Pollution of the World Ocean is one of the most pressing environmental problems of our time. Sources, causes, consequences and solutions to the problem. Ways to solve environmental problems of the world's oceans

29.09.2019

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Experts say that the environmental problems of the world's oceans must be solved in the 21st century, otherwise serious consequences can be expected. What threatens the world's oceans? What is causing the increased concern among environmentalists? What resources does the planet lose due to water pollution?

Environmental situation in the 21st century

There have been discussions about the pollution of the world's waters for a long time. And not just talk - just look at the number of large environmental studies - more than a thousand of them have been conducted since the beginning of the 21st century alone. By pollution, ecologists mean the entry into the waters of the World Ocean of substances that can disrupt the natural biological and inorganic balance of matter and lead to serious changes in the composition or dynamics of ocean waters.

On this moment Pollution of the World Ocean has already led to the following consequences:

Disturbance of ecosystems - in some parts of the ocean, unique ecosystems disappear, rare species are destroyed, the composition of vegetation changes, and biodiversity decreases.
Progressive eutrophication - water becomes less clean, more and more organic and inorganic impurities appear, the number of animals increases with a decrease in species diversity.
Chemical pollutants—toxic substances—accumulate in biota.
The result of the complex impact is a decrease in biological productivity. This is noticeable in the declining free fish catch.
Increased concentration of carcinogenic compounds in sea water.
High degree of microbiological pollution of coastal waters.

All of the listed consequences of pollution of the World Ocean are destructive not only for the inhabitants of the sea, but also for civilization. The seas are a serious source of resources, ranging from oil to... Therefore, the reasonable use of water resources is a primary environmental task.

Despite the ability of the world's waters to self-purify, it is not able to cope with the current volumes of pollution.

The most dangerous and significant pollution factors:

Oil and petroleum products.
Radioactive substances.
Industrial waste, household waste.
Continental runoff.
Atmospheric pollution.

The last two points are external sources of pollution, which, although dependent on natural factors, are also associated with human activity.

In the last century, pollution was local in nature. Most pollutants were observed in coastal areas, on the coasts of continents, near industrial centers, and also near major shipping routes. In the last 20 years, the situation has changed - now pollutants are found even in high latitude waters - near the poles. Thus, pollution is widespread and affects all waters of the World Ocean.

Main causes of pollution:

Development of mineral and energy resources.
Increased production biological resources.
Intensification of economic activity.
Increase in oil production volumes.
Industry growth.

At the moment, the most polluted oceans are considered to be the Pacific and Atlantic, and the most polluted seas are the North, Mediterranean, Baltic, and inland waters Persian Gulf.

Oil pollution

This is one of the main factors of pollution of the World Ocean. There are calculations that show that the average annual discharge of oil into the ocean is about 15 million tons. This includes both unintentional leaks and tanker accidents and deliberate runoff from oil refineries. The measures are now being tightened, but the impact of a time when there were no laws to protect the ocean from tanker washout and factory runoff is still felt.

The largest areas of oil pollution are located in coastal waters, as well as along the route of oil tankers. In these zones, ecologists note a sharp reduction in the species diversity of flora and fauna.

The environmental problems of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans are, first of all, an oil film, which, according to various sources, covers from 2 to 4% of the water surface. 6 million tons of oil and waste from the oil industry enter the waters of these two oceans annually - and this is only the waste that has been calculated. Half of the waste comes from offshore mining. Pollution from continental mining enters the water through river runoff.

Once oil enters the ocean, the following happens:

A film is formed covering the surface of the water. The film thickness ranges from fractions of a millimeter to several centimeters. All animals caught in this film die.
The film turns into an emulsion - a mixture of water and oil.
Oil collects in conglomerates - heavy lumps that remain floating in the surface layer of water.
Large fish and mammals, such as whales, ingest oil. Thus, oil spreads throughout the ocean. Fish that have swallowed an oil aggregate either die or continue to live, but are no longer suitable for food after being caught.
The last stage is a decrease in biodiversity, a change in the species structure of the biotope.

The result is a drop in biological productivity. This is especially important for areas whose economies are built on fishing and seafood production. The long-term result is an unpredictable change in the biology of the ocean.

Dumping - dumping waste into the ocean

The dumping or burial of toxic waste in the oceans is called dumping. This is a common practice in all industrial centers of the planet. Despite the current bans, runoff from industrial enterprises is growing every year.

On average, dumping accounts for up to 10% of all pollutants entering the ocean.

Pollution mainly occurs in the following situations:

Intentional disposal of materials obtained from toxic production.
Discharge of materials during work on the seabed and in the coastal zone.
Disposal of construction waste.
Disposal of chemicals, explosives, radioactive substances that pose a threat when stored on land.

