Presentation Notes

Inroduction: Our ocean is made up of five major oceans. They are, Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic, and Southern. They cover about 97% of our planet. The Indian ocean and the Pacific are both suffering from oil pollution. Composition of ocean water: EXPERIMENT TIME... Requirements: 3 glasses of water salt Method: Drink from one and it tastes fresh even though some dissolved salts are naturally present. Add a pinch of table salt to the second, and taste. But add a teaspoon of salt to the third and taste Observation: The third time, your taste buds strongly protest that this water is too salty to drink Conclusion: This glass of water has about the same salt content as a glass of sea water. Obviously, the ocean, in contrast to the water we use daily, contains intolerable amounts of dissolved chemicals, which is too salty for human consumption. Ocean water is made up of 96.5% water and 3.5% dissolved minerals. The basic composition is given in the table below: Composition of Ocean Water Element Oxygen Hydrogen Chlorine Sodium Sulfur Calcium Potassium Bromine Carbon Percent of Ocean Water 85.7000 10.8000 1.9000 1.0500 0.0885 0.0400 0.0380 0.0065 0.0026

Magnesium 0.1350

(Swenson)

(Sea Grant)

Salinity: The main salt ions makes the sea salty. This affects the marine life as through the process of osmosis transports water from higher concentration to lower concentration, the cell walls. A fish with a cellular salinity of 1.8% will swell in fresh water and dehydrate in salt water. The sea water contains 3.5% salinity. The table below has the exact and the detailed composition of water. Isotope composition of ordinary water: Water is made of hydrogen and oxygen, but both of these elements have more than one stable naturally occurring isotope. The most abundant hydrogen isotope has an atomic mass number of one; deuterium is present in small quantities. Tritium is radioactive and is almost entirely absent in nature. The most abundant oxygen isotope has a mass number of 16, but the 18-O isotope is present at about 0.2% and there is also a tiny amount of 17-O.
Marine Pollution Pollution is a major issue when it comes to marine life and the Earth itself. Pollution can cause harm both directly, by affecting ocean organism and indirectly, by affecting human health and resources. Marine Pollution is comprised of a wide range of threats from land based sources, oil spills, untreated sewage, and heavy siltation(river deposits) to radioactive substances, marine litter, overfishing and destruction of costal and marine habitats. Over the years, improvements have been made in reducing oil discharges and spills in the Seas. The oil spills have been reduced by 63% compared to the mid 1980s. Also, tanker accidents have decreased by 75%. A highly severe threat that exceeds overexploitation of fisheries and physical damage of marine coastal habitats by dredge is the rise of costal development and the discharge of untreated sewage into near-shore waters. These results have caused large quantities of nutrients to spread into the sea and coastal zones. About 60% of the wastewater released into the Caspian Sea in Latin America is untreated and in the Caribbean the amount is around 80%. Close to US$ 56 billion is required annually to address such problems. As a result, these actions along with changes in salinity, melting ice, temperature increase and potential alterations in sea currents may affect marine life and their capability to recuperate from harsh climates.

What are Toxic Wastes? Toxic wastes are poisonous materials that are disposed into the ocean. They can be held accountable for the contamination in our lakes and rivers. These wastes cause damage to a lot plants and animals in the oceans and have an enormous impact on our health. They are one of the most harmful forms of pollution. After toxic waste harms marine organisms, they quickly move up the food chain and end up targeting us, by becoming our seafood. These wastes find their way into the sea and ocean due to the leaking of landfills, dumps, mines and farms. Lead is predominantly the most harmful metal in the waters. Lead can damage to the brain, kidney, and reproductive system. Not only that, but it can also cause birth defects and has been detected to cause low IQ scores, slow growth, and hearing problems in children. Lead can be given off by car paints, manufacturing lead batteries, fishing lures and water pipes. DID YOU KNOW: During a scientific expedition to a remote location along California and Hawaii, Scientists discovered a huge patch of garbage mainly consisting of plastic in an area the size of Texas. These materials are extremely harmful to marine life as they take over 1000 years to deteriorate. Moreover, an estimated 10 percent of the 260 million tons of plastic generated every year ends up in the oceans. Prevention: Boating Pollution: Whenever boats are travelling in the seas they are producing pollution that can be harmful to the marine creatures. The boats engine is the source of the pollution when it is running. The engine gives off excess gasoline, and this pollutes the water. To reduce the amount of pollution here are some tips: Only start a boat engine all the way when it is really mandatory. Do not take your boat into the water if you do not need to. Store and transport gasoline in locations where there isnt any direct sunlight as the gasoline will evaporate, and all the gasses that have evaporated will pollute the air.

