Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
1
INTRODUCTION TO THE
MARINE ENVIRONMENT AND
POLLUTION
What is the marine environment?
As used in this topic, the marine environment covers not only
the ocean, but estuaries (e.g., bays), which are coastal areas
where the seawater is diluted with freshwater coming from
rivers and streams, or sometimes groundwater. Much of the
pollution is concentrated in these shallow coastal areas, which
are often next to urban centers and other concentrations of
humans who are responsible for the pollution.
What are some basics of marine ecosystems and food webs?
Marine ecology is a branch of ecology dealing with the inter-
relations of organisms living in the oceans, shallow coastal
waters, and on the sea shore. Organisms interact through the
roles they play as producers, consumers, and decomposers.
Primary producers are plants that take in inorganic carbon
dioxide and water, and through the process of photosynthe-
sis make organic materials (sugars) using light energy from
the sun. They are the first step of the food web. Primary con-
sumers are herbivorous animals that eat the plants; secondary
consumers are carnivorous animals that eat the herbivores;
