Sea Turtles in danger from pollution

Turtles are some of the slowest animals on land. But in the ocean, sea turtles swim

quickly through the water. They begin their lives on the beach. They hatch from eggs

buried in the sand. As soon as they are born, the little turtles, called "hatchlings," hurry

back into the ocean. They do not return to the beach until they are ready to nest.Even

though sea turtles live in the water, they need air to breathe. They must swim up to the

surface to take in air. Most snack on jellyfish and other ocean creatures. All sea turtles are

endangered.

This means that there are not many of them left. Sea turtles face many dangers,

especially from humans. People take over turtles' habitats by building hotels and houses

on the beach. Some people also bother nests when they are playing on the beaches. This

makes it difficult for mother turtles to find safe places to dig nests and lay their eggs in

the sand.In some areas of the world sea turtles are hunted by people. Their eggs are eaten

for food. Their shells are used to make jewelry and even guitars. Some suntan lotions are

made with turtle oil.

People can hurt sea turtles without even knowing it. Dumping garbage in the

ocean, like plastic bags and balloons, really hurts sea turtles. To a turtle, a floating plastic

bag or balloon can look like food. The plastic blocks other food from getting into their

stomachs, and the turtles starve. Sea turtles get very sick when they eat this kind of trash.

Some sea turtles have been found with tumors growing on their bodies, possibly a result

of marine pollution. Nearly 50 percent of leatherback sea turtles recently studied had

plastic bags or cellophane lodged in their stomachs or intestines. Dead sea turtles have

been reported containing everything from pieces of plastic milk jugs to bits of balloons,

items likely ingested when mistaken for jellyfish.

The dismal survival rate is due in part to the increasing number of hazards that

these creatures face at sea. Ocean pollution and commercial fishing continue to

inadvertently claim the lives of countless sea turtles as they travel throughout the ocean to

feed. Laws and policies need to be urgently put in place to manage activities in near-

shore as well as open seas.

Light pollution is at the heart of the decline of sea turtles. It impacts their nesting

habits... and the ability of young hatchlings to survive. Light pollution from local

communities is  threatening large segments of the sea turtle population. Artificial lighting

like neon signs and street lights disturb turtles and confuse them. It is believed that turtles

navigate between the beach and the ocean using reflected light, and man made lights may

distort their vision.

Pollution can have serious impacts on both sea turtles and the food they eat. For

example, new research suggests that a disease now killing many sea turtles

(fibropapillomas) may be linked to pollution in the oceans and in nearshore waters. When

pollution contaminates and kills aquatic plant and animal life, it also destroys feeding

habitats for sea turtles. Oil spills and urban runoff of chemicals and fertilizers all

contribute to water pollution. An estimated 36% of all marine pollution from oil comes

through drains and rivers from cities.

Fertilizers are another huge marine pollutant. The runoff comes from farms and

lawns, causing eutrophication from the extra nutrients. Eutrophication is an explosion of

algal blooms that can deplete the water's oxygen and suffocate marine life.

Eutrophication has created enormous dead zones in many parts of the world, including

the Gulf of Mexico. Improper sewage disposal is another factor that causes

eutrophication.

Because the ocean is so large, many assume that pollutants will be diluted and

dispersed to safe levels, but in reality they create havoc on the oceans' natural balance.

Some toxins even become more concentrated as they break down and enter the food

chain. Sea turtles are affected by pollution in more ways than one; they do not have to

directly ingest a tar ball, for example, to be affected by it. Small marine animals, on the

lower levels in the food chain, like plankton, absorb these chemicals as they feed. The

chemicals then accumulate in these animals' bodies, which makes the toxins much more

concentrated than in the surrounding water. These small animals are then consumed by

larger animals, like sea turtles, which continues to increase concentration levels of

chemicals and pollutants.

Oil spills from exploration for and transportation of oil and gas, as well as from

urban and agricultural run-off, pose substantial risks to marine turtles and to the habitats

they rely upon. Oil from spills and leaks that sit on the surface of the water doesn't really

stick to sea turtles like it would to other marine species. But oil can get in their eyes, on

their skin, and in their lungs when they come to the surface to breathe. Although turtles

maybe the toughest in terms of resisting some of the immediate physical damage from oil

spills, they have proved to be more vulnerable to chemical exposure that happens

indirectly through the food they eat. Not only do larger spills pose a problem for the

turtles, studies have shown that continuous exposure over time will weaken a sea turtle's

overall health, making it more susceptible to other dangers.

Because sea turtles are highly migratory—spending different life-history stages in

different habitats—sea turtles are vulnerable to oil spills at all life stages: eggs on the

beach, post-hatchlings and juveniles in the open ocean gyres, subadults in nearshore

habitats, and adults migrating between nesting and foraging grounds and on the nesting

beach.

A 2002 study hundreds of tiny hatchling sea turtles were captured offshore of

Florida's mid-Atlantic coast nesting beaches. Turtles were captured along the

“downwelling lines” that form along the western edge of the Gulfstream. The baby turtles

were among the floating mats of Sargassum that accumulates in these areas. 20% of the

hatchlings studied had ingested tar that had accumulated in their gut or on their mouth.

Smaller amounts of plastic were also found. In an similar 1994 study 63% of the baby

turtles had ingested tar.

Because sea turtles use both marine and terrestrial habits during their life cycles,

the affects of climate change are likely to have a devastating impact on these endangered

species. Climate change will impact sea turtle nesting beaches, their reproductive habitat.

Sea turtles' memories are "imprinted" with a magnetic map of the sandy beach where they

hatch. This gives them the unique ability to return to that same site decades later to repeat

their ancient nesting ritual. With melting polar ice caps and rising sea levels, these

beaches are beginning to disappear. The direct impacts of sea level rise include losing

beaches, ecologically-productive wetlands and barrier islands. Another impact is an

increase in nesting beach temperatures. The gender of sea turtles is determined by the

temperature at which eggs incubate. With increasing nest temperatures, scientist predict

that there will be more female that male hatchlings, creating a significant threat to genetic

diversity. Climate change will also increase water temperatures, changing ocean currents

that are critical to migrating turtles, especially for hatchlings that are mostly transported

by sargassum sea weeds traveling with the currents. Warmer ocean temperatures are also

likely to negatively impact food resources for sea turtles, and virtually all marine species.

Coral reefs, which are an important food source for sea turtles, are in great danger.

Almost half of the coral reef ecosystems in the U.S. are in poor or fair condition. As a

result of rising temperatures, coral reefs are suffering from a "bleaching" effect that kills

off parts of the reef.

Many people help to protect sea turtles. Volunteers watch the beaches to protect

turtle nests and eggs. Scientists put special tags on some sea turtles to track them. The

tags allow scientists to learn more about where the turtles go.

Although these threats to sea turtles and destruction of their habitats seem almost

too big to overcome, there are many things within our control that can be changed.

Greater public awareness and support for sea turtle conservation is the first priority. By

learning more about sea turtles and the threats they face, you can help by alerting

decision-makers when various issues need to be addressed.