1 what will the pollution of the world's oceans lead to? The impact of environmental disasters on the planet's oceans

Recently, humanity has polluted the ocean to such an extent that it is already difficult to find places in the World Ocean where traces of active human activity are not observed. The problem associated with pollution of the waters of the World Ocean is one of the most important problems facing humanity today.

The most dangerous types of pollution: oil pollution and petroleum products, radioactive substances, industrial and domestic wastewater and, finally, the removal of chemical fertilizers (pesticides).

Pollution of the waters of the World Ocean has reached catastrophic proportions over the past decades. This was largely facilitated by the erroneous widespread opinion about the unlimited capabilities of the waters of the World Ocean for self-purification. Many understood this to mean that any waste and garbage in any quantity in the ocean waters are subject to biological processing without harmful consequences for the composition of the waters themselves. As a result, individual seas and parts of the oceans have turned, in the words of Jacques Cousteau, into “natural sewage pits.” He points out that “the sea has become a sewer into which all the pollutants carried away by the poisoned rivers, which the wind and rain collect in our poisoned atmosphere, flow; all those pollutants that are released by shippers such as oil tankers. Therefore, one should not be surprised if little by little life leaves this sewer.”

Of all types of pollution, oil pollution poses the greatest danger to the World Ocean today. According to estimates, from 6 to 15 million tons of oil and petroleum products enter the World Ocean annually. Here, first of all, it is necessary to note the oil losses associated with its transportation by tankers. It is known that after unloading oil, in order to give the tanker the necessary stability, its tanks are partially filled with ballast water. Until recently, discharge of ballast water with oil residues was most often carried out on the open sea. Only a very few tankers are equipped with special ballast tanks that are never filled with oil, but are designed specifically for ballast water.

According to the US National Academy of Sciences, up to 28% of the total amount of incoming oil ends up in the seas this way.

The second way is the influx of petroleum products with precipitation (after all, light fractions of oil from the surface of the sea evaporate and enter the atmosphere). According to estimates by the US Academy of Sciences, about 10% of the total amount of oil also enters the World Ocean in this way.

Finally, if we add (practically not subject to accounting) untreated wastewater from oil refineries and oil depots located on sea coasts and ports (in the USA, over 500 thousand tons of petroleum products enter the sea annually in this way), then it is easy to imagine what a threatening situation has arisen with oil pollution.

Pollution of industrial and domestic waters by waste is one of the most widespread types of pollution of the waters of the World Ocean. Almost all economically developed countries are guilty of this type of pollution. Until recently, for the vast majority of industrial enterprises, rivers and seas were the place of discharge of waste water. Unfortunately, wastewater treatment has kept pace with economic development and population growth in very few countries. The chemical, pulp and paper, textile and metallurgical industries are especially guilty of severe water pollution.

Reservoirs and mine waters are heavily polluted due to the recent intensification of a new method of coal mining - hydraulic mining, in which a large number of small particles of coal are carried out along with waste water.

Discharges from pulp and paper mills, which usually have auxiliary production of sulfite, chlorine, lime and other products, the effluents of which also heavily pollute and poison sea bodies, have a harmful effect.

Practically, untreated wastewater from any industry poses a threat to the waters of the World Ocean.

Domestic water waste, which includes wastewater from food factories, household sewage, detergents and agricultural runoff, also contributes to sea pollution.

Food processing waste includes waste water from creameries, cheese factories and sugar factories.

The use of synthetic detergents, so-called detergents, causes great harm to marine waters. In all industrialized countries there is an intensive growth in the production of detergents. All detergents usually form a persistent foam when a relatively small amount of the substance is added to water. Detergents do not lose their ability to foam even after passing through treatment facilities. Therefore, reservoirs where wastewater flows are covered with clouds of foam. Detergents are very toxic and resistant to biological decomposition processes, they are difficult to clean, do not settle and are not destroyed when diluted with clean water. True, in recent years, Germany, and after it some other countries, began to produce rapidly oxidizing detergents. A special place is occupied by runoff from agricultural lands. This type of poisoning of the seas and oceans is associated primarily with the use of pesticides - chemicals used to kill insects, small rodents and other pests.

Among pesticides, organochlorine pesticides, mainly DDT, pose a particular danger to marine waters. Moreover, pesticides enter the marine environment in two ways, both with wastewater from agricultural areas and from the atmosphere. Up to 50% of pesticides sprayed in agricultural areas never reach the plants they are intended to protect and are carried into the atmosphere by winds. DDT has been found on dust particles in areas far from pesticide spray areas. Sediment carries pesticides from the atmosphere to the marine environment. DDT is found in the tissues of Antarctic penguins and Arctic polar bears - far from areas where harmful insects are exterminated. An analysis of the Antarctic snow cover showed that about 2,300 tons of pesticides settled on the surface of this continent, which is very remote from developed countries. One more negative property of many pesticides, including DDT, should be noted. They are actively absorbed by oil and petroleum products. Oil stains and lumps of fuel oil absorb DDT and chlorinated hydrocarbons, which do not dissolve in water and do not settle to the bottom, resulting in their concentration being higher than in the original solution used for spraying. As a result, one type of seawater pollution enhances the effects of another. Pesticide toxicity increases with higher seawater temperatures.

