Environmental problems of the oceans and depletion of fresh water resources. Ocean: problems and solutions

100 RUR first order bonus

Select the type of work Diploma work Term work Abstract Master's thesis Practice report Article Report Review Examination work Monograph Problem solving Business plan Answers to questions Creative work Essays Drawing Essays Translation Presentations Typing Other Increasing the uniqueness of the text PhD thesis Laboratory work Help on-line

Find out the price

Almost 3/4 of the surface of our planet is occupied by oceans. Water is a precious liquid, a gift from nature to our planet. In such an amount as on Earth, it is not found anywhere in the solar system. Water is the basis of all life processes, the only source of oxygen in the main driving process on Earth - photosynthesis.

Currently, humanity uses 3.8 thousand cubic meters. km. water annually, and you can increase consumption up to a maximum of 12 thousand cubic meters. km. At the current rate of growth in water consumption, this will be enough for the next 25-30 years. Pumping out groundwater leads to subsidence of soil and buildings and a decrease in groundwater levels by tens of meters.

The term "World Ocean" was introduced into science by the prominent Soviet geographer and oceanographer Yu.M. Shokalsky. By this name he meant "the totality of that watery shell of the earth, the main feature of which is salinity." "The ocean is a storehouse of colossal biological and mineral resources, a means for intercontinental connections, a generator and regulator of climate - now it is becoming a factor that directly determines the future of mankind, the future of each of us."

Is the oceans really under threat? Unfortunately, this question must be answered in the affirmative, without any hesitation. And the danger to the ocean is borne by man himself with his frivolous, soulless attitude to sea riches.

The modern technological revolution has given the oceans the role of a giant "garbage dump". The total weight of polluting waste - oil, industrial and domestic (sewage) drains, garbage, radioactive waste, heavy metals, discharged into the World Ocean, is billions of tons per year. The shelf (near-continental) part is most polluted, especially in the areas of congestion of seaports, which is the second after catching factor in the reduction of biological resources of the ocean, because the continental shelf is the habitat of 95 - 98% of the inhabitants of the ocean.

Pollution of the marine environment means the introduction by a person, directly or indirectly, of substances and energy into the marine environment, which leads or may lead to such harmful consequences as harm to living resources and life at sea, danger to human health, interfering with activities at sea, including fishing and other lawful uses of the sea, a decrease in the quality of the used sea water and a deterioration in recreation conditions.

Oil is a major disaster for the ocean. Oil and oil products get into the ocean when transported by tankers, when oil is extracted on the coastal shelf, when empty tanks of the oil fleet and engine rooms of ships are washed. Oil forms a film only 0.001 cm thick on the water surface (each drop of oil covers 20 square meters of the surface with an impermeable film). This drastically reduces gas and water exchange between the ocean and the atmosphere, destroys microorganisms, fish, and seabirds. The film accumulates heavy metal ions, pesticides and other harmful substances.

Consulting firm Cutter Information Corporation analyzed which regions of the world are most likely to experience oil spills. The study checked statistics for the period from 1960 to 2005, and took into account only large enough accidents, as a result of which more than 10 thousand gallons (34 tons) of oil and oil products were in the water. The largest number of accidents occurred in the Gulf of Mexico, near the Northeast coast of the United States, in the Mediterranean Sea, in the Persian Gulf and in the North Sea. According to the estimates of the US National Research Council, almost 1.5 million cubic meters of oil and oil products get into the water every year, about 45% of leaks are of natural causes. Approximately 5% of oil ends up in seas, oceans and lakes as a result of the extraction and production process. Transport accidents account for 22% of such spills. The rest of the oil gets into the water as a result of hundreds and thousands of minor accidents and leaks. British consultant TINA Consultants, a consultant dedicated to preventing oil spills from oil fields, refineries and pipelines, estimated that between 1995 and 2005, for every 1 million tonnes of oil produced or stored, there were 0.94 leaks, resulting in 3.06 tons of oil or petroleum products. The Environmental Protection Agency claims that despite its best efforts, there are 14,000 oil spills in the United States every year, requiring thousands of specialists to deal with them.

Accidents and leaks on subsea oil pipelines occur regularly and everywhere (for example, the accident in the Guanabara Bay, 2000, which resulted in the release of 1.3 thousand tons of oil). The International Federation of Owners notes that from 2000 to 2006. there were 17 tanker accidents resulting in an oil spill. As a result, in the 2000s, about 170 thousand tons of oil got into the sea.

