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Marine Pollution

The increasing pollution caused by plastic waste and pollutants puts a considerable strain on the seas and oceans. Munition waste, too many nutrients, and increasing underwater noise add to this.

Overview
> Pollution

Pollution of the oceans

The increasing pollution caused by plastic waste and harmful substances is putting a considerable strain on the oceans. Added to this are munitions waste, too many nutrients and increasing underwater noise.

Meere Online
Insight
The wreck of a warship lies on the seabed. It is overgrown with algae.
Picture: Wouter Naert, Unsplash
> Ammunition

Ammunition in the Ocean

Since the end of World War II, significant amounts of ammunition and chemical warfare agents have been dumped in the ocean.

Meere Online
Insight
Ein Ozeandampfer hinterlässt eine lange, weiß schäumende Spur, die bis zum Horizont sichtbar ist. Schiffsschraubenverwirbelungen sind hör- und sichtbar. Bild von neufal54 auf Pixabay
Foto: neufal54, Pixabay
> Underwater Noise

Underwater Noise

Things are getting louder underwater: construction noise, engine noise and explosions can harm marine life and disrupt their communication or even make it impossible.

Meere Online
Insight
Rope on sailboat hangs over water with oil film stains.
Picture: Waldemar, Unsplash
> Pollutants

Pollutants

The consequences of marine pollution with contaminants are diverse and depend on the characteristics of the environmental toxins.

Meere Online
Insight
Filamentous green layers grow over seagrasses on the mudflats. They cover the seagrass meadow like a carpet and overgrow everything.
Picture: Dirk Schories
> Nutrients

Nutrients in the Ocean

If nutrients are present in sufficient quantities, marine life follows its usual course. However, when they are excessively introduced large blooms of algae can occur.

Meere Online
Insight
Dead bird in an old fishing net that has been turned into a nest. A live gannet stands next to the tangle of nets.
Picture: Silke, Pixabay
> Plastic Litter

Marine Plastic Litter

The ocean's pollution issue is growing exponentially. An increasing production and disposal of plastics contribute to the problem.

Meere Online
Focus
Map of northern Germany with labelled areas of ammunition dumps, areas contaminated by ammunition, suspected ammunition sites.
Picture: Nach Böttcher et al. 2011, in DAM Factsheet Munition im Meer
> Ammunition

Munition in the Seas – Current Knowledge and Perspectives

Munitions in the seas and oceans threaten the marine environment and risk their sustainable use and management. For several years, research has been conducted to evaluate the scale of the impacts and to develop solutions for their future remediation.

DAM
Focus
A manta ray swims in the sea, surrounded by plastic waste such as bags and bottles.
Picture: Vincent Kneefel, Ocean Image Bank
> Plastic Litter

Plastic Litter in the Oceans

No matter where people look in the world’s oceans: Plastic is already there. Plastic waste in the marine environment is a global problem of immense scale that urgently needs to be solved. At UN level, there is movement towards a global plastics agreement.

Meere Online
Website
> Ammunition

Clearance of munition in the seas

The Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMUV) provides information on the immediate action programme for the clearance and disposal of munitions in German marine waters. A pilot project is testing available technologies.

BMUV
Website
> Ammunition

Research into munitions

The CONMAR project, part of the DAM research mission sustainMare, investigates munitions in German marine waters and provides solution-oriented knowledge for action.

sustainMare | DAM
Multimedia
> Plastic Litter

Online portal for marine litter

The “Litterbase” database of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) compiles extensive scientific knowledge on marine litter and offers maps and infographics.

AWI
Website
> Plastic Litter

Round table marine litter

An information platform for all relevant stakeholders on the coordination and implementation of national measures against marine litter. Around 130 experts support the work of the round table, established in 2016.

UBA
Multimedia
> Pollutants

Digital toolbox for marine pollution

Based on scientific findings, the Coastal Pollution Toolbox (CPT) provides information on the sources, impacts, and mitigation options for marine pollution.

