Impacts of Plastic Pollution On Marine Life: Syeda Samrah Shazmeen
Impacts of Plastic Pollution On Marine Life: Syeda Samrah Shazmeen
Impacts of Plastic Pollution On Marine Life: Syeda Samrah Shazmeen
Land-based sources- contributes about 80% into the ocean in the form of trash and urban runoff
which includes waste from construction, landfills, solid waste from industries and garbage
containers.
Ocean-based sources- partakes 20% into the marine pollution including sea discharges and
discarded fishing nets.
Plastic Waste in Surface oceans:
The surface ocean is overwhelmed by micro plastics which sinks in depth of oceans to negatively impact
fishes and sea mammal. The research by Lebreton, Egger and Slat denied the previous hypotheses that
plastics in the surface ocean have short life span.
Contrary to which it showed that even if we cut plastic pollution to zero the already existing polluter will
remain in our surface oceans in future decades.
Study showed model of three scenarios consisting:
Figure 2 Source: A global mass budget for buoyant microplastics waste in the ocean (leberton et.al 2019). Nature Scientific
Reports.
The results inferred that we must need to improve poor waste management and cut off the plastic
pollutants entering into the sea from the source.
Fig 4. A dolphin with a plastic bag trailing from its fin swimming in Brazil.
Fig 5. An albatross found dead due to ingestion of plastic detritus in the Pacific Ocean
Direct impacts on the marine lineage:
The foremost explicit consequences of plastic deterioration are the confinement of animals in nets or large
detritus. It is a spur of substantial mortality of marine species, fishes, turtles, and birds. An additional
immediate outcome is an ingestion, which upsets the entire food chain of the aquatic environment.
Annual Review of Marine Science Vol. 9:205-229 (Volume publication date January
2017)
https://ourworldindata.org/plastic-pollution