Waste dissolves in water and accumulates in bottom sediments. After the discharge, it is impossible to purify the waters and return them to their original state. Initially, dumping had an environmental justification - the capabilities of the World Ocean, which is capable of processing a certain amount of toxic substances without damage.

Dumping has long been considered a temporary measure. Now it’s clear that as long as industry has existed, waste has been dumped in sea waters for just as long. The world's oceans cannot cope with the processing of such amounts of waste, and the ecology of sea waters is under threat. At the moment, global waste disposal is one of the most important problems for the world community.

Consequences of unregulated waste disposal:

Death of benthos.
Reduced growth rate of fish and invertebrates.
Change in species composition.

The result is a reduction in the base for the extraction of food resources.

Pollution can also be indirect. Thus, chemical industry enterprises located far from coastal areas also affect the state of waters. Pollutants are released into the atmosphere, from where harmful substances, along with sediments, enter sea water.

Radioactive contamination makes up a small proportion of total pollution, but can be more dangerous than oil dumping. The reason is the ability of radioactive compounds to retain properties that are destructive to living things for a long time.

Radiation has a detrimental effect on both plants and animals. Radiation exposure adds up over time, and radiation exposure does not pass without leaving a trace. Infection is transmitted through food chains - from one animal to another. As a result, harmful doses of radiation are concentrated in living organisms. Thus, there are areas where plankton is 1000 times more radioactive than water.

International nuclear test ban treaties have stopped massive ocean pollution from radioactive waste. But the previous burials remain and still affect the life of marine life.

Main ways of accumulation nuclear waste in the waters of the World Ocean:

Deployment of submarines with nuclear deterrents.
The use of nuclear power plants on submarines.
Transportation of waste by water.
Disposal of unneutralized nuclear waste and nuclear fuel are the main environmental problems of the Arctic Ocean.
Nuclear weapons testing is an Atlantic Ocean problem, and, in to a greater extent, Quiet. The tests lead to both continental pollution and the release of radioactive waste into the water area.
Underground testing - radioactive waste enters the ocean with river runoff.

Nuclear waste causes a whole range of problems - not only does the ecology of living things suffer, but the natural balance of inorganic substances is disrupted.

Pollution of the world's waters is one of the largest environmental problems modernity. Despite all the measures taken to protect water from the harmful effects of industry, it has not yet been possible to achieve any serious results.

Plan.

1. Introduction

2. Resources of the World Ocean

3. Problems of the World Ocean

3.1. Oil and petroleum products

3.2. Pesticides

3.3. Heavy metals

3.4. Thermal pollution

3.5. Inorganic pollution

3.6. Organic pollution

3.7. Synthetic surfactants

3.8. Compounds with carcinogenic properties

3.9. Dumping waste into the sea

4. Water purification methods

5. Protection of seas and oceans

6. Conclusion

7. Bibliography

1. INTRODUCTION.

Our planet could well be called Oceania, since the area occupied by water is 2.5 times larger than the land area.

The world's oceans occupy 362 million square meters. km. Ocean waters cover almost 3/4 of the surface of the globe with a layer about 4000 m thick, making up 97% of the hydrosphere, while land waters contain only 1%, and only 2% is locked in glaciers. The volume of water in the World Ocean is 1,362,200 thousand cubic meters. km The vastness and natural resources of the seas and oceans have a huge impact on the life of the planet. The huge mass of ocean waters forms the planet’s climate and serves as a source of precipitation. More than half of the oxygen comes from it, and it also regulates the carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere, since it is able to absorb its excess. At the bottom of the World Ocean there is an accumulation and transformation of a huge mass of mineral and organic substances, therefore the geological and geochemical processes occurring in the oceans and seas have a very strong influence on the entire earth's crust. It was the Ocean that became the cradle of life on Earth; it is now home to about four-fifths of all living creatures on the planet.

2. RESOURCES OF THE WORLD OCEAN.

In our time, the “era of global problems,” the World Ocean plays an increasingly important role in the life of mankind. Being a huge storehouse of mineral, energy, plant and animal resources, which - with their rational consumption and artificial reproduction - can be considered practically inexhaustible, the Ocean is capable of solving some of the most pressing problems: the need to provide a rapidly growing population with food and raw materials for developing industry, danger of energy crisis, lack of fresh water.

