MARINE DEGRADATION POLLUTION

Objectives Define Pollution Explain what is Marine Pollution Discover the impacts of Marine Debris Recommend ways to deal with Marine Debris

CURRICULUM INTEGRATION MARINE DEBRIS HFLE : caring for the environment SOCIAL STUDIES : Causes and Effects of Pollution INTEGRATED SCIENCE & BIOLOGY : The impacts of pollution on marine organisms and humans ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE : Marine Debris impacts on the environment

POLLUTION Pollution is the introduction of harmful contaminants that are outside the norm for a given ecosystem. Trinidad and Tobago has a land to sea ratio of 1:15, which indicates the importance of the marine environment. However, many ocean pollutants are released into the environment from the land and travel downstream to oceans.

Common man-made pollutants that reach the ocean include pesticides , herbicides, chemical fertilizers, detergents, oil, sewage, plastics and other solids Many of these pollutants collect at the ocean’s depths Therefore, marine pollution threatens the health of our coasts and oceans.

Section 2

CASE STUDY: MARINE DEBRIS Marine debris is defined as any persistent solid material that is manufactured or processed and directly or indirectly, intentionally or unintentionally, disposed of or abandoned into the marine environment The majority of the trash and debris that covers our beaches comes from storm drains and sewers, as well as from shoreline and recreational activities such as picnicking and beach going.

Ninety percent of the trash in our oceans are made up of plastics. However, our oceans and waterways are polluted with a wide variety of marine debris ranging from soda cans and plastic bags to derelict fishing gear and abandoned vessels.  Abandoned or discarded fishing gear is a major problem because this trash can entangle, injure and drown marine wildlife. For example ,discarded fishing nets drift for years , strangling  fish and mammals .

TOP TEN MARINE DEBRIS IN THE WORLD Cigarette Butts Plastic Beverage Bottles Plastic Bottle Caps Food Wrappers Plastic Grocery Bags Plastic Lids Straws, Stirrers Glass Beverage Bottles Other Plastic Bags Foam Take Away Containers Source : International Coastal Cleanup 2017 ; OceanConservacy.org

Solid waste like bags , foam and other items dumped into the seas and oceans are frequently consumed with often fatal effects by marine mammals, fish and birds that mistake it for food. When marine debris are consumed by marine organisms they are introduced into the global food chain . Therefore, marine debris injures and kills marine life, interferes with navigation safety and poses a threat to human health.

TOWERS OF TRASH

TOP TEN MARINE DEBRIS (TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO) No. of People = 465 Total items collected = 20,776 Cigarette Butts = 484 Plastic Beverage Bottles = 4,459 Plastic Bottle Caps =1,922 Food Wrappers= 885 Plastic Grocery Bags = 323 Plastic Lids = 317 Straws, Stirrers = 390 Glass Beverage Bottles = 2,000 Other Plastic Bags = 717 Foam Take Away Containers = 553 Section 3

GYRES - OCEANIC GARBAGE PATCHES In certain regions, ocean currents gather trillions of decomposing plastic items and other trash into gigantic, swirling garbage patches called ocean gyres. There are five major ocean gyres , which are large systems of rotating ocean currents

Closure

To save our oceans, we need a wave of CHANGE. The change is within us To save our oceans, we need a wave of CHANGE ! The change is within us. Together we can keep plastic trash out of our oceans

EARTH DAY – April 22nd Theme: End Plastic Pollution WORLD OCEANS DAY- June 8th Theme: Preventing plastic pollution and encouraging solutions for a healthy ocean WORLD ENVIRONMENTAL DAY- June 5th Theme: Beat Plastic Pollution Final Evaluation : Suggest three ways to reduce / prevent plastic waste from reaching our seas and oceans.

THE SOLUTION ! We can stop the flow of plastic pollution. Make a pledge to reduce your use of plastics. Start by eliminating the use of single use plastics such as plastic bottles, bags and straws.

REFERENCES National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/marinedebris.html) Ocean Conservancy (https://oceanconservancy.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/International-Coastal-Cleanup_2017-Report.pdf) Institute of Marine Affairs