How does pollution affect marine life for kids?
The ocean has always sucked up CO2 from the air as part of nature – but our waste means more is being absorbed than before. As a result, the water is becoming more acidic, which could make it harder for fish to breath and for creatures like crabs, lobsters and coral to grow their shells.
What causes ocean pollution kids?
Believe it or not, most ocean pollution comes from land. Fertilizer from lawns and farms, motor oil, and sewage are washed into local streams and rivers, where they may eventually flow into the ocean. Heavy rain washes fertilizer and other pollutants into local waterways, where they may be carried out to sea.
How does marine pollution affect humans?
Industrial waste, agricultural runoff, pesticides, and human sewage can all spur a HAB event. People are exposed to HAB toxins from eating contaminated fish and shellfish. These toxins can cause dementia, amnesia, other neurological damage, and death.
How is plastic affecting the ocean for kids?
The main problem with plastics is that they don’t biodegrade. Instead, plastics need sunlight to degrade (photodegrade). Most of the plastic waste in the ocean sinks, which means they don’t get the light they need to break down – causing some plastics to remain for 1,000s of years.
How are humans harming the ocean for kids?
Habitat Destruction Virtually all Ocean habitats have been affected in some way via drilling or mining, dredging for aggregates for concrete and other building materials, destructive anchoring, removal of corals and land “reclamation”.
What are the effects of ocean pollution?
Pollutants in the ocean make their way back to humans. Small organisms ingest toxins and are eaten by larger predators, many of which are seafood that we eventually eat. When the toxins in contaminated animals get deposited in human tissue, it can lead to long-term health conditions, cancer and birth defects.
Why is marine pollution bad?
The increased concentration of chemicals, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, in the coastal ocean promotes the growth of algal blooms, which can be toxic to wildlife and harmful to humans. The negative effects on health and the environment caused by algal blooms hurt local fishing and tourism industries.
How are humans destroying marine life?
In conclusion, the main human threats to marine life are shark hunting, overfishing, inadequate protection, tourism, shipping, oil and gas, pollution, aquaculture and climate change. These are activities that cause fish and plants in the aquatic habitat to become extinct.
How does water pollution affect the aquatic life?
The effect of water pollution is more on aquatic life, because their existence depends on water and when there is any disturbance in their ecosystem, the impact is maximum on them. In polluted water, due to abundant growth of algae, the oxygen content becomes lesser, causing the death of fishes and other organisms.
How does pollution affect marine life?
Pollution can be devastating for marine life, which is often sensitive to changes in their environment. Chemical pollution is a big problem for the oceans and before 1972 copious toxic chemicals, industrial waste, untreated sewerage, and even millions of tons of heavy metals and radioactive material were dumped into the sea.
How can I teach my child about marine pollution?
Teaching children about marine pollution can be difficult. Its a boring topic for some kids and yet it’s so important to discuss the devastating impact of water pollution. This ocean pollution sensory bin is the perfect activity to teach about pollution, the ocean and the effects it has on marine life.
How can marine plastic pollution be tackled?
Marine plastic pollution can be tackled in two ways: Downstream solutions:This relates to making sure plastic waste is managed properly, recycled and/or properly disposed of rather than released to the environment.
What is chemicals pollution of the ocean?
Chemical pollution is a big problem for the oceans and before 1972 copious toxic chemicals, industrial waste, untreated sewerage, and even millions of tons of heavy metals and radioactive material were dumped into the sea.