Pollution of the world's oceans: the importance of the problem, the main factors and ways to overcome

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:40

If you look at a photograph of our planet taken from space, it becomes incomprehensible why it was called "Earth". More than 70% of its entire surface is covered with water, which is 2.5 times the total land area. At first glance, it seems incredible that the pollution of the world's oceans could be so significant that this problem would require the attention of all mankind. However, the facts and figures make us think seriously and start taking measures to not only save and support the Earth's ecology, but also ensure the survival of mankind.

Main sources and factors

The problem of pollution of the world's oceans is becoming more and more alarming every year. Harmful substances enter it mainly from rivers, the waters of which each year bring to the cradle of mankind more than 320 million tons of various iron s alts, more than 6 million tons of phosphorus,not to mention thousands of other chemical compounds. In addition, pollution of the world's oceans also comes from the atmosphere: 5 thousand tons of mercury, 1 million tons of hydrocarbons, 200 thousand tons of lead. Approximately one third of all mineral fertilizers used in agriculture get into their waters, about 62 million tons of phosphorus and nitrogen alone fall annually. As a result, some unicellular algae are rapidly developing, forming in places on the surface of the ocean huge "blanket" with an area of whole square kilometers and a thickness of more than 1.5 meters.

Acting like a press, they are slowly strangling all life in the seas. Their decay absorbs oxygen from the water, which contributes to the death of bottom organisms. And of course, the pollution of the world's oceans is directly related to the use of oil and oil products by mankind. When they are extracted from offshore fields, as well as as a result of coastal runoff and tanker accidents, from 5 to 10 million tons are poured annually. The oil film that forms on the surface of the water blocks the vital activity of phytoplankton, which is one of the main producers of atmospheric oxygen, disrupts moisture and heat exchange between the atmosphere and the ocean, and kills fish fry and other marine organisms. More than 20 million tons of solid household and industrial waste and a huge amount of radioactive substances (1.5-109 Ci) fell into the bottomless depths of the cradle of mankind. The greatest pollution of the world's oceans occurs in the coastal shallow zone, i.e. in the shelf. This is where it flowsthe vital activity of most marine organisms.

Ways to overcome

At present, the problem of protecting the world's oceans has become so urgent that it concerns even those states that do not have direct access to its border. Thanks to the UN, a number of important agreements are now in force related to the regulation of fishing, shipping, mining from the depths of the sea, etc. The most famous among them is the "Charter of the Seas", signed in 1982 by most countries around the world. In developed countries, a system of prohibitive and permissive economic measures is in place to help prevent pollution. Numerous "green" societies monitor the state of the earth's atmosphere. Enlightenment and educational work is of great importance, the result of which is perfectly visible in the example of Switzerland, where children perceive love for the nature of their country with mother's milk! It is not surprising that after they grow up, the very idea of encroaching on the purity and beauty of this beautiful country looks like blasphemy. There are other technological and organizational means of control aimed at preventing further pollution of the world's oceans. The main task for each of us is not to be indifferent and to strive in every possible way to make our planet look like a real paradise, which it originally was.