Consequences of spills: it takes 2 people to wash one bird covered with oil slick, 45 min. time and 1.1 thousand liters of clean water. Not only flora and fauna suffer from such accidents. Local fishermen, hotels and restaurants, as well as tourist businesses are suffering serious losses. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration claims that current technologies for dealing with large-scale oil spills are still ineffective.

Pesticides: Pesticides are a group of artificially created substances used to control pests and plant diseases. Pesticides are divided into the following groups: insecticides - to combat harmful insects, fungicides and bactericides - to combat bacterial plant diseases, herbicides - against weeds. They can enter open water bodies with wastewater from enterprises that produce them, during aviation and ground processing of agricultural land and forests, with rain and melt water, as well as during direct processing of open water bodies to destroy algae, molluscs, vectors of human and animal diseases, weeds. The effect of pesticides on the inhabitants of aquatic systems can manifest itself both in a direct toxic effect (acute or chronic toxicity) and indirectly (a decrease in the content of oxygen soluble in water, a change in the chemical composition of water, the destruction of aquatic insects, etc.). After being absorbed by a filtering organism (for example, one of the types of planktonic organisms), persistent drugs can be deposited in tissues and then enter the fish organism. In the subsequent links of the food chain, the effect of substances with a cumulative property is enhanced several times.

A special problem is the spread of plastic debris on the surface of the seas and in the tide and surf. Taking samples of water and sand at 200 points belonging to 20 countries, employees of Japan's largest university in Japan Nihon University found significant concentrations of bisphenol A (BPA) there. The concentration of the harmful substance ranged from 0.01 to 50 ppm. Katsuhiko Saido and his colleagues have shown that BPA can get into water and sand and from polycarbonates, very hard plastics that, contrary to traditional beliefs, decompose under normal conditions in the ocean. When asked where bisphenol A came from in the ocean, scientists answer - from garbage. A kind of garbage flow has already formed between Hawaii and California, Japanese researchers complain. Only from the Japanese coast, 150 thousand tons of garbage are washed into the sea every year - a huge pile ..

Synthetic surfactants: detergents (surfactants) belong to a wide group of substances that lower the surface tension of water. They are part of synthetic detergents (CMC), widely used in everyday life and industry. Together with wastewater, synthetic surfactants enter mainland waters and the marine environment.

Heavy metals (mercury, lead, cadmium, zinc, copper, arsenic): reservoirs of heavy metals usually come with wastewater from mining and metallurgical enterprises, as well as chemical and light industries and through the atmosphere. For marine biocenoses, the most dangerous are mercury, lead and cadmium.

At present, domestic sewage systems in most cases do not meet modern sanitary requirements, while its replacement and the installation of powerful treatment facilities are extremely expensive. When the city's sewage system ceases to cope with the flow of waste and contaminated water is formed near large cities, they try to divert the sewer pipes as far as possible to the sea. Of course, such a measure to a certain extent relieves city residents from miasms, but the problem is not solved in this way, since the flow of waste that pollutes the ocean continues with the same intensity. True, it should be recognized that for newly built large industrial enterprises, treatment facilities are usually planned and created.

To solve the problems that have arisen, humanity must radically reconsider the strategy of water consumption, otherwise it is in danger of its global shortage - this is the conclusion of experts from the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The most serious threat to water security, analysts say, is the irrational use of food, the production of which takes up to 40% of the fresh water consumed by mankind. Currently, about 1.5 billion people on earth suffer from water shortages, and by 2050, their number, according to forecasts, may grow to 3.5 billion. Already, a number of relatively developed countries, including Brazil, Turkey, Japan, China and Italy, are forced to import water for the needs of their agriculture, and the prerequisites for improving the situation are not yet visible. Moreover, the shortage of water in the coming years may turn into an economic factor - in a number of countries, entire industries may be shut down, the needs of which in water will exceed the capabilities of these states. Water scarcity in desert regions is likely to cause intense population migration.

In 2006, in Moscow, the average daily consumption of drinking water per inhabitant was 280 liters per day (at the end of the nineties - 450 liters). For comparison: one resident of Copenhagen consumes about 185 liters of water per day; a resident of London - 170, a resident of Paris - 167 liters.

According to experts from the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, about half of the Earth's wetlands have been lost, and more than 20 percent of the 10,000 known freshwater species are either endangered or critically endangered.