The use of mineral fertilizers with a high content of phosphorus and nitrogen, so-called phosphates and nitrates, often also has a detrimental effect on sea water.

When the amount of nitrogen fertilizer introduced is too large, the nitrogen combines with organic matter in the process of fermentation and forms nitrates, which kill river and marine fauna. Therefore, for example, the Japanese government banned the use of nitrogenous fertilizers in rice fields.

Heavy metals such as mercury and cadmium, which are very often found among industrial wastes, pose a great threat to marine fauna and human health. It has been established that almost 50% of the world's mercury production, which amounts to about 5 thousand tons, enters the World Ocean in various ways. Especially a lot of it ends up in sea waters along with the discharge of industrial wastewater. For example, due to the discharge of water by pulp and paper industry enterprises in a number of countries.

Western Europe several years ago, mercury was discovered in fish and seabirds off the coast of Scandinavia.

The degree of pollution of the waters of the World Ocean and household consumer goods (plastic bottles, tin cans, beer cans, etc.) is high.

It is estimated that there are about 35 million empty plastic bottles floating in the North Pacific Ocean alone. The 90 million tourists who annually visit the Italian and French Mediterranean coasts leave behind tons of plastic cups, bottles, plates and other everyday items in the sea water.

All over the world, the volume of industrial wastewater discharged into rivers and seas continues to increase steadily due to the growth of industry. The state of the issue with wastewater treatment continues to remain extremely unsatisfactory.

The world's oceans are a source of life, it must be preserved and protected, but now the world's oceans are experiencing real environmental stress, caused, first of all, by the life and activities of people.

Causes of ocean pollution

The world's oceans play an important role in the functioning of the biosphere due to the fact that 70% of all oxygen on earth is produced as a result of plankton photosynthesis. It influences the climate and weather on Earth. The world's oceans, including the oceans themselves, closed and semi-enclosed seas, are the most important source of life support for the world's population. We are talking about food and resources, such as gas, oil, and energy.

The reasons for the deterioration of the state of the World Ocean briefly:

• Localization of large agglomerations in coastal areas; more than 60% of all large cities are located on the shores of seas and oceans.
• Pollution from household and industrial waste.
• Pollution with harmful and toxic substances as a result of municipal water runoff, flooding of ammunition, including chemical ones. Currently, the waters are polluted with: oil and petroleum products, iron, phosphorus, lead, mustard gas, phosgene, radioactive substances, pesticides, plastics, various metals, TBT and much more.

The most polluted areas: the waters of the Persian and Aden Gulfs, as well as the waters of the North, Baltic, Black and Azov Seas.

Rice. 1. Pollution of the world's oceans

• Large-scale and uncontrolled fishing of fish and other marine life.
• Systematic destruction of historically established fish spawning grounds and entire ecosystems, for example, coral reefs.
• Deterioration of the condition of the coast due to systematic pollution.

Rice. 2. Massive death of fish as a result of pollution of the oceans

Pollution of the World Ocean with oil and petroleum products is considered especially dangerous. Oil is a toxic compound that poisons living organisms. Due to oil spills, stains and films form on the surface of the water, which block the access of oxygen, which also leads to the death of representatives of flora and fauna.

As a result of the disaster on an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico in January 2010, more than 4 million barrels of oil spilled into the World Ocean and a huge oil slick appeared. Ecologists then calculated that it would take 5 to 10 years to fully restore the bay’s ecosystem.

Rice. 3. Results of oil pollution of the oceans

In the second half of the 20th century, active pollution of the waters of the World Ocean with radioactive substances began.

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The response of the oceans to pollution or the consequences of pollution

The world's oceans respond to pollution in different ways. Ecologists from different countries observe:

• gradual disappearance of various representatives of flora and fauna;
• water blooms due to the proliferation of algae that have adapted to pollution and feed on industrial waste;
• the disappearance of global climate phenomena, for example, the El Niño current;
• the appearance of garbage islands;
• increase in water temperature in the World Ocean.

Rice. 4. Trash islands in the ocean

All these reactions can lead to a reduction in oxygen production by the World Ocean, a reduction in its food supply, lead to large-scale climate changes on the planet, and an increased risk of droughts, floods, and the formation of tsunamis. Most ecologists perceive ocean pollution as a global environmental problem.

The World Ocean also has mechanisms for self-purification of water: chemical, biological, mechanical, but as a result of their launch, the bottom of the ocean is polluted and its inhabitants die in the thousands.

Ocean protection

Serious pollution of the waters of the World Ocean and a decrease in its resources became obvious and understandable during the last period of the Cold War.

