Conflict and the lack of environmental laws

In Somalia because of the lack of government system there is much illegal fishing that occurs, and a lot of waste is also dumped into the ocean. Said Ould Abdallah a UN senior official, "I am convinced there is dumping of solid waste, chemicals and probably nuclear (waste).... There is no government (control) and there are few people with high moral ground."

When a country is in turmoil and there is ongoing conflict, environmental concerns are often put on the back burner. Sometimes there is little concern by the government about the preservation of the ecosystems present in the ocean and coastal regions, as they are too busy fighting for power. In third world countries such as India, poor education, poverty and the lack of government endorsed legislation leads to an abundance of practices which are destructive to the marine ecosystems. The Indian Ocean Experiment done in 1999 found that the amount of man made aerosols that hoover over the Indian ocean are dramatically affecting the hydrolical scale as they limit the amount of sunlight able to reach the ocean floor. This experiment also showed the drastic increase of pollutants in the Indian ocean that was predicted to exponentially increase in the new millenium. These reults proved to be correct as the INDOEX conducted a 10 year recap of their experiment which showed a 215% increase in the amount of aerosols over the ocean for a 26km squared area. This affects the solar productivety of the ocean and limits photosynthesis of plants at deeper levels of the ocean. Currently the Indian government has no regulation on tax applied to companies which produce large amounts of aerosols from their factories. If the goverernment does not stand up and show its citizens and business the effect this is having on the ocean, one of teh biggest necessities to Indian life, this valuable resource may not be so valuable anymore. In a country that depends on teh ocean for its econmic and food potential having a depleated and undiverse ocean ecosystem would disrupt life greatly and cause for drastic changes in how citizens live tehir lives.

Tourism and its impact on the ocean

It is the middle of a Canadian winter and time for a holiday. Where would you want to go? Many Canadians, including me, love to disappear to the sunny beaches of Mexico, the Carribean or Hawaii for some much needed sunshine. But have you ever considered the impact this mass tourism has on the beaches and oceans we visit?

 As coastal areas become increasingly popular, the development of hotels, restaurants, large resorts and water sport facilities grow. This has a major impact on the ecosystems in the ocean off the coast of these tourist locations. The residue from construction sites of new buildings often gets dumped in the ocean as a quick method of removing debris from the site and beautifying the resort. This waste pollutes the water and this can lead to a decline in animal life, flora and fauna. Humans can also deposit personal garbage into the ocean such as beer bottles, pop cans, candy wrappers, cigarette stubs and plastic items. This garbage contributes to the death of many species of fish as they become trapped in plastic containers, swallow garbage or are contaminated by polluted water. The sudden increase in swimmers, snorkelers, scuba divers and water sports can upset the ecosystem below the water surface. Oil and gas from motor boats and jet skis pollute the water. The ocean floor and wild life cab also be disturbed by the churning water of swimmers and water sports. Many tourists also enjoy taking souvenirs home with them from the ocean. Shells which provide a habitat for creatures, coral, starfish and interesting seaweed is often plucked from the ocean floor by tourists. Local residents are also guilty of harvesting the ocean for items to sell to tourists. Some countries, like Costa Rica are becoming more educated about this destruction of the fragile ecosystems around their coastal waters. They have implemented strict laws against reaping any specimens from the ocean. Luggage is carefully inspected on departure to insure that tourists are not taking home any items from the ocean. Fines are imposed if tourists are found with illegal articles.

This is helping to protect coral reefs and the ecosystems in some tourist areas. However, more can be done. Educating everyone about this and implementing strict laws should help. It might just seem like a gorgeous shell to you, but it is actually someone's home. Think twice before you add to the negative effect of tourism the next time you are on a vacation.

Tsunamis and natural disasters

The recent tsunami in Japan on March 11, 2011, caused an enormous loss of life and devastation to coastal cities and villages in Japan. The impact of a tsunami on the ecosystems in the ocean surrounding the tsunami also result in tremendous damage and loss of sea life. Yet this devastation often goes unreported.

The initial result after the underwater earthquake is the drawback. This is when the water recedes and much of the ocean floor is exposed. This exposure results in the death of the sea creatures and plants on the ocean floor. Following this event, a large tidal wave forms and the power and force of this wave destroys everything in its path. If you saw video footage of the approaching tidal wave you will remember that it was already brown, probably due to the scouring effect of the wave on the ocean floor as it comes towards land. Finally, when the flood starts to return to the ocean a huge amount of debris including vehicles, building materials, deceased livestock and humans returns to the ocean and pollutes the water. Increased toxin levels in the water have not yet been measured but this most likely effects the ecosystems in the ocean. The impact that this has on the ocean ecosystems is still being researched although we can all assume it must be large.

