Ocean dumping refers to the scenario where there is the dumping of sewage, waste chemicals, garbage, and construction debris into the ocean. A major reason for choosing this topic is because, at present, oceans such as the Gulf of Mexico serves as an essential habitat for several sea creatures, for instance, fish, whales, sea turtles, and dolphins. Therefore, pollution of the water body means that the lives of these creatures are at risk ( Zeng, Chen, & Zhuang, 2015) . Some of the causes of pollution include the cargo activities in the ports, carelessness with regards to industrial and sewer dumping, lack of sufficient knowledge with regard to proper waste disposal, and spillage from the oil tankers and offshore rigs.
One impact that pollution has is marine life extinction. All forms of ocean dumping are considered to be a threat to the survival of the marine creatures. For example, oil spills may lead to the destruction of coral reefs that offer appropriate shelter and breeding grounds for the marine species ( Fabricius, De'ath, Noonan, & Uthicke, 2014) . Oil is specifically known to block the gills of fish, hence affecting the process of respiration. In addition, the same oil traps marine organisms such as the sea turtles in that way that makes them susceptible to suffocation or attacks. The presence of bacterial and other fatal substances, for instance, mercury may damage some of the creatures’ vital organs which later results in their death ( Lutcavage, Plotkin, Witherington, & Lutz, 2017) . Lastly, the prevalence of plastic materials on the surface of the ocean is a major issue. Plastics do not decompose quickly, hence reduce levels of oxygen in the water ( Gall & Thompson, 2015) . Further, the plastics can choke or kill the sea creatures because they might think that they are food. For instance, sea turtles are known to confuse plastic bags for jellyfish.
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References
Fabricius, K. E., De'ath, G., Noonan, S., & Uthicke, S. (2014). Ecological effects of ocean acidification and habitat complexity on reef-associated macroinvertebrate communities. Proc. R. Soc. B , 281 (1775), 20132479.
Gall, S. C., & Thompson, R. C. (2015). The impact of debris on marine life. Marine pollution bulletin , 92 (1-2), 170-179.
Lutcavage, M. E., Plotkin, P., Witherington, B., & Lutz, P. L. (2017). 15 Human Impacts on Sea Turtle Survival. The biology of sea turtles , 1 , 45.
Zeng, X., Chen, X., & Zhuang, J. (2015). The positive relationship between ocean acidification and pollution. Marine pollution bulletin , 91 (1), 14-21.
