Ocean Pollution - Vincent Resendez

Introduction and Importance

The beaches of Los Angeles are a popular place for all locals and attract millions of tourists from all round the world. The beach is a landmark and a wonderful area where tourist and people in general all congregate together to have fun on a hot day to cool off in the water to or hangout on the boardwalks. Specifically, here in Los Angeles two well-known beaches are Santa Monica and Venice Beach.

Venice Beach (visitcalifornia.com)

Santa Monica Beach (visitcalifornia.com)

The Ocean is important for all life on earth. The ocean benefits us by producing us oxygen, food, and water through rain and snow. 

General Importance (Deepoceanobserving.org)

The Issue

The ocean helps all life directly and indirectly and many of us do not understand that fully. The issue of ocean pollution is happening today, and it affects the Los Angeles beaches; such as, Santa Monica and Venice Beach. The issue is also worldwide and spreads across all beaches around the world.

What is ocean pollution?

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) ocean pollution is defined as “harmful or unnatural pesticides, trash, plastic, chemicals that do not belong in the ocean and are brought there by outside sources” (2). 

• Ocean pollution examples:
• Plastic pollution
• Chemical dumping
• Oil spills
• Invasive organisms
• Harmful organisms hurting all life in the ocean

The issue of ocean pollution is increasing and is affecting wildlife in the ocean and also hurting human life. Ocean pollution starts by hurting small organisms of the ocean food chain and then overtime will affect the organisms of the top of food chain (2). Continuing this issue and no change to it can hurt humanity now and more in the future.

Food Chain of the Ocean (ultimate-animals.com)

Did you know? (global ocean pollution facts)

• According to The World Count, one garbage truck of plastic is dumped into the ocean every minute...
• By 2030, it will be two trucks per minute and by 2050 it will be four trucks (7).
• Predict that in 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the sea (7).
• Currently in 2020 around 3,460,109 tons of plastic is already dumped into the ocean and is increasing every second (7).
• In 2017, Plastic waste in the ocean kills up to 1 million sea birds, 100,000 sea mammals, marine turtles and countless fish. As each year passes plastic remains in the ocean’s ecosystem for years, harming thousands every day (6).

Trash in the Ocean (Plastic Oceans)

California Brown Pelican Found Dead with Plastic Inside it (ocean.si.edu)

Ocean Pollution in Santa Monica and Venice Beach

Now moving from ocean pollution globally, the issue of ocean pollution is relevant to Los Angeles. Ocean pollution specifically is hurting Santa Monica and Venice Beach communities. The wildlife that lives on the shore of the beach and in the water are all suffering from the ocean waters being polluted with trash and chemicals.

Did you know? (ocean pollution facts of Los Angeles)

• According to The Public Works of Los Angeles County found that 200 tons of trash is collected by trash nets in the Ballona Creek and the Los Angeles River each year.
• More tons of trash of is either escaped because the nets get to full after a rainstorm and that trash makes its way towards Santa Monica and Venice Beach (1).
• According to The Environmental Group of Heal the Bay, Santa Monica Beach was named the most polluted beach in Los Angeles County in 2017 and 2018 (3).
• In 2018, Santa Monica Beach was named the 7^th dirtiest beach in California (3).
• Venice, Santa Monica Beach, and other urban LA County beaches are major factors to ocean pollution in Southern California (1).
• According to The Public Works of Los Angeles County people should wait for three to four days to enter the beaches after it rains since rain washes all bacteria and parasites in sewage drains from all of LA County to the water which can be deadly for visitors (1).
• LA residents dump enough trash to fill up Dodger Stadium in two weeks (1)

Many types of trash on the Santa Monica Beach shore just after a rainstorm

The picture above shows how ocean pollution is affecting the communities of Santa Monica. Also affects Venice Beach since they are neighboring beaches. According to YoVenice, a local news group in Venice, reported last year around "1000 pounds of trash was collected in the span of two mouths" of beach cleanups. The Surfrider Foundation did this beach clean once every weekend of a total of eight times of doing beach cleanups and got 1000 pounds of trash (5). 

