When we think of pollution at sea we often recollect images of the catastrophic effects of an oil tanker disaster – gulls caked in oil, beaches covered in thick brown sludge and rescue workers frantically trying to clean up the mess created by another industrial accident. But oil is just one form of pollution in the sea and tankers are just one, relatively minor, source of oil contamination.

Marine pollution can take many forms: excessive amounts of waste pumped into the sea from towns and cities, plastics that are dumped at sea and on land that make their way into the oceans to be ingested by animals, persistent chemicals that enter the system and, unable to be broken down, enter and build up through the food chain and - perhaps most surprisingly - animals and plants that are transported away from their usual range and find they are able to compete and kill off existing populations.

Pollution is created by industry but it is also created by every one of us. Think about:

• What detergents you use at home
• The rubbish that you dispose of
• The chemicals that you use in everyday life

Climate change and ocean acidification are problems enough for the oceans and the pollution that is already present will cause problems for many years to come. We can all help to reduce any further damage by being aware of our impact on the oceans.

More about Marine Pollution www.wwf.org.uk and www.mcsuk.org