Since the 70s of the 20th century, various regional programs have been operating, uniting more than 150 countries and ensuring the protection of the waters of the seas and oceans.

In 1982, a convention on the law of the sea was adopted at a UN conference. She:

• regulates the use of waters of the World Ocean;
• regulates the mechanism for the protection of its natural resources;
• regulates environmental activities and international cooperation on combating pollution of the waters of the World Ocean.

To solve the problem of pollution of the World Ocean, conventions were adopted in 1992 regulating the protection and purification of the waters of the Atlantic and Black Sea.

In 1993-1996, international agreements were signed prohibiting the dumping of radioactive waste into the waters of the World Ocean.

1998 was declared by UNESCO as the Year of the Ocean. During this period, a large-scale study of it was carried out. This was necessary to find effective ways to eliminate the negative consequences of its pollution.

Currently, active work is also underway to find ways to clean the ocean waters and save ecosystems.

What have we learned?

Pollution of the World Ocean has reached a critical point. Now, more than ever, he needs protection. Oil and radioactive contamination are especially dangerous. Countries around the world continue to work to create legal mechanisms to protect and purify its waters.

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With three-quarters of the world's population living in coastal areas, it is not surprising that the world's oceans are suffering from the effects of human activity and widespread pollution. The high tide zone is disappearing due to the construction of factories, port facilities, and tourist complexes. The water area is constantly polluted by domestic and industrial wastewater, pesticides, and hydrocarbons. Heavy metals were found in the bodies of deep-sea (3 km) fish and Arctic penguins. Every year, rivers bring about 10 billion tons of waste into the ocean, sources silt up, and the oceans bloom. Each such environmental problem requires a solution.

Ecological disasters

Pollution of water bodies manifests itself in a decrease in their ecological significance and biosphere functions under the influence of harmful substances. It leads to changes in organoleptic (transparency, color, taste, smell) and physical properties.

The following are present in large quantities in water:

• nitrates;
• sulfates;
• chlorides;
• heavy metals;
• radioactive elements;
• pathogenic bacteria, etc.

In addition, oxygen dissolved in water is significantly reduced. More than 15 million tons of petroleum products alone end up in the ocean every year, as disasters constantly occur involving oil tankers and drilling rigs.

A huge number of tourist ships dump all their waste into the seas and oceans. A real environmental disaster is radioactive waste and heavy metals that enter the water area as a result of the burial of chemicals and explosives in containers.

Wrecks of large tankers

Transporting hydrocarbons can result in a shipwreck and an oil spill on a huge water surface. Its annual release into the ocean accounts for more than 10% of global production. To this we must add leaks during production from wells (10 million tons), and processed products coming with storm drains (8 million tons).

Tanker disasters caused enormous damage:

• In 1967, the American ship Torrey Canyon off the coast of England - 120 thousand tons. The oil burned for three days.
• 1968–1977 – 760 large tankers with massive releases of oil products into the ocean.
• In 1978, the American tanker Amono Codis off the coast of France - 220 thousand tons. Oil covered an area of ​​3.5 thousand square meters. km. water surface and 180 km of coastline.
• In 1989, the ship "Valdis" off the coast of Alaska - 40 thousand tons. The oil slick had an area of ​​80 square meters. km.
• In 1990, during the Kuwait War, Iraqi defenders opened oil terminals and emptied several oil tankers to prevent American troops from landing. More than 1.5 million tons of oil covered a thousand square meters. km of the Persian Gulf and 600 km of coastline. In response, the Americans bombed several more storage facilities.
• 1997 – wreck of the Russian ship “Nakhodka” on the China-Kamchatka route – 19 thousand tons.
• 1998 - the Liberian tanker Pallas ran aground off the European coast - 20 tons.
• 2002 – Spain, Bay of Biscay. Tanker "Prestige" - 90 thousand tons. The cost of eliminating the consequences amounted to over 2.5 million euros. After this, France and Spain banned oil tankers without a double hull from entering their waters.
• 2007 – storm in the Kerch Strait. 4 ships sank, 6 ran aground, 2 tankers were damaged. The damage amounted to 6.5 billion rubles.

Not a single year passes on the planet without a catastrophe. Oil film is capable of completely absorbing infrared rays, causing the death of marine and coastal inhabitants, which leads to global environmental changes.

Another dangerous water pollutant is wastewater. Large coastal cities that cannot cope with the flow of sewage waste are trying to divert sewer pipes further into the sea. From mainland megacities, wastewater flows into rivers.

Heated waste water discharged by power plants and industries is a factor in the thermal pollution of water bodies, which can significantly increase the surface temperature.

It prevents the exchange of bottom and surface water layers, which reduces the supply of oxygen, increases the temperature and, as a result, the activity of aerobic bacteria. New species of algae and phytoplankton appear, which leads to water blooms and disruption of the biological balance of the ocean.