Among the inhabitants of the sea under the threat of extinction, scientists call sharks and sea foxes (stingrays), which are prone to overfishing. Moreover, the situation with the inhabitants of fresh rivers is no better - about 56% of the 252 fresh fish of the Mediterranean are on the verge of extinction. As of 2006, the IUCN Red List describes 1,173 endangered fish species. The depletion of fish stocks ultimately causes a collapse in numbers, as the number of new generation of fish does not cover the number of fish caught. In recent years, commercial stocks of cod, hake, seabass and flounder have declined by as much as 95 percent in the North Atlantic, prompting calls for urgent action. The global fish catches seem to be at their peak. Forecasts indicate that by 2030 the average statistical fish consumption will fall to 11 kg / person.

Key stress on both freshwater and marine ecosystems is habitat degradation, including water pollution, dam building, removal of water for human use, and the introduction of exotic species. An example of a fish that has become endangered due to habitat change is the pale sturgeon, a North American freshwater fish that lives in rivers that have been altered by human activity. The depletion of marine fish stocks negatively affects not only food security and economic development of a number of countries, but also negatively affects the biologically complex underwater ecosystem

The main strategy that all countries must adhere to is to noticeably reduce or temporarily suspend fishing in devastated areas, and take urgent action to restore the marine ecosystem and improve natural conditions.

The problem of the World Ocean is the problem of the future of the entire civilization, since its future depends on how intelligently mankind resolves them. Addressing these problems requires concerted international action to coordinate the use of the ocean. In recent years, a number of international agreements have been adopted to limit the pollution of ocean waters. However, its economic problems are so acute that it is necessary to move on to more drastic measures, since the death of the World Ocean will inevitably lead to the death of the entire planet.

In a number of cases, despite the colossal achievements of modern science, it is currently impossible to eliminate certain types of chemical and radioactive contamination.

Of course, it would be better not to pollute rivers and lakes from the very beginning. And this requires powerful treatment facilities, when, in turn, the centralization of the sewerage system is necessary. We need sedimentation tanks for rainwater collected from the streets. In sewage treatment plants, sludge is often used, which, after mining, is used for fertilization - this is stage 2, stage 1, mechanical cleaning, filtration.

Stage 3 - chemical cleaning. It is used where residues of contaminants in wastewater discharged from factories and plants are still dangerous to human life and nature. Enterprises, organizations, whose activities affect the state of waters, are obliged to carry out, in agreement with the bodies for regulating the use and protection of waters, bodies exercising state sanitary supervision, the protection of fish stocks.

Wastewater treatment funds do not need to be collected directly from all “pollutants” in proportion to the harm earned.

The importance of water protection is supported by the "Water Party", adopted in May 1976 by the European countries:

• 1. There is no life without water. Water is a valuable resource absolutely necessary for a person;
• 2. The supply of good water is not endless. Therefore, environmental protection, where possible, multiplication, are becoming more and more important;
• 3. By polluting water, a person harms himself and all living organisms;
• 4. The quality of water must comply with sanitary standards and allow its use;
• 5. Used water must be returned to water bodies in such a state that it cannot interfere with its further use for public, individual needs;
• 6. A significant role in the conservation of water resources is played by vegetation, especially forests;
• 7. Water resources need to be taken into account and recorded;
• 8. The appropriateness of the use of waters should be regulated by the relevant authorities;
• 9. For the protection of water resources, intensified scientific research, training of specialists and explanatory work among the population are required;
• 10. Each of us is obliged for the good of all to use water economically and efficiently;
• 11. Water resources management should be based not so much on administrative and political boundaries as on natural watershed boundaries;
• 12. Water knows no borders, therefore international cooperation is needed in its protection and use.

The problem of industrial wastewater treatment and water treatment for technical and household-drinking purposes is becoming more and more important every year. The complexity of treatment is due to the extreme variety of impurities in wastewater, the amount and composition of which is constantly changing as a result of the emergence of new industries and changes in the technology of existing ones. Currently, the method of wastewater treatment with activated sludge is the most universal and widely used in wastewater treatment. The use of technical oxygen, highly active symbiotic sludge cultures, stimulators of biochemical oxidation, various types of improved designs of aeration tanks, aeration equipment and activated sludge separation systems made it possible to increase the productivity of the biological treatment method several times. Significant reserves are also hidden in the area of ​​intensification of mass transfer. The problem of biological wastewater treatment is acquiring increasing national economic importance.

Wastewater treatment methods.