The main resource of the World Ocean is sea water. It contains 75 chemical elements, among which such important ones as uranium, potassium, bromine, magnesium. And although the main product of sea water is still table salt - 33% of world production, magnesium and bromine are already being mined, methods for producing a number of metals have long been patented, among them copper and silver, which are necessary for industry, the reserves of which are steadily depleting, when, as in ocean their waters contain up to half a billion tons. In connection with the development of nuclear energy, there are good prospects for the extraction of uranium and deuterium from the waters of the World Ocean, especially since the reserves uranium ores on earth are decreasing, and in the Ocean there are 10 billion tons of it, deuterium is generally practically inexhaustible - for every 5000 atoms of ordinary hydrogen there is one atom of heavy hydrogen. In addition to releasing chemical elements, seawater can be used to obtain the fresh water that people need. There are now many industrial desalination methods available: chemical reactions, in which impurities are removed from water; salt water is passed through special filters; finally, the usual boiling is carried out. But desalination is not the only way to obtain potable water. There are bottom sources that are increasingly being discovered on the continental shelf, that is, in areas of continental shallows adjacent to the shores of land and having the same geological structure. One of these sources, located off the coast of France - in Normandy, provides such an amount of water that it is called an underground river.

The mineral resources of the World Ocean are represented not only sea water, but also that “under water”. The depths of the ocean, its bottom, are rich in mineral deposits. On the continental shelf there are coastal placer deposits - gold, platinum; meet and gems- rubies, diamonds, sapphires, emeralds. For example, underwater diamond gravel mining has been going on near Namibia since 1962. On the shelf and partly on the continental slope of the Ocean there are large deposits of phosphorites that can be used as fertilizers, and the reserves will last for the next few hundred years. The most interesting type of mineral raw materials in the World Ocean are the famous ferromanganese nodules, which cover vast underwater plains. Nodules are a kind of “cocktail” of metals: they include copper, cobalt, nickel, titanium, vanadium, but, of course, most of all iron and manganese. Their locations are generally known, but the results of industrial development are still very modest. But full swing exploration and production of ocean oil and gas on the coastal shelf is underway, share offshore mining is approaching 1/3 of the world's production of these energy resources. Deposits are being developed on an especially large scale in the Persian, Venezuelan, Gulf of Mexico, and the North Sea; oil platforms stretch off the coast of California, Indonesia, in the Mediterranean and Caspian Seas. The Gulf of Mexico is also famous for the sulfur deposit discovered during oil exploration, which is melted from the bottom using superheated water. Another, as yet untouched, pantry of the ocean is the deep crevices, where a new bottom is formed. For example, hot (over 60 degrees) and heavy brines of the Red Sea depression contain huge reserves of silver, tin, copper, iron and other metals. Shallow water mining is becoming more and more important. Around Japan, for example, underwater iron-containing sands are sucked out through pipes; the country extracts about 20% of its coal from offshore mines - an artificial island is built over the rock deposits and a shaft is drilled to expose the coal seams.

Many natural processes, occurring in the World Ocean - movement, temperature regime of water - are inexhaustible energy resources. For example, the total tidal power of the Ocean is estimated at 1 to 6 billion kWh. This property of ebb and flow was used in France in the Middle Ages: in the 12th century, mills were built whose wheels were driven by tidal waves. Nowadays, in France there are modern power plants that use the same principle of operation: the turbines rotate in one direction when the tide is high, and in the other when the tide is low.

The main wealth of the World Ocean is its biological resources (fish, zoo- and phytoplankton, and others). The ocean's biomass includes 150 thousand species of animals and 10 thousand algae, and its total volume is estimated at 35 billion tons, which may well be enough to feed 30 billion! Human. By catching 85-90 million tons of fish annually, which accounts for 85% of the marine products used, shellfish, algae, humanity provides about 20% of its needs for animal proteins. The living world of the Ocean is a huge food resource that can be inexhaustible if used correctly and carefully. The maximum fish catch should not exceed 150-180 million tons per year: exceeding this limit is very dangerous, as irreparable losses will occur. Many varieties of fish, whales, and pinnipeds have almost disappeared from ocean waters due to excessive hunting, and it is unknown whether their numbers will ever recover. But the world's population is growing at a rapid pace, increasingly in need of seafood products. There are several ways to increase its productivity. The first is to remove from the ocean not only fish, but also zooplankton, some of which - Antarctic krill - have already been eaten. It is possible, without any damage to the Ocean, to catch it in much larger quantities than all the fish currently caught. The second way is the use of biological resources of the open Ocean. The biological productivity of the Ocean is especially great in the area of rising deep waters. One of these upwellings, located off the coast of Peru, provides 15% of the world's fish production, although its area is no more than two hundredths of a percent of the entire surface of the World Ocean. Finally, the third way is the cultural breeding of living organisms, mainly in coastal areas. All three of these methods have been successfully tested in many countries of the world, but locally, so the destructive fishing continues. At the end of the twentieth century, the Norwegian, Bering, Okhotsk, and Japanese seas were considered the most productive water areas.

