine. It is done by exercises that are made by people they are as follows: Sea dumping. Waste emitted by industries are dumped in the sea thus polluting the marine life. Oil spill Ships carrying oil may spill oil in the oceans thus the layer covering the sea lacking gaseous exchange killing living things in the ocean of which are hard to eliminate in the seas and can last for years. Residues from ship waste also play a factor in polluting the marine. (Hoofer 2009 Pollution from land. Rivers that flow into the oceans contain low-quality water pollute the oceans from agricultural run-off and so on. Mining The deep sea mining has contributed to polluting the marine environment. Some of the minerals mined are toxic such as copper as it can interfere with the development of coral polyps. Wind-blown dust and debris. Strong wind exist along the shores of the oceans this blows unwanted material that have been left on the shores and end up in the oceans. (Goda 200) Eutrophication This is the increase chemical nutrients, i.e. compounds containing nitrogen or phosphorous in an ecosystem resulting to in the ecosystems productivity i.e. excessive plant growth and decay which again brings up lack of oxygen , reduction in water quality and more population in fish and other animals in the sea. Noise pollution This are caused by ships, ferries and other machines that use the sea not forgetting machines are used to mine in the sea. Marine conservation. Policies Countries have been made in countries to protect the marine. For example the 1966 convention on fishing and conservation of living resources of the high seas, 1972 marine mammal protection Act 2010 Marine (Scotland) Act just to mention but a few.(Tubas 410) Organizations and Education Marine conservation organization have been put up all over the world which focus on funding conservation initiatives and also educating public and stakeholders on policies on conservation and conservation importance’s examples of this are the marine conservation Institute Protecting extinct and endangered animals This focus on protecting the endangered animal in the marine for example the sea turtles who’s its population have dropped at an alarming rate. Some types of fish are also endangered e.g. the pacific Bluefin has dropped from vulnerable to extinction. Conclusion Marine has a lot of effects on our environment thus very important to us thus we should all strive to conserve it and also to make the living things in there are healthy. References Edwin Howard Simmons, J. Robert Moskin. "the marine life." Edwin Howard Simmons, J. Robert Moskin. The Marine. Newyork: Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, 1998. Gōda, Yoshimi. "Random Seas and Design of Maritime Structures." Gōda, Yoshimi. 2001. Hofer, Tobias N. Marine Pollution. NEWYORK, 2008. Soulé, Michael E. "Marine Conservation ." newyork, 2005. Sybille van den Hove. "Deep-sea Biodiversity and Ecosystems." Moreau, Vincent. Deep-sea Biodiversity and Ecosystems. NEWYORK: Earthprint, 2007. 13- 88. Uses, National Research Council (U.S.). Panel on Marine and Maritime. Marine and Maritime Uses. Newyork: National academies, 1997. Read More