Wastewater treatment methods can be divided into mechanical, chemical, physicochemical and biological. When they are used together, the method of purification and disposal of wastewater is called combined. The application of this or that method in each specific case is determined by the nature of the pollution and the degree of harmfulness of impurities.

Of the physicochemical, the method of electrical impulse disinfection and additional treatment should be noted, which completely excludes chlorination. Treated wastewater is also further purified using ultrasound and ozone.

The essence of the mechanical method is that up to 60-75% of mechanical impurities are removed from wastewater by sedimentation and filtration.

When using a mechanical treatment method, wastewater is freed from undissolved suspended solids.

One of the disadvantages of this method is that the water is not purified from dissolved organic contaminants. Therefore, mechanical treatment facilities (sedimentation tanks, sand traps, grates and sieves) are most often a preliminary stage before biological treatment.

Chemical method. The method of wastewater treatment is based on the use of various reagents that convert dissolved impurities into a solid insoluble state. Further, the deposition of these substances occurs. But it should not be overlooked that the reagents used are quite expensive, and in addition, their exact dosage must be observed. This method is mainly used for the treatment of industrial wastewater.

It should also be borne in mind that neither mechanical nor chemical cleaning methods solve the main issue - waste disposal!

Therefore, the most effective at present is the biological method of wastewater treatment.

Biological wastewater treatment is the result of the functioning of the activated sludge - wastewater system, characterized by the presence of a complex multi-level structure. Biological oxidation, which is the basis of this process, is a consequence of a large complex of interrelated processes of varying complexity: from elemental acts of electron exchange to complex interactions of the biocenosis with the external environment. The research results show that a characteristic feature of complex multispecies populations, which include activated sludge, is the establishment of a dynamic equilibrium in the system, which is achieved by adding up many relatively small deviations in the activity and number of individual species in one direction or another from their average level.

Disinfection of wastewater is carried out in order to destroy the pathogenic microorganisms contained in it and eliminate the danger of contamination of the reservoir with these microbes when the treated wastewater is released into it.

The most common disinfection method is chlorination. Currently, at small treatment plants, several types of installations are used for the preparation of dosing solutions containing active chlorine. The first type includes installations for the chlorination of water with bleach or powdered hypochlorites. The principle of their operation is reduced to the preparation of a solution of the required concentration and its subsequent feeding into water. The second type includes installations that make it possible to obtain disinfecting chlorine products from raw materials - table salt - directly at the point of consumption. Such installations are electrolyzers intended for the preparation of electrolytic sodium hypochlorite. The third type includes installations that allow water disinfection by direct electrolysis. This method is reagent-free, since disinfecting products are formed due to the electrolytic decomposition of chlorides in the treated water itself.

The most serious problem of the seas and oceans in our century is oil pollution, the consequences of which are devastating to all life on Earth.

Methods for cleaning the waters of the World Ocean from oil:

• · site localization (using floating fences - booms)
• · localized burning
• · removal with sand, treated with a special composition

as a result, the oil sticks to the sand grains and sinks to the bottom.

• · oil absorption by straw, sawdust, emulsions, dispersants, using gypsum
• · a number of biological methods

The use of microorganisms that are capable of decomposing hydrocarbons down to carbon dioxide and water.

· the use of special vessels equipped with installations for collecting oil from the sea surface.

Special small-sized vessels have been created, which are delivered by air to the place of tanker accident. Each such vessel can suck in up to 1.5 thousand liters of oil-water mixture, separating over 90% of the oil and pumping it into special floating tanks, which are then towed to the shore.

· safety standards are provided for the construction of tankers, for the organization of transportation systems, movement in bays.

But they all suffer from the flaw - vague wording allows private companies to bypass them. Apart from the Coast Guard, there is no one to enforce these laws.

Therefore, in 1954, an international conference was held in London with the aim of working out coordinated actions to protect the marine environment from oil pollution. It adopted a convention defining the obligations of states in this area. Later in 1958, four more documents were adopted in Geneva: on the high seas, on the territorial sea and the contiguous zone, on the continental shelf, on fishing and the protection of living resources of the sea. These conventions legalized the principles and norms of the law of the sea. They obliged each country to develop and enact laws prohibiting the pollution of the marine environment with oil, radio waste and other harmful substances. A 1973 conference in London adopted documents on the prevention of pollution from ships. According to the adopted convention, each ship must have a certificate - a certificate that the hull, mechanisms and other equipment are in good condition and do not harm the sea. Compliance with the certificates is checked by the inspection when entering the port.

