POLLUTION IN THE OCEANS: FACTS YOU NEED TO KNOW

POLLUTION IN THE OCEANS: FACTS YOU NEED TO KNOW
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The oceans and seas, which account for more than 70% of the Earth’s surface, are key to the health of the planet and its inhabitants. However, increasing pollution and the climate crisis are endangering marine ecosystems, and thus threatening biodiversity.

One of the ways in which the oceans contribute to the environmental balance is through the production of oxygen to the planet, even more than forests and jungles. According to National Geographic, phytoplankton generate between 50% and 85% of the oxygen released into the atmosphere each year.

In fact, if the planet has not warmed more, it is also because the oceans have absorbed more than 93% of the extra heat produced by greenhouse gases, according to Greenpeace. However, the activity of various industries (from oil to fashion) is threatening the delicate balance in the seas.

In recent years, concerns have been raised about the increase of microplastics in the water. But pollution comes from many different sources, even in tasks as simple as washing clothes. That’s why we’ve put together some important facts about ocean pollution xnxx.

 

MARINE POLLUTION IN FACTS

MARINE POLLUTION IN FACTS

PLASTIC: ENEMY NUMBER 1

According to the UN Environment Programme, every year 8 million tonnes of plastic waste ends up in the ocean. At this rate, by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean. Furthermore, the amount of rubbish in the sea is so large that several “plastic islands” have already formed.

There are five in total, but the largest is in the Pacific, which is twice the size of Texas. It is estimated to be made up of about 1.8 billion pieces. Although there are several projects to clean up this island, which was discovered in 1985, it still remains, and is growing by the day. China, Indonesia and the United States are among the biggest contributors to the sea’s pollution.

However, it is not only the plastic that is visible that is of concern. Microplastics, which are the waste that degrade to millimetres, are ingested by animals and end up in the human food chain, which can have significant health risks.

 

NOT ALL POLLUTION IS VISIBLE

In addition to the fact that 70% of litter ends up on the seabed, making it very difficult to remove, there are other “invisible” forms of pollution, such as noise pollution. Noise generated by shipping can cause damage to species such as jellyfish and anemones.

On the other hand, much of the rubbish, including oil, that ends up in the sea is not from events such as spills, but from everyday activities such as washing clothes. According to several studies, synthetic fibres do not decompose. Also, oil spills only account for 12% of this material in our oceans, three times as much is carried through drains, roads and rivers.

 

DEAD ZONES, A SILENT PROBLEM

So-called “dead zones” are those with a very low concentration of oxygen, which means that very few species can live in them. According to the journal Science, the size of these zones has quadrupled since the mid-20th century.

In 2017, oceanographers discovered a dead zone the size of New Jersey, the largest known so far. The causes are believed to include climate change, as well as pollution from nutrients used in agriculture. The growth of these areas, which exist naturally in the ocean, can lead to species extinction.

As we can see, between climate change, pollution, human activity and the excessive use of plastic, the oceans are in grave danger. Action must be taken to stop these changes before the consequences become irreversible.

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THE PACIFIC OCEAN IS IN DANGER

THE PACIFIC OCEAN IS IN DANGER
THE PACIFIC OCEAN

In front of him, we are insignificant. tiny. Precisely for this reason, it seems hard to believe all the damage we have done and continue to do to the Pacific Ocean with each passing day.

Species close to the danger of extinction, ecosystems in imminent collapse, pollution increasing in proportions difficult to imagine; These are some of the consequences that human activity, with its carelessness and lack of awareness, have caused.

As part of the commitment that every human being has to solve this problem, today we share key data about how and why our Pacific Ocean is in danger.

 

PLASTIC, PLASTIC AND MORE PLASTIC

It hurts to admit, but there is nothing new or recent about this wake-up call. Since the 1960s, scientists around the world have been warning of the alarming amount of plastic in our oceans. According to studies of the time, at least 75% of albatross chick carcasses died or were affected by plastic fragments in their bodies, just to give an example.

Turtles and seahorses are also among the most affected species, dying dozens year after year from suffocation with various plastic debris in the sea (bags, plastic rings for cans, xxx,  etc.).

PLASTIC, PLASTIC AND MORE PLASTIC
The new and gigantic net that captures plastics in the ocean (El Universo)

And perhaps the scariest part of the case is to think that these drownings are not something occasional or an exception to the rule. They are a frequent and horrendous reality, which is made possible thanks to the 15 million tons of plastic garbage that accumulates on coasts and rivers.
A number that, moreover, seems to double by 2025.

