The World Ocean: problems. The problem of using the World Ocean

The ocean is the cradle of life, the source of oxygen and the welfare of many and many people. For centuries, his wealth was inexhaustible and belonged to all countries and people. But the twentieth century put everything in its place - there were coastal border zones, maritime laws, problems and ways to solve them.

Legal aspects of the use of ocean resources

Until the seventies of the twentieth century it was established that the wealth of the ocean belongs to everyone, and the territorial claims of coastal states can extend no more than three nautical miles. Formally, this law was observed, but in fact many states declared their claims to large marine areas, up to two hundred nautical miles from the shore. The problem of using the World Ocean has been reduced to how it is most profitable to exploit coastal economic zones. Many states declared their sovereignty over the sea territories, and the invasion of such territories was regarded as a violation of the borders. Thus, the problem of the development of the World Ocean, the use of its capabilities, was confronted with the mercantile interests of individual states.

In 1982, the Conference on the Law of the Sea was convened, which was held under the aegis of the United Nations. It dealt with the main problems of the World Ocean. As a result of multi-day talks, it was decided that the ocean is the common heritage of mankind. Beyond the states, two hundred miles of coastal economic territories were established, which these countries had the right to use for economic purposes. Such economic zones occupied about 40 percent of the total area of water areas. The bottom of the open ocean, its minerals and economic resources were declared common property. To monitor compliance with this provision, an ad hoc committee was established to regulate the use of the coastal economic zones to which the World Ocean was divided. The problems that arise when human impact on the marine environment, should be decided by the governments of these countries. As a result, the principle of free use of the high seas ceased to be used.

It is impossible to overestimate the importance that the World Ocean has in the terrestrial transport system. Global problems related to freight and passenger transportation were resolved thanks to 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 gas fields and oil products are being intensively developed. Sea water contains many solutions of salts, rare metals and organic compounds. Huge concretions - concentrated reserves of rare earth metals, iron and manganese - lie on the ocean floor, deep under water. The problems of the resources of the World Ocean are how to get these riches from the seabed without disturbing ecosystems. Finally, inexpensive desalination plants can solve the most important of human problems - lack of drinking water. Oceanic water is an excellent solvent, so the World Ocean works as a huge plant for processing domestic waste. And the ocean tides and ebbs have already been successfully used to generate electricity at the PrES.

Since time immemorial, the ocean has fed people. Extraction of fish and crustaceans, the collection of algae and molluscs - the oldest crafts that emerged at the dawn of civilization. Since then, the tools and principles of fishing have not changed much. The scale of extraction of living resources has significantly increased.

At the same time, such a full-scale use of resources of the World Ocean significantly affects the state of the marine environment. It is possible that an extensive model of economic activity will significantly reduce its ability to self-purification and recycling. Therefore, the global problem of using the World Ocean is to carefully exploit all that it provides to humanity, while not deteriorating its ecological health.

Ecological aspects of the use of ocean resources

The world ocean is a giant oxygen generator in nature. The main producer of this vital chemical element is the microscopic blue-green algae. In addition, the ocean is a powerful filter and a wastewater that recycles and utilizes the products of human life. The inability of this unique natural mechanism to cope with waste disposal is a real environmental problem. The pollution of the World Ocean occurs in the vast majority of cases through human fault.

The main causes of ocean pollution:

• Insufficient cleaning, to which industrial and domestic wastewater is exposed, falling into rivers and seas.
• Sewage entering the World Ocean from fields and forests. They contain mineral fertilizers, which are difficult to decompose in the marine environment.
• Dumping - constantly replenished graves on the bottom of the seas and oceans of various pollutants.
• Leaks of fuel and oils from a variety of sea and river vessels.
• Repeated incidents of pipelines running on 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 identify the problems described below.