Discharge of oily water from tankers is prohibited, all discharges from them should be pumped out only to onshore reception points. For the purification and disinfection of ship wastewater, including domestic wastewater, electrochemical installations have been created. The Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences has developed an emulsion method for cleaning sea tankers, which completely excludes the ingress of oil into the water area. It consists in adding several surfactants (ML preparation) to the wash water, which allows cleaning on the ship itself without discharging contaminated water or oil residues, which can be subsequently regenerated for further use. Up to 300 tons of oil can be washed from each tanker.

In order to prevent oil leaks, the designs of oil tankers are being improved. Many modern tankers have a double bottom. If one of them is damaged, the oil will not spill out, it will be delayed by the second shell.

Masters of ships are obliged to record in special logs information about all cargo operations with oil and oil products, note the place and time of delivery or discharge of contaminated wastewater from the ship.

For the systematic cleaning of water areas from accidental spills, floating oil skimmers and side barriers are used. Also, in order to prevent oil spreading, physicochemical methods are used.

A preparation of the foam group has been created, which, in contact with an oil slick, completely envelops it. After squeezing, the foam can be reused as a sorbent. Such drugs are very convenient due to their ease of use and low cost, but their mass production has not yet been established. There are also sorbing agents based on plant, mineral and synthetic substances. Some of them can collect up to 90% of spilled oil. The main requirement for them is unsinkability.

After collecting oil with sorbents or mechanical means, a thin film always remains on the water surface, which can be removed by spraying chemicals that decompose it. But at the same time, these substances must be biologically safe.

In Japan, a unique technology has been created and tested, with the help of which a giant spot can be eliminated in a short time. Kansai Sange Corporation has released ASWW reagent, the main component of which is specially processed rice hulls. Sprayed over the surface, the drug absorbs the ejection within half an hour and turns into a thick mass that can be pulled off with a simple net.

The original cleaning method was demonstrated by American scientists in the Atlantic Ocean. A ceramic plate is lowered under the oil film to a certain depth. An acoustic plate is connected to it. Under the influence of vibration, it first accumulates in a thick layer over the place where the plate is installed, and then mixes with water and begins to gush. An electric current applied to the plate ignites the fountain, and the oil is completely burned up.

Owners of water transport means, pipelines, floating and other structures on water bodies, timber floating organizations, as well as other enterprises are obliged to prevent pollution and contamination of water as a result of the loss of oils, wood, chemical, oil and other products.

Since 1993, the dumping of liquid radioactive waste (LRW) has been banned, but their number is growing steadily. Therefore, in order to protect the environment, LRW treatment projects began to be developed in the 90s.

In 1996, representatives of Japanese, American and Russian firms signed a contract for the construction of a facility for processing liquid radioactive waste accumulated in the Russian Far East. The Japanese government allocated $ 25.2 million for the project.

In order to maintain a favorable water regime of rivers, lakes, reservoirs, groundwater and other water bodies, to prevent water erosion of soils, siltation of reservoirs, anti-erosion hydrotechnical measures are carried out.

However, despite some success in the search for effective means of eliminating pollution, it is too early to talk about a solution to the problem. It is impossible to ensure the cleanliness of the seas and oceans only by the introduction of new methods of cleaning up water areas. Pollution prevention is a central challenge that all countries need to tackle together.

Until recently, all types of human activity in the ocean provided only 1-2% of the world's gross product. But with the development of scientific and technological revolution, comprehensive research and development took on a completely different scale.

First, the aggravation of global energy and raw materials problems has led to the emergence of marine mining and marine energy.

Second, the aggravation of the global food problem has increased interest in biologicals. The potential for their withdrawal is estimated at 100-150 million tons.

Third, the deepening. The increase in the turnover of world trade is accompanied by an increase in shipping. This caused a noticeable shift in production and population to the sea and the rapid development of a number of coastal regions. As a result of all the industrial and scientific activities of people within the World Ocean and the “ocean-land” contact zone, a special constituent part of the world economy has arisen - the marine economy. The seaside region has taken on enormous proportions. possesses colossal -. Among them, oil and gas are the most beneficial to humans. In 1985, the production of "offshore" oil was 28%, and "offshore" gas - 25%.

