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Marine pollutants - Coggle Diagram

- - - - Shipping
      - Trucks
      - Broken pipes and wells
  - - - Seabirds preening
      - Mammals and reptiles coming to surface to breath
      - Consumption of contaminated organisms
    - - Feathers - too heavy to fly
      - Fur - reduce hydrophobic properties - lack of insulation leading to hypothermia and death
      - Irritation of skin (mammals) and scales (fish)
    - - Plants can't photosynthesis
    - - Corals cannot filter feed or photosynthesise
      - Other filter feeding organisms (mussels, barnacles) cannot feed
  - - - Floating booms
    - - Skimmers and vacuums - remove very top layer
        (only effective if contained and concentrated)
      - Manual washing
      - Absorbent objects (mats, pads and booms)
    - - Dispersants sprayed over spill
        
        Break up slick into small droplets
        
        Still harmful to environment
        
        Have to wait for natural decomposition
        
        Similar in nature to surfactants (soaps and detergents)
      - Gelling agents - react with oil to form gel/rubber like material. Easier to remove by mechanical methods.
      - Burning
        
        Hydrocarbons are flammable (fuel source)
        
        Burning converts oil to:
        carbon dioxide (greenhouse gas)
        carbon monoxide
        solid carbon particles (soot)
        
        Produces other harmful gases which pollute the atmosphere
    - - Chemicals or organisms added to the area to encourage biological breakdown of oil into harmless substances
      - Called Biological agents
- - - - Plastic objects and particles remain in tact for a long time.
      - Often produced to be used once then disposed of.
      - Making disposable objects from an indestructible substance...
      - Most plastics do not break down into substances that can be used (biodegradable)
    - - Formed as larger objects continue to break apart (but don't break down)
      - Very difficult to clean, small enough to be transported everywhere
      - Easily mistaken for food
      - Found everywhere, in everything!