Running head: EFFECTS OF OCEAN DUMPING 1

Effects of Ocean Dumping

Ava Swirzinski & Raquel Torres

Kempsville High School

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Effects of Ocean Dumping

Oceanographer Sylvia Earle (n.d.) once said, “Only we humans make waste that nature

can’t digest” (para.9). Earle (n.d) makes a great point that we can see increase each and every

day in the society. We create products and then dispose of them in and on the earth without fully

understanding the outcomes. Pollution can be seen in many different forms and among different

parts of nature; from greenhouse gasses to landfills, it’s all around us. Ocean dumping is a

problem that is increasingly affecting the environment and the quality of life for humans and

animals alike.

Ocean Dumping description: Raquel

The legal term for Ocean Dumping is referred to as the dumping of garbage, sewage,

waste chemicals, and construction debris into the ocean (“Environment 911”, n.d.). Most of the

materials dumped in the ocean today are uncontaminated sediments. The uncontaminated

sediments are removed from a network of coastal ports and harbors, transportation, national

defense and recreational purposes. There are other components that are disposed of in the ocean

as well. Vessels, fish wastes, and man made ice piers in Antarctica are merely a few of the

components that are discarded. Ocean dumping is used as an alternative way to dispose of waste

and has quite a history behind it.

History of Ocean Dumping: Ava

Ocean dumping has been happening in the community for many years. Despite the

recordings that we have as early as the 1940’s, ocean dumping has occurred throughout many

years of history. Spanning from 1946 through 1970, the EPA (n.d.) records, “more than 55,000

containers of radioactive wastes were dumped at three ocean sites in the Pacific Ocean” (“Learn

about ocean dumping,” n.d., para. 2). We see the dumping of radioactive containers continue to
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happen in later years (1951-1962) off the East Coast of the U.S as well (“Learn more about

ocean dumping”, n.d.). The National Academy of Sciences (EPA) later on in 1968, estimated

reports on the amounts of waste dumped in the ocean .This includes, “100 million tons of

petroleum products, Two to four million tons of acid chemical wastes from pulp mills; more than

one million tons of heavy metals in industrial wastes; and more than 100,000 tons of organic

chemical wastes” (“Learn more about ocean dumping”, n.d., para. 2). Additionally, the EPA

states that in 1970 the Council on Environmental Quality sent a report to the president regarding

the waste dumped in the ocean in the year 1968 as well. Just in a few decades, we can see the

large increase in ocean dumping. Not to mention this was many many years ago, and our

population and pollution is growing rapidly.

Due to the population growth, a large outbreak of ocean dumping activities has increased

leading the Congress to create and implemented the MPRSA which is the “Marine Protection,

Research and Sanctuaries Act”. This act was implemented in 1972 and said that the U.S must

manage and oversee the waste that is dumped into the oceans. This was advised due to the effects

on health of humans and the ocean animals and the environment. The MPRSA has put these

responsibilities on the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) to deal with, and they are

required to create rules and regulations, permits, and management of ocean dumping (“Learn

more about ocean dumping”, n.d.). The MPRSA commonly known as the “Ocean Dumping Act”

did not really prevent ocean dumping from occurring but merely created rules on the matter. In

1988 The Ocean Dumping Ban Act helped to alter the MPRSA and create stricter rules. This

new act, “now prohibits the ocean dumping of municipal sewage sludge and industrial wastes,

such as wastes from plastics and pharmaceutical manufacturing plants and from petrochemical

refineries…banned the ocean disposal of “medical waste” (“Learn about Ocean Dumping”,
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n.d.,para. 8). Throughout history, ocean dumping has seen its improvements and its downfalls,

but changes continue to occur over time, including those to the ocean itself.

Changes in water composition and its effects: Raquel

One of the most sensitive elements on this earth is water. The composition of water is a

big part of the earth and any slight change could cause alterations to the oceans. The temperature

of ocean water is a big component of water composition. Billions of pounds of plastic waste are

currently floating in the world’s oceans (Bernstein, 2009). When plastic spreads far enough

throughout some areas of the ocean, the temperature can be highly affected. Since plastic is

mostly a translucent material, it is difficult for the sun’s rays to reach far enough in the ocean.

Tropical areas are known for having warm water, but if there is plastic floating in the ocean the

water temperature may become colder. If the water becomes colder, marine organisms in those

areas can be harmed. Due to the fact that each species has a specific range of temperatures that

they can live in (Anderson, 2003). Hazardous chemicals can damage not only the water

composition, but the organisms as well. Plastics can decompose in the ocean and release

potentially toxic substances. Scientists found that bisphenol A (BPA) and PS oligomer are

released into the water (Bernstein, 2009). BPA and PS oligomer are dangerous substances

because they can disrupt the functionality of hormones in animals and gravely affect their

reproductive systems (Bernstein, 2009). Marine organisms are the most affected by this because

they ingest the harmful chemicals. Once the organism has the substance in their body, it won’t

break down. Since BPA and PS oligomer are potentially hazardous substances, the organism has

a more likely chance to die rather than survive.

Ocean dead zones: Ava

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We have all heard the countless remarks that, “pollution is killing the planet.” statements

like these can seem to pass us by and can seem over exaggerated at times. However, the ocean

gives a magnificent example of how pollution really does kill. Dead zones, “large bodies of

water that do not have enough oxygen to support marine life” (Scheer & Moss, n.d., para.1).

