45 Beach Pollution Facts: Causes, Effects, Prevention And More

The engine of all life on the planet, the ocean, is one of the most important resources for mankind and for the survival of all other species, and it is now getting destroyed at a rapid rate.

The ocean is the lifeblood of the world, and it is under threat. The blame for this can be given to pollution, as pollution is slowly killing marine life and making the marine environment inhabitable.

The trash from all the industries and land areas in the world is dumped, spilled, pumped, and leaked into the ocean on a daily basis. We expose the ocean to pollutants, like plastic debris, crude oil, chemical runoff, and many more, every day, which adds to the already large amount of ocean trash.

We can help to make a difference by cleaning the oceans ourselves and assisting the numerous authorities and charities that are taking action all around the world.

The water from the oceans covers around 70% of the Earth's area. The fact that 70% of the Earth is becoming so polluted will definitely lead to problems in the future for us and various species of marine animals found in the waters.

Most of the pollution that leads to the oceans being harmed is because of beach pollution.

In fact, beach pollution leads to most ocean pollution events across the whole world. People love beaches, whether it is a scorching hot summer day or a windy winter morning.

People go for morning walks, to dive in the water, or even to just sit relaxing on the shores with a drink in one hand.

Unfortunately, this leads to people dropping garbage and other items in these locations, leading to massive pollution of the oceans and their beaches. Plastic waste is the biggest threat and the main catalyst of ocean pollution as it does not decompose and will forever add to the destruction of the ocean.

Oil spills have always been thought to be the main reason for marine pollution. While they do add to the pollution of the ocean, oil spills only account for around 12% of ocean pollution around the world.

That is not much when you see all the major water bodies and how much area they cover.

Oil that enters the water via runoff from roads, drainpipes, and rivers adds three times more to ocean pollution than oil spills. We also dump a lot of plastic into the ocean every year.

Plastic pollution has always been hazardous, and this is one of the main reasons for the marine pollution we so often see in the world today.

Around 17.6 billion lb (79.8 billion kg) of plastic debris is found in the ocean every year, which will neither decompose nor break down. It just stays on the ocean floor and adds to the pollution and mass deaths of animal life.

Animals ingesting plastic has reduced the marine ecosystems below the ocean a lot, and mass extinction of many marine species has been seen in recent times too.

The garbage in the sea has also created marine debris areas all over the world. You will see large dumps of garbage near the ocean bed and mostly on beaches that have taken plastic pollution and ocean pollution to the next level.

Facts About Beach Pollution

Beach pollution in conjunction with ocean pollution has created a lot of problems for the world in recent times. Here are some facts about ocean pollution and its effects on the world.

• Drastic measures need to be taken in order to counter ocean pollution in all of the water bodies in the world. The severity of the situation needs to be understood before it leads to large-scale destruction.
• Plastic is the main catalyst for ocean pollution in the world. It is not only harmful to water and plant life but also to the numerous sea creatures living beneath the land.
• Around 17.6 billion lb (79.8 billion kg) of plastic trash ends up in the ocean every year. To understand this number better, this is enough trash to cover every foot of shoreline around the Earth with five plastic bags full of trash every year.
• Single-use plastics are the most common items to be found when beach cleaning takes place. This will tell you how people are careless enough to dump toxic waste in the sea.
• Plastic cigarette butts, caps of plastic bottles, food wrappers, plastic beverage bottles, plastic straws, and drink stirrers are some common things that are recovered from the sea quite often.
• It is estimated that there are 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic debris found in the sea. Out of these 5.25 trillion pieces of debris, 269,000 t (244032.695 mt) of plastic debris are found floating on the surface. In the deep sea, there are around four billion plastic microfibers per square mile.
• Land-based sources add around 80% of the trash found in the ocean.
• If you look into the Pacific Ocean, you will find a huge patch of garbage there which is twice the size of Texas. The name of this patch is the Great Pacific garbage patch, and it can be located off the coast of California. This is the largest oceanic garbage site in the world.
• In the deep waters of the ocean, ocean pollution is more common. The common things seen in the deep waters are metal cans, plastic bags, glass bottles, fishing equipment, tires, and shoes. Plastic bags and plastic bottles are the most dangerous as they do not break down, staying in the ocean bed for millions and millions of years.
• Water that is more than 1,000 ft (304.8m) deep is called the deep water of the ocean.
• There is research that estimates that around 205-520 million lb ( 93-235 million kg) of plastic is found in the ocean all over the world. This means that 15-51 trillion particles of floating microplastic are in our ocean in every part of the world.
• These floating microplastics are mostly plastic microbeads and synthetic fibers. These are way too small to be filtered out by any waste management systems.
• It is said that every square mile of oceanic water has around 46,000 pieces of plastic floating in it. This can be anything from plastic bottles to plastic bags.
• There are many dead zones in the ocean where it is impossible for any living thing to survive. These dead zones are known to be created by beach pollution, and nothing can survive in such areas.
• It is said that around 500 dead zones are known to be found all over the world. These 500 dead zones, if combined together, would be around the same size as the United Kingdom.
• Apart from plastic pollution, carbon emissions from industries and other plants harm bodies of water.
• It is believed that carbon emissions at this rate will make the water surface of the ocean 150% more acidic than it is now.
• Sewage is mostly treated by plants set up for this purpose only, but not all sewage is treated.
• You will also find ocean noise pollution to be an issue. Ships, tankers, and other containers emit high-intensity frequencies (like sonar), which can hurt animals and fish below the sea. Jellyfish and anemones are greatly affected by noise pollution, which again affects sharks, tuna, and sea turtles who rely on the invertebrates as a food source.
• Around 1.5 million t (1.3 million mt) of nitrogen pollution is said to be flowing into the Gulf of Mexico from the Mississippi River every year.
• Indonesia and China contribute the most to plastic pollution in the sea.
• Every single minute, a truckload of plastic enters the ocean.
• Oceanic waste and beach waste take a long, long time to decompose. Aluminum takes around 200 years to decompose, while styrofoam takes 80 years to decompose. Plastic is known to take 400 years to decompose.
• There is enough plastic in the sea that if you made it circle the Earth, it would be able to do it 400 times.
• Chemicals found in some heavily polluted areas of the ocean can come back to shore and cause serious health hazards for people. Diseases like kidney damage, reproductive problems, and nervous system damage have been commonly seen.