In an article following the Southeast Asia Tsunami in 2004 the author states " man was not alone in feeling the impact. Ecosystems and other species were also hit." Coral reefs act as natural shock absorbers during a tsunami, but in the process have seen large-scale destruction during these natural disasters. The increased sediment surrounding sea grass beds and oyster reefs that remain intact after a tsunami have a great impact on the many different creatures that feed and live off these areas.

Interestingly, the supply of fish in areas badly hit by the 2004 tsunami such as Sri Lanka and on the Thai coast has increased since the tsunami, mostly due to the fact that more than 13 000 fishermen and over 4 500 fishing vessels were lost. As a result of this loss of fishing capacity, fish stocks have increased. One positive impact following such a devastating natural disaster. Tsunamis and hurricanes are two natural disasters that cause a change to the fragile ecosystems in the ocean.

The Atlantic Garbage Patch

Recently the impact of human plastic waste in the ocean has been identified and has horrified many viewers of YouTube videos and documentaries on this issue. In the middle of the Atlantic ocean researchers retrieved over 48,000 plastic fragments in just 6 weeks and are now calling this patch of the ocean the Atlantic Garbage Patch. This collection of plastic waste measures twice the area of the United States. Until recently it has gone unnoticed as satellites are not able to detect this mostly transparent accumulation of waste. It is believed that about 10% of all the world's plastic waste finds its way into the ocean. Look at the photographs below to see the enormity of this negligence on the part of many countries to appropriately deal with plastic waste.

 

The impact of all this plastic waste on the ecosystems of the oceans is growing. Many species for example fish, sea turtles and dolphins are harmed by plastic waste. They ingest the plastic mistaking it for food like jellyfish and choke to death. They become tangled in the plastic and drown. In 1970 it was estimated that plastic entanglement was killing up to 40,000 seals a year. Whales and dolphins also get caught in the plastic waste as they dive and may drown due to this entrapment.

Much of this waste has been swept out to see from land but some of it is also dumped by cargo ships as they travel in the ocean and by fishing equipment. Fortunately, since 1988, it has been illegal for ships to dump plastics into the ocean. But this law is difficult to enforce, and cannot account for the thousands of miles of driftnets and other gear set by fishermen, which can ensnare and kill birds diving for the fish below, or come loose, only to be discovered later by an unfortunate humpback whale.

In this YouTube video the impact of plastic waste to the marine ecosystems is made very real.

Chris Parry, a public education program manager who works for the California Coastal Commission in San Francisco said, "At this point, cleaning it up isn't an option. It's just going to get bigger as our reliance on plastics continues... The long-term solution is to stop producing as much plastic products at home and change our consumption habits." In order to do our part, we will need to change our habit of using so much plastic and rather select items made of biodegradable products. As consumers we can take action by making this change. Surely the existence of marine life is worth it!

Cruise Ship Contamination

The popularity of spending a vacation on a cruise ship has rapidly increased over the past thirty years. To meet these needs over 50 companies control over 300 cruise ships, which sail the oceans of the world with millions of passengers. Big cruise liners can carry up to 5,000 people, including a crew of more than 1,000, which makes them genuine floating cities. These passengers wash, eat, go to the bathroom and participate in many activities on board the ships. All of this generates waste and part of this waste is released into the ocean. The ships also give off engine pollutants like oil and diesel which are transferred into the ocean. Have you ever thought about the waste from these cruise ships?

Let me direct you to an article published by Oceana that informs us about the huge amount of waste created by these cruise vessels which is dumped into the ocean daily. "If we were talking about a coastal resort instead of a cruise ship, national and international treaties, agreements and legislation would be far stricter, making it obligatory for any effluent generated to be specially processed to prevent the dangerous dumping of fecal water, grey water, hydrocarbons, heavy metals and other toxic substances. However, cruise ships can dump all kinds of organic waste and untreated water when they are more than four miles out from the coast"

The dropping of cruise ship anchors on the ocean floor or on coral reefs has had an impact on the marine life. "In addition to climate change, dumping from land, deforestation and abusive and destructive fishing, coral reefs also have to contend with the damage caused by the anchors of recreational vessels and now the enormous anchors of cruise ships. In the Caribbean, the island of Grand Cayman has witnessed the destruction of 1.2 million square metres of coral reef by cruise ship anchors; in the Cancun National Park (Mexico), 80% of the coral sea beds have been damaged by these vessels; and in areas such as Jamaica and Florida, the coral reefs, which now only have between 5% and 10% of their coral left alive, are also being faced with this threat."

