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Man is suffering from various environmental problems nowadays. Some of these environmental problems are universal and their negative effect involves the whole world .

They are known as global transboundarey environmental problems such as the depletion of ozone layer, global warming or the green house effect, extinction of wild fauna and flora and the severe deterioration in biodiversity .

On the other hand, some of environmental problems have regional effect such as Acid rain or industrial pollution caused by factories which are situated on the borderlines of different countries. Other problems have local reflections and their effects are lying within limited geographical borderlines like photochemical smog which are mainly proceeding from cars exhausts especially the hydrocarbon pollutants and Nitrogen Oxides that are sent out to be changed into Oxides as in Ozone .

MoreOver, the Red tide and the Eutrophication cover water areas with red or green colours and cause dangerous negative effects .

The solid wastes are considered one of the major problems may confront the urban communities currently. Therefore, scientific studies were concerned to find solutions to this negative phenomenon and adopted sustainable policies to manage and treat the problem of solid wastes in an integrated and proper method. Most of these studies were concentrated on the solid wastes resulted from human activities and the effect of these wastes on soil, land and the health of man .

Several methods are used to eliminate the solid wastes such as incineration or transferring the dissoluble substances to compost, Biogas or through recycling . Landfill in specified areas is considered one of the most common ways to get rid of the solid wastes .

On the contrary, we do not concern our selves much with the solid wastes in the bottom of the seas as if they settled in their final resting place despite that the solid wastes are dangerously pollute the marine environment and badly affect the wild life .

Nonbiodegradable plastic bags which have the ability to stay persistent may be devoured by big fishes and perhaps be exposed to suffocation and death, while the neglected fishing nets which left in the sea may cause the death of the diving birds or hinder the movement of fishes and other marine creatures and accordingly lead to their death. Moreover, the plastic wastes directly affect and cause damage to ship and boats engines as well as deforming the aesthetic view of the surface and the bottom bed of the marine environment .

Studies indicated that plastic wastes formed 50% of the total solid wastes on the shores. The number of sea birds which annually die due to these wastes is estimated by one million, in addition to a number of 100,000 from the marine creatures .

A study was conducted in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea bed pointed out that plastic bags form 63% out of the total wastes in the bottom of the sea. The volume of this kind of wastes is increasingly .

Another study was conducted in Loggerhead caretta a species of sea turtles which live in the western part of the Mediterranean Sea proved that the digestive system of 43 numbers of these turtles is filled with solid marine wastes and 75.9% of the total wastes was plastic materials while the rest of the wastes was fishing nets, wood, papers and feather .

The study also proved the direct relation between the quantity of wastes in the digestive system of the turtles and their size and the dangerous effect of the marine wastes on turtles in particular and the marine creatures in general .

The results of studies of the ecological systems of the coral reef and the harmful effect of the solid wastes in the northern western part of Hawaii Islands have shown the solid wastes especially the neglected plastic substances of nylon fishing nets and threads contribute killing the endangered (Hawaiian monk seal monachus schauinslandi) and cause dangerous damage to the coral reef and the wild life as well .

As a result of the field studies and the dangerous effects of the solid wastes on the wild life of the marine environment the American Congress issued a law on controlling marine pollution by plastic wastes in the American territorial waters .

The sources of solid wastes which pollute the sea bed are numerous such as the solid wastes which are thrown on the coastal areas and carried by sea currents and winds to precipitate and settle in the bottom in addition to the wastes thrown by fishermen, ships and sea habitués .

Since we lack accurate data and scientific studies about the volume and the quantities of wastes in the bottom of the seas, it will be found necessary to conduct such scientific studies and surveys .

The main purposes behind these studies were to recognize the status of solid wastes in the territorial waters of some countries, their volume and nature and to raise the awareness among the public and various sectors to manage the wastes properly and to give big concern to maintain the environment and the wild life .

The studies came to a conclusion that

• There are big quantities of solid wastes in the bottoms of seas in the areas of study which emphasize the necessity of protecting the marine environment especially the seabed and issue the binding laws to protect and maintain it, taking into consideration implementing the provisions of these laws strictly. It is worthy mentioning that the solid wastes did not include the heavy and big solid wastes which are settled in the bottom of the sea and it will become difficult to be removed .

• Plastic wastes occupied the first position in comparison with metal, glass and wooden wastes which emphasize the occurring damage to the wild life particularly that the plastic wastes are moving and nonbiodegradable .

The coral reef are directly affected due to the indifferent and irresponsible malpractices of some fishermen who got used to drawing the fishing nets in a way that leads to destroy the coral reef, in addition to using bottom drawing which have destroying effect on the seabed and the wild life in the bottom and change some locations into lifeless ecological environment .

Visions and Recommendations

As a result of the previous studies we recommend the following:

• Give great concern to marine environment and stipulate strict and obligatory laws to control that hinder throwing wastes in the sea .
• Enhance and raise the environmental awareness of the public and fishermen through oriented campaigns by media and urge them to through litter and wastes in the allocated place and not to through solid wastes in the sea .
• To conduct elaborated studies about the effect of solid wastes on the ecological systems of marine environment and wild life .
• Carrying out field studies surveys to clean up the bottom of sea from heavy solid wastes .

• Encourage the coordination among the competent authorities and institutions nominate certain areas as natural preserves .
• Build artificial floating platