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Underwater garbage pollution may be a new phrase to many. But "ocean dumping" has become one of the biggest contributors of pollution in the sea.
Yet, too much human-created material still ends up as marine debris due to harmful waste products being dumped into the waterways and oceans.
Most of the rubbish dumped ends up as underwater plastic pollution.
But, it also comes from general items of garbage, sewage, and waste water from bathing.
That said, Mother Nature can also influence the pollution in the ocean.
For example, heavy rains, storms, and floods can cause sewage pipes to overflow.
In turn, it often makes its way into rivers and other waterways - and then eventually into the seas and oceans.
Underwater garbage dumping and sewage pollution have catastrophic effects on the natural environment and for sea and ocean life.
In fact, it often leads to disease, beach closures, and even the death of the most vulnerable birds, fish, and other animals.
To prove the point, some species of sea turtles eat jellyfish as part of their daily diet. Yet, a plastic bag looks and behaves very similar to some soft-bodied, free-swimming jellyfishes.
The turtle would be thinking that the plastic is food. Hence, many die from suffocation after eating floating plastic garbage.
Sea pollution from oil has disastrous consequences for oceanic environments. Estimates suggest that more than 40 million gallons of oil spill into the ocean "accidentally" by oil tankers each year.
Yet, even more oil from non-accidental sources culminates in around 60 million gallons of underwater oil pollution every year.
Here's the thing:
The 'sticky' effect of oil tends to glue the feathers of birds and other wildlife, it clogs the gills of fish, and a large oil slick can lead to coral bleaching if it blocks out natural sunlight.
A reduced amount of sunlight causes plants to suffer because they struggle to perform "normal" photosynthesis below the slick.
Underwater oil pollution also affects the growth and reproduction of global coral formation because coral polyps are especially sensitive to crude oil.
Toxic waste is another serious cause of sea pollution. Poisonous waste products and dangerous materials can harm most marine species, animals, and even humans.
So, are you questioning why toxic waste pollution in the ocean is harmful to human life? If so, here's the answer!
The impact on human health relates to the food chain. Thus, the outcome of eating affected plants and animals can be deadly.
Put another way, mercury poisoning from fish can become toxic from ocean pollution. Then, when we eat seafood, it can then enter the human food chain.
The answer is a simple one. Mining, landfills, and farms all potentially produce toxic waste products that can leak into our waterways and land masses. In turn, it can cause health problems to humans and fatal consequences to marine animals.
How does Carbon Dioxide pollution (CO2) harm our ocean life? During the previous two hundred years, the earth's oceans have absorbed close to 50 percent of the waste gas that humans have produced.
In fact, the actual figure is staggering. It's approximately 120 billion metric tons of the stuff!
Oceans gather Carbon Dioxide from the motion of the currents. But, pulled down by deep-water currents from the surface, polluted air traps CO2 in the ocean. This pollution harms the coral reefs and free-swimming algae.
But wait - there's more:
Even though the harmful Carbon Dioxide pollutants threaten life in the oceans, the species that exist closest to the surface suffer the most. This is mainly due to the way that water movements gather gases from the atmosphere.
Industry, vehicle exhaust systems, boat gases, and agricultural machinery, continuously pump dangerous carbons into the air above the seas and oceans.
Pro Tip: Another guide explains how the impact of coal burning power stations and coal power byproducts affect the environment and may cause coral reef destruction.
A Dutch non-profit marine conservation organisation known as "Plastic Soup Foundation" created new diving hand signals to help raise awareness about the massive problem related to plastic pollution.
In response, PADI and the PADI AWARE Foundation™ are encouraging all scuba divers to use the new underwater signal "P" (for plastic) and then take the Dive Against Debris® Specialty Diver Course so you can make every dive count.