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David Shininger

Dean Leonard

Eng 1201.540

23 March 2020

Literature Review: Ocean Pollution

Since the dawn of time, people, animals, and the ocean have lived as a cohesive unit.

However, this has not been the case in recent decades. As the human population continues to

grow each year, so does the amount of resources they use. Most of these resources eventually

end up getting thrown away at some point, but not always in the proper place. In fact, the

majority of people’s trash actually ends up in the ocean. Whether it be cruise ships dumping

plastics or someone throwing a can into the ocean, pollution can come in a variety of forms.

What people fail to realize is that most of these materials are not biodegradable. Meaning, this

trash just sits in the ocean, taking years to break down naturally. With that being said, the goal of

this literature review is to explore what exactly pollution does to our oceans. This review plans to

understand what aspects of the ocean pollution affects, such as its overall health and marine life.

For hundreds of years, people believed that the ocean was so big that it was a safe place

to dispose of their materials. Unknowingly, these people were causing significant harm to the

water. Before 1972, humans across the world deliberately disposed of sewage, trash, and a

variety of other wastes directly into the ocean (Howard et al.). It was not until 1975, when the

London Convention was ratified, that this changed. The agreement created a regulatory program

and enforced strict laws that forbid people from dumping trash into the ocean (Howard et al.). In

2006, the London Protocol was approved, making it illegal to dump almost any type of waste
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into the ocean (Howard et al.). Although these restrictions have helped reduce the amount of

pollution, it has not completely stopped it.

There are many similar claims displayed throughout my sources, especially among the

negative effects’ plastic has on marine life. Amy Uhrin, the Chief Scientist with the National

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Debris Program states:

When they have eaten large amounts of particles, they can then collect in the stomach,

obviously, and what happens is oftentimes the animal gets a sense of feeling full because

there is a lot of material in its stomach, but the problem is that this material has no

nutritional value and so the animal feels full, stops eating, it’s not deriving any nutrition

from the plastic particles and there’s the potential for the animal to suffer malnutrition,

starvation, death. (Uhrin)

Amy Uhrin is the Chief Scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Marine Debris Program. Within the interview “Microplastics”, Amy Uhrin and Kate Nielson

work together to discuss the impact microplastic has on the overall health of the ocean and its

marine life. Similar effects are discussed by the Ocean Portal Team in their article “Marine

Plastics” as they elaborate, “Not only can the animals die from blockage of their stomach or

intestines, sharp plastic shards can also pierce intestinal lining, and they can starve due to feeling

falsely full from a stomach full of plastic”(Ocean Portal Team). The Ocean Portal team is part of

the Smithsonian Institution’s Ocean Initiative, where they provide a wide variety of reliable

information for people who want to learn more about the ocean. Their article “Marine Plastics”

was reviewed by Dr. Jenna Jambeck, a professor at the University of Georgia who has focused a

majority of her research on plastic debris in the ocean.

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Although these sources agreed in certain aspects of marine pollution, some sources had

disagreements. These contrasting ideas were especially evident while reviewing the amount of

plastic debris in the ocean. Oregon State University News and Research Communications, in

their article “The Extent of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch Has Been Grossly Exaggerated”

argue that the amount of plastic in the ocean has not increased in over thirty years, primarily in

the Atlantic Ocean (Oregon State University News and Research Communications). Nonetheless,

SloActive in their article “Plastic Pollution” claims that large amounts of plastic continue to

pollute the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Ocean each year (“Plastic Pollution”). SloActive made

these claims based on their own research and collaboration with Jo Ruxton, Co-Founder of

Plastic Ocean. In comparison, Oregon State University News and Research Communications

based their claims on research by scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Although both sources seem to include dependable information, the context of each source

varied. Oregon State University News and Research Communications was highlighting how

marine debris appeared to be vanishing. On the other hand, SloActive was describing the oceanic

garbage patches within certain oceans.

Another disagreement among my sources is the impact single-use plastic products have.

