Land-based pollution represents the single most important cause of marine pollution; the threat of land-based pollution to the marine environment is a serious one since it mainly affects coastal waters, which are sites of high biological productivity. In this chapter provides knowledge of land-based marine pollution. | LAND-BASED MARINE POLLUTION By Gohoho E. Sena, Regional Maritime University LAND-BASED MARINE POLLUTION Land-based pollution represents the single most important cause of marine pollution. The threat of land-based pollution to the marine environment is a serious one since it mainly affects coastal waters, which are sites of high biological productivity As typically shown in Minamata disease which was caused by mercury poisoning through liquid waste from a factory in Japan, contaminations in coastal waters may pose serious risks to marine ecosystems as well as human health. Nearly half of the global population resides in coastal areas 2/3rd of the world’s cities are coastal Goods and services provided by marine coastal ecosystems are worth US $ 13 trillion per annum, which equals to half of the annual global GDP Thus, there is no exaggeration to say that the very survival of coastal populations depends on a healthy marine environment In a broad context, the land-based marine pollution | LAND-BASED MARINE POLLUTION By Gohoho E. Sena, Regional Maritime University LAND-BASED MARINE POLLUTION Land-based pollution represents the single most important cause of marine pollution. The threat of land-based pollution to the marine environment is a serious one since it mainly affects coastal waters, which are sites of high biological productivity As typically shown in Minamata disease which was caused by mercury poisoning through liquid waste from a factory in Japan, contaminations in coastal waters may pose serious risks to marine ecosystems as well as human health. Nearly half of the global population resides in coastal areas 2/3rd of the world’s cities are coastal Goods and services provided by marine coastal ecosystems are worth US $ 13 trillion per annum, which equals to half of the annual global GDP Thus, there is no exaggeration to say that the very survival of coastal populations depends on a healthy marine environment In a broad context, the land-based marine pollution is a result of the imbalance between human populations and industrial activities and the limited capacity of the marine environment to absorb the wastes they produce It has been estimated that at least 60 percent of the world’s population live within 100 km of the coast. Hence, it is conceivable that with rapid population growth, marine pollution from land-based activities will become more problematic. Insert Page Title here Insert Page Content Here Land-based marine pollution is a world-wide problem and accounts for about 80% of all marine pollution! LAND-BASED MARINE POLLUTION Major Land-based Marine Pollutants Litter Sewage Heavy metals Nutrients Petroleum Chlorinated hydrocarbons Nutrient pollution is the process where too many nutrients, mainly nitrogen and phosphorus, are added to bodies of water and can act like fertilizer, causing excessive growth of algae. Pesticides are made of chlorinated hydrocarbons. 7 Sources of Land-based marine Pollution Industry Municipal Waste Urban .
