What Everyone Needs to Know

For millennia, human societies have viewed the ocean as a dumping ground for waste products of all kinds. The sources of marine pollution are extensive, including oil spills, sewage, fertilizers, pesticides, industrial wastes, heavy metals, ocean acidification, plastics, and even invasive species, considered biological pollution. Yet, the solutions are not as clear.

Updated to reflect recent research, this book discusses the sources of marine pollutants, their effects on marine organisms and humans, and how to reduce or eliminate them. Weis covers the aftermath of oil spills in addition to "emerging" topics like flame retardants, pharmaceuticals, noise pollution, and PFAS. A new chapter examines the prevalence of microplastics and how they rise through the food chain into human beings, along with their associated toxic chemicals. Additional chapters address the deadly effects of climate change in the ocean but also focus on actions that all people can take, citing recent environmental improvements as a cause for hope.