Our planet could well be called Oceania, since the area occupied by water is 2.5 times larger than the land area. Ocean waters covering the surface of the globe make up 97% of the hydrosphere, while land waters contain only 1%, and only 2% is locked in glaciers.

The world ocean, being the totality of all the seas and oceans of the Earth, has a huge impact on the life of the planet. The huge mass of ocean waters forms the planet’s climate and serves as a source of precipitation. More than half of the oxygen comes from them, and it also regulates the carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere, since it is able to absorb its excess. At the bottom of the World Ocean, a huge mass of mineral and organic substances is accumulated and transformed, therefore the geological and geochemical processes occurring in the oceans and seas have a very strong impact on the entire earth’s crust. It was the Ocean that became the cradle of life on Earth; now about 4/5 of all living creatures on the planet live in it.

Man has been using the ocean since ancient times. For many peoples of the world it has been and remains the most important source of life support. As man accumulated knowledge about the ocean, so did his understanding of how enormous its role in solving current problems development of earthly civilization. Today, few people doubt that the resource potential of the World Ocean is able to replace the depleting resources of land. It is also becoming obvious that the use of the ocean is increasingly becoming political in nature and is becoming a source of deep contradictions between many states of the world.

The traditional and oldest use of the ocean is fishing. The potential of the World Ocean as a food base is enormous. It is home to over 15 thousand species of fish, but this is far from the only food resource for humanity. The ocean contains 43% of the planet's biomass. Of the 33 classes of plants and 63 classes of animals known on earth, 18 and 60, respectively, live in the hydrosphere. A quarter of all animal protein on the planet is found in the ocean. Currently, humans use only the final links of a complex chain of bioproducts - fish, mammals, cephalopods. Their total production reaches 200 million tons. The production of marine products grew especially rapidly in the 20th century, and in the current century, fish production alone has increased from 7 to 80 million tons. The resource potential of the World Ocean is great.

To the traditional types of economic activities of states in the World Ocean in last decades new ones have been added. The ocean is the custodian of huge reserves of oil and gas. If in the 40-50s. XX century they were estimated at 55 billion tons, then already in 1975 - at 400 billion tons. Since then, new promising deposits have been explored: in the Arctic Ocean, on the shelf of Sakhalin and Southeast Asia, in the North Sea, etc. 80% of Russian oil and gas reserves are concentrated on the shelf of the northern seas. Already today, more than 80 countries around the world are developing offshore hydrocarbons. There are over 800 large fields in operation. The ocean contains such valuable minerals as gold, platinum, diamonds, zirconium, and various ores. According to forecasts and estimates of scientists, there are more mineral and chemical resources in the World Ocean than on land. For example, reserves of coal can exceed its terrestrial production by more than 900 times. In countries such as England and Japan, it is already successfully extracted from water. Thus, in Japan, the subsoil of the seabed produces almost a third of all coal production. France, Finland, and Sweden successfully extract iron ore from the seabed. The ocean generally accounts for 4% of the world's sulfur production, 60% of zirconium, and 25% of monocytes. The offshore platinum deposit in Alaska provides 90% of the US needs for this metal. The reserves of marine phosphorites are practically unlimited. At current rates of consumption as fertilizers, these reserves will last for hundreds of years.

There are several objective factors that turn the use of the World Ocean into a global problem of our time:

more intensive use of the potential of the ocean as raw materials, energy and food resources on land are depleted;
the creation of powerful technical means that make it possible to more intensively use ocean resources, to develop not only the shelf, but also the ocean depths;
awareness by the majority of developing countries of the role that the ocean can play in solving the problems of their backwardness, acceleration economic development;
worsening environmental problem, an important component which is the ocean - the most important purifier of the biosphere;
the transformation of the collective process of using the ocean into a political need to find a compromise taking into account the interests of all countries, the emergence of interstate relations of ownership, production and management of the marine economy.

Before our eyes, the World Ocean is becoming scarcer. Many species of fish, which made up a significant share of the world catch 30-40 years ago, are preserved today only in the memory of people. A gradual decline in the biological productivity of the ocean is caused not only by human exploitation of its resources, but also by pollution. Already today, from 2 to 4% of the water surface of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans are covered with an oil film, which is why, according to scientists, the biological productivity of the ocean has decreased by 10% to date (see Appendix 28). Oil pollution of this size can cause significant disruptions in gas and water exchange between the hydrosphere and the atmosphere.

Basic inorganic, i.e. mineral pollutants of fresh and sea waters are a variety of chemical compounds that are toxic to the inhabitants of the aquatic environment. Such as compounds of arsenic, lead, cadmium, mercury, chromium, copper, fluorine. Most of them end up in water as a result of human activity. Heavy metals are absorbed by phytoplankton and then transferred along the food chain to higher organisms. Among the soluble substances introduced into the ocean from land great importance for the inhabitants of the aquatic environment they have not only mineral, biogenic elements, but also organic residues.