ISLANDS OF GARBAGE

Plastic is not the only human waste that endangers our planet’s marine ecosystem. Every year, millions and millions of tons of garbage are thrown into the sea, polluting the oceans and destroying marine life in its path.
In the year 2000, for example, Captain Charles Moore discovered an island of 1.6 million square kilometers of plastic and other human waste off the coast of Valparaíso (in Chile). He named it “The Great Pacific Garbage Island”. At least 45% of its mass was made up of discarded fishing nets.

WILDLIFE DYING

After everything you’ve read so far, if you think that the worst thing we do to our ocean is waste in it… you’re wrong. Because yes, the countless garbage causes irreparable damage, but our true absolute sin is everything that we indiscriminately and uncontrollably take from it.

Every month, countless numbers of marine animals are removed from our ocean. Fish and other marine species are victims of overfishing, causing fractures in the food chain and the degradation of countless marine habitats.
Countries such as Canada, Japan, China, Australia and Indonesia are among the countries with this trend, due to few or no regulations that protect the marine ecosystem.

Painful as it sounds, this is just part of what humanity does to the ocean indiscriminately. What measures do you think are necessary to stop the deterioration of our Pacific Ocean?

 

Interesting fact about the pacific ocean

 

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Energy with Sea Waves?

Energy with Sea Waves?

Can ocean and sea waves be harnessed to provide global energy? Yes, if scientists have estimated correctly, these forces are enough to generate 66% of electricity demands in the United States alone! Many countries around the world, including Australia, China, Denmark, Italy, Korea, Portugal, Spain, the UK, and the US, will soon start developing this new form of renewable power source because it’s not only cost-effective but also more sustainable than solar panels or wind turbines tukif.

 

What Is Wave Energy?

What Is Wave Energy?
What Is Wave Energy?

Waves are the most powerful renewable energy source on Earth. They can be tapped into by various methods and used to power our world, but only if we know how! The first step would involve capturing their raw potential from being fully utilized. Unfortunately, there is a challenge because the necessary technology is not available. There’s no way for them all just come together at one place without getting lost among other sources or absorbed before reaching an outlet like the wind does where you get electricity generated through turbines. However, these same waves contain tons upon tonnes worth of frequency vibrations that could drive underwater generators were

 

How Does Wave Energy Work?

The ocean is a renewable energy source, and its potential for the generation of electricity could power swaths of homes across America. 

The waves that wash ashore on shores, pound against cliffs, or lap at our feet contain immense amounts of tension, which can be harnessed by converting them all together into wave power with an innovative device known as “the WAVE ENERGY CONVERTER.” This machine has been developed so far through research conducted under federal initiative stimulus program grants worth 2 million dollars over two years – not bad considering they were only looking at how best to handle this type of problem when there was a shortage of data. 

 

Will Wave Energy Save the Power Crisis?

Will Wave Energy Save the Power Crisis?

With the world’s population growing, fossil fuel shortages are heightening. Renewable alternatives like wave energy offer an attractive option for those who need power without relying on unstable sources that may be periodically unavailable or too costly due to the high initial costs of installation and maintenance.

A combination of factors is pushing prices higher, including COVID 19. This has led many countries around the globe into a global crisis within renewable energies which supplies have faltered because there isn’t enough production going up. At the same time, demand remains high, especially with China’s low coal output causing problems across all related industries. 

 

Wave Energy: The Future

Why is it so hard to harness this renewable energy? The cost and environmental risks involved in building wave power plants make them pricey, not just for their construction but also throughout operations. Fish can swim through cabling or turbines without being harmed; however, there’s no way out if they get trapped inside! 

Ocean waves are often located nearshore close to cities, which means that these locations may prevent whole populations from utilizing ocean-based electricity generation because people would be afraid of getting stranded on an island with nothing else around to provide the power they need to save their lives. 

 

 

 

A Report on PM10 and PM2.5 Mass Concentrations up to the year 2000

A report describing ambient levels of particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) within the province of British Columbia was prepared to aid in airshed planning and management. The 130-page report details temporal trends and patterns in PM concentrations at various sites throughout British Columbia up to the year 2000. PM concentrations are highest in the interior of the province and lowest in coastal communities. There are also large seasonal variations that vary from one region of the Province to another. Seasonal and spatial variations arise due to regional patterns in land use and industrial development, proximity of monitoring sites to PM sources, and regional differences in geography and meteorological conditions. The report is a technical document which will be of value to regulatory officers, air quality planners and scientists mainly within the federal, provincial and regional levels of government.

