THREATS AND

HUMAN IMPACT
ON THE MARINE
ENVIRONMENT
Gizel Rivera-Santiago
Graduate Student
Philippine Normal University
Taft Avenue, Manila
http://www.theasian.asia/archives/90390
 OUTLINE
Introduction
Goods and Services Provided by the
Marine Environment
Threats to Coastal and Marine
Biodiversity
Conclusion
 1 Introduction

Can life exist on earth without water?

http://www.palawanmag.com/tubbataha- https://www.pinterest.com/explore/sea-turtle- http://polardiscovery.whoi.edu/arctic/ecosys

species/
reefs/ tem.html
 The oceans
biological diversity
provides immense
benefits to all of
human society.
http://www.oceanislandtravel.com/home.asp?
id=78
 Goods and Services Provided by the
2 Marine Environment

Cite examples of
ecosystem good and
services that can be
provided by marine
environment.
https://www.123rf.com/stock-
photo/marine_environment.html
 Threats to Coastal and Marine
3 Biodiversity
How do humans affect the marine environment?
 Viral pathogens can
significantly affect primary
Diseases
production in the sea and can
reduce primary productivity by
as much as 78 percent
(Wommack and Collwell, 2000).
Crain et al. (2009) reported that
marine diseases may be
increasing for some species
due to human activities.
http://www.3reef.com/threads/is-my-sea-urchin-dying.9017
 Overexploitation is Overexploitation
the leading threat to
vulnerable marine
species and a major
threat to marine
ecosystems (Halpern
et al., 2008). http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20120920-are-we-running-out-of-
fish
 Overfishing Overfishing is defined as a
level of fishing which puts
at risk values endorsed
either by the fishing
management agency, by
the nation in whose waters
fishing takes place, or
within widely accepted
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=52v5uZ3Jr6w international agreements.
 The increasing risk of Extinction
extinction in the sea is
widely acknowledged, and
the conservation of marine
biodiversity has become a
high priority for researchers
and managers alike
(Reynolds et al., 2005;
Jones et al., 2007). http://newsline.ph/environment/2017/04/07/sav
ng-marine-turtles-from-extinction/
Genetic and Behavioral Degradation
Alteration of behaviours in
response to human activity
also lessens natural diversity
(Sechrest and Brooks, 2002).
Due to interdependencies
among species, the demise
of one can lead to the
decrease or demise of others
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?
id=10.1371/journal.pone.0023601 (SeaWeb, 2016).
 Climate change forces Global climate change
species to shift their
ranges and disrupts
ecological
communities (Lemoine
and Bhning-Gaese,
2003).
https://www.fws.gov/pacific/climatechange/change
pi.html
 Global climate change
Relini (2012) proposed that
climate change due to
oceanic temperatures, acidity
and patterns of water
movement, largely caused by
increasing atmospheric
carbon dioxide, and impacts
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2008/20081020_ocea
from damage to the ozone
layer.
nacid.html
 Human activities that affect Global climate change
global climate change
include the production of air
pollution from sources such
as fossil fuel combustion
and burning of forests
(Sechrest and Brooks, http://dn-energy.weebly.com/
2002).
Global climate change
Increase in ocean temperatures
IPCC (2007) reported that human-
generated greenhouse gases have
already led to an average increase
in ocean and air temperatures of
0.40.8C. According to Gitay et
al. (2002), the mean surface
temperature has increased by 0.6
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2015/20150825-
noaa-climate-science-strategy-to-reduce-effects-
0.2C during the 20th century.
climate-change.html
 Increase in ocean Global climate change
temperatures
Crain et al. (2009) has
noted that warming
temperatures can impact
marine systems at
numerous levels like:
Organism
Population
Community https://www.emaze.com/@ALLWROTR/
brayan-or-brayan-hernandez-
Global climate change
Patterns of ocean
currents
Changes in ocean
currents can convert
these regions of high
productivity to hypoxic
zones or dead zones.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effec
ts_of_global_warming_on_oceans
 Sea-level rise
Global climate change
Paul (2011) reported that
melting of the worlds
major ice sheets and
smaller mountain glaciers
are also making a
significant contribution to
global sea level rise, as
http://www.whoi.edu/main/topic/sea-
much as 12 cm by the end level-rise
of the century.
 Global climate change
Increasing atmospheric CO2
levels and ocean acidification
As CO2 emissions continue to
rise, ocean acidification is rapidly
becoming a critical issue with the
potential to affect many species
and their ecosystems associated
with human food resources
http://www.teachoceanscience.net/teaching_res
ources/education_modules/coral_reefs_and_cli
(UNEP, 2010).
mate_change/how_does_climate_change_affect
_coral_reefs/
 Increasing atmospheric
Global climate change
CO2 levels and ocean
acidification
Elevated CO2
Impacts on calcifying and
photosynthesizing
Affects orientation, baance
and behavior
Causes reduced shell
https://www.i-fink.com/ocean-acidification/
calcification
Global climate change
Excessive nutrient enrichment
Howarth et al. (2000) noted
that eutrophication leads to
a cycle of enhanced algal
blooms followed by algal
death, decomposition and
oxygen depletion, is a
http://www.eniscuola.net/en/2016/11/03/
what-is-eutrophication-causes-effects-
widespread problem in
and-control/ coastal waters.
 Excessive nutrient enrichment Global climate change
Changes in species composition
Shifts in competitive hierarchies
Promotes invasion by non-native
species
Hypoxic conditions
Changes in growth, metabolism,
and mortality of marine
organisms
Compressed habitats, loss of
key fauna, and diversion of https://thefisheriesblog.com/2013/05/13/hypo
xia/

