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Over fishing has become a huge issue in the Atlantic ocean impacting the entire ecosystem. Humans have been taking larger amounts of fish from the sea so much that the fish can't keep up with the decline in the population. They can only reproduce at a certain rate, and right now they can not keep up. Many species are becoming endangered due to the over fishing. Laws have been put in place but they are often neglected and its hard to monitor who is and isn't following the laws out in the ocean. Another aspect of human impact is the waste dumped into the ocean. A bulk of pollutants originated from land-based sources such as untreated or poorly treated sewage, industrial waste like heavy metals, and agricultural runoff such as fertilizer and pesticides. The most visible effect of these are when nutrients like nitrogen and phosphates become overloaded in the water and algae grows in excess quantities. This eventually depletes oxygen and reduces life in the water. There are also other forms of pollution created by humans such as plastic bags, soda rings, and other materials. These objects can sometimes look like jellyfish to some sea creatures and they try and eat them and end up dying. They can also get garbage caught around their bodies: like their necks, legs, feet, and other parts.
As far as plastic entering the ocean, around 20% of the trash comes from ships and platforms that are offshore. The rest of the litter is being blown into the sea. This garbage is picked up by tides on the shoreline, or intentionally dumped into the sea. These plastics don't biodegrade, so they brake up into tiny pieces that are consumed by fish and other sea creatures. Plastic is killing more than 100,000 sea turtles and birds a year from ingestion and entanglement.
In 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico. The BP oil spill still has effects on the environment today. The BP oil spill is recognized as the worst oil spill in U.S. history. The Oil rig exploded leaving some what of a hole allowing oil to continuously pour out into the Atlantic. The hole was capped 87 days of leaking into the ocean leaving an estimated 3.19 barrels of oil in the ocean. After leaking out some of the oil created slicks on the surface of the water while more stayed underneath forming huge pockets of oil mid-water. Some of the oil sunk to the ocean floor and some washed up on the shore. The oil affected everything in the gulf. It poisoned and killed thousands of animals and plant life and polluted a whole sea. Today people are still cleaning up after the spill, and the effects are still visible in some places, however the Gulf has come along way since 2010.
As far as plastic entering the ocean, around 20% of the trash comes from ships and platforms that are offshore. The rest of the litter is being blown into the sea. This garbage is picked up by tides on the shoreline, or intentionally dumped into the sea. These plastics don't biodegrade, so they brake up into tiny pieces that are consumed by fish and other sea creatures. Plastic is killing more than 100,000 sea turtles and birds a year from ingestion and entanglement.
In 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico. The BP oil spill still has effects on the environment today. The BP oil spill is recognized as the worst oil spill in U.S. history. The Oil rig exploded leaving some what of a hole allowing oil to continuously pour out into the Atlantic. The hole was capped 87 days of leaking into the ocean leaving an estimated 3.19 barrels of oil in the ocean. After leaking out some of the oil created slicks on the surface of the water while more stayed underneath forming huge pockets of oil mid-water. Some of the oil sunk to the ocean floor and some washed up on the shore. The oil affected everything in the gulf. It poisoned and killed thousands of animals and plant life and polluted a whole sea. Today people are still cleaning up after the spill, and the effects are still visible in some places, however the Gulf has come along way since 2010.