Hereon
PDF
> Pollutants

Paraffin waxes in the marine environment

Small and large quantities of paraffin waxes are repeatedly washed up on German coasts. In this fact sheet, the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) provides information about the waxy lumps that can also be found on the seashore.

BSH
Multimedia
> Underwater Noise

Information video underwater noise

In this video, the Museum für Naturkunde (MfN) and the Deutsches Meeresmuseum (DMM) provide information about noise in the sea. What sources of noise are there in the sea? Why is man-made noise so threatening to animals? What solutions are there?

MfN
Multimedia
> Underwater Noise

Children's audio book on the sounds of the sea

This nearly ten-minute podcast for children brings the soundscapes of the ocean to life. Listen to the rumble of underwater volcanic eruptions, the songs of whales, and the noise caused by humans.

DMM
Multimedia
> Underwater Noise

No place of silence – Sounds in the sea

This seven-minute podcast explores the underwater soundscape – from the noises made by marine life to the sounds caused by human activity above and below the water.

DMM
Website
> Plastic Litter

Marine plastic debris

In this thematic focus, the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) provides a clear overview of current knowledge on plastic waste and microplastics. For those who want to learn more, contact details for the experts are available.

AWI
Website
> Pollutants

Pollution of the oceans

The World Ocean Review “The Ocean, Guarantor of Life” describes in this chapter the global extent of pollution in seas and oceans, including thousands of chemicals, nutrients, plastics, toxic heavy metals, and pharmaceuticals.

WOR
Website
> Nutrients

Assessment report Baltic Sea

In 2023, a new assessment report under the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM) was published. the result: the ecological status of the Baltic Sea is poor in almost all areas.

UBA
Website
> Nutrients

Nutrient pollution in the seas

The German Environment Agency (UBA) summarises what it means when excessive nutrients enter the seas (eutrophication) and which regulations are in place to protect the marine environment.

UBA
Website
> Sea Level Rise

Seagrass and nutrients in the Wadden Sea

Seagrasses are sensitive to rising nutrient concentrations. The development of seagrass populations in the Wadden Sea is described on the Wadden Sea National Park website.

Wadden Sea National Park
PDF
> Ammunition

Munition in the seas – perspectives

In its position paper, the German Association for Marine Technology (GMT) outlines the value creation perspectives of munitions in the sea for the German marine technology industry.

GMT
Multimedia
> Ammunition

Ammunition in the sea

The ammunition cadastre AmuCad (“Ammunition Cadastre Sea”) provides comprehensive information on munitions contamination in the ocean and a digital map showing areas of greatest pollution.

AmuCad
Website
> Ammunition

Short film on munitions in the sea

The five-minute explainer film by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) illustrates the impacts of legacy munitions on the marine ecosystem and presents protective measures.

BfN
Website
Screenshot der Startseite der Plastikpiraten Initiative. DAM.
Screenshot: DAM
> Plastic Litter

Plastic Pirates

School classes and extracurricular youth groups can explore pollution along rivers and coasts as Plastic Pirates.

BMBF
Website
Transparent plastic bottle on the beach
> Plastic Litter

Waterway Rescuers

The Nature And Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) from Germany invites people to act as “Waterway Rescuers” and proactively free nature and the environment from carelessly discarded waste.

NABU
Multimedia
Kleine Queller-Inseln im Nordsee Watternmeer bei Ebbe.Bild von Kerstin Herrmann auf Pixabay.
Bild von Kerstin Herrmann auf Pixabay.
> Plastic Litter

Waste kit from the Wadden Sea Learning Lab

The waste kit developed by the ICBM includes informational and task materials, a collection of experiments, and additional suggestions on the topic of plastic waste in the ocean.

ICBM | University of Oldenburg
Website
Plastic bottle swimming underwater, Bali.
Picture: Brian Yurasits, Ocean Image Bank
> Plastic Litter

Environment in class – Plastic waste in the ocean

Lesson plans, teaching materials, and background information on the topic of plastic waste in the ocean for different school levels.