energy
 Global climate change
Ozone depletion and
increased UV radiation
fluxes
According to Hader et al.
(2010), increased ultraviolet
radiation represents a
relatively new problem to
marine organisms and it acts
as an environmental stressor http://www.trussty.com/2012/09/ozone-and-
life-on-earth.html?m=0#axzz4hLMoYa7V
for corals, zooplankton and
fish.
Global climate change
Regime shifts
Pan et al. (2013) reported that
regime shifts arise when a
combination of climatic,
biological and physical changes
lead to persistent new sets of
ecosystemic characteristics that
represent deviations or shifts
from the historic record.
https://www.nature.com/nature/jour
nal/v518/n7537/full/nature14140.ht
ml
Habitat destruction or loss
One of the most devastating threats to biodiversity is the
outright loss of habitat due to human activity. Once removed,
a natural habitat is often permanently lost, although natural
or artificial restoration of some habitats is possible over time
(Craig, 2012).

http://www.oceanhealthindex.org/methodology/components/habitat-
 Habitat destruction or loss
Coastal wetlands drained
and converted to upland
habitat
Oyster reefs overharvesting
Intertidal and shallow
subtidal habitats converted
to jetties and hardened
shoreline
http://animals.howstuffworks.com/enda
ngered-species/10-signs-modern-mass-
extinction1.htm
Mangroves removal
Habitat destruction or loss
Loss of native
resident species
Loss of food
resources
Loss of environmental
complexity and
ecosystem functions https://prezi.com/txll6hx8srdn/coral-reef-
bleaching/
Habitat degradation and fragmentation
Marine ecosystems are
experiencing high rates of
habitat loss and
degradation, and these
processes are considered
as the most critical threat to
marine biodiversity (Gray,
http://theconversation.com/great-
barrier-reef-bleaching-stats-are-bad-
enough-without-media-misreporting-
1997; Imtiyaz et al., 2011).
 Introduced Species
Introduced/Non-
indigenous species
are the species
introduced outside of
their natural range
and beyond their
natural dispersal https://ph.news.yahoo.com/photos/san-
pablo-lakes-named-threatened-in-2014-
1391349175-slideshow/
potential.
Introduced Species

Pyek and
Richardson (2010)
reported that
marine biological
invasions are
increasingly altering
https://archive.epa.gov/greatlakes/image/
web/html/viz_iss4.html
coastal biota
Coastal and marine pollution