An increase in the mass of phytoplankton threatens the loss of the species gene pool and a decrease in the ability of ecosystems to self-regulate. Accumulations of small algae on the surface of seas and oceans reach such sizes that spots and stripes of them are clearly visible from space. Phytoplankton serves as an indicator of the disappointing ecological state and dynamics of water masses.

Its vital activity leads to the formation of foam, a chemical change in composition and water pollution, and mass reproduction changes the color of the sea.

It acquires red, brown, yellow, milky white and other shades. For the color to change, the population needs to reach a million per liter.

Blooming plankton contributes to the massive death of fish and other marine animals, since it actively consumes dissolved oxygen and releases toxic substances. The explosive proliferation of such algae causes “red tides” (Asia, USA) and covers large areas.

Algae (spirogyra), which is unusual for Lake Baikal, has grown abnormally as a result of the extensive discharge of chemicals through wastewater treatment plants. They were thrown onto the coastline (20 km), and the mass was 1,500 tons. Now locals call Baikal black because the algae are black and, when dying, emit a monstrous stench.

Plastic pollution

Plastic waste is another factor in ocean pollution. They form entire islands on the surface and threaten the lives of marine life.

Plastic does not dissolve or decompose and can last for centuries. Animals and birds mistake it for something edible and swallow cups and polyethylene, which they cannot digest, and die.

Under the influence of sunlight, plastic is crushed to the size of plankton and, thus, already participates in food chains. The shellfish attach themselves to bottles and ropes, sinking them to the bottom in large numbers.

Garbage islands can be considered a symbol of ocean pollution. The largest garbage island is located in the Pacific Ocean - it reaches an area of ​​1,760,000 square meters. km and 10 m deep. The vast majority of garbage is of coastal origin (80%), the rest is waste from ships and fishing nets (20%).

Metals and chemicals

Sources of water pollution are numerous and varied - from non-degradable detergents to mercury, lead, cadmium. Together with wastewater, pesticides, insecticides, bactericides and fungicides enter the oceans. These substances are widely used in agriculture to combat diseases, plant pests and weed control. More than 12 million tons of these funds are already in the Earth's ecosystems.

A synthetic surfactant found in detergents has a detrimental effect on the ocean. It contains detergents that lower the surface tension of water. In addition, detergents consist of substances harmful to the inhabitants of ecosystems, such as:

• sodium silicate;
• sodium polyphosphate;
• soda ash;
• bleach;
• flavoring agents, etc.

The greatest danger to the oceanic biocenosis is mercury, cadmium and lead.

Their ions accumulate in representatives of marine food chains and cause their mutations, diseases and death. People also belong to part of the food chain and, by eating such “seafood”, are at great risk.

The most famous is Minamata disease (Japan), which causes vision, speech, and paralysis.

The cause of its occurrence was waste from enterprises producing vinyl chloride (the process uses a mercury catalyst). Poorly treated industrial waters have been flowing into Minamata Bay for a long time.

Mercury compounds settled in the bodies of shellfish and fish, which the local population widely used in their diet. As a result, more than 70 people died and several hundred people were bedridden.

The threat posed to humanity by the environmental crisis is vast and multidimensional:

• reduction in fish catch;
• eating mutated animals;
• loss of unique recreational areas;
• general poisoning of the biosphere;
• disappearance of people.

When contacting contaminated water (washing, swimming, fishing), there is a risk of penetration of all kinds of bacteria through the skin or mucous membranes, causing serious illnesses. In conditions of an environmental disaster, there is a high probability of such well-known diseases as:

• dysentery;
• cholera;
• typhoid fever, etc.

There is also a high probability of new diseases emerging as a result of mutations due to radioactive and chemical compounds.

The world community has already begun to take measures to artificially renew the biological resources of the oceans; marine reserves and man-made islands are being created. But all this is the elimination of consequences, not causes. As long as there is a release of oil, wastewater, metals, chemicals and garbage into the ocean, the danger of the destruction of civilization will only increase.

Impact on ecosystems

As a result of thoughtless human activity, it is primarily ecological systems that suffer.

1. Their stability is compromised.
2. Eutrophication is progressing.
3. Color tides appear.
4. Toxins accumulate in biomass.
5. Biological productivity decreases.
6. Carcinogenesis and mutations occur in the ocean.
7. Microbiological pollution of coastal zones occurs.

Toxic pollutants are constantly entering the ocean, and even the ability of some organisms (bivalves and benthic microorganisms) to accumulate and remove toxins (pesticides and heavy metals) cannot withstand such quantities. Therefore, it is important to determine the permissible anthropogenic pressure on hydrological ecosystems and study their assimilation capabilities for the accumulation and subsequent removal of harmful substances.

A bunch of plastic floating on the ocean waves could be used to make plastic food containers.

