ocean cleanup

Save the Whales

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Written by Sofia Avila, Edited by Skylar Griffin 

 

Whale basics:

You’ve probably heard of blue whales, sperm whales, orcas etc, but did you know that whales are divided into two distinct categories. These categories are toothed and untoothed whales. Toothed whales are hunters, able to consume squid, seals and fish. Untoothed whales, also called baleen whales, strain their food through fringed plates that are useful for eating smaller food, such as krill. With the exception of orcas, whales are also very social creatures that travel in family units, and have the ability to self recognize, which is a sign of high intelligence. All in all, whales are extremely interesting animals that are loving and sweet tempered. If this is the case, why are there organizations calling for their protection?

https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/whales-us

 

Are whales threatened?

According to Save the Whales, an organization aimed at protecting oceans and all their inhabitants, whales face dangers that were outlawed years ago. Whaling, a practice where whales are hunted for their blubber, oil and meat, was banned in 1986 by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) when several species came close to becoming extinct. However, countries like Iceland, Norway and Japan are notorious for continuing their whaling practices, directly violating the IWC law. According to the Whale and Dolphin Conservation, approximately 1,500 whales are killed each year at Japan, Iceland and Norway’s hands alone. In addition to being hunted, whales face threats of habitat loss due to ocean pollution, loss of food sources, climate change, plastic ingestion and net entanglement. Whaling is not the only threat these creatures deal with. 

 

Why are whales important to the oceans?

Whales are an essential part of the ocean ecosystem. One of their main jobs in the ocean is to regulate the food chain, which keeps certain creatures from overpopulating the ocean. For example, a blue whale can consume about 40 million krill each DAY, which just goes to show that without whales, there would be a disruption to the ocean’s food chain. Another reason why whales are important to the oceans is through something a little weirder…their poop actually helps pull carbon dioxide from the environment. By defecating, whales bring essential nutrients to the surface of the water, where phytoplankton grow, and phytoplankton form the foundation of the marine food chain. Phytoplankton also breathe in carbon dioxide from the outside atmosphere to help them grow their body structures, and when they are consumed, they take this carbon dioxide with them, ultimately eliminating it from the environment. It seems incredibly strange that whale poop ultimately helps save the environment, but several studies have been conducted that prove how beneficial it is. 

https://www.livelimitless.net/when-whales-humans-unite/

Whales are such an essential part of the ocean’s ecosystem, as well as to our everyday environment. They are tender hearted creatures, and there are several ways to help protect them. If you are interested, here is a list of 40 different ways you can help save whales, with some fun ones being adopting a whale, and some other ones you can start at home, like reducing consumption of single use plastics and plastic bags. The fate of these creatures lie in your hands!

Coral Reefs: What We Can do to Protect Them

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Coral Reefs: What We Can do to Protect Them

Written by Sofia Avila, Edited by Emily Ram

https://www.azocleantech.com/news.aspx?newsID=26806

How do coral reefs benefit us?

Coral reefs are underwater ecosystems that are not only beautiful, but extremely important to marine life. Not only do they serve as homes for marine animals, they are actually beneficial for human life as well. Coral reefs serve as barriers and buffers to coastlines and shores, protecting them against large waves, floods, and storms. Without the reefs, coastal communities can experience devastating damages to their property. However, coral reefs are being devastated every day by water pollution.  Water pollution allows for damaging algae to grow on the coral, as well as making it more susceptible to disease. Preventing water pollution comes back to the same basic principle: be aware of what you dispose of, how you dispose of it and be mindful of your plastic consumption habits.

 

Coral Reefs vs Sunscreen

Something that harms coral reefs that isn’t as publicized may come as a surprise to you. Have you ever thought of yourself directly impacting coral reef health just by swimming in the ocean? According to the Coral Reef Alliance, sunscreen has a direct link to decaying coral health. Most sunscreens have a chemical called oxybenzone, which is used to protect skin from the Sun’s UV rays. While it might benefit us, it doesn’t necessarily do the same for these coral reefs. This chemical has a direct link to bleaching coral, causing coral deformities, damaging coral DNA which affects reproduction, and disrupts natural coral hormonal processes. Some alternatives to popular yet damaging sunscreen are listed by Travel and Leisure. One that I’ve tried personally is Kokua Sun Care, which is a natural, zinc based cream that doesn’t harm marine life!  

https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/sunscreen-corals.html

 

What can you do to protect coral reefs?

The EPA lists several ways you can help save coral reefs, and many of them start at home. First, when you’re on vacation and visiting these magical reefs, be mindful of your snorkeling and diving habits. Do not touch the reefs, and avoid anchoring boats to them, seeing as they are delicate and this can kill them. At home, there are plenty of ways you can help the reefs. One is by minimizing the use of fertilizers. Some of the nutrients found in these fertilizers, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, are harmful pollutants and can destroy coral when introduced into the ocean. Another way to help is to reduce stormwater runoff. Using rain barrels to collect rainwater not only helps prevent flooding and diverting water to storm drains, but it is a resourceful way to water gardens and indoor plants.  Finally, a last method is spreading the word. People are aware that ocean pollution affects all kinds of marine life, but coral reefs are rarely mentioned. These reefs, while they don’t make up a big portion of ocean life, are extremely important ecosystems that are home to sea sponges, crustaceans like crabs and shrimp, and starfish, just to name a few.