BMUV
Website
Junge Fische schwimmen in Plastik. Naja Bertolt Jensen / Ocean Image Bank.
Foto: Naja Bertolt Jensen / Ocean Image Bank
> Plastic Litter

PlasticSchool

Teaching materials (information, work and answer sheets) on the topic of plastic waste in the ocean for different school levels.

IOW | DMM
PDF
A manta ray swims in the sea, surrounded by plastic waste such as bags and bottles.
Picture: Vincent Kneefel, Ocean Image Bank
> Plastic Litter

Plastic waste in the ocean — Teacher’s guide

The WWF guide provides primary and secondary school teachers with valuable materials and ideas on the topic of plastic waste in the ocean.

WWF
Website
Foto von einer Möwe, die eine Plastiktüte am Meer entlang zieht. Ilie Barna / Pixabay.
Foto: Ilie Barna / Pixabay
> Plastic Litter

Plastic Mythbusters

Myth, misconception, or truth? The Plastic Mythbusters quiz, developed as part of the Coastal Pollution Toolbox, reveals the true facts about marine pollution caused by plastic waste.

Hereon
Website
Verschiedene bunte Verschlusskappen, gefunden als Plastikmüll am Strand. Meredith Andrews / Ocean Image Bank.
Foto: Meredith Andrews / Ocean Image Bank
> Plastic Litter

Plastic in the environment – Modular learning toolkit

A customisable modular learning toolkit on plastic in the environment for various educational levels.

AWI | University of Oldenburg
Website
Screenshot der Microplastic Compendium Startseite. DAM.
Screenshot: DAM
> Plastic Litter

Microplastic Compendium

What is microplastic, how does it end up in the sea, and what are the consequences of pollution for the marine environment? The digital information platform of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon provides answers to these and other questions.

Hereon

Find Connections

More on "Marine pollution" from other subject areas:

Insight
A diver swims over coral reefs that are not colorful, but completely white due to coral bleaching. This image was taken off Heron Island in the Great Barrier Reef in 2015.
Picture: The Ocean Agency, Ocean Image Bank
> Ecosystem Change

Ecosystem Change

Ecosystems can withstand the pressure arising from climate change and human interventions only to a certain extent.

Meere Online
Insight
Colourful corals can be seen in the foreground and darker rocks in the background. Various fish swim above the corals.
Picture: Franceso Ungaro, Unsplash
> Biodiversity

Diversity of species

The ocean forms the largest continuous habitat on Earth and is home to millions of different plants, animals, and microorganisms.

Meere Online
Insight
Large algae move under water
Picture: Dirk Schories
> Ecosystem Services

Ecosystem Services

All ecosystem services of the ocean are vital for both humanity and nature.

Meere Online
Focus
Mussels and green algae lie on a sandy seabed.
Picture: Dirk Schories
> North Sea and Baltic Sea

Environmental status North Sea and Baltic Sea

Every six years, experts assess the environmental state of Germany’s marine areas. The comprehensive 2024 report reveals that the German North Sea and Baltic Sea are in poor condition.

Meere Online
Focus
Projection on UN headquarters shows 17 Sustainable Development Goals in the run-up to the September 2015 summit
Picture: UN Photo, Cia Pak, UN7879217
> Ocean Governance

Polluter Pays and Precautionary Principle

The precautionary principle and the polluter pays principle are important foundations for the regulations on the protection of coasts and oceans.

Meere Online
Focus
Large algae in light-flooded water. Photographed from below.
Picture: Dirk Schories
> Ocean Warming

Oxygen deficiency

The world’s seas oceans are losing oxygen – one of the most vital building blocks of life. The main causes: ocean waters are steadily warming, and excessive nutrient input in many coastal areas is driving widespread imbalance.

Meere Online

The federal government and the governments of the five northern German states support the current development and sponsor the DAM

Topics at a Glance

Biodiversity

Climate Change

Ocean Use

Pollution

Management

Research