According from the Santa Monica Daily Press (SMDP) "around 300 pounds of trash and recycling was collected from a one mile stretch" of Santa Monica pier down towards Venice Beach in one day (3).

The amount of trash collected on both beaches makes the water of Los Angeles beach filthy and polluted to the point that no one should enter, or any wildlife will be safe if they entered. The issue of beach pollution hurts wildlife that lives there and also hurts the people who visit Santa Monica and Venice Beach. With so much trash in the water this causes an accumulated effect of Marine Debris. This debris is seen throughout Santa Monica and Venice but more importantly this issue is seen throughout the whole world. The whole world is having this issue of increase trash in the ocean that has no way of it dying naturally but lives forever in the water hurting millions of sea creatures each day. All the waste found around the world is coming from storm drains in cities; such as, Santa Monica and Venice Beach.

Trash in Santa Monica Drain (Heal The Bay)

At times Santa Monica and Venice were closed because of how toxic the water is and unsafe it is for humans and wildlife. The effects of ocean pollution from beaches contaminate the water by adding many types of nutrients in there. According to NOAA, those “nutrients increase and cause an alga bloom that kills marine life by a toxic neurotoxin" (8). Also, can hurt human and cause paralysis if they were to eat the sick fish coming from the alga bloom water. According from Heal the Bay, 65 millions of locals and people from all over the world visit Santa Monica and Venice Beach each year and the beaches being polluted will decrease those numbers and decrease annual revenue for the city and for business near the beach.

Why is the Ocean Important?

According to Ocean Services NOAA, the ocean is important by regulating climate change by 70% which it helps by cooling the earth down when there are extreme heats. The ocean also provides 50% of the oxygen we all breath today (8). The ocean provides transportation for all trades and traveling purposes. The ocean provides billions of dollars to the nation and to communities such as Santa Monica and Venice. People work at the beaches to get paid. Many types of medicines are made from the ocean and are used to fight cancer, arthritis, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s (8). Lastly, the ocean is a major food source for countries that relied on seafood only and other people who eat seafood (8). Overall, ocean pollution will affect all these benefits to life on earth. If the ocean is polluted more than that will have a ripple effect to hurting Santa Monica and Venice Beach communities and also the whole world overtime. People will lose jobs, source of medical treatments, and food because of ocean pollution.

Solutions to Minimize Ocean Pollution

·      Some solutions to preventing ocean pollution by the community is taking action and furthering change. Participating in protest and voting for laws that will help decrease pollution in the beaches of Santa Monica and Venice.

·      Another solution is picking any kinds of trash up if seen on the floor. Countless times people walk over trash and that trash will end up in the beach. Picking it up and putting it in a trash can will be small steps to clearing ocean pollution in Santa Monica and Venice Beach.

·      Also, using fewer one use plastic bags and one use products in general can lessen ocean pollution (4). Using more reusable bags and reusable products will be the best to use. This all together will lessen the amount of trash found in our local beaches and reduce ocean pollution around the world.

·      Participating in local community events in Santa Monica and Venice Beach that inform the public of the issue of ocean pollution and wanting to fight it can be a solution. Participating in beach clean ups on weekends can lessen the pollution in the local beaches and help lessen the issue for the future.