They are most commonly caused by the toxic chemicals that are dumped into the ocean by large

corporations and factories as well as general runoff from agricultural facilities. These ocean

conditions are known as “hypoxic”, which essentially means “lacking oxygen” (“What Causes

Ocean ‘Dead Zones?’” n.d.). In result of the hypoxic environment, an excess of chemical

nutrients begin to accumulate, which is known as “eutrophication”. This new eutrophication that

is being introduced, leads to an increase in algae blooms which further decrease the oxygen

amounts. These so called “Dead Zones”, are true to their name as they can kill the organisms that

happen to be there. Additionally, the changes in the water composition in relation to the oxygen

can alter the biology of animals and prevent them from reproducing. Without reproduction and

healthy fish, biodiversity is lost and health concerns related to consuming fish will rise. Dead

Zones can occur naturally, but the main reason for them comes down to the pollution and ocean

dumping. Chemicals, pesticides, and fertilizers from agricultural runoff and ocean dumping seem

to be the biggest culprit of eutrophication and hypoxic ocean environments (Rinkesh, n.d.).

Effects of plastic on animals: Ava

In addition to the immense amounts of chemicals, pesticides, and fertilizers that make

their way into the ocean, plastic also has its fair share of effects. As stated previously when

plastic is introduced to an ocean environment, it alters the composition of the water which in

turn, correlates with the health and livelihood of aquatic animals. One common example of the

plastic problem is when fish, or any animal consume the plastic. Whenever a fish consumes
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plastic, it disturbs their organs and can “cause intestinal injury and death and transfers plastic up

the food chain to bigger fish and marine mammals” (“Ocean plastics pollution”, n.d., para. 9). In

addition, when humans consume fish, they are ingesting some of the plastic and toxic things that

the fish consume. Not only, do marine animals see the effects of plastic, but shore animals such

as seagulls do as well. The effects seen are that, “ Plastic ingestion reduces the storage volume of

the stomach, causing birds to consume less food and ultimately starve.” (“Ocean plastics

pollution”, n.d.,para. 11). The death and injury of these animals lead to a reduction in

biodiversity and can damage the fragile food chain of various ecosystems. Nearly all the trash

and debris that is thrown away ends up doing some level of damage.

Future effects: Raquel

Due to the damage that is seen, many people predict that by 2050 there will be more

plastic in the ocean than fish. Jacques Cousteau (n.d.) said, “Water and air, the two essential

fluids on which life depends, have become global garbage cans.”. There is a countless number of

future effects for ocean dumping. Human illness, extinction, and economics are just a few of the

future effects. Human illness is a big effect that would mainly be caused by toxins in the ocean.

When humans come in contact with dangerous toxins, depending on which ones, could cause

different types of illnesses. The main diseases that are linked to toxins are cancer and heart

disease (Edwards, 2007). Extinction can be caused by toxins, plastics, and trash. Oil spills are

less frequent, but can cause the most damage. For instance, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in

2010, spread from the U.S to the Gulf of Mexico. Oil spills harm and possibly even kill

organisms. Plastic is the most common form of ocean dumping. Things such as the plastic soda

rings can get caught around an animal and possibly choke them. Economic factors is a big factor

mostly affecting the government. There are many organizations the government funds that help
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clean up the ocean. The government spends their money to clean up the oceans, but if ocean

dumping continues to occur nothing will change.

Overall, we can see that the quality of life for humans and animals as well as the

environment are getting impacted by the increasing activity of ocean dumping. Affecting things

such as water composition, marine animal health, and aquatic environments; this way of disposal

is slowly killing the planet. Whether or not you are conscious of your waste levels or never give

it a thought, ocean dumping is a problem that needs to be addressed. By understanding and

getting informed on these issues, you can be more aware of your actions and begin to work

towards prevention. By making a small change, you can be on your way to helping preserve our

oceans.

References

Anderson, G. (2003). Marine Science. Seawater composition. Retrieved from

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http://www.marinebio.net/marinescience/02ocean/swcomposition.htm

Bernstein, M. (2009). Plastics in oceans decompose, release hazardous chemicals, surprising

new study says. Retrieved from

https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/newsreleases/2009/august/plastics-in-

oceans-decompose-release-hazardous-chemicals-surprising-new-study-says.html

Edwards, C. (2017). Pollution. Future effects of pollution. Retrieved from

https://www.livestrong.com/article/268337-future-effects-of-pollution/

Learn about ocean dumping. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.epa.gov/ocean-dumping/learn-about-ocean-dumping#od_improvements

Ocean conservation quotes (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.seasky.org/quotes/sea-quotes-ocean-conservation.html

Ocean plastics pollution (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/ocean_plastics/

Plastic oceans. (2018). Retrieved from

https://www.futureagenda.org/insight/plastic-oceans

Rinkesh, R. (n.d.).Causes and effects of ocean dead zones. Retrieved from

https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/causes-and-effects-of-ocean-dead-zones.php

Scheer, R.,& Moss, D. (n.d.). What causes ocean “dead zones”? Retrieved from

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ocean-dead-zones/

The effects of ocean dumping. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.environment911.org/The_Effects_of_Ocean_Dumping
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