Dumping

Dumping is the dumping of human economic activities into the World Ocean. Environmental problems arise from the overabundance of such wastes. The reason that this type of utilization has become common is the fact that seawater has high dissolving properties. Marine waste is subject to waste from the mining and metallurgical industries, household waste, construction debris, radionuclides that occur during the operation of nuclear power plants, chemicals with varying degrees of toxicity.

During the passage of contaminants through the water column, a certain percentage of the waste dissolves in the seawater and changes its chemical composition. Its transparency decreases, it acquires an unusual color and smell. The remaining particles of pollution are deposited on the sea or ocean floor. Such deposits cause the composition of the bottom soils to change, compounds such as hydrogen sulphide and ammonia appear. The high content of organic substances in oceanic waters leads to a violation of the oxygen balance, which entails a decrease in the number of microorganisms and algae that process these wastes. Many substances form films on the water surface that disrupt gas exchange at the water-air boundary. Harmful substances, dissolved in water, have the property of accumulating in the organisms of marine life. Populations of fish, crustaceans and mollusks shrink, and organisms begin to change. Therefore, the problem of using the World Ocean is that the properties of the marine environment as a giant utilization mechanism are inefficiently applied.

Pollution by radioactive substances

Radionuclides are substances that appear as a result of the operation of nuclear power plants. The world ocean has become a warehouse of containers that contain highly radioactive waste from nuclear energy. The substances of the transuranic group remain active for several thousand years. And although highly hazardous waste is packaged in sealed containers, the risk of radioactive contamination remains very high. The substance from which the containers are made, is constantly exposed to the action of sea water. After a while, containers are allowed to leak, and dangerous substances in small quantities, but constantly fall into the World Ocean. The problems of reburying the waste are of a global nature: according to statistics, in the eighties the deep-sea bottom accepted about 7 thousand tons of harmful substances for storage. At present, the threat posed by those wastes that were buried in the waters of the World Ocean 30-40 years ago.

Pollution by poisonous substances

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 the seas and oceans by detergents is also alarming. Detergents are called surfactants, which are part of household chemicals. Together with the rivers, these compounds enter the World Ocean, where the process of their processing continues for decades. A sad example of high activity of chemical agents is the massive extinction of birds off the coast of Ireland. As it turned out, the reason for this was polychlorinated phenyl compounds, which fell into the sea together with industrial wastewater. Thus, the environmental problems of the World Ocean have affected the world of land inhabitants.

Pollution by heavy metals

First of all, it is lead, cadmium, mercury. Their toxic properties these metals retain for centuries. These elements are widely used in heavy industry. The factories and plants have different purification technologies, but despite this, a significant part of these substances enter the ocean with run-off. For marine organisms, the greatest threat is mercury and lead. The main ways of getting them into the ocean are industrial wastes, car exhausts, smoke and industrial dust. Not all states understand the importance of this problem. The oceans are not able to process heavy metals, and they fall into the tissues of fish, crustaceans and molluscs. Since many of the marine inhabitants are objects of the fishery, heavy metals and their compounds are eaten by humans, which causes severe illnesses that are not always amenable to treatment.

Pollution by oil and oil products

Oil is a complex organic carbon compound, a heavy liquid of a dark brown color. The greatest environmental problems of the World Ocean are caused by the leakage of petroleum products. In the eighties, about 16 million tons flowed into the ocean. This represented 0.23% of the world oil production of that time. Most often, the product enters the ocean through leaks from pipelines. High concentration of oil products along the busy sea routes. This fact is explained by emergency situations arising on transport ships, draining of flushing and ballast water from ships. The captains of the courts are responsible for preventing this situation. After all, problems arise in connection with it. The world ocean is polluted and by leaking this product from the developed deposits - in fact a large number of platforms are located on the shelves and on the high seas. Sewage carries to the ocean liquid waste from industrial enterprises, in 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. Oil film blocks the penetration of sunlight and oxygen into the sea water, resulting in deteriorated 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 along the ocean with the help of sea currents, settle on the bottom layers and are thrown ashore. Destruction of such emulsions or creation of conditions for their further processing is also the solution of the problems of the World Ocean in the context of oil pollution.