Here are some links to help solve this issue:

1. Heal The Bay Beach Cleanup Events
2. Surfrider Foundation

Community Outreach

Mario Reyes

Resident of Venice Beach

“I go to the beach regularly during the summer and I find myself picking handfuls of trash from shore putting it in trash cans. It is devastating to see my home (Venice Beach) polluted with plastic waste and it just makes me not want to go in the water. Little things; such as, picking up trash from the floor and using reusable products can lessen the pollution here in Venice and have a cleaner beach”

Melissa Rodriguez
Resident of Santa Monica
“I go to Santa Monica Beach regularly to work out by running on the shore. I always loved going to the beach but now seeing all this trash on the shore, I rarely go. I feel that Santa Monica Beach being polluted will hurt the ecosystem of Santa Monica Beach by hurting wildlife by the water being polluted and also cause sea creatures to consume plastic thinking that it is food. That issue hurts sea creatures and overtime that issue will go to humans in the natural food chain... I have participated in a beach clean-up at Santa Monica last year with some friends and we walked off with 3 buckets. I feel that participating in community events are the best ways to minimize ocean pollution here in Santa Monica Beach”

Jose Govea

Resident of Santa Monica

“I see plastic bags, cigarettes buds, all types of small plastic pieces, and even used needles on the shore. It is devastating to see Santa Monica littered with trash and still attracts millions to visit... Having dirty water will lessen people coming to visit if something is not done to stop the issue. Ocean pollution is Santa Monica will hurt the natural ecosystem and all life near the shore. I believe the best way to minimize ocean pollution to inform people of the issue. Having flyers and providing ways of telling information about the issue of pollution in Santa Monica can bring changed in the laws of the city to minimizing ocean pollution.”

Why do I care for this issue?

I care for the issue of Ocean Pollution in Santa Monica and Venice Beach because I am apart of those communities affected by that issue. I lived in Venice for all of my life and went to school at Santa Monica. However, today I do not live in Venice anymore and moved out of there in 2012 but I do still consider it my home and apart of who I am. Going to school for K-12 in Santa Monica and living in Venice, I always aware of the issue of Ocean Pollution because many will talk about it. In my 11^th grade Marine Biology class we actively learned about ocean pollution in the Santa Monica Bay and actively tackled the issue by doing beach cleanups and going to city meetings about ways to minimize waste in the Santa Monica Bay. Actively participating in these events for a whole year urged me to write about this issue because I believe it is something that everyone should be aware of now and the consequences it can have in our communities and most importantly all life on earth. I care for wildlife in the ocean and all the people in the communities I tackled. So, I believe that helping stop the issue of ocean pollution in urban beaches; such as, Santa Monica and Venice Beach will have a greater impact to stopping global ocean pollution and to having a cleaner ocean for the future.

References

(1) Cook, Devon. “Project Pollution Prevention: Stormwater Pollution Fast Facts.” STORMWATER POLLUTION FAST FACTS, Los Angeles, 2017, dpw.lacounty.gov/prg/stormwater/page_30.cfm.

(2) “Ocean Pollution.” Ocean Pollution | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, June 2018, www.noaa.gov/education/resource-collections/ocean-coasts-education-resources/ocean-pollution.

(3) Pauker, Madeleine, et al. “Beaches Cleaned throughout the County.” Santa Monica Daily Press, 25 Sept. 2019, www.smdp.com/092519-fp-cleanup/180216.

(4) “Plastic Oceans Canada |.” Plastic Oceans, 2019, plasticoceans.ca/?matchtype=b&network=g&device=c&adposition&keyword=plastic pollution in the ocean&gclid=CjwKCAjw95D0BRBFEiwAcO1KDPHOiEm9wL8kfHvkqoU7PR437z9V3gx9irqPoFF-ETdQX4iYkkZMuBoCCWcQAvD_BwE.

(5) Staff, Yo Venice. “1,000 Pounds of Trash.” Yo! Venice!, 8 Mar. 2019, yovenice.com/2019/03/08/1000-pounds-of-trash.

(6) “The Ocean Conference: United Nation.” Sustainabledevelopment.un.org, July 2017, sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/Ocean_Factsheet_Pollution.pdf.

(7) “The World Count: Global Challenges.” The World Counts, 2020, www.theworldcounts.com/challenges/planet-earth/oceans/plastic-in-the-ocean.

(8) US Department of Commerce, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “Why Should We Care about the Ocean?” NOAA's National Ocean Service, 24 May 2017, oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/why-care-about-ocean.html.