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Sea Snot Outbreak in Turkey

Last updated on May 8th, 2024 Posted on June 8, 2021 by admin1  833

In News

Recently, Turkey’s Sea of Marmara has witnessed the largest outbreak of sea snot.

  • The Sea of Marmara connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea, where too the sludge has been spotted.
  • Turkey recorded its first outbreak in 2007, in the Aegean Sea near Greece.

(Image Courtesy: BI)

About Sea Snot

  • It is marine mucilage (thick, gluey substance) or a slimy layer of grey or green sludge, which can cause considerable damage to the marine ecosystem.
  • It looks like a viscous, brown and foamy substance.
  • Cause: It is formed when algae are overloaded with nutrients.
    • The nutrient overload occurs when algae feast on warm weather caused by global warming. 
    • Water pollution adds to the problem as cities like Istanbul, which is home to 16 million people, discharge untreated water into the seas.
  • Impacts
    • The mucilage floats up on the surface of the sea and poses a severe threat to the marine ecosystem.
    • It has caused mass deaths among the fish population and has killed other aquatic organisms such as corals and sponges.
    • It has also spread to 80-100 feet below the surface. If not checked and taken care of, it can collapse to the bottom and cover the sea floor.
    • Over a period of time, it can poison all aquatic life, including fishes, crabs, oysters, mussels and sea stars.
    • It has also affected the livelihoods of fishermen as the sludge is getting collected in their nets, making them so heavy that they break or get lost.
      • Moreover, the mucilage coating the strings makes the nets visible to fish and keeps them away.
    • It can possibly lead to an outbreak of water-borne diseases such as cholera in cities like Istanbul.
  • Steps Taken
    • The entire Sea of Marmara will be turned into a protected area.
    • Steps are being taken to reduce pollution and improve treatment of waste water from coastal cities and ships.
    • All other steps under the framework of a disaster management plan are being taken to save not only the present but also the future.
    • Turkey’s biggest maritime clean-up operation is being launched.
    • Local residents, artists and NGOs are being called to join hands to extend assistance.
  • Preventive Measures
    • The government should impose strong penalties on waste disposal facilities that fail to follow the rules.
    • Fresh investments to treat and purify waste water being pumped out of Istanbul are needed to provide a long-term solution to the crisis.
    • Turkey has planned to reduce nitrogen levels in the sea by 40 per cent, which would help tackle the crisis and prevent it from happening again.
    • Lawmakers and environmentalists have suggested the Turkey government to approve the Paris Agreement on climate change which aims to cut down on carbon emissions and reduce global temperatures.
      • Turkey is the only G20 country that has not ratified the Paris Agreement.
Paris Agreement

  • It is a landmark agreement as it brings all nations into a common cause to undertake ambitious efforts to combat climate change and adapt to its effects, for the first time.
  • It is a legally binding international treaty on climate change which replaced the Kyoto Protocol, an earlier related agreement.
  • It was adopted by 196 parties at COP 21 in Paris, in December 2015 and entered into force in November 2016.
  • Conference of Parties (COP) is the supreme decision-making body of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
  • Aims: To limit global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius as compared to pre-industrial levels.
  • Frameworks
    • Technology Framework.
    • Capacity Building Framework.
    • Transparency Framework.
  • Implementation
    • It requires economic and social transformation, based on the best available science.
    • It works on a 5-year cycle of increasingly ambitious climate action carried out by countries.
    • Countries have submitted their plans for climate action known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
    • To better frame the efforts towards the long-term goal, it invited countries to formulate and submit by 2020 long-term low greenhouse gas emission development strategies (LT-LEDS).
      • LT-LEDS provide the long-term horizon to the NDCs and are not mandatory.
      • Nevertheless, they place the NDCs into the context of countries’ long-term planning and development priorities, providing a vision and direction for future development.

Source: IE

 
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