How COVID-19 is Affecting our Oceans
There aren’t many positive things that I can say about the coronavirus pandemic, but one of the things that we can focus our attention on is the positive impact that it has had on marine ecosystems all around the world.
One of the most significant impacts of this pandemic is the reduced noise pollution, which has been caused by the significantly reduced number of shipping containers, cruise ships, and underwater seismic surveys. Off the coast of Vancouver Island, a 25% drop in the 100hz range has taken place, and many Baleen whales (Humpbacks etc.) use this sound range for communication and navigation purposes. This time of ‘quiet’ is the perfect opportunity for scientists to research into communication between whales and how they respond to sounds around them. Killer whales communicate mostly in the 800hz range, however they would still be distracted and stressed by the loud noises caused by shipping containers and cruise ships. Not only do these noises affect communication between whales, it could potentially disrupt a whales’ echolocation. Echolocation is a physiological process where a whale can emit sound waves and if they are reflected back, they can identify the presence of prey and eat it. There has been evidence of whales halting this echolocation process when big ships pass nearby, and this highlights the serious disruption that it causes to their day-to-day behaviour. However, it’s important to remember that this ‘quiet’ ocean is not actually quiet at all; it’s just ‘natural noise’. ‘Natural noises’ include waves, wind, rain, and the noises that are constantly being produced by different species of fish and marine mammals, but this is noise that the whales have evolved alongside, and none of these ‘natural noises’ disrupt the underwater environment as much as the big ships do. Also, whales aren’t the only species that are directly affected by noise pollution; countless fish species use sound to communicate and hear, and zooplankton can die if the surrounding noises are too intense.
This pandemic is also giving our atmosphere a break, with some places seeing the cleanest air for decades. This clean air has a positive impact on the oceans too, because as we see less greenhouse gases entering our atmosphere, we will see less acid rain. Acid rain causes ocean acidification because the Nitric or Sulphuric Acid will lower the pH of the seas, which causes the Calcium Carbonate skeletons of corals to dissolve, hence disrupting and dismantling coral reef communities globally. The decrease in acid rain will slow the rate of further ocean acidification, which slows down and prevents the death of thousands of corals. This can give reefs important time to recover and rebuild, and even though this doesn’t reverse the lowered pH of the ocean, it gives the animals and plants time to adjust and evolve.
Sadly, the effects of this pandemic are not all beneficial to marine wildlife and ecosystems. One of the outcomes will be an increase in illegal fishing and more quotas being overlooked. Since the coast guards and naval officers are being needed elsewhere, the seas are vulnerable to illegal fishermen, pirates, and smugglers. In areas such as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), we may witness a decrease in population sizes and potentially a decrease in biodiversity. Not only would this be due to illegal fishermen, but commercial ships may also stretch their quotas with the view that no-one will know otherwise. This may be for financial purposes or this could be correlated with the increase in demand for fresh fish. The regulation of marine laws has worsened, and it is important that we make the effort to alert governments and councils that management and protection of MPAs must be continued, even during a time of global crisis.
Alongside this, one of the biggest issues facing our oceans, even before the pandemic, was plastic pollution, and this problem is only getting worse. With the soaring production of plastic face masks and PPE, we will see soaring amounts of plastic entering our oceans and killing thousands of fish and mammals. Hospitals in Wuhan saw a 480% increase in medical waste per day during the outbreak, and this has been seen all across the globe. I know many are purchasing disposable face masks, but it is important that we ask ourselves; Where is all this plastic going once we are done with it? Recycling programs are being stopped in countries like the USA in order to provide more money for the economy and the healthcare system. This is understandable, but it means that we are using much more plastic than normal, and recycling much less; this is not acceptable at any time, but especially when plastic pollution is already one of the foremost issues facing our oceans.
We are also seeing increases in food waste as well, because home deliveries are becoming more popular, there is a greater need for food to be packaged in plastic to prevent contamination. On top of this, due to the economic crisis, people are spending more time trying to save money. As a result, less people are purchasing slightly more expensive sustainably produced food, and substituting it for cheaper alternatives that are less environmentally friendly. At a time when money is tight, this is also understandable, but even well-reasoned actions can’t be ignored; we must remember that this pandemic is temporary but our oceans are not, and long after this pandemic has subsided, we will still be facing the effects of our actions today, tomorrow, and for the foreseeable future.
The marine environment as it stands during this pandemic is said to be similar to that of 150 years ago, and we should see this as a reason to make more sustainable and eco-friendly decisions as we begin to bring the global economy back to life. Many have set goals and ambitions for their time during this pandemic - your goal should be to keep our oceans quiet, clean and safe.
Sources:
https://www.csis.org/analysis/covid-19-sea-impacts-blue-economy-ocean-health-and-ocean-security
https://thenarwhal.ca/an-important-time-to-listen-ocean-scientists-race-to-hear-coronavirus-under-water/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969720323305
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/cleaner-air-coronavirus-precautions-makes-earth-day-celebration/story?id=69923658