Monitoring ocean pollution problems

Today we can state the presence of the pollutant not only in coastal zones and shipping areas, but also in the open ocean, including the Arctic and Antarctic. The hydrosphere is a powerful regulator of the whirlpool, the circulation of air flows and the temperature regime of the planet. Its pollution can change these characteristics and affect not only flora and fauna, but also climatic conditions.

At the present stage of development, with the increasing negative impact of humanity on the hydrosphere and the loss of protective properties of ecosystems, the following becomes obvious:

• awareness of reality and trends;
• greening of thinking;
• the need for new approaches to environmental management.

Today we are no longer talking about protecting the ocean - now it needs to be cleaned up immediately, and this is a global problem of civilization.

The role of the oceans in the functioning of the biosphere as a single system is difficult to overestimate. The water surface of oceans and seas covers most of the planet. When interacting with the atmosphere, ocean currents largely determine the formation of climate and weather on Earth. All oceans, including enclosed and semi-enclosed seas, are of enduring importance in the global food supply of the world's population.

The ocean, especially its coastal zone, plays a leading role in supporting life on Earth, since about 70% of the oxygen entering the planet’s atmosphere is produced during the process of plankton photosynthesis.

The world's oceans cover 2/3 of the earth's surface and provide 1/6 of all animal proteins consumed by the population as food.

The ocean and seas are experiencing increasing environmental stress due to pollution, overfishing of fish and shellfish, destruction of historical fish spawning grounds, and deterioration of coastlines and coral reefs.

Of particular concern is the pollution of the World Ocean with harmful and toxic substances, including oil and petroleum products, and radioactive substances.

The scale of pollution is indicated by the following facts: annually coastal waters are replenished with 320 million tons of iron, 6.5 million tons of phosphorus, 2.3 million tons of lead. For example, in 1995, 7.7 billion m3 of contaminated industrial and municipal wastewater was discharged into the reservoirs of the Black and Azov Seas alone. The waters of the Persian and Aden Gulfs are the most polluted. The waters of the Baltic and North Seas are also fraught with danger. So, in 1945-1947. The British, American and Soviet command flooded them with about 300,000 tons of captured and own ammunition with toxic substances (mustard gas, phosgene). The flooding operations were carried out in great haste and in violation of environmental safety standards. By 2009, chemical munition casings had been severely damaged, which is fraught with serious consequences.

The most common substances that pollute the ocean are oil and petroleum products. An average of 13-14 million tons of petroleum products enter the World Ocean annually. Oil pollution is dangerous for two reasons: firstly, a film forms on the surface of the water, depriving oxygen access to marine flora and fauna; secondly, oil itself is a toxic compound. When the oil content in water is 10-15 mg/kg, plankton and fish fry die.

The real environmental disasters are large oil spills from ruptured pipelines and the collapse of supertankers. Only one ton of oil can cover 12 km 2 of the sea surface with a film.

As already mentioned in paragraph 11.1, in 2010, as a result of an accident on an oil platform, 4 million barrels of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico during 3 months of restoration work. It will take at least 5 years to restore damaged coastal marine ecosystems.

Radioactive contamination during the disposal of radioactive waste is especially dangerous. Initially, the main way to dispose of radioactive waste was to bury it in the seas and oceans. This was, as a rule, low-level radioactive waste, which was packaged in 200-liter metal containers, filled with concrete and dumped into the sea. The first such burial took place in the United States, 80 km off the coast of California.

Before 1983, 12 countries dumped radioactive waste into the open sea. For example, 560,261 containers were dumped into the waters of the Pacific Ocean between 1949 and 1970.

A number of international documents have been adopted, the main goal of which is the protection of the World Ocean. In 1972, the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping Wastes with High and Medium Levels of Radiation Without Special Permit was signed in London. Since the 1970s The UN environmental program “Regional Seas” is being implemented, uniting more than 120 countries of the world that share 10 seas. Regional multilateral agreements were adopted: Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (Paris, 1992); Convention for the Protection of the Black Sea against Pollution (Bucharest, 1992)

Since 1993, the dumping of liquid radioactive waste has been prohibited. Since their number was constantly increasing, in order to protect the environment, in 1996, a contract was signed between American, Japanese and Russian firms to create a facility for processing liquid radioactive waste accumulated in the Far East.

A great threat to the penetration of radioactivity into the waters of the World Ocean is posed by leaks of nuclear reactors and nuclear warheads that sank along with nuclear submarines. Thus, as a result of such accidents, by 2009, six nuclear power plants and several dozen nuclear warheads ended up in the ocean, rapidly being corroded by sea water.

At some Russian Navy bases, radioactive materials are still often stored directly in open areas. And due to a lack of funds for disposal, in some cases, radioactive waste could end up directly in sea waters.

Consequently, despite the measures taken, radioactive contamination of the World Ocean is of great concern.