Causes Of Beach Pollution

Here are some of the causes of beach and ocean pollution.

• Plastic debris is the most common thing found in the ocean today. Plastic does not break down easily, and this leads to plastic becoming the most dangerous substance to the marine environment. Marine animals mistake the plastic trash found in the ocean for food. This leads to death for many sea creatures.
• Improper waste management systems, individual and industry waste add 80% of the trash in the ocean. The remaining 20% is from ocean-based sources like shipping, fishing, and the cruise ship industries.
• It has a negative health impact on marine animals, and more than 80% of it is caused by the plastics found on the ocean bed. Plastic pollution and ocean pollution have both created a toxic environment for the animals of the world.
• The largest oceanic garbage site in the world has plastic pieces floating as marine debris, and the number of these plastics outnumbers marine life by six times.
• Untreated sewage enters the ocean and spreads diseases. It is known that around 80% of sewage entering the Mediterranean Sea remains untreated, and that is a cause for major diseases in both humans and marine animals.
• Around 12% of the oil in the ocean is from oil spills. This is a lot less than what we may expect if we think of oil spills as the biggest issue with pollution. However, the majority of oil comes from runoff from cities and industries.
• One-third of the total ocean pollution is contributed by China and Indonesia's plastics alone.

Effect Of Beach Pollution On Marine Wildlife

Marine wildlife is the most affected by this type of pollution. Here are some facts to help you understand more about it.

• More than one million seabirds are killed every year due to ocean pollution and plastics. This is a devastating fact that should make people more concerned for their environment.
• Plastics have caused the most damage to marine animals, as 80% of marine life is affected by ocean garbage containing plastic.
• Every year, billions of pounds of toxic waste, toxic chemicals, plastic, and other beach trash enter the ocean. This is not only harmful to the marine life under the sea but also to the plants living on the sea bed. These toxic things kill life as soon as they get a hold of it.
• Dead zones all over the world do not let any marine species survive in them.
• Ingesting plastic and plastic entanglement kills over 100,000 marine animals each year. Animals mostly mistake plastic for food, and they eat it, leading to death.
• The shellfish business is very important on the East Coast, but it is said that one-third of the area of the Atlantic Ocean that shellfish live in is negatively impacted by plastic pollution and ocean pollution.
• If this goes on, it is said that by the year 2050, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish.
• Animals and fish eat the plastic found in the ocean and are then unable to digest it. As the plastic fills up their tiny stomachs, they start dying by starving to death.
• Plastics are known to go to the deepest waters of the ocean. Even deep-sea creatures are known to have eaten plastic at one point or another.
• Plastic is known to outweigh plankton by six times in some of the most heavily polluted sections of the ocean.

Steps To Reduce Beach Pollution

Here are some steps to reduce beach pollution.

• Single-use plastics should not be used, or at least their use should be reduced. This can be anything from plastic packaging, bottles, caps, and bags.
• Recycling is also very important. Only 9% of single-use plastics are recycled now. It is important to take that number to 90%.
• Participate in beach clean-ups whenever possible. If you organize some, you will also add to the health of the world.
• Support bans of products that can harm the water as much as possible, and avoid using products with microbeads.
• Fish responsibly. Follow 'catch and release' procedures and keep more fish alive.