POLLUTION AND THE OCEAN
OIL POLLUTION
Oil pollution
is very bad for the ocean and environment.
Thirty seven million gallons of oil are accidentally spilled into the
ocean every year by tankers. Even more
oil gets into the ocean from non-accidental sources. Sixty million gallons of oil end up in the
ocean every year. That’s a lot of
oil! The oil “glues” birds’ feathers
together, clogs fishes gills, and blocks out sunlight (making it harder for
plants underwater to go through photosynthesis). Oil pollution also slows down coral reefs
growing and their reproduction. Coral
reefs are also very sensitive to oil, especially crude oil. Click here for a pie graph on oil pollution. Also, click here for another chart on how many millions of
gallons of oil end up in the ocean each year.