The release of organic matter into the ocean is estimated at 300-380 million tons per year. Wastewater containing suspensions of organic origin or dissolved organic matter has a detrimental effect on the condition of water bodies.

As they settle, the suspensions flood the bottom and delay the development or completely stop the vital activity of these microorganisms involved in the process of self-purification of water. As a result, its primary biological production may decrease in certain areas. large areas by 20-30%. All countries of the world are taking part in this destructive process, albeit on different scales. Intensive human activity has resulted in the Baltic, North and Irish Seas being heavily polluted by detergent runoff. The waters of the Baltic and North Seas are fraught with a different danger. In 1945-1947 The British, American, and Soviet command scuttled about 300 thousand tons of captured and own ammunition with toxic substances (mustard gas, phosgene, adamsite).

It is expected that in the next 20-25 years the scale of pollution of the World Ocean will increase by 1.5-3 times.

The problems of the world's oceans are problems of very different nature. Its future depends on how humanity solves them. Therefore, they require concerted international measures to coordinate its use and prevent its pollution.

Control questions

1. What type natural resources classified as inexhaustible and non-renewable natural resources?
2. Name the region of the Russian Federation where environmental problems are most acute and why?
3. What is the reason for the decline in the area of equatorial forests?
4. What is the cause of pollution of the waters of the World Ocean?
5. Name the most environmentally hazardous sectors of the economy.
6. List global problems. What are they related to?
7. Under what conditions is soil liming carried out?
8. What is the “greenhouse effect”? What can cause it?
9. What causes desertification?
10. What natural resources are the resources of the World Ocean? Which ones are used most intensively? What are the challenges of using these types of resources?
11. With the passage of time and the development of production forces, man’s direct dependence on nature decreased. Will a time come when man will not depend on the natural environment?
12. Modern environmental problems include a shortage of mineral resources, depletion of biological resources, and desertification. What are the reasons for their occurrence and possible solutions?

The problem of the World Ocean is a problem for the future of the entire civilization, since its future depends on how wisely humanity resolves them. Addressing these challenges requires concerted international efforts to coordinate ocean use. IN last years A number of international agreements have been adopted to limit ocean pollution. However, its economic problems are so acute that it is necessary to move on to more drastic measures, since the death of the World Ocean will inevitably lead to the death of the entire planet.

In some cases, despite enormous achievements modern science, liquidate certain types chemical as well as radioactive contamination is currently impossible.

Of course, it would be better not to pollute rivers and lakes from the very beginning. And this requires powerful treatment facilities, which in turn requires centralization of the sewerage system. We need sedimentation tanks for rainwater collected from the streets. Sludge is often used in treatment facilities, which after processing is used for fertilizer - this is stage 2, stage 1 is mechanical cleaning and filtration.

Stage 3 - chemical cleaning. It is used where there are residual contaminants in Wastewater ah, discharged from factories and factories, are still dangerous to human life and nature. Enterprises and organizations whose activities affect the state of waters are obliged to carry out the protection of fish stocks, in agreement with the authorities regulating the use and protection of waters, the authorities exercising state sanitary supervision.

Funds for wastewater treatment do not need to be collected directly from all “pollutants” in proportion to the harm incurred.

The importance of water protection is supported by the “Water Party” adopted in May 1976 by European countries:

1. Without water there is no life. Water is a valuable resource absolutely necessary for humans;
2. The supply of good water is not endless. Therefore, environmental protection where possible, multiplication, is becoming increasingly important;
3. By polluting water, a person harms himself and all living organisms;
4. The quality of water must comply with sanitary standards and allow its use;
5. Used water must be returned to reservoirs in a condition in which it cannot interfere with its further use for public or individual needs;
6. Vegetation, especially forest, plays a significant role in the conservation of water reserves;
7. Water resources must be accounted for and recorded;
8. The appropriateness of water use should be regulated by the relevant authorities;
9. To protect water resources, enhanced scientific research, training of specialists and outreach work among the population are necessary;
10. Each of us is obliged, for the benefit of everyone, to use water sparingly and wisely;
11. Water management should be based less on administrative and political boundaries than on the natural boundaries of watersheds;
12. Water knows no boundaries, therefore international cooperation is necessary in its protection and use.