Garbage Dumping: Garbage dumping is the disposal of hazardous materials into the oceans such as human waste, ground- up garbage, water from bathing and plastics. A large amount of the waste that was present during the 1990 still remains in the oceans today. One of the major causes of garbage dumping happens when sewage pipes share their space with storm water drains. Rain water causes the sewage pipes to overflow. Then the sewage waste merges with the storm water drain and flows into a water source.

This garbage pollutes the oceans and kills plants and animals. In order to prevent such actions, we should make sure the waste water that ends up in the ocean is clean. We can do this by watching how much waste water we produce. Also, we can limit the amount of garbage being discarded into the oceans by recycling our plastics, ensuring that our batteries are not leaking, and using rechargeable batteries instead of regular batteries. Agriculture Pollution: The chemical pesticides, which are harmful chemical substances used to kill animals and insects, as well as fertilizers, which are chemical and natural substance used to make crops grow better, are another source of pollution. When it rains, these chemicals are washed off the plants and then they flow off into the oceans. To reduce the amount of agricultural pollution, switch to using organic products which use natural pesticides and fertilizers. Oil Spills in Ocean Oil spills can happen in a number of ways, including the mishandling of oil pipes and tanker or careless habitat in the use of oil. Approximately 706 million gallons of oil waste enter the ocean every year. Depending on the oceans density and composition, when oil is spilled in the ocean, it initially spreads in the water. Oil that contains unstable organic compounds partially evaporates, losing between 20 to 40 percent of its mass and becomes denser and more viscous. Effects on Oil Spill The oil spill can affect the composition of the water which makes a big impact on the ocean, coastal areas, marine plants, and terrestrial marine animals. When an oil spill occurs, the marine environment may have a slow recovery time. Oil spill can pollute the air and water and alter the ecosystem for years. One of the worst oil spills in history was the Gulf War Oil Spill. It occurred in April 2010 where the oil spill discharged about 8 million barrels of oil into the Persian Gulf. The oil slick reached a maximum size of 101 miles by 42 miles and was five inches thick. Poisoning and Internal Damage Animals ingesting oil can be poisoned or suffer internal damage such as ulcers and damage to red blood cells, kidneys, liver and to the immune system. Oil vapors can injure to eyes and lungs, and can be hazardous while new oil is still coming to the surface and vapors are evaporating. . (Oracle Thinkquest, 2011) If vapors are severe enough, marine mammals may become "sleepy" and drown. Oil can also cause effects 'up' the food chain, such as when an organism is higher on the food chain eats a number of oil-infected animals.

One of the common ways in which marine life and plants gets affected is by suffocation. Marine plants can be covered in oil which prevents oxygen and water exchange, causing the plants to die. Marine life which feed on these plants will suffocate. Coating of oil on the marine and terrestrial animals such as fish and birds will kill them through suffocation. Increased Predation Oil spills also affect marine life such as birds by stripping the water resistant coating from their feathers. A bird weighed down by oil may have difficulty flying, and will develop hypothermia. Hypothermia is a condition in which core temperature drops below the required temperature for normal metabolism and body functions. Mammals also suffer, as oil can remove water resistant compounds from the coats of furred marine life like otters and seals. Decreased Reproduction Oil Spills can affect the eggs of marine life such as sea turtles, when the spill happens and later on. Moreover, oil can also cause disruption of reproductive hormones and behavioural changes that lead to reduced reproduction rates or affect the care of young.