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Adam Scott
Ms. DeBock
English 4
22nd September 2016
Essential Question: How are our oceans affected by human interaction?
Working Thesis: Humans negatively affect our oceans through pollution, but working efforts
have been made to refine these issues
Refined Thesis: Humans negatively affect our oceans through pollution, this pollution leads to
issues with our ocean environment, increased engineering and interest in cleaning our oceans,
and political issues.
Annotated Bibliography
Grant, Richard. "Plastic Debris Is Polluting the World's Oceans." Pollution. Ed. Louise I. Gerdes.
Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2011. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Drowning in
Plastic." Telegraph 24 Apr. 2009. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 21 Sept. 2016.
A patch of garbage made mostly of plastic has accumulated in the Pacific Ocean. The
surrounding water contains six times more plastic than plankton. Plankton is important to the
ocean life that feeds off of it. With all of these plastic debris animals have been forced to
relocate, if they get the chance to. The plastic garbage can cause animals to get entangled and
suffocate. In addition bottom feeding fish try to feed off of the debris leaving them sick and most
likely on the path to death. In other situations with less plastic trash animals are still forced to
relocate to a new habitat because of what humans have done to their native environment. This
article is important to the topic of ocean pollution because humans have to realize that pollution

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is far beyond looks of our environment, and keeping the ocean clean is the only way to keep our
animals alive.

Heinrichs, Ann. Maintaining Earths Oceans. New York: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, 2012.
Print.
Earth is covered by nearly three-fourths of the ocean. Oceans are important to society
close to them and the world as a whole. The ocean is used to get food, play, and explore. In order
for society to continue to do this the oceans need to be maintained. Pollution containment is a big
deal in keeping the oceans clean. With pollution steady contaminating the oceans they do not
stand a chance to become clean. By maintaining Earths oceans there will be an exponential
growth in healthy ocean life and beauty of the ocean. This source is important to ocean pollution
because it is important to know that if the ocean continues to suffer through negative effects of
human interaction it could be costly to animal life and the beauty of the ocean.

Loy, Frank E. "Human Efforts Are Improving the Condition of the World's Oceans and Coastal
Regions." Endangered Oceans. Ed. Louise I. Gerdes. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2004
Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "lecture at the University of Virginia Center for Oceans
Law and Policy." 1999. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 21 Sept. 2016.
Recent conservation efforts in the last ten years have provided hope to the reduction of
ocean pollution. Efforts to clean up and reduce waste have been very prominent in the 20th and
21st centuries. Human efforts have helped to improve the state of our oceans, ocean species, and
coastlines. Humans need to continue to have pride in the oceans and local waterways to keep
them clean. The lives of many ocean species have been saved by non-profit organization and

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ocean clean up groups. This source is extremely important to ocean pollution because it is the
future, current actions will decide what imprint humans leave on the oceans.

Russell, Dick. "Water Pollution Is a Serious Problem." Pollution. Ed. Tamara L. Roleff.
San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2000. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Where the Land
Meets the Sea." E/The Environmental Magazine (1998). Opposing Viewpoints in Context.
Web. 20 Sept. 2016.
Ocean pollution is a serious issue that must be prevented more than corrected. The only
way to improve the condition of our oceans is to prevent the damage that is happening each and
every day. Ocean pollution is destroying the ocean reefs, these play a key role in holding together
our coastlines and helping them to resist erosion. The build up of chemical pollution ruins ocean
reefs and can eventually harm our coastlines. The coral reefs are also homes to many of our
ocean species. Ocean pollution becomes an ongoing cycle, harming the oceans, coastlines, our
animals, and eventually us. Water pollution has also developed Red Tides, the build up of
extremely toxic plants. These plants have a huge negative effect on our ocean species, infecting
shellfish and often times the humans who eat them. Water pollution must be prevented so that we
can make larger efforts to clean up the oceans and correct the damages. This source is helpful to
ocean pollution research because it talks about the seriousness of water pollution and the effects
on nature.
Wilson, Stiv. "Plastic Bag Bans Protect the Environment." The Environment. Ed. Lynn M. Zott.
Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2014. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "In
Defense of Plastic Bag Bans." GreenBiz.com 28 Dec. 2011. Opposing Viewpoints in
Context. Web. 21 Sept. 2016.

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Recycling and reusing plastic bags help the environment but the only way to completely
remove plastic debris from the ocean is to ban plastic bags on land. Many of the debris that come
onto land make their way into local waters and from local waters to the oceans. By banning
plastic bags there is a guarantee that they will not end up in the ocean. With the complexity of
society many solutions to the plastic bag issues have been found. Society is capable and has the
technology to modify plastic bags to have less harm to the environment where they sadly end up.
A plastic ban is required temporarily as a first step to clean up the oceans. This source is
important to ocean pollution research because the only way to truly end water pollution is to stop
making harmful items on land that may end up in the ocean.

Word Wildlife Fund. "Ocean Pollution Is a Global Threat." Pollution. Ed. Debra A.
Miller. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. Current Controversies. Rpt. from "Marine 0
Problems: Pollution." Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 20 Sept. 2016.
All of the oceans around the world have been negatively affected by human interaction.
Oil spills recently have created issues with ocean life. In addition to oil spills humans have
placed more harmful chemicals into our oceans. Fertilizers are continuing to be used, the runoff
from these wastes run into the sewers and through canals into our oceans and surrounding
waters.Sewage also finds it way to the ocean. Many oceans such as the Mediterranean Sea are
affected by sewage runoff. Eighty percent of urban sewage that it discharged into the
Mediterranean Sea is untreated. In addition to chemical wastes, physical garbage has managed to
make its way into the ocean. These solid garbages leave more physical damage, as they do not
decompose. They harm animals continually. This article is related to ocean pollution because it is
important to know that pollution affects all of the world and not just the United States, or the
eastern coast.

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