Legislation dealing with waste dumping in the ocean was made long ago, before this abundance of cruise ships became a factor. It is important for governments and cruise ship owners like Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. to make a commitment to preventing the dumping of waste materials which may be toxic to the oceans ecosystems.

Oil Spills

Oil spills include releases of crude oil from tankers, offshore platforms, drilling rigs and wells, as well as spills of refined petroleum products such as gasoline, and diesel. Oil also enters the marine environment from natural oil seeps. However, public attention and regulation tends to focus mostly on seagoing oil tankers and spills. Oil spreads fast and is hard to contain once a spill has occurred and stopping the spill, as we saw in the Gulf of Mexico BP spill, can be a long process with millions of litres of oil pumped into he ocean while a solution is researched. Another concern with oil spills is the clean up once oil reaches the nearby shore lines.

Many animals are affected by oil spills. In particular sea birds have their feathers coated by the oil with limits their buoyancy and temperature regulation and thus die of hypothermia. Also many birds while preening their feathers ingest the oil and poison themselves. Seals and sea otters have similar problems when an oil spill occurs. The dark colour of the oil also prevents sunlight from penetrating plant life in the ocean and many plants die as a result. This loss of plant and animal life drastically effects the food chain and as most oil spills take on average 2 months to contain many other species are also effected. Without human intervention to contain the spill and cleanup animals that have been covered in oil most end up dying.

There are many different methods to cleaning up and oil spill yet, it is important to remember that not one method has been proven to erase the mess 100%. Depending on the landscape of the shore line, the temperature of the water and many other factors the best method of clean up can be decided.There are certain kinds of bacteria that can be used to get rid of oil on sand and rocky coastlines. Controlled burning can be effective for a large scale spill however it releases air pollution which adds to the pollution from the actual spill. Also, skimming can be done for hydrophobic oils that float on top of the water. Research shows that 14 of the 20 most prominent animals that live in a sea side habitat are still recovering from the effects of an oil spill 10 years later. 

With the high demand for oil many companies and governments are disregarding scientific research and studies and are digging deeper into the ground for oil. That was the case in the spring of 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico when oil drilling company, BP began deep sea drilling. Literally, in uncharted waters as they ventured deeper and deeper, the drill began to leak and what resulted was the 3rd largest oil spill in history. It is valuable to note that as our world becomes more populated and the demand for oil increases companies will have more desire to push the boundaries and dig deeper into the earth's surface. However, with this type of drilling comes much more risks and the pros and cons of potential oil vs the after math of an oil spill have to weighed very carefully. Also, the need and development of safer, and more environmentally friendly energy will increase. 

Coral Reef Medicine Cabinet

Did you know that coral reefs around the world are on the verge of extinction?  “Ten percent of the world’s coral reefs are dead or dying,” deplores Dr. Clive Wilkinson, a marine biologist and coral reef specialist with the Australian Institute of Marine Science. How is this happening and what is the impact on our health and future medical discoveries?

There 4 main ways that coral reefs around the world are being destroyed. Water pollution, air pollution, natural events and other man-made causes. Coral needs very specific conditions in order to grow. It needs clear water, a depth of less than 330 feet and a water temperature above 68 degrees F. Pollution in the water and the air blocks light and adds chemicals to the water that kill the coral. During natural events like hurricanes and Tsunamis, the wave action destroys the coral by breaking it apart. 25 percent of ocean species live in coral reefs and many plants and animals like fish, snails sea worms and star fish, feed off the coral. They are contributing to the depletion of coral reefs as they are slowly consuming what is left after much of the coral has died. Human coastal development and tourism  also contribute to the destruction of coral reefs. Sediment runoff from construction sites clouds the water and prevents light reaching the coral, in turn preventing photosynthesis from occurring. Pollution from poor fishing practices and tourism is adding to the destruction.

The health benefits of coral reefs are currently being researched and will most likely have a huge impact in the future. Coral reefs could be the source of many new medicines and medical treatments. “Marine sources could be the major source of drugs in the coming years,” says Dr. William Fenical, director for marine biotechnology and bio medicine at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, California. Many coral reef species produce chemicals like histamines and antibiotics. There are many new medicines and treatments being discovered every day.

As you can see, there is so much yet undiscovered potential in the world's coral reefs. This medicinal wealth could be a great source to us in the future and of great benefit to our health. It is important that we take action to stop the destruction of this natural source of medicine. Some countries are protecting their coral reefs and have realized the importance of this underwater medicine cabinet. But more needs to be done to protect this gift from the sea.