The ocean is the cradle of life, a source of oxygen and the well-being of many, many people. For centuries, its wealth was inexhaustible and belonged to all countries and people. But the twentieth century put everything in its place - coastal border zones, maritime laws, problems and ways to solve them appeared.
Legal Aspects of Using Ocean Wealth
Until the seventies of the twentieth century, it was established that the wealth of the ocean belonged to everyone, and the territorial claims of coastal states could extend no more than three nautical miles. Formally, this law was respected, but in fact many states claimed their claim to large sea territories, up to two hundred nautical miles from the coast. The problem of using the oceans has come down to how it is most profitable to exploit coastal economic zones. Many states declared their sovereignty over maritime territories, and the invasion of such was regarded as a violation of borders. Thus, the problem of the development of the oceans, the use of its capabilities faced with the mercantile interests of individual states.
In 1982, the Conference on the Law of the Sea was convened, which was held under the auspices of the UN. It considered the main problems of the oceans. As a result of many days of negotiations, it was decided that the ocean is the common heritage of mankind. Two hundred-mile coastal economic territories were assigned to the states, which these countries had the right to use for economic purposes. Such economic zones occupied about 40 percent of the total area of water. The bottom of the open ocean, its minerals and household resources were declared common property. To monitor compliance with this provision, a special committee was established to regulate the use of coastal economic zones into which the oceans were divided. The problems that arise when human exposure to the marine environment should have been addressed by the governments of these countries. As a result, the principle of free use of the open sea has ceased to be used.
It is impossible to overestimate the importance that the oceans have in the Earth's transport system. Global problems associated with freight and passenger transportation were resolved through the use of special vessels, and the task of transporting oil and gas through the construction of pipelines.
Mining is carried out on the shelves of coastal countries, especially intensively developed deposits of gas and oil products. Sea water contains many solutions of salts, rare metals and organic compounds. Huge nodules - concentrated reserves of rare earth metals, iron and manganese - lie on the ocean floor, deep under water. The problems of oceans resources are how to get these riches from the seabed without disturbing ecosystems. Finally, inexpensive desalination plants can solve the most important human problem - lack of drinking water. Ocean water is an excellent solvent, so the oceans operates as a huge plant for the processing of household waste. And ocean tides are already successfully used to generate electric energy at PrES.
Since time immemorial, the ocean has fed people. The extraction of fish and crustaceans, the collection of algae and mollusks are the oldest crafts that arose at the dawn of civilization. Since then, the tools and principles of fishing have not changed much. Significantly increased only the scale of extraction of living resources.
With all this, such a full-scale use of the resources of the oceans noticeably affects the state of the marine environment. It is possible that an extensive business model will significantly reduce its ability to self-clean and recycle waste. Therefore, the global problem of using the oceans is to carefully exploit everything that it provides to humanity, and not to worsen its environmental health.
Environmental aspects of the use of ocean wealth
The oceans are a giant generator of oxygen in nature. The main producer of this vital chemical element is microscopic blue-green algae. In addition, the ocean is a powerful filter and sewage system that processes and utilizes the waste products of people. The failure of this unique natural mechanism to manage waste disposal is a real environmental problem. The pollution of the oceans occurs in the vast majority of cases due to human faults.
The main causes of ocean pollution:
- Inadequate treatment to which industrial and domestic wastewater is discharged into rivers and seas.
- Wastewater entering the oceans from fields and forests. They contain mineral fertilizers that are difficult to decompose in the marine environment.
- Dumping - constantly replenished burial at the bottom of the seas and oceans of various pollutants.
- Leaks of fuel and oils from a variety of marine and river vessels.
- Repeated accidents of pipelines running at the bottom.
- Garbage and waste arising from the extraction of minerals in the shelf zone and on the seabed.
- Precipitation containing harmful substances.
If you collect all the pollutants that pose a threat to the oceans, you can highlight the problems described below.
Dumping
Dumping is the dumping of human economic waste into the oceans. Environmental problems arise from an overabundance of such waste. The reason why this type of disposal has become widespread is the fact that sea water has high dissolving properties. Waste from the mining and metallurgical industries, household waste, construction waste, radionuclides that occur during the operation of nuclear power plants, and chemicals with varying degrees of toxicity are exposed to sea graves.
During the passage of pollution through the water column, a certain percentage of waste dissolves in seawater and changes its chemical composition. Its transparency falls, it acquires an unusual color and smell. The remaining particles of pollution are deposited on the sea or ocean floor. Such deposits lead to the fact that the composition of bottom soils changes, such compounds as hydrogen sulfide and ammonia appear. The high content of organic matter in oceanic waters leads to an imbalance in oxygen balance, which entails a reduction in the number of microorganisms and algae that process this waste. Many substances form films on the water surface that disrupt gas exchange at the water-air interface. Harmful substances dissolved in water tend to accumulate in the organisms of marine inhabitants. Populations of fish, crustaceans and mollusks are declining, and organisms are beginning to change. Therefore, the problem of using the oceans is that the properties of the marine environment as a giant utilization mechanism are inefficiently applied.
Radioactive contamination
Radionuclides are substances that appear as a result of the operation of nuclear power plants. The oceans became a warehouse of containers that contain highly radioactive waste from nuclear energy. Substances of the transuranic group remain active for several thousand years. Although highly hazardous waste is packed in airtight containers, the risk of radioactive contamination remains very high. The substance that the containers are made of is constantly exposed to seawater. After some time, the tanks leak, and hazardous substances in small quantities, but constantly fall into the oceans. The problems of waste reburial are global in nature: according to statistics, in the eighties, the deep-sea bottom accepted for storage about 7 thousand tons of harmful substances. Currently, the waste that was buried in the waters of the oceans 30-40 years ago is a threat.