Of particular interest are polymetallic ores in deep ocean areas. These are ferromanganese nodules, and the concentration of these metals often exceeds their concentration in ores on land. And one more important potential resource of the World Ocean is deuterium (hydrogen with a mass of 2), a fuel for thermonuclear installations. Its reserves are inexhaustible. So, the World Ocean is an essential source of mineral raw materials, an additional breadwinner and source of energy, a powerful transport artery. But the ocean is also the planet's main sewer. Most of the waste of human activity is deliberately or accidentally dumped here. Until the end of the 50s. the amount of contaminated substances that got into the ocean was such that the marine environment itself coped with them thanks to the natural processes of self-purification (the activity of bacteria). At present, the supply of industrial waste to the World Ocean has increased sharply, and it has become difficult for it to self-purify in some water areas, since the ocean's ability to self-purify is not unlimited. An increase in the amount of incoming pollution can eventually cause a qualitative leap, which will manifest itself in a sharp disruption of the balance of the oceanic ecosystem. A similar effect can also be caused by the entry of warm waters into the marine environment, causing disruption of biochemical processes in the water.

Sources of pollution include coastal, marine and atmospheric. Onshore accounts for 80% of the total discharge of pollutants, with oil and oil products holding the lead. Every year, the World Ocean gets from 3.5 to 6 million tons of oil, 2% of the ocean's surface is covered with an oil film. Onshore sources are primarily oil refineries and road transport. Offshore sources - oil tankers as well as offshore oil fields.

In addition, water contaminated with heavy metals, municipal wastewater, as well as herbicides flowing from fields bring enormous harm.

So the oceans are now very sick. Its further pollution is fraught with irreparable consequences for humans.

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

Ecological disasters

Pollution of water bodies is manifested 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 water contains in large quantities:

• 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 oil products annually enter the ocean, since disasters constantly occur with the participation of oil tankers and drilling rigs.

A huge number of tourist liners dump all their waste into the seas and oceans. A real ecological catastrophe is radioactive waste and heavy metals entering the water area as a result of the disposal of chemical and explosive substances in containers.

Wrecks of large tankers

The transportation of hydrocarbons can result in a shipwreck and oil spill on a huge water surface. Every year, its entry into the ocean accounts for more than 10% of world production. To this must be added both leaks during production from wells (10 million tons), and refined products supplied with storm water (8 million tons).

The 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 release 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 coastal line.
• In 1989, the ship "Valdis" off the coast of Alaska - 40 thousand tons. The oil slick had an area of ​​80 sq. km.
• In 1990, during the war in Kuwait, Iraqi defenders opened oil terminals and emptied several oil tankers to thwart an American landing. More than 1.5 million tons of oil covered one thousand square meters. km of the Persian Gulf and 600 km of the coast. In response, the Americans bombed several more storage facilities.
• 1997 - the wreck of the Russian ship "Nakhodka" on the China-Kamchatka route - 19 thousand tons.
• 1998 - Liberian tanker Pallas ran aground off the European coast - 20 tons.
• 2002 - Spain, Bay of Biscay. Tanker "Prestige" - 90 thousand tons. The cost of liquidation of the consequences amounted to over 2.5 million euros. After that, France and Spain imposed a ban on oil tankers without a double hull entering their waters.
• 2007 - a 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 goes by on the planet without a catastrophe. Oil film is capable of completely absorbing infrared rays, causing the death of marine and coastal inhabitants, leading to global environmental changes.

Wastewater is another most dangerous pollutant in the water area. Large coastal cities, unable to cope with the flow of sewage waste, are trying to divert sewer pipes further out to sea. From mainland megacities, wastewater flows into rivers.

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

It interferes with the exchange of near-bottom and surface water layers, which reduces the supply of oxygen, increases the temperature and, as a consequence, the activity of aerobic bacteria. New species of algae and phytoplankton are emerging, which leads to water bloom 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 to self-regulate ecosystems. 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 a disappointing ecological state and dynamics of water masses.

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

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

Blooming plankton contributes to the mass death of fish and other marine animals, as it actively consumes dissolved oxygen and releases toxic substances. Explosive reproduction of such algae causes "red tides" (Asia, USA) and covers large areas.

Algae (spirogyra) unusual for Lake Baikal have grown anomalously as a result of the extensive discharge of chemicals through treatment facilities. They were thrown onto the coastline (20 km) and weighed 1,500 tons. Now the locals call Baikal black, because the algae are black and, when dying, emit a monstrous stench.

Contamination from plastic waste

Plastic waste is another contributor to ocean pollution. They form entire islands on the surface and threaten the life of marine life.

Plastic does not dissolve or decompose, it can exist for centuries. Animals and birds take 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 webs. Molluscs attach themselves to bottles and ropes, dropping them to the bottom in large numbers.

