Ocean disposal
Ocean disposal refers to the practice of dumping various types of waste, including toxic chemicals, sewage, dredge spoils, and bilge water, into the ocean. This method has been employed for decades, primarily in the United States, as a cost-effective means of managing millions of metric tons of waste. While ocean disposal may offer immediate economic benefits, it poses significant risks to marine ecosystems and contributes to climate change. Key regulations, such as the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act and the Clean Water Act, aim to mitigate these issues, yet illegal dumping still occurs.
The consequences of ocean disposal are multifaceted, potentially leading to the loss of marine life and the release of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, exacerbating global warming. Controversies also arise surrounding the long-term burial of hazardous waste in the ocean, particularly concerning the legacy of radioactive waste disposal by the U.S. government. Recent concerns have also focused on the increasing amounts of plastic entering the oceans, which not only breaks down into microplastics but also releases harmful gases that further impact climate change. Overall, ocean disposal remains a complex issue that intertwines environmental health, regulatory practices, and the challenges of waste management in a changing climate.
Ocean disposal
Definition
Ocean disposal ranges from dumping toxic chemicals, sewage, dredge spoils (material removed during dredging), and bilge water to accidental spills from oil tankers. Dumping of waste and dredge spoils has long been a part of the United States’ waste process, as it provides an economically viable option for disposing millions of metric tons of waste. Dumping waste into the oceans has increasingly been shown to adversely affect aquatic ecosystems and contribute to global warming. There are strict ocean disposal regulations in the United States, including the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA) of 1972 and the Clean Water Act (CWA) of 1972; nevertheless, illegal ocean disposal still occurs frequently.
Significance for Climate Change
Toxins from pesticides, as well as heavy metals, phosphorus, and nitrogen from dredge spoils, are a few of the harmful wastes dumped into the ocean. The effects of ocean disposal are not fully understood, but ocean disposal has been shown to cause substantial loss of marine life and indirectly enhance global warming. When plants and animals die, the dead organisms decay and release carbon dioxide (CO2). CO2 collects in the atmosphere and traps the Sun’s heat, increasing the Earth’s temperature. Recent consequences attributed to this climate change include the melting of glaciers, rising sea levels, disruption of coral reef habitats, and more extreme hurricanes.
In addition to the evidence of climate change caused by ocean disposal, hazardous waste disposal, such as nuclear refuse, can cause genetic defects, leading to cancer or death in both humans and marine life. Because of this danger, long-term burial of hazardous waste at sea is controversial. From the 1940s through the 1960s, the United States discarded barrels of radioactive waste in the ocean. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) then prohibited all dumping as a result of many of the barrels leaking.
Most of the material being dumped into the ocean is dredged waste. One approach to long-term storage of dredge spoils entails drilling holes into the ocean’s floor and saturating the holes with the dredged waste. San Francisco, California, houses one such site approximately 91 kilometers offshore. This site is the deepest ocean disposal site in the United States, covering 22 square kilometers at a depth of 2,500-3,000 meters. The consequences of drilling deep into the ocean floor are not well known, raising questions of the short- and long-term effects of dredge spoils deposited in deepwater sediment on deep-sea biodiversity.
During the 2010s and 2020s, scientists became increasingly concerned with the amount of plastic dumped in the world's oceans. Just 16 percent of plastics are recycled. The remaining plastic is buried in landfills or dumped into the ocean. Plastic breaks down more rapidly when exposed to sunlight and heat, both of which can be found in excess when large patches of plastic float on the surface of the ocean. As plastic breaks down, it releases the greenhouse gases methane and ethylene, accelerating global climate change. Additionally, plastic dumped into the ocean tends to break down into tiny plastic particles, often called microplastics. These particles spread throughout the ecosystem and may be difficult or impossible to remove.
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"Pollution and Climate Change." GreenPeace, www.greenpeace.org/usa/oceans/pollution-climate-change/. Accessed 17 Dec. 2024.
"We Know Plastic Pollution Is Bad - But How Exactly Is It Linked to Climate Change?" World Economic Forum, 19 Jan. 2022, www.weforum.org/stories/2022/01/plastic-pollution-climate-change-solution/. Accessed 17 Dec. 2024.