Do your duty as a human living on this beautiful planet and help out as much as you can!

 

Where Does Ocean Plastic Come From?

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Hey Ocean Olympians! For this week’s blog post, we’re focusing on the underlying issue of ocean pollution: where it comes from. of the ocean littered with all kinds of trash, but have you ever taken the time to reflect on how it got there? Today, we’re gonna highlight some of the ways trash makes its way to the ocean.

  1. Littering

We all know that there’s no excuse for littering, so why do people still do it? We may never know the answer to that question, but as the World Wildlife Fund states, trash dropped on the streets isn’t magically thrown away into a bin. Instead, rainwater and wind drag this waste into street drains, which ultimately is filtered back to the ocean. Remember, all drains lead back to the ocean! So next time you see trash littering the street, if it’s safe to pick up, properly dispose of it in a trash or recycling bin. It only takes two seconds, and your oceans will thank you!

It takes almost no effort to dispose of your litter properly! Image provided by actionforrenewables.org

     2. Products Going Down the Drain

There are so many types of products we flush down the toilet daily, and we probably don’t think twice about it. According to ocean.org , there are four products that are considered sinful to flush. First, wet wipes. Whether it be makeup wipes or baby wipes, this boujee toilet paper is responsible for clogging sewage pipes and releasing thousands of microfibers that are harmful to marine life. Another product is kitchen grease. When poured down the kitchen sink, the oil in your cooking pan forms into a solid, causing another form of sewage blockage. This eventually releases into the ocean as a form of pollution. 

A third waste are, surprisingly, contact lenses, which are made up of a bendable plastic. Sorry to contact lense users (myself included!), but throwing them down the drain causes the plastic to break into smaller plastic particles, invading the ocean. Finally, we have pills. Flushing pills down the drain releases all sorts of chemicals and hormones into the ocean, causing harm to all sorts of marine life.

 

     3. Recyclable Materials That Aren’t Recycled

Okay, we know that everyone is guilty of not recycling something that could’ve been recycled just out of sheer negligence. According to Greenpeace, plastics that end up with regular landfill, are at risk of being blown away into the environment, and can make their way into drains. The best thing we can do to prevent this is simple…recycle! Have a recycling bin separate from regular trash, and be proactive when throwing away waste. Even better, try to eliminate plastic all together! Baby steps include using reusable shopping bags, reusable water bottles, and using glass containers. There’s so many more plastic free alternatives, and if you’re looking for some ideas, check out My Plastic Free Life, as they list 100 alternatives!

9 tips provided by lessplastic.co.uk

Knowing that ocean pollution begins with what we decide to put down the drain, or throw on the street, is something that we can learn to correct. By simply recycling plastics, or being conscious of throwing away contact lenses in the trash rather than down the sink can help clean our seas and keep waste out of our beautiful oceans!

 

Written by Sofia, Edited by Skylar

Four Mind Blowing Facts about Pollution in our Ocean

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Welcome back Ocean Olympians! Today we’re going to list some eye opening facts regarding pollution in the ocean. We hope reading these terrifying facts push you to do more to help the ocean!

Fact #1: Over 8 million tons of garbage enters our ocean each year

According to Passport Ocean, over 8 million tons of plastic is deposited into our ocean every single year! This amount of plastic is “equivalent to emptying a garbage truck of plastic into an ocean every minute.” 

To grasp the reality of this fact the article “Simple Math Problems,” ” has made this crazy plastic statistic more comprehendible by comparing it to being the same as “two Empire State Buildings every month going into the ocean.” 

It might difficult to imagine that making a couple of changes in your daily life can help lower pollution and have a positive impact, but it really can. 

Fact #2: Pollution easily contaminates your seafood causing possible serious health issues

Think about it, pollution affects thousands and thousands of fish everyday. With that being said, it’s very possible that the seafood you eat contains some sort of plastic contamination. 

That sushi you ate last week could cause some serious health issues for your future. Don’t you want to be able to eat seafood without having to worry if it could hurt you? 

 

Fact #3: There is an island of garbage two times the size of Texas in the middle of the Pacific ocean

 

According to Passport Ocean, “the number of floating plastic pieces outnumbers total marine life six to one in the immediate vicinity.” 

This island grows bigger and bigger everyday. 

 

Fact #4: There are now many dead zones in the ocean

What are dead zones? Dead zones are extremely scary because these places have no marine or plant life. Imagine, parts of the ocean completely void of life. 

Why are dead zones formed? Well, you guessed it- pollution. Due to pollution, low oxygen levels are formed in certain parts of the ocean creating dead zones. 

There are over 500 dead zones in the ocean, covering a similar size to the united kingdom. 

 

Most Common Items Found in the Ocean 

  • Cigarettes 
  • Food/Candy Wrappers
  • Plastic Bottles
  • Plastic Bags
  • Caps and Lids 
  • Beverage Cans
  • Straws and Tableware

 

These facts are extremely alarming considering that nothing is getting better. Our fish continue to consume plastic, the garbage island continues to grow larger, and dead zones continue to increase. 

If we all start making changes in our daily routine such as recycling or buying less plastic products, we could contribute to making a positive change in our oceans. 

 

Written by Skylar Griffin

Edited by Emily Ram