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

Metals and chemicals

Sources of pollution of the water area 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 control diseases, plant pests and weed control. More than 12 million tons of these funds are already in the ecosystems of the Earth.

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

• sodium silicate;
• sodium polyphosphate;
• soda ash;
• bleach;
• fragrances, etc.

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

Their ions accumulate in the representatives of the marine food webs and cause their mutation, disease and death. Humans are also part of the food chain and are at great risk by eating such seafood.

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

The reason for its occurrence was the waste of enterprises producing PVC (a mercury catalyst is used in the process). Poorly treated industrial water has been flowing into Minamata Bay for a long time.

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

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

• decrease in fish catch;
• eating mutated animals;
• loss of unique places for recreation;
• general poisoning of the biosphere;
• disappearance of people.

In contact with contaminated water (washing, bathing, fishing) there is a risk of penetration through the skin or mucous membranes of all kinds of bacteria that cause serious illness. In an environmental disaster, there is a high probability of such well-known diseases as:

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

And also there is a high probability of the appearance of new diseases as a result of mutations due to radioactive and chemical compounds.

The world community has already begun to take measures for the artificial renewal of biological resources of the oceans, marine reserves and bulk islands are being created. But all this is the elimination of consequences, not causes. As long as oil, sewage, metals, chemicals and debris are released into the ocean, the danger of the death of civilization will only grow.

Impact on ecosystems

As a result of thoughtless human activity, ecological systems first of all suffer.

1. Their stability is violated.
2. Eutrophication is progressing.
3. Colored tides appear.
4. Toxins accumulate in the biomass.
5. Decreases in biological productivity.
6. Carcinogenesis and mutations occur in the ocean.
7. Microbiological pollution of coastal areas occurs.

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

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

Monitoring of the problems of pollution of the world ocean

Today, it is possible to state the presence of a 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 currents 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 mankind on the hydrosphere and the loss of protective properties by ecosystems, the following becomes obvious:

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

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

Golovacheva Alexandra, Samarkina Lyubov

The oceans are one of the most important objects of environmental protection. The peculiarity of this object is that currents in the seas and oceans quickly carry pollutants long distances from the place of their release. Therefore, the problem of protecting the purity of the ocean has a pronounced international character. The aim of this work is to study one of the global problems of mankind: pollution of the World Ocean. An attempt is made in the work to highlight the role of the World Ocean in the life of modern and future generations of people, the problems of combating pollution of the waters of the World Ocean are considered.

Download:

Slide captions:

