Despite the ban in 1994, radioactive depositions still reach the seas. In french pipes of nuclear facilities Greenpeace's divers found the waters to have 17.000.000 times more intense radioactivity than clean waters. In Norway, crabs and seaweeds have been polluted by the radioactive substance technetium. Scientists found it comes from old british facilities for nuclear fuels. However, american geologists are thinking of burying under the seabed radioactive materials.
Since 1959 enormous quantities of radioactive waste have been thrown into the Arctic Ocean, including nuclear reactors, while another million of chemical weapons decay onto the sea floor in 400-4500 metres depth. Moreover, Spain has stored 100.000 barrels containing slight radiocative waste, from scientific laboratories. Plutonium from the nuclear trials is detected in the southern seas of the Atlantic ocean. Britain has recorded 57.435 shipwrecks, including nuclear submarines.
The highly dangerous poison DDT harms the marine organisms more than the others, and thanks to the marine currents it is transfered to all seas, affecting every organism. PBDE, a substance used for computer and television construction, has been detected in whales' fat!
90% of all fish are polluted by mercury and another 25% by PCB.
Every oil drilling pollutes the sea bed in an area of 20 square kilometres and at the one third of this area all forms of life die.
Wordwide algies increase dramatically while fish population reduces. Since the day Israel didn't sign the ban about chemical depositions in the seas, the Haifa Chemicals company only has thrown into the sea 60.000 tones of toxic waste. On daily basis 12.800 tones of acids reach Tinisia's bay, results of the production of chemical fertilizers.
70 of the 200 most important fish species are endangered, according to FAO (world organisation of food and agriculture). However, fishermen's number increases and the recent method of bottom trawling destroys whole marine ecosystems.
Ocean researchers discovered that the increasing air pollution prevents the coral reefs from growing.When CO2 reaches the water surface, it reacts,turning the water more acidic and harming corals. And as if this didn't happen, scientists want to channel directly under the sea bed enormous quantities of CO2 to ease the atmosphere...
All this was only a part of the annual research of environmental organisations. And it doesn't even mention domestic nor hospital waste. For those who haven't understand how much we pollute our seas...
Image credit: Tres. Image licensed under a
Creative-Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works license.
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