The problem of cleaning industrial wastewater and preparing water for technical, household and drinking purposes is becoming increasingly important every year. The complexity of treatment is due to the extreme variety of impurities in wastewater, the quantity and composition of which is constantly changing as a result of the emergence of new industries and changes in the technology of existing ones. Currently, the method of wastewater treatment with activated sludge is the most universal and widely used in wastewater treatment. The use of technical oxygen, highly active symbiotic sludge cultures, biochemical oxidation stimulants, various types of improved aeration tank designs, aeration equipment and activated sludge separation systems has made it possible to increase the productivity of the biological treatment method several times. Significant reserves are also hidden in the area of intensification of mass transfer. The problem of biological wastewater treatment is gaining increasing national economic importance.

Wastewater treatment methods.

Wastewater treatment methods can be divided into mechanical, chemical, physicochemical and biological. When they are used together, the method of wastewater treatment and neutralization is called combined. The use of a particular method in each specific case is determined by the nature of the contamination and the degree of harmfulness of the impurities.

Of the physicochemical methods, noteworthy is the method of electric pulse disinfection and post-treatment, which completely eliminates chlorination. Treated wastewater is also further purified using ultrasound and ozone.

The essence of the mechanical method is that up to 60-75% of mechanical impurities are removed from wastewater by sedimentation and filtration.

When using a mechanical cleaning method, wastewater is freed from undissolved suspended solids.

One of the disadvantages of this method is that the water is not purified from dissolved organic contaminants. Therefore, mechanical treatment facilities (settlers, sand traps, grates and sieves) are most often a preliminary step before biological treatment.

Chemical method. The method of wastewater treatment is based on the use of various reagents that convert dissolved impurities into a solid insoluble state. Next, precipitation of these substances occurs. But one should not lose sight of the fact that the reagents used are quite expensive, and in addition, their exact dosage must be observed. This method is mainly used for treating industrial wastewater.

It should also be taken into account that neither mechanical nor chemical cleaning methods solve the main issue - waste disposal!

Therefore, the most effective currently is the biological method of wastewater treatment.

Biological wastewater treatment is the result of the functioning of the activated sludge - wastewater system, characterized by the presence of a complex multi-level structure. Biological oxidation, which forms the basis of this process, is a consequence of the occurrence large complex interconnected processes of varying complexity: from elemental acts of electron exchange to complex interactions of the biocenosis with external environment. Research results show that characteristic feature complex multi-species populations, which include activated sludge, is the establishment of a dynamic equilibrium in the system, which is achieved by adding up many relatively small deviations in activity and abundance individual species in one direction or another from their average level.

Disinfection of wastewater is carried out with the aim of destroying the pathogenic microorganisms contained in it and eliminating the risk of contamination of a reservoir with these microbes when purified wastewater is discharged into it.

The most common disinfection method is chlorination. Currently, small treatment plants use several types of installations to prepare dosing solutions containing active chlorine. The first type includes installations for chlorinating water with bleach or powdered hypochlorites. The principle of their operation comes down to preparing a solution of the required concentration and then feeding it into water. The second type includes installations that make it possible to obtain disinfecting chlorine products from initial raw materials - table salt - directly at the point of consumption. Such installations are electrolyzers designed for the preparation of electrolytic sodium hypochlorite. The third type includes installations that allow water to be disinfected by direct electrolysis. This method is reagent-free, since disinfecting products are formed due to the electrolytic decomposition of chlorides found in the water being treated.

The most serious problem of the seas and oceans in our century is oil pollution, the consequences of which are disastrous for all life on Earth.

Methods for purifying the waters of the World Ocean from oil:

· localization of the site (using floating fences - booms)
· burning in localized areas
· removal using sand treated with a special composition

As a result, oil sticks to the sand grains and sinks to the bottom.

· oil absorption by straw, sawdust, emulsions, dispersants, using gypsum
· a number of biological methods

The use of microorganisms that are capable of decomposing hydrocarbons down to carbon dioxide and water.

· the use of special vessels equipped with installations for collecting oil from the sea surface.

Special small vessels have been created that are delivered by plane to the site of tanker accidents. Each such vessel can suck up to 1.5 thousand liters of oil-water mixture, separating over 90% of the oil and pumping it into special floating tanks, which are then towed to the shore.

· safety standards are provided for during the construction of tankers, during the organization of transportation systems, and movement in bays.

But they all suffer from the disadvantage that vague language allows private companies to bypass them. There is no one other than the Coast Guard to enforce these laws.

Therefore, in 1954, an international conference was held in London with the goal of developing concerted actions to protect the marine environment from oil pollution. It adopted a convention defining the responsibilities of states in this area. Later, in 1958, four more documents were adopted in Geneva: on the high seas, on the territorial sea and the contiguous zone, on the continental shelf, on fisheries and the protection of living marine resources. These conventions legally established the principles and norms of the law of the sea. They obliged each country to develop and implement laws prohibiting pollution marine environment oil, radio waste and other harmful substances. A conference held in London in 1973 adopted documents on the prevention of pollution from ships. According to the adopted convention, each ship must have a certificate - evidence that the hull, mechanisms and other equipment are in good condition and do not cause damage to the sea. Compliance with certificates is checked by inspection upon entry into the port.