The disappearance of the global climate phenomenon - the El Niño current. This current is a formidable natural phenomenon that periodically brings untold disasters to many countries of the world. The fact is that, for still unknown reasons, sometimes a disruption occurs in the fairly stable global system of trade winds and ocean currents: the direction of the winds changes, and a mass of warm water rushes to the shores of America instead of Indonesia and Australia. The movement of huge masses of warm water leads to increased evaporation from the surface of the water. Giant moisture-saturated areas appear in the atmosphere, becoming a kind of barrier to the seasonal Pacific winds - trade winds, and they change their direction.

Such a failure does not occur without catastrophic consequences for the climate of a number of countries: some of them begin a long drought, others suffer from endless rains that cause floods. In practice, El Niño affects the climate of all countries to one degree or another. But America, especially the South, especially suffers from it. Suffice it to remember that in 1982, due to this current in the north of Peru, precipitation fell 30 times higher than normal, which led to flooding and famine. In 1997, in the same country, 300 people died and 250,000 were left homeless.

As scientists have established, El Niño significantly influenced the development of ancient civilizations in South America and even caused the death of some of them.

In 1997-1998 This insidious current disappeared for unknown reasons. The disappearance of a global climate phenomenon, unprecedented in modern history, could have dramatic consequences for the climate of our entire planet.

One of the likely reasons for the disappearance of this current could be the unusual strengthening of easterly winds over the Pacific Ocean.

Ocean conservation

Currently, a lot of harmful substances have begun to enter the ocean: oil, plastics, industrial and chemical waste, pesticides, etc., which has a particularly detrimental effect on the life of marine life.

The decomposition time of waste entering the World Ocean is presented in Table. 24.

Table 24. Time required for different types of waste to decompose in the ocean

Serious cases of ocean pollution are primarily associated with oil (Fig. 162). As a result of washing the holds of tankers, from eight to 20 million barrels of oil are dumped into the ocean annually. And this does not include accidents during the transportation of oil along sea routes. The oil film stops the flow of oxygen into the water, disrupts moisture and gas exchange, and destroys plankton and fish. And this is only a small part of the harm that oil brings to sea water and its inhabitants (Fig. 163).

In addition to oil, the most harmful wastes that end up in the ocean include heavy metals, especially mercury, cadmium, nickel, copper, lead, and chromium. Up to 50,000 tons of these metals are discharged annually into the Northern Morse alone (Table 25).

Of even greater concern is the release of wastewater into ocean water containing pesticides such as aldrin, dieldrin and endrin, which can accumulate in the tissues of living organisms. At present, the long-term consequences of using such chemicals are not even known.

Tributyltin chloride (TBT), which is widely used to paint the keels of ships and prevent them from becoming overgrown with shells and algae, is harmful to ocean inhabitants. It has now been proven that it excludes the possibility of reproduction of one type of crustacean - the whelk.

Rice. 162. Oil pollution in the World Ocean

Rice. 163. Impact of oil pollution Table 25. Hazardous metals entering ocean waters

The ocean continues to be the site of environmental disasters associated with the transport of extremely dangerous cargo such as toxic waste (for example, plutonium).

Another common problem for the oceans is algal blooms. In the North Sea off the coast of Norway and Denmark it is caused by the growth of algae Chlorochromulina polylepis. In turn, this algal bloom is leading to a serious decline in salmon fishing. It is believed that the rapid proliferation of algae is associated with industrial emissions of large amounts of microelements that serve as food for them.

Recently, the ocean has become more and more actively used to deploy nuclear missile weapons of the submarine fleet, and to bury radioactive substances at the bottom, which also leads to negative consequences for the World Ocean.

All ocean waters are affected by pollution, but coastal waters are more polluted than the open ocean. This is primarily due to the much larger number of pollution sources. For example, about 430 billion tons of waste enter the Mediterranean Sea annually from 120 coastal cities. Their sources are industrial and agricultural enterprises, utility organizations, as well as 360 million people living or vacationing in 20 Mediterranean countries. The sea coasts of Spain, France and Italy are the most polluted, which is explained by the influx of tourists and the work of industrial enterprises.

The protection of ocean waters is one of the most pressing problems of humanity at this time.

On April 30, 1982, the UN Conference adopted the Convention on the Law of the Sea, which regulates the use of the World Ocean for almost any purpose. In this regard, the fight against pollution and the protection of natural ocean resources are of particular importance.

1998 was declared the year of the ocean. At that time, many scientific studies of ocean waters were carried out under the supervision of UNESCO. It has become obvious that international cooperation is needed to study and protect ocean waters.

Currently, a new method of studying the World Ocean is being practiced - remote sensing. Based on its data, decisions are made on the proper use of the resources of the World Ocean and the protection of its waters.

Every year, more than 10 million tons of oil enter the World Ocean and up to 20% of its area is already covered with an oil film. This is primarily due to the fact that oil and gas production in the World Ocean has become the most important component of the oil and gas complex. In 1993, 850 million tons of oil were produced in the ocean (almost 30% of world production). About 2,500 wells have been drilled in the world, of which 800 are in the USA, 540 in Southeast Asia, 400 in the North Sea, 150 in the Persian Gulf. These wells were drilled at depths of up to 900 m.