Ocean: problems and solutions.
Ocean: problems and solutions.
Authors of the project. 11th grade students of MBOU Secondary School No. 1 in Volzhsky
Golovacheva Alexandra
Samarkina Love
Project manager: Marina Lebedeva, physics teacher
Purpose of the work The purpose of this work is to study one of the global problems of mankind: pollution of the world's oceans. Recently, this problem has become quite urgent. In this work, an attempt is made to highlight the role of the World Ocean in the life of modern and future generations of people. The issues of the influence of pollution of the World Ocean, as well as the problem of combating pollution of the waters of the World Ocean are considered.
Objectives of the project. 1) To consider the transport, mineral-resource and bioresource use of the ocean. 2) To highlight the problems of the World Ocean.
The significance of the oceans. Only on a planet where water occupies a significant part of the surface is life possible. The importance of the World Ocean for man and all living things is so great that it is difficult to appreciate it at its true worth. Let's try to do it at least partially.
Life was born in the ocean - this opinion is most widely held in scientists. It is the habitat of many living organisms. The ocean is a giant filter that purifies water. More than half of the oxygen comes to the atmosphere from the ocean. The ocean is a source of food. Sea transport (cheap) .It is a storehouse of minerals.
What is the World Ocean? The World Ocean is the main part of the hydrosphere, making up 94.1% of its entire area, a continuous but not continuous water shell of the Earth, surrounding continents and islands and characterized by a common salt composition. Continents and archipelagos divide the world ocean into 5 large parts ( oceans): Atlantic Ocean Indian Ocean Arctic Ocean Pacific Ocean Southern Ocean
A few words about water. Water is the most unique substance on Earth: The most widespread mineral on the Earth's surface The source of life on Earth The best solvent All life is 70-98% water Makes daily and seasonal fluctuations in air temperature on Earth acceptable for the existence of life.
World ocean resources.
sea ​​water (table salt, magnesium, bromine) copper, silver, gold, diamonds, sapphires, uranium, deuterium fresh water production bottom springs on the continental shelf (Normandy) oil, gas biological resources
Human influence on the ocean.
Positive. 1. Creation of fish factories for growing fry from eggs 2. Creation of underwater farms and plantations for raising shellfish and growing algae 3. Prohibition of hunting whales 4. Reduced fish catch 5. Purification of ocean waters from oil spills and household waste
Negative. 1. Overfishing. As a result, whales, walruses, seals, and many species of fish are endangered2. Ocean water pollution
Pollution of the World Ocean.
More than 10 thousand tourist ships sail along the Cote d'Azur of the Mediterranean Sea in summer, the sewage of which is thrown into the sea without purification. By the end of the 20th century, the world catches of fish and other ocean gifts had almost stabilized at the level of 95-100 million tons. The catastrophic reduction in the anchovy catch off the coast of Peru, one of the largest fishing countries in the world, served as a distress signal. In the 70s. it decreased 5 times. Then "overfishing" of fish appeared in the Atlantic. In ј of the Baltic Sea, all biological life has been destroyed.
The modern technological revolution has given the oceans the role of a giant "garbage dump". The total weight of polluting waste - oil, industrial and domestic wastewater, garbage, radioactive waste, heavy metals, discharged into the World Ocean is billions of tons per year.
Oil. The main disaster for the ocean is oil. As a result of the widespread practice of washing the holds of tankers, between 8 and 20 million barrels of oil are deliberately dumped into the ocean each year. Once in the marine environment, oil spreads out in the form of a film. Oil pollution is global.
Wastewater. In addition to oil, the most hazardous waste is wastewater. In small quantities, they enrich water and promote the growth of plants and fish, and in large quantities, they destroy ecosystems. The harmful organisms contained in wastewater reproduce in molluscs and cause numerous diseases in humans.
Domestic waste Domestic waste contains a significant amount of oxygen-scavenging substances. In recent decades, plastic products have become a special type of solid waste that pollutes the oceans. There are known cases of the death of large marine mammals due to mechanical clogging of the lungs with pieces of synthetic packaging.
Heavy metals. Hazardous chemicals that can disrupt the ecological balance include heavy metals such as cadmium, nickel, arsenic, copper, lead, zinc and chromium. It is estimated that up to 50 thousand tons of these metals are dumped annually into the North Sea alone. Large masses of these compounds enter the ocean through the atmosphere.
Establishment of international control over fishing activities in the Ocean. Formation of an international mechanism for the protection of the marine environment. Adoption of a number of international agreements limiting its pollution. Make every effort to reduce the danger from discharges. Involvement of not all biological resources of the Ocean. The maximum number of people should participate in practical environmental protection measures and see the direct result of their work. It can be not only clean lakes, etc., but also planted trees, extinguished forest fires, stopped illegal logging. The work of volunteers is an invaluable contribution to the work to preserve the environment. The widespread development of conservation volunteering has the potential to dramatically change the mindset and lifestyles of many people. Some Greenpeace experts believe that governments should make marine reserves out of 40% of our oceans, in which the exploitation of all living and non-living resources should be prohibited.
Ways to solve the problem of pollution of the World Ocean.
World Water Days - International holidays such as World Water Day, World Oceans Day, World Whale Day and World Environment Day stimulate public interest in the problems of the oceans and water resources in general.
World Water Day. Celebrated annually on March 22. On this day, events dedicated to the conservation and development of water resources are held. The period from 2005-2015, starting from March 22, 2005, has been declared the International Decade for Action "Water for Life".
World Oceans Day. Celebrated annually on June 8. Established by the UN General Assembly on February 12, 2009. Motto: "Our oceans, our responsibility."
World Whale Day, held on 19 February. Purpose: to draw the attention of mankind to the problems
You need to understand and realize.
The problems of the world's oceans are environmental, economic, technical and social problems at the same time. His future depends on how intelligently a person resolves them. The ecological problems of the Ocean are so acute that it is time to proceed from the establishment of the diagnosis to the treatment of the "patient", otherwise he may die.
The consequences to which mankind's wasteful, negligent attitude towards the Ocean leads is appalling. Pollution can cause very significant changes in vital characteristics for the climate and weather regime throughout the planet. Symptoms of such changes are already being observed today. Be that as it may, the protection of the ocean is one of the global problems of mankind.
Save the ocean - save life on the planet!