It is prohibited to discharge oil-containing water from tankers; all discharges from them must be pumped only to onshore receiving points. Electrochemical installations have been created for the purification and disinfection of ship wastewater, including domestic wastewater. The Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences has developed an emulsion method for cleaning sea tankers, which completely eliminates the entry of oil into the water area. It consists of adding several surfactants (ML preparation) to the wash water, which allows cleaning on the ship itself without discharging contaminated water or oil residues, which can subsequently be regenerated for further use. Up to 300 tons of oil can be washed from each tanker.

In order to prevent oil leaks, the designs of oil tankers are being improved. Many modern tankers have a double bottom. If one of them is damaged, oil will not spill out; it will be retained by the second shell.

Ship captains are required to record in special logs information about all cargo operations with oil and petroleum products, and to note the place and time of delivery or discharge of contaminated wastewater from the ship.

Floating oil skimmers and side barriers are used to systematically clean up water areas from accidental spills. Physico-chemical methods are also used to prevent oil spreading.

A foam group preparation has been created that, when in contact with an oil slick, completely envelops it. After spinning, the foam can be used again as a sorbent. Such drugs are very convenient due to their ease of use and low cost, but their mass production has not yet been established. There are also sorbent agents based on plant, mineral and synthetic substances. Some of them can collect up to 90% of spilled oil. The main requirement that is placed on them is unsinkability.

After oil is collected by sorbents or mechanical means, a thin film always remains on the surface of the water, which can be removed by spraying chemicals that decompose it. But at the same time, these substances must be biologically safe.

A unique technology has been created and tested in Japan, with the help of which a giant stain can be eliminated in a short time. The Kansai Sange Corporation has released the ASWW reagent, the main component of which is specially processed rice husk. Sprayed over the surface, the drug absorbs the emission within half an hour and turns into a thick mass that can be pulled off with a simple net.

The original cleaning method was demonstrated by American scientists in the Atlantic Ocean. A ceramic plate is lowered under the oil film to a certain depth. An acoustic record is connected to it. Under the influence of vibration, it first accumulates in a thick layer above the place where the plate is installed, and then mixes with water and begins to gush. Electricity, brought to the plate, sets the fountain on fire, and the oil burns completely.

Owners of funds water transport, pipelines, floating and other structures on water bodies, timber rafting organizations, as well as other enterprises are obliged to prevent pollution and clogging of water due to loss of oils, wood, chemicals, petroleum and other products.

Since 1993, the dumping of liquid radioactive waste (LRW) has been prohibited, but their number is steadily growing. Therefore, in order to protect environment in the 90s, liquid radioactive waste cleanup projects began to be developed.

In 1996, representatives of Japanese, American and Russian firms signed a contract to create a facility for processing liquid radioactive waste accumulated on Far East Russia. The Japanese government allocated $25.2 million for the project.

In order to maintain a favorable water regime of rivers, lakes, reservoirs, groundwater and other water bodies, to prevent water erosion of soils and siltation of reservoirs, anti-erosion hydraulic measures are carried out.

However, despite some successes in the search for effective means of eliminating pollution, it is too early to talk about solving the problem. Only by introducing new methods of cleaning water areas it is impossible to ensure the cleanliness of the seas and oceans. The central task that all countries need to solve together is the prevention of pollution.

The importance of the World Ocean for all life on Earth is enormous: but life originated in it, it provides it further development through its role as a temperature regulator and oxygen producer; The transport, mineral, and bioresource use of the Ocean is growing.

Ocean problem is that more than 1 million tons of oil, industrial and urban waste, including heavy metals and radioactive waste in containers, fall into it annually, which ultimately leads to a reduction in its fish productivity and a decrease in the recreational opportunities of the coasts.

Solutions:

Scientific and technological revolution opens up enormous opportunities for solving the problem of the World Ocean.

The solution to such issues as: more complete extraction of minerals from the bowels of the Earth, reduction of energy and material intensity of production, discovery of new and development of previously inaccessible deposits, involvement of inexhaustible energy resources in economic circulation, progress in the field of nuclear and hydrogen energy, MHD depends on it -generators, fuel cells and much more.

Water is prerequisite existence of all living organisms on earth. Large volumes of water on the planet create the impression of its abundance and inexhaustibility. Long years the development of water resources was carried out practically uncontrolled. There is now not enough water where it does not exist in nature, where it is intensively used, where it has become unsuitable for consumption.

About 60% of the total land area is in areas that do not have sufficient fresh water. A quarter of humanity suffers from a lack of it, and over 500 million more people suffer from shortages and poor quality.