Pollution of the hydrosphere by water transport occurs through two channels. Firstly, sea and river vessels pollute it with waste generated as a result of operational activities, and, secondly, with emissions of toxic cargo, mostly oil and petroleum products, in the event of accidents. Ship power plants (mainly diesel engines) constantly pollute the atmosphere, from where toxic substances partially or almost completely enter the waters of rivers, seas and oceans.

Oil and petroleum products are the main pollutants of the water basin. On tankers transporting oil and its derivatives, before each regular loading, as a rule, containers (tanks) are washed to remove the remnants of previously transported cargo. The washing water, and with it the remaining cargo, is usually dumped overboard. In addition, after delivering oil cargo to destination ports, tankers are most often sent empty to the new loading point. In this case, to ensure proper draft and safe navigation, the ship's tanks are filled with ballast water. This water is contaminated with oil residues and is poured into the sea before loading oil and petroleum products. Of the total cargo turnover of the world maritime fleet, 49% currently falls on oil and its derivatives. Every year, about 6,000 tankers of international fleets transport 3 billion tons of oil. As oil cargo transportation grew, more and more oil began to end up in the ocean during accidents.

Huge damage to the ocean was caused by the crash of the American supertanker Torrey Canyon off the southwest coast of England in March 1967: 120 thousand tons of oil spilled onto the water and was set on fire by incendiary bombs from aircraft. The oil burned for several days. The beaches and coasts of England and France were polluted.

In the decade after the Torrey Canon tanker disaster, more than 750 large tankers were lost in the seas and oceans. Most of these crashes were accompanied by massive releases of oil and petroleum products into the sea. In 1978, a disaster occurred off the French coast again, with even more significant consequences than in 1967. Here the American supertanker Amono Kodis crashed in a storm. More than 220 thousand tons of oil spilled from the ship, covering an area of ​​3.5 thousand square meters. km. Enormous damage was caused to fishing, fish farming, oyster “plantations”, and all marine life in the area. For 180 km, the coastline was covered with black mourning “crepe”.

In 1989, the Valdez tanker accident off the coast of Alaska became the largest environmental disaster of its kind in US history. A huge tanker, half a kilometer long, ran aground about 25 miles from the coast. Then about 40 thousand tons of oil spilled into the sea. A huge oil slick spread over a radius of 50 miles from the accident site, covering an area of ​​80 square meters with a dense film. km. The cleanest and richest coastal areas of North America were poisoned.

To prevent such disasters, double-hulled tankers are being developed. In the event of an accident, if one hull is damaged, the second will prevent oil from entering the sea.

The ocean is also polluted by other types of industrial waste. Approximately 20 billion tons of garbage were dumped into all the seas of the world (1988). It is estimated that per 1 sq. km of ocean there is an average of 17 tons of waste. It was recorded that 98 thousand tons of waste were dumped into the North Sea in one day (1987).

The famous traveler Thor Heyerdahl said that when he and his friends sailed on the Kon-Tiki raft in 1954, they never tired of admiring the purity of the ocean, and while sailing on the papyrus ship Ra-2 in 1969, he and his companions , “We woke up in the morning to find the ocean so polluted that there was nowhere to dip a toothbrush. The Atlantic Ocean went from blue to gray-green and murky, and lumps of fuel oil the size of a pinhead to a loaf of bread floated everywhere. There were plastic bottles dangling in this mess, as if we had found ourselves in a dirty harbor. I didn’t see anything like this when I sat in the ocean for one hundred and one days on the Kon-Tiki logs. We have seen with our own eyes that people are poisoning the most important source of life, the mighty filter of the globe – the World Ocean.”

Up to 2 million seabirds and 100 thousand marine animals, including up to 30 thousand seals, die annually after swallowing any plastic products or becoming entangled in scraps of nets and cables.

Germany, Belgium, Holland, England dumped toxic acids into the North Sea, mainly 18-20% sulfuric acid, heavy metals with soil and sewage sludge containing arsenic and mercury, as well as hydrocarbons, including toxic dioxin (1987 year). Heavy metals include a number of elements widely used in industry: zinc, lead, chromium, copper, nickel, cobalt, molybdenum, etc. When they enter the body, most metals are very difficult to remove, they tend to constantly accumulate in the tissues of various organs, and when exceeded A certain threshold concentration causes severe poisoning of the body.

Three rivers flowing into the North Sea, the Rhine, Meuse and Elbe, annually brought 28 million tons of zinc, almost 11,000 tons of lead, 5,600 tons of copper, as well as 950 tons of arsenic, cadmium, mercury and 150 thousand tons of oil, 100 thousand. tons of phosphates and even radioactive waste in different quantities (data for 1996). Ships dumped 145 million tons of ordinary garbage every year. England discharged 5 million tons of sewage per year.