States such as California, Hawaii, and Oregon are just a few that have recognized the plastic

crisis and have made the commitment to eliminate single-use plastic bags (Philippe). Isabelle

Philippe, a writer for ABC news, describes “During a 2010 annual beach cleanup, crews from

CAW reported that 65,000 grocery bags were scattered along water bodies, a number that CAW

says decreased by 72% in 2017. Mark Murray, executive director of the nonprofit, attributed the

decrease to the ban” (Philippe). On the contrary, Mathy Stanislaus, a writer for the World’s

Resource Institute, thinks that although the world may appear less polluted without single use
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plastic products it is not. In fact, in his article ‘Banning Straws and Bags Won’t Solve our Plastic

Problem’, he describes how a person would have to reuse a paper bag 43 times and a cotton bag

20,000 times for the items to have a similar environmental affect as a plastic bag (Stanislaus).

Mathy Stanislaus made these claims from a study conducted by Denmark’s Ministry of

Environment and Food. Whereas Isabelle Phillipe made her claims in her article ‘As plastic bag

bans go into effect, some question the unintended consequences’ from the California Against

Waste nonprofit organization. Although both sources had reliable information, Phillipe was

advocating for the ban on single-use plastic products, while Stanisalus was advocating against

the ban.

One common misconception about pollution in the ocean is the extent of how far trash

could travel. Many people believed that plastic debris could never make it to the Southern Ocean

due to currents surrounding the Arctic continent (Ocean Portal Team). However, this does not

seem to be the case. As the Ocean Portal Team proved, “Recent studies show that not only are

microplastics present in the water, they are also finding their way into the Antarctic food web

when animals accidentally eat them”(Ocean Portal Team). Another common misconception is

that pollution in the ocean solely affects the water. However, this is also not true. Pollution in the

ocean can evaporate, sending harmful chemicals into the air, which in turn spreads across the

globe. This then creates a new form of pollution in the air, which can cause significant damage if

breathed in by humans. After doing this research, it is evident that pollution in the ocean is very

harmful to animals, especially when consumed. More research needs to be done to conclude if

plastic is dangerous to marine life by just being in the water. Furthermore, my research has

proven that pollution continues to spread across the globe, affecting life outside of the ocean.
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Additional research must be conducted to determine the impact this has on the health of the

world’s environment and what other laws are in place to prevent this.
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Works Cited

Howard, Jenny, et al. “Marine Pollution, Explained.” Marine Pollution Facts and Information, 2

Aug. 2019, www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/oceans/critical-issues-marine-

pollution/.

Jambeck, Jenna, and Ocean Portal Team. “Marine Plastics.” Smithsonian Ocean, 19 Feb. 2020,

ocean.si.edu/conservation/pollution/marine-plastics.

Oregon State University News and Research Communications. "The Extent of the Great Pacific

Garbage Patch Has Been Grossly Exaggerated." Endangered Oceans, edited by Helga

Schier and Lynn M. Zott, Greenhaven Press, 2014. Opposing Viewpoints. Gale In

Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link-gale-

com.sinclair.ohionet.org/apps/doc/EJ3010130401/OVIC?

u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=d9492475. Accessed 12 Mar. 2020. Originally published

as "Oceanic 'Garbage Patch' Not Nearly as Big as Portrayed in Media,", 4 Jan. 2011.

Philippe, Isabelle. “As Plastic Bag Bans Go into Effect, Some Question the Unintended

Consequences.” ABC News, ABC News Network, 23 Feb. 2020,

abcnews.go.com/US/plastic-bag-bans-helping-environment-results/story?id=68459500.

SloActive. “Plastic Pollution Guide - Ocean Pollution Facts & Figures.” SLO Active, SLO

Active, 19 Dec. 2019, sloactive.com/plastic-pollution/.

Stanislaus, Mathy. “Banning Straws and Bags Won't Solve Our Plastic Problem.” World

Resources Institute, 13 Sept. 2019, www.wri.org/blog/2018/08/banning-straws-and-bags-

wont-solve-our-plastic-problem.

Uhrin, Amy. “Diving Deeper.” Interview by Kate Nielsen. National Ocean Service, 30 June

2016, oceanservice.noaa.gov/podcast/june16/dd66-microplastics.html
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