"As ocean pollution mounts, "toxic slime" rises up, destroying ocean life."
I read an article called, “As ocean pollution mounts, "toxic slime" rises up, destroying ocean life.” This article talked about how us humans are the cause for this “toxic slime” that has risen from the depths. Scientist say that it was formed from a 2.7 billion year old cyanobacteria. When the fishermen were in contact with it, giant welts appeared on them and they had difficulty breathing once it was inhaled. People say that there is no doubt humans have caused this, but they just need to find out what it is.
Many scientists thought that the ocean was immune to influence from humanity, but because of over fishing and run-offs of pollution entering the ocean waters, the basic chemistry has altered to where it is supporting primitive life. For example, some form of harmful algae has appeared off several coastlines and many jellyfish are filling up the European coastlines in Spain. The advanced ocean life is struggling to survive while the primitive life is spreading like wildfire. A marine ecologist says this evolution is “the rise of slime.”
There has been so much overfishing that there aren’t enough sea turtles to eat the over abundance of jellyfish. The plankton population has also increased which has caused the fisherman to become “jellyfisherman”. This way they make easy money because in China and Japan, jellyfish are delicacies in their countries.
Perhaps the biggest impact that humanity has had on our oceans is the one on our coral reefs. Although they only cover 1 percent of the ocean floor, they do support 25 percent of ocean life.
The affects humans have had on the ocean have been devastating because our coral reefs are dying. Something has to be done, will you be the change?
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