Contamination of the natural environment in the form

of liquids, solids, gases, or even forms of
electromagnetic radiation input into air, water, or land
Coastal and marine pollution

Acute pollution Chronic pollution

http://www.norskpetroleum.no/en/environm https://ejatlas.org/conflict/chronic-
ent-and-technology/oil-spill-preparedness- pollution-in-eloor-kerala-india
and-response/
Land-based runoff or marine dumping
Persistent organic
pollutants (POPs)
Effects of POPs include
cancers, deformations
and reproductive failure
due to disruption of sex
hormones in marine
organisms. http://projects.inweh.unu.edu/inweh/inweh/co
ntent/807/IWLEARN/persistent-organic-
pollutantss.html
Oil Pollution
Physical abnormalities, blindness,
cancer and mortality.
Poisoning due to internal damage from
oil ingestion.
Animals become sleepy and drown
due to hypothermia.
Oil creates a sticky substance in water
called mousse, which stuck to the fur
or feather of sea animals. As a result,
birds are unable to fly and die due to http://www.greenpeace.org/intern
ational/en/news/features/recent-
starvation. oil-spills/
Oil Pollution
Affect filter feeders by
concentrating in the flesh of
these animals.
Death of clams, mussels, and
oysters due to quick
accumulation of oils and toxins.
Kill eggs and sperms of corals
if occurred during coral
spawning.
http://www.greenpeace.org/seasia/ph/
multimedia/slideshows/the-guimaras-
oil-spill-inciden/
Heavy Metals
Islam and Tanaka (2004)
reported that heavy metals like
mercury, cadmium, silver, nickel,
selenium, lead, copper,
chromium, arsenic, and zinc
enter coastal waters directly
through dumping, atmospheric
deposition, or sewage, which
also brings organic pollutants, http://soil-
trace elements, and environment.blogspot.com/2009/06/heavy-
metal-pollution-and-nutrient.html

pharmaceuticals.
Plastics
Floating plastic waste
accounts for 80 percent or
more of marine debris.
Debris in oceans and seas is
an aesthetic problem; it
incurs considerable costs
and can have severe
impacts on marine
organisms and habitats
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/scitech/science/4351
90/phl-3rd-in-list-of-countries-with-the-most-ocean-
(Pawar et al., 2016).
plastic-pollution/story/
Altered Salinity
Anthropogenic activities cause
decrease in salinity which impact
marine invertebrates (Alutoin et al.,
2001).
Salinity is a physiological factor, it
can cause immediate mortality or
sub lethal stress at the organism
level, leading to shifts in community https://answersingenesis.org/the-

and ecosystem structure (Crain et flood/how-could-fish-survive-the-

genesis-flood/

al., 2009).
Altered Sedimentation
Sedimentation disproportionally
impacts coastal estuaries,
where increasing sediment
loads lead to burial of benthic
communities and increasing
water turbidity, reducing light
penetration and leading to
numerous associated negative
http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/rcb7/Oceanograph
effects (Crain et al., 2009). y.html
4 Conclusion
Coastal and marine biodiversity is declining very rapidly due to
increasing human-population pressure on coastlines and brings
multiple human uses and threats to the coastal marine environment.
Anthropogenic threats have precipitated a global disaster for coastal
and marine biodiversity.

http://r12.emb.gov.ph/ra-9275-the-philippine-clean-water-act/
References:
Ecosystem Goods and Services
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/info/pubs/docs/ecosyste
m.pdf

Caitlin M. Crain, Benjamin S. Halpern, Mike W. Beck, and

Carrie V. Kappel (2009). Understanding marine and managing
threats to the coastal marine environment.

M. J. Kachel (2008). Threats to the marine environment:

pollution and physical damage.
 THANK YOU
AND GOD
BLESS!

Gizel Rivera-Santiago
Graduate Student
Philippine Normal University https://www.pinterest.com/pin/48082969769168
Taft Avenue, Manila 8188/