Thursday October 12, 2006

Marine scientists report massive "dead zones"

peakoil.com -> commondreams.org :

Rising tides of untreated sewage and plastic debris are seriously threatening marine life and habitat around the globe, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) warned in a report. The number of ocean "dead zones" has grown from 150 in 2004 to about 200 today, said Nick Nuttall, a UNEP spokesperson. Dead zones can encompass areas of ocean 100,000 square kms in size where little can live because there is no oxygen left in the water. Nitrogen pollution, mainly from farm fertilisers and sewage, produces blooms of algae that absorb all of the oxygen in the water.

In many developing countries, between 80-90% of sewage entering the coastal zones is estimated to be raw and untreated. These wastes contain bacteria and viruses that can contaminate marine species such as shellfish that are consumed by people. Some cities in the developed world also dump their sewage directly into waterways. More than one half of wastewater entering the Mediterranean Sea is untreated, as is 60% of the wastewater discharged into the Caspian Sea. Montreal dumps billions of litres of untreated sewage into the St. Lawrence River, while the postcard-perfect tourist city of Victoria, British Columbia dumps all of its waste directly into the Pacific Ocean.

(2006-10-12 12:56:17 SGT) [Env] Permalink

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