The amount of plastic in the sea has increased…
The plastic that accumulates in the oceans as a result of human-induced pollution has taken a monstrous form in just a few decades. It is estimated that by the middle of this century, the amount of plastic in the sea will exceed the number of fish. The amount of plastic in the sea has suddenly increased after 2005. According to a study last year, 170 trillion pieces of plastic are floating in the sea, which are gradually breaking down and turning into microplastics and becoming a part of the food chain.
According to an estimate, 25 million tons of microplastics are also accumulating in the sea through the air. Even the entire area of the gyre in the middle of the oceans has been filled with plastic garbage, in which the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and the North Atlantic Gyre are mainly affected. Apart from sea food, microplastics have been found in sea salt in almost all the continents. In India, its number has been found to be up to 35-575 microplastics / kilogram of salt. The infection of toxic plastic is reaching every area, every society, every home and even every person through salt, which is becoming a huge public health crisis.
Climate change and the ocean
There is a major change in the climate at the global level. Due to all this, human existence is in danger. Considering the importance of oceans, the United Nations has declared the current decade (2021-2030) as 'Oceanology for Sustainable Development'. In the last few decades, nutrients like human-made nitrogen and phosphorus have increased so much in the ocean that almost all the sea coasts are not only victims of eutrification but their scope is also increasing. Lack of oxygen in sea water has emerged as a common problem. It is affecting fish production by producing toxic algal bloom. Compared to 1960, there has been a 2% decrease in oxygen in the sea. About 500 dead zones have been found around the coast where marine ecology has completely ended due to pollution and lack of oxygen and the scope of such areas is increasing. Compared to other seas, the Bay of bengal and the Pacific region connected to it are mainly struggling with excess nutrients.
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