Water Pollution in Our Oceans

Water Pollution

Christine Frantz

SCI/275

5/8/2010

Loretta Ovueraye-Adoghe

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Water is the most precious resource on the planet. It covers over 70% of the Earth and without it life would cease to exist. In order to grow it is essential that we have this resource. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), water pollution is defined as human-caused contamination of water that reduces its usefulness to humans and organisms in nature. (1997) Although humans know this, they are polluting lakes, rivers and oceans. This is causing serious harm to wildlife and organisms that inhabit these waterways. Also, with the amount of pollution being dumped into our water supply it is affecting our drinking water. As a society, we must understand the problem and work together to be part of the solution to water pollution.

There are many different pollutants that cause damage to our water supply, such as sewage, fertilizers, pesticides and run off wastes. Pollutants are classified into eight categories and each poses their own set of environmental problems. Sewage can carry disease-causing agents, which can pose a threat to public health. Storms can cause fertilizers and pesticides used on farms to run off into water ways and enter lakes and possibly the ocean.

The affects of sewage in our water supply causes two major problems, enrichment and lack of oxygen supply. When sewage is released into the water is produces nitrogen and phosphorus. This in turn causes high levels of algae. When aquatic ecosystems have these high levels of sewage agents, microorganisms use up most of the oxygen and there is little available for the fish or other animals living in that environment.

Oceans are large, but are very vulnerable to water pollution. Pollution is now found in all the oceans of the world. Ocean currents spread pollution throughout the entire ocean environment

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causing serious damage to their ecosystem. Examples of...