Ballast Water

Essay # 50082

Biology
Biology > Ecology
Biology > Genetics

Ballast Water

This paper is about ballast water, the dangers it brings, and what should be done about it.

1,544 words () | 7 sources | MLA | 2003 United States

Paper Summary:

An opinion paper written on the topic of ballast water and the dangers that come with the dumping of the water into foreign harbors. The paper also includes the threat of the breakdown of every ecosystem around the whole globe. The paper includes evidence from seven different sources supporting the author's position and also a plan of action.

From the Paper:

"Every hour an average of more than 2 million gallons of ballast water, meaning 2 million gallons of foreign plankton, are released in U.S. waters. Ballast water may be the source of the largest volume of foreign organisms released on a daily basis into American ecosystems. The species carried in ballast water are called exotic species, alien species, invasive species, or non-indigenous species, all meaning a member, or members of a group or population, of a species that enters an aquatic ecosystem outside of its historic or native range. Invasions of exotic marine animals and plants into American coastal waters are not new."