As the clock is ticking, our oceans are reaching their end. It's time to confront the inconvenient truth: we are drowning our planet in a sea of pollution. From the plastic-choked shores to the far reaches of the open ocean. We're contaminating the seas with a mix of plastic waste, industrial discharges, and harmful chemicals.

When pollution is mentioned, you can never skip plastic waste. Where tons and tons of plastic waste are what's filling up our oceans. We’re turning our oceans into a giant garbage pit and ignoring the damage that it brings. According to research, each year, there are about 14 million tons of plastic that end up in the ocean. Which makes up 80% of marine debris that is found from surface waters to deep-sea sediments. These wastes can take up to hundreds of years to decompose by themselves. And if the rate continues to be the same, then by 2050, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish by weight.  

Furthermore, when people talk about greenhouse gases, they tend to think about their harm to the atmosphere. But greenhouse gases especially carbon dioxide have a huge impact on our ocean which causes ocean acidification to happen. It starts with carbon dioxide and water mixed, they form carbonic acid which can be further composed of 2 protons and carbonate ions. Where an increased amount of carbon dioxide would lead to an increase in carbonate ions. This caused a change in the ocean PH level from 8.2 to 8.1. This might not seem like a huge decrease but the impact it created is significant. Which resulted in fewer carbonate ions available for calcifying organisms to build their shells, skeletons, and other calcium carbonate structures. The worst situation would be that the shells and skeletons of those calcifying organisms would dissolve. 

To wrap up, people often think that they wouldn’t change the fact that pollution is happening so they continue to ignore it. However, that isn’t the right thinking and we must take responsibility for protecting our homes. Even the smallest step would help, like picking up trash that you see on the beach. Let's protect our home together! 

Work Cited

“Blue Wonder.” Undp, feature.undp.org/blue-wonder/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA-P-rBhBEEiwAQEXhH5yhnYrYiTgAwFaE-jbk76OHMzGthYkgau-CzCgFJINwLws9IWT0XxoC8wwQAvD_BwE. Accessed 9 Jan. 2024. 

Ocean Acidification | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, www.noaa.gov/education/resource-collections/ocean-coasts/ocean-acidification.

Accessed 10 Jan. 2024. 

“Plastic Trash in the Ocean Is a Global Problem, and the US Is the Top Source.” Giving Compass, 13 Sept. 2023, givingcompass.org/article/plastic-trash-in-the-ocean-is-a-global-problem-and-the-us-is-the-top-source?gclid=CjwKCAiA-P-rBhBEEiwAQEXhH63oUt5HS2HJVGGORlUeIhq98vQtnoHzMav3cmxO-j6dvxA95-fGFRoCvPsQAvD_BwE.