Toxic pollution
Toxic chemicals include aldrin, dieldrin, varieties of DDT, other derivatives of chlorine-containing elements. In some regions, there is a high concentration of arsenic and zinc. The level of pollution of seas and oceans with detergents is also alarming. Detergents are surface-active substances that are part of household chemicals. Together with river flows, these compounds enter the oceans, where the process of their processing lasts for decades. A sad example of the high activity of chemical poisons is the mass extinction of birds off the coast of Ireland. As it turned out, the reason for this was polychloride phenyl compounds, which fell into the sea together with industrial wastewater. Thus, the environmental problems of the oceans have affected the world of terrestrial inhabitants.
Heavy metal pollution
First of all, it is lead, cadmium, mercury. These metals retain their toxic properties for centuries. These elements are widely used in heavy industry. Various refining technologies are provided at factories and plants, but, despite this, a significant part of these substances gets into the ocean with effluents. The greatest threat to marine organisms is mercury and lead. The main ways they enter the ocean are industrial waste, car exhaust, smoke and dust from industrial enterprises. Not all states understand the importance of this problem. The oceans are not able to process heavy metals, and they get into the tissues of fish, crustaceans and mollusks. Since many of the marine inhabitants are subject to fishing, heavy metals and their compounds are ingested by humans, which causes severe illnesses that are not always treatable.
Oil and oil pollution
Oil is a complex organic carbon compound, a heavy liquid of a dark brown color. The greatest environmental problems of the oceans are caused by the leakage of petroleum products. In the eighties, about 16 million tons flowed into the ocean. This amounted to 0.23% of world oil production of that time. Most often, the product enters the ocean through leaks from pipelines. High concentration of petroleum products along busy sea lanes. This fact is explained by emergency situations occurring on transport vessels, flushing of washing and ballast water from sea ships. Ship captains are responsible for preventing this situation. After all, problems arise in connection with it. The oceans are also polluted by the seepage of this product from developed deposits - after all, a large number of platforms are located on the shelves and in the open sea. Wastewater carries the liquid wastes of industrial enterprises into the ocean, this way about 0.5 million tons of oil a year appear in sea water.
In ocean water, the product dissolves slowly. First, it spreads over the surface with a thin layer. An oil film blocks the penetration of sunlight and oxygen into seawater, resulting in poor heat transfer. In water, the product forms two types of emulsions - “oil in water” and “water in oil”. Both emulsions are very resistant to external influences; the spots formed by them freely move across the ocean with the help of sea currents, settle in layers at the bottom and are thrown ashore. The destruction of such emulsions or the creation of conditions for their further processing - this also consists in solving the problems of the oceans in the context of oil pollution.
Thermal pollution
The problem of thermal pollution is less noticeable. However, over time, a change in the temperature balance of currents and coastal waters disrupts the life cycles of marine life, which is so rich in the oceans. Global problems associated with warming arise due to the fact that elevated temperature waters are discharged from enterprises and power plants. Liquid is a natural source of cooling for various technological processes. The thickness of the heated water disrupts the natural heat transfer in the marine environment, which significantly reduces the level of oxygen in the bottom layers of the water. As a result of this, algae and anaerobic bacteria, which are responsible for the processing of organic substances, begin to multiply actively.
Methods for solving the problems of the oceans
Global oil pollution has forced a series of meetings with governments of maritime powers, concerned about how to save the oceans. The problems have become threatening. And in the middle of the twentieth century a number of laws were adopted establishing responsibility for the safety and purity of the waters of coastal territories. The global problems of the oceans were partially addressed by the 1973 London Conference. Her decision obliged each ship to have a certificate of international standard, certifying that all cars, equipment and mechanisms are in good condition, and that the ship that crosses the ocean does not harm the environment. The changes also affected the design of vehicles carrying oil. The new rules oblige modern tankers to have a double bottom. The discharge of contaminated water from oil tankers was completely prohibited, and such vessels should be cleaned at port special points. And recently, scientists have developed a special emulsion that allows you to clean the oil tanker without discharging contaminated water.
And accidental oil spills in the waters can be eliminated with the help of floating oil collectors and various side barriers.
Global problems of the oceans, in particular oil pollution, have attracted the attention of scientists. After all, something needs to be done with this. The elimination of oil stains in waters is the main problem of the oceans. Ways to solve this problem include both physical and chemical methods. Various foams and other unsinkable substances are already used, which can collect about 90% of the stain. Subsequently, the oil-soaked material is collected, and the product is squeezed out of it. Formations of such a substance can be used repeatedly, they have a fairly low cost and are very effective in collecting oil from a large area.
Japanese scientists have developed a preparation based on rice husk. This substance is sprayed on the area of the oil slick and collects all the oil in a short time. After that, a lump of substance impregnated with the product can be caught by a conventional fishing net.
An interesting way was developed by American scientists to eliminate such spots in the Atlantic Ocean. A thin ceramic plate with an acoustic element connected is lowered under an oil spill. The latter vibrates, oil accumulates in a thick layer and begins to gush over the ceramic plane. A fountain of oil and dirty water is ignited by an electric current supplied to the plate. Thus, the product burns out without causing any harm to the environment.
In 1993, a law was passed prohibiting the discharge into the ocean of liquid radioactive waste (LRW). Projects for the processing of such waste were developed already in the mid-90s of the last century. But if fresh burial of LRW is prohibited by law, then the old storage facilities for spent radioactive substances that have been resting on the ocean floor since the mid-50s are a serious problem.
