Contents
The sea for a person is a valuable source of resources: minerals and gases, fauna and flora, liquids. For a working vacation at sea, this is the very goal for which you can overcome the office routine. Unfortunately, it has become extremely difficult to find a clean coast lately, and it’s not at all the poor work of local “public utilities” or insufficient budgeting by local authorities. Developing along the coasts of the city with might and main draw on the above resources and, importantly, drain back the waste, polluting the water and killing the biomass. Yes, and vacationers also do not stand on ceremony with nature, regularly throwing kilograms of household waste and garbage into the water or leaving on the sand.
Nature has not learned to self-purify itself from industrial technological waste, since they are artificially created, and natural splitting and decomposition can take tens, hundreds and even thousands of years. This is how various “slag” accumulates in the depths of the sea, which finds its manifestation in the general pollution of the coast from year to year.
Consider the TOP 10 most polluted seas, to which a person has reached in his economic and tourist activities.
10 Caspian
In the depths of this sea, research developments on oil fields regularly take place. As a result, waste from industrial activities remains in the water area, which destroys the local flora and fauna. At the moment, it is known that the hydrocarbon content in the liquid has significantly exceeded safe limits. Phenol is also elevated 6 times more than is acceptable for normal water use.
9. South China
The economies of Asian countries and China are developing by leaps and bounds, which leads to the mass construction of hydroelectric power stations, ports and other economic facilities on the coast of this sea. Toxic algae multiply regularly, causing the water to turn red and polluted. Also, industrial waste waters that do not even pass primary filtration are discharged into the sea. Liquid samples of coastal waters showed disappointing results, which forced the sea to be listed as the dirtiest in the Southern Hemisphere.
8. red
The famous sea of Egypt attracts a lot of tourists every year. It surprises with rare corals, colorful fish and other beautiful fauna, as well as clean, light sand and water. However, this applies to resort areas, where the purification of coastal waters is monitored – nevertheless, this is a source of income for local authorities. How are things really? The Red Sea has recently been rapidly evaporating, which leads to a concentration of toxic components. The reduction in fishing is observed up to 70%. At the same time, the tourist flow increases, which leads to additional water pollution with biological and household waste.
7. Japanese Sea
Also, as in other similar seas, untreated sewage and oil products are intensively drained into the Japanese megacities, the amount of which exceeds the established norms by 10 times. In the sea surface, not only hydrocarbons were found, but also pesticides and DDT (insecticide).
6. Mediterranean
Ranks 3rd in the world in terms of pollution. Megacities of Italy and Cyprus use water in industry, do not hesitate to drain waste, so doctors do not advise to relax on the coast of large cities. Scientists have found that about 650 million tons of solid household waste and more than 200 million toxic liquids based on mercury, oil products and lead are thrown into the sea every year. It was also found that every kilometer of the Mediterranean Sea floor contains an average of 2 items of human waste. Some representatives of the fauna (for example, swordfish and tuna) accumulate mercury toxic to humans, and then end up on our table.
5. Laccadive
The sea of the coast of India is “famous” for its saturation with compounds of heavy metals, salts and suspensions, the concentration of which reaches an average of 0,6 milliliters per 1 liter of liquid. These figures exceed the permissible by 6 times, which is extremely dangerous for human health, and especially for children and the elderly, whose immunity is weakened. Megacities are building ports in the sea, which are generators of hazardous waste and sewage.
4. The Baltic
And this sea is the leader in terms of the volume of chemical and even nuclear components in its bowels. According to some reports, even mustard gas was found in the water in addition to the already existing soman, sarin and diphosgene. About half a million tons of chemical weapons (charges and containers) were sunk at the bottom, as well as nuclear waste, which is a kind of “powder keg” of delayed action. In addition, the Baltic Sea is quite shallow, which leads to an increased concentration of garbage, household waste and toxic liquids. In total, scientists counted about 60 potential “deadly” sites with a high concentration of poisons.
3. Black Sea
The east of the sea is the most polluted (exceeding the concentration of toxins by 6 times). Hydrogen sulfide was found at the bottom. A significant number of incoming tourists leads to severe pollution of water spaces and the coast with household and biological waste. The main source of pollution is maritime traffic, as well as auxiliary enterprises such as docks, ports and construction companies. The rate of water exchange and self-purification in this sea is reduced, which leads to the accumulation of sewage and oil products. Recently, outbreaks of intestinal infections have been diagnosed among the population and tourists. Pollution also negatively affects fishing, reducing the volume of fish and seafood caught – and this is an important source of income for local regions.
2. The Azov
One of the dirtiest seas in Europe, which is noticeable not only to scientists, but also to the naked eye of a tourist. Dark and muddy water, the seabed covered with fish skeletons, decomposing corpses of living creatures on the coast – and this is far from the limit of what a person faces every season. A characteristic oil mold is already observed in the water area (up to 0,05% of the sea surface area!), And E. coli and related diseases will soon return to normal. A shallow depth leads to an increase in the concentration of industrial waters and harmful chemical elements, the rapid decomposition of the biological mass. Natural sources of pollution are also periodically noted, for example, small mud volcanoes.
1. Gulf of Mexico
One of the first places in the rating is occupied by a small sea that is part of the Atlantic Ocean. It does not contain so much household waste from tourism, but there is a very “variegated” chemical composition. The rivers flowing into the bay carry various nitrates, phosphorus, and other toxins from the megacities of the United States, Mexico and Cuba. Also, oil spills in the area, which leads to poisoning of the local fauna and flora. It is estimated that the sea during the industrial development has accumulated about 10 million barrels of oil.
As we can see, it is man and his unreasonable economic activity that are mostly to blame for the pollution of marine areas. Factories and stations do not install the necessary cleaning filters, illegally pouring waste into rivers and seas. Old ports and docks, as well as saturated shipping, degrade the local ecology. The development of gas and oil sources leads to poisoning of marine life with toxic products. Yes, and the moral level of the majority of tourists leads to the fact that thousands of tons of biological and household garbage fall into the water. Let’s be more attentive to our common nature and save its valuable resources, otherwise an ecological catastrophe is inevitable!