As a result of oil production from pipelines connecting oil platforms with the mainland, about 30,000 tons of petroleum products leaked into the sea every year. The consequences of this pollution are not difficult to see. A number of species that once lived in the North Sea, including salmon, sturgeon, oysters, stingrays and haddock, have simply disappeared. Seals are dying, other inhabitants of this sea often suffer from infectious skin diseases, have deformed skeletons and malignant tumors. Birds that eat fish or are poisoned by sea water die. There were toxic algae blooms that led to a decline in fish stocks (1988).

In the Baltic Sea during 1989, 17 thousand seals died. Studies have shown that the tissues of dead animals are literally saturated with mercury, which entered their bodies from water. Biologists believe that water pollution led to a sharp weakening of the immune system of sea inhabitants and their death from viral diseases.

Large oil spills (thousands of tons) occur in the Eastern Baltic once every 3-5 years, small spills (tens of tons) - monthly. A large spill affects ecosystems over a water area of ​​several thousand hectares, while a small spill affects several tens of hectares. The Baltic Sea, the Skagerrak Strait, and the Irish Sea are threatened by emissions of mustard gas, a toxic chemical created by Germany during the Second World War and sunk by Germany, Great Britain and the USSR in the 40s. The USSR sank its chemical munitions in the northern seas and the Far East, Great Britain - in the Irish Sea.

In 1983, the International Convention for the Prevention of Marine Pollution came into force. In 1984, the Baltic states signed the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea in Helsinki. This was the first international agreement at the regional level. As a result of the work carried out, the content of petroleum products in the open waters of the Baltic Sea decreased by 20 times compared to 1975.

In 1992, the ministers of 12 states and a representative of the European Community signed a new Convention for the Protection of the Environment of the Baltic Sea Basin.

The Adriatic and Mediterranean seas are being polluted. Through the Po River alone, 30 thousand tons of phosphorus, 80 thousand tons of nitrogen, 60 thousand tons of hydrocarbons, thousands of tons of lead and chromium, 3 thousand tons of zinc, 250 tons of arsenic (1988) enter the Adriatic Sea from industrial enterprises and agricultural farms annually. year).

The Mediterranean Sea is in danger of becoming a garbage dump, the sewer of three continents. Every year, 60 thousand tons of detergents, 24 thousand tons of chromium, and thousands of tons of nitrates used in agriculture enter the sea. In addition, 85% of the water discharged from 120 large coastal cities is not purified (1989), and self-purification (complete renewal of water) of the Mediterranean Sea is carried out through the Strait of Gibraltar in 80 years.

Due to pollution, the Aral Sea has completely lost its fishing significance since 1984. Its unique ecosystem has perished.

The owners of the Tisso chemical plant in the town of Minamata on the island of Kyushu (Japan) have been dumping wastewater laden with mercury into the ocean for many years. Coastal waters and fish were poisoned, and since the 50s, 1,200 people have died and 100,000 have suffered poisoning of varying severity, including psychoparalytic illnesses.

A serious environmental threat to life in the World Ocean and, consequently, to humans is posed by the burial of radioactive waste (RAW) on the seabed and the dumping of liquid radioactive waste (LRW) into the sea. Since 1946, Western countries (USA, UK, France, Germany, Italy, etc.) and the USSR began to actively use the ocean depths to get rid of radioactive waste.

In 1959, the US Navy sank a failed nuclear reactor from a nuclear submarine 120 miles off the US Atlantic coast. According to Greenpeace, our country dumped about 17 thousand concrete containers with radioactive waste into the sea, as well as more than 30 ship nuclear reactors.

The most difficult situation has developed in the Barents and Kara Seas around the nuclear test site on Novaya Zemlya. There, in addition to countless containers, 17 reactors, including those with nuclear fuel, several damaged nuclear submarines, as well as the central compartment of the Lenin nuclear-powered icebreaker with three damaged reactors were sunk. The USSR Pacific Fleet buried nuclear waste (including 18 reactors) in the Sea of ​​Japan and Okhotsk, in 10 places off the coast of Sakhalin and Vladivostok.

The USA and Japan dumped waste from nuclear power plants into the Sea of ​​Japan, the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Arctic Ocean.

The USSR discharged liquid radioactive waste in the Far Eastern seas from 1966 to 1991 (mainly near the southeastern part of Kamchatka and in the Sea of ​​Japan). The Northern Fleet annually dumped 10 thousand cubic meters into the water. m LRW.

In 1972, the London Convention was signed, prohibiting the dumping of radioactive and toxic chemical waste on the bottom of the seas and oceans. Our country also joined that convention. Warships, in accordance with international law, do not need permission to discharge. In 1993, the dumping of liquid radioactive waste into the sea was prohibited.

In 1982, the 3rd UN Conference on the Law of the Sea adopted a convention on the peaceful use of the oceans in the interests of all countries and peoples, which contains about a thousand international legal norms regulating all major issues of the use of ocean resources.