Key Points for Decision-Makers

Owing to large seasonal differences in PM concentrations that vary from one region of British Columbia to another, there is a need for each region to identify when it is most susceptible to higher concentrations and to develop PM management plans accordingly. These variations are particularly evident when comparing the highly urbanized Lower Fraser Valley with the interior of the province, and are a reflection of seasonal differences in source types and contributions and prevailing meteorology.
PM management plans may require the cooperation of multi-levels of government, given the range of sources that have been identified as major emitters of PM10 and PM2.5, and the number of jurisdictions having authority over these sources.
Separate approaches may be required to control PM10 and PM2.5, particularly where the focus is on reducing the more extreme concentrations.
In the Lower Fraser Valley , source apportionment studies and emission inventories suggest that PM management approaches should include the control of both direct PM emissions and PM precursor emissions.
In the interior, the significance of secondary PM has yet to be demonstrated; however, it would be prudent to begin identifying measures to reduce emissions of precursor gases such as NOx and SOx emissions which are overwhelmingly anthropogenic in nature.

Further Research

In the interior, there is a need to apply source apportionment techniques based on the collection of speciated PM data, beginning in communities characterized by high PM concentrations and a number of different PM sources.
The long-range transport of pollutants has been shown to influence local PM levels, as demonstrated during Kosa Asian dust events. Furthermore, the Canada-Wide Standard (CWS) for PM and Ozone contains provisions for identifying communities where background, natural or transboundary sources contribute to exceedances of the CWS, and for Keeping Clean Areas Clean. To meet these provisions under the CWS, and ultimately to develop emission reduction initiatives that will be effective in reducing local PM problems, it will be necessary to obtain improved estimates of background PM levels and to better understand the mechanisms for long-range transport.
Meteorology plays a large role in the development of PM episodes. More needs to be known about the meteorological conditions and synoptic patterns most conducive to periods of poor air quality, as this will assist in our ability to predict such episodes.

Monitoring

To facilitate the tracking of long-term trends, it will be necessary to develop and maintain a stable network of PM2.5 stations that characterizes the major macroclimatic and ecologically distinct populated areas of the province.

Key Scientific Findings

PM concentrations are highest in the interior and lowest in the coastal communities.
Two predominant seasonal patterns of PM10 exist.
In the Lower Fraser Valley, the highest PM10 concentrations are observed during late summer while the lowest concentrations are found in late fall and winter.
At interior sites, the highest concentrations of PM10 are typically observed in late winter/early spring, and the lowest concentrations occur in early winter as well as in early summer.
Based on limited monitoring, the highest concentrations of PM2.5 occur during the fall. The Lower Fraser Valley also experiences higher PM2.5 concentrations during the later summer months, while the lowest concentrations typically occur during the winter.
PM10 concentrations are typically 30% higher at mid-week than on Sundays. There is also a diurnal pattern with peak concentrations occurring in mornings and evenings.
PM concentrations can vary considerably from one community to the next due to regional patterns in land use and industrial development, proximity of monitoring sites to PM sources, and regional differences in geography and meteorological conditions.
Occasionally, meteorological conditions persist that produce extended periods of high PM10 concentrations during which the provincial ambient air quality objective of 50 µg/m3 is exceeded. Episodes typically last between two and six days. In the interior, PM10 episodes are most likely to occur during February and March, although episodes have been reported in every month of the year. PM10 episodes occur very rarely in the Lower Fraser Valley and coastal regions of BC.
Based on the limited PM2.5 data available in the province, nine of 11 PM2.5 episodes up to 2000 have occurred in Prince George. PM2.5 episodes are most frequent between September and February, with none occurring during the month of March when PM10 episodes are most frequent in the province.
PM levels do appear to be decreasing at a number of sites in the province; however, they remain at levels that are associated with increased risks of potential health effects.
Limitations/Caveats/Uncertainties Associated with the Findings
A comprehensive evaluation of ambient levels of PM2.5 has been hampered by a lack of data. A much longer record exists for PM10 for which a provincial air quality objective exists. Our knowledge of porno gratis particulate matter in BC is based largely on PM10 monitoring augmented by limited measurements of PM2.5
Since concentrations of PM can vary widely over a small area, data from individual sites may not be representative of the air quality in the surrounding geographic area.
The relatively short monitoring history at most sites precludes a robust trend analysis of PM10 or PM2.5 data.