Water resources are distributed unevenly across continents. Asia, due to its large population and high population growth rates, is among the most water-poor continents. Many countries in Southwest and South Asia, as well as East Africa, will soon face water shortages, which will not only limit agricultural and industrial development, but may also lead to political conflicts.

The need for fresh water is experienced by the population, industry and agriculture. However, most of the water is the water of the world's oceans, unsuitable not only for drinking, but also for technological needs.

Despite the achievements of modern technology, the problem of reliable water supply for many countries of the world remains unresolved.

The increase in industrial water consumption is associated not only with its rapid development, but also with the increase in water intensity of production. The chemical industry, metallurgy, and paper production require a lot of water.

Global agriculture accounts for about 70% of all global water withdrawals. And now most of the world's farmers use the same irrigation methods as their ancestors did 5,000 years ago. Irrigation systems in third world countries are particularly inefficient.

We can draw the following conclusion: the deficit of fresh water is growing.

The reasons for this are: rapid population growth, increased consumption of fresh water for agriculture and industry, discharge of wastewater and industrial waste, and a decrease in the ability of water bodies to self-purify.

The limited, uneven distribution of freshwater resources and growing water pollution are one of the components of humanity’s global resource problem.

The ocean occupies most of the earth's surface - 70%. It supplies half of the oxygen in the air and 20% of the protein food of humanity. The properties of sea water - thermal generation, circulation of currents and atmospheric flows - determine the climate and weather on earth. It is believed that it is the World Ocean that will quench the thirst of humanity. The resource potential of the ocean can in many ways replenish the depleting resources of the land.

So what resources does the World Ocean have?

Biological resources (fish, zoo- and phytoplankton);

Huge mineral resources;

Energy potential (one tidal cycle of the World Ocean is capable of providing humanity with energy - however, for now this is the “potential of the future”);

The transport significance of the World Ocean is great for the development of world production and exchange;

The ocean is the receptacle for most of the waste from human economic activity (through the chemical and physical effects of its waters and the biological influence of living organisms, the ocean disperses and purifies the bulk of the waste that enters it, maintaining the relative balance of the earth’s ecosystems);

The ocean is the main reservoir of the most valuable and increasingly scarce resource - water (the production of which through desalination is increasing every year).

Scientists believe that the ocean's biological resources are enough to feed 30 billion people.

Of the biological resources of the ocean, fish is currently primarily used. However, since the 70s, the increase in catch has been falling. In this regard, humanity will seriously think about the fact that the biological resources of the ocean are under threat as a result of their overexploitation.

The main reasons for the depletion of biological resources include:

unsustainable management of global fisheries,

ocean water pollution.

In addition to biological resources, the World Ocean has enormous resources mineral resources. Almost all elements of the periodic table are present in sea water. The depths of the ocean, its bottom, are rich in iron, manganese, nickel, and cobalt.

Currently, offshore oil and gas production is developing, and the share of offshore production is approaching 1/3 of the world production of these energy resources.

However, along with the exploitation of the rich natural resources of the world's oceans, pollution is also increasing, especially with the increase in oil transportation.

The question on the agenda is: will the ocean turn into a waste dump? 90% of the waste dumped into the seas each year ends up in coastal areas, where it harms fisheries, recreation, etc.

The development of ocean resources and its protection is undoubtedly one of the global problems of humanity. The world ocean determines the face of the biosphere. A healthy ocean means a healthy planet.

To summarize, it becomes clear that global problems are the result of the enormous scale of human activity, radically changing nature, society, people's way of life, as well as man's inability to rationally manage this powerful force.

We see what exists a large number of problems that threaten all life on Earth. The main thing, however, is not the completeness of the list of these problems, but in understanding the reasons for their occurrence, their nature and, most importantly, in identifying effective ways and means of resolving them.

Global problems, in my opinion, require enormous attention, their understanding and immediate decisions, otherwise not solving them can result in a disaster. As a resident of planet Earth, I cannot help but be concerned about the global problems of humanity, because I want to breathe clean air, eat healthy food, live in peace and communicate with smart, educated people.

It is not difficult to understand what awaits us if we do not pay due attention to these problems. Then the entire civilization will suffer. This danger worries me not only; many people are already trumpeting all over the planet about problems in all spheres of life. Special organizations are being created to develop solutions and overcome emerging dangers to all living things.

The disease of civilization can only be cured by the common efforts of the peoples of the Earth. One can hope that international solidarity and a growing sense of belonging to a single human community will force a search for solutions to the GP.

You should know it!!

The problems of the World Ocean are environmental, economic, technical, and social problems at the same time, and his future depends on how wisely a person solves them!!!

Protect the environment!