Marine Debris Final Challenge
The environmental issue that we chose to address in our project consists of how marine debris affects marine life. When trash is improperly disposed by humans, it often ends up in the ocean. Trash that gets deposited in the ocean, known as marine debris, is a critical issue regarding the health of marine ecosystems in oceans around the world.
Marine debris harms marine life in a multitude of ways. When marine debris pollutes the habitat of a species, such as turtles, the trash can entangle them and choke them to death or it can cause them to starve to death by immobilizing them. Furthermore, marine debris harms marine life as many organisms mistakenly consume plastic particles in place of food. This can harm marine life as the ingested marine debris particles can get lodged in the intestines of the organisms and can cause them to starve and eventually die. Marine debris can also harm organisms, such as plants, living on the ocean floor by smothering them in debris such as plastic bags and fishing nets. Moreover, marine debris is harmful to the marine environment as it can carry invasive species from their native locations to the oceans, allowing them to proliferate in large numbers and attack native species.
In an effort to conserve the marine environment, our team’s objective for the Final Challenge consist of devising multiple projects in an effort toward conducting research regarding marine debris concentrations in various regions of the Pacific Ocean and by educating the public about environmental conservation. We will achieve this by analyzing marine debris concentrations in Albatross bolus samples, creating a public service announcement to persuade the public to properly dispose their trash, forming partnerships with various environmental conservationist organizations, getting the community involved in our projects, inspiring our peers to pursue an interest in marine science and by publicizing our work through the use of various social media outlets.
Marine debris harms marine life in a multitude of ways. When marine debris pollutes the habitat of a species, such as turtles, the trash can entangle them and choke them to death or it can cause them to starve to death by immobilizing them. Furthermore, marine debris harms marine life as many organisms mistakenly consume plastic particles in place of food. This can harm marine life as the ingested marine debris particles can get lodged in the intestines of the organisms and can cause them to starve and eventually die. Marine debris can also harm organisms, such as plants, living on the ocean floor by smothering them in debris such as plastic bags and fishing nets. Moreover, marine debris is harmful to the marine environment as it can carry invasive species from their native locations to the oceans, allowing them to proliferate in large numbers and attack native species.
In an effort to conserve the marine environment, our team’s objective for the Final Challenge consist of devising multiple projects in an effort toward conducting research regarding marine debris concentrations in various regions of the Pacific Ocean and by educating the public about environmental conservation. We will achieve this by analyzing marine debris concentrations in Albatross bolus samples, creating a public service announcement to persuade the public to properly dispose their trash, forming partnerships with various environmental conservationist organizations, getting the community involved in our projects, inspiring our peers to pursue an interest in marine science and by publicizing our work through the use of various social media outlets.