Thermal pollution

The problem of thermal pollution is less noticeable. However, over time, the change in the temperature balance of currents and coastal waters disrupts the life cycles of marine life that the World Ocean is so rich in. Global problems associated with warming are caused by the fact that high temperature water is discharged from enterprises and power plants. The liquid is a natural source of cooling of various technological processes. The thickness of heated water disrupts natural heat exchange in the marine environment, which significantly reduces the level of oxygen in the bottom layers of water. As a result, algae and anaerobic bacteria begin to actively multiply, which are responsible for the processing of organic substances.

Methods for solving the problems of the World Ocean

Global oil pollution forced a series of meetings with the governments of maritime powers concerned about how to preserve the World Ocean. The problems began to be menacing. And in the middle of the twentieth century a number of laws were adopted that established responsibility for the safety and cleanliness of the waters of coastal areas. The global problems of the oceans were partially solved by the 1973 London Conference. Its decision obliged each ship to have an appropriate international certificate, certifying that all machines, rigging and mechanisms are in good order, and the vessel that crosses the ocean is not harmful to the environment. Changes have also affected the design of vehicles carrying oil. The new rules require modern tankers to have a double bottom. The draining of polluted waters from oil tankers was completely prohibited, and cleaning of such vessels should be carried out at portside special points. Recently, scientists have developed a special emulsion that allows to clean the oil tanker without discharging contaminated water.

And accidental oil spills in water areas can be eliminated with the help of floating oil skimmers and various side obstacles.

Global problems of the oceans, in particular oil pollution, attracted the attention of scientists. After all with this you need to do something. Elimination of oil spills in the waters is the main problem of the World Ocean. The ways of solving this problem include both physical and chemical methods. Various foams and other unsinkable substances are already being used, which can collect about 90% of the stain. In the future, impregnated with oil material is collected, the product is squeezed out of it. The layers 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 drug 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 this, a lump of substance impregnated with the product can be caught by an ordinary fishing net.

An interesting way was developed by American scientists to eliminate such spots in the Atlantic Ocean. Under the oil spill, a thin ceramic plate with a connected acoustic element descends. The latter vibrates, oil accumulates in a thick layer and begins to gush over the ceramic plane. The fountain of oil and dirty water is ignited with the help of an electric current, led to the plate. Thus, the product burns without causing any harm to the environment.

In 1993, a law was passed banning the discharge of liquid radioactive waste (LRW) into the ocean. Projects for processing such wastes were developed already in the mid-1990s. But if fresh LRW burials are prohibited by law, the old stockpiles of spent radioactive substances that rest on the ocean floor from the mid-1950s pose a serious problem.

Results

Large-scale pollution increased the risks of using natural resources, which are so rich in the World Ocean. The problems associated with the preservation of natural cycles and ecosystems require rapid and correct solutions. The steps taken by scientists and governments of the world's leading countries show the desire of man to preserve the richness of the World Ocean for future generations of people.

In the modern world, the human impact on natural cycles is decisive, therefore any measures that correct anthropogenic processes should be timely and sufficient to preserve the natural environment. A special role in studying the human impact on the ocean is played by constant monitoring, based on long-term observations of a living organism called the World Ocean. Ecological problems arising from all types of human impact on water are studied by marine ecologists.

All the variety of problems requires the introduction of unified principles, common steps that must be taken simultaneously by all interested countries. The optimal way in which the world's population will be able to solve the environmental problems of the ocean and prevent its further pollution is to prevent the storing of harmful substances in the ocean and create waste-free closed-cycle industries. Transformation of harmful wastes into useful resources, fundamentally new production technologies should solve the problems of pollution of the waters of the World Ocean, but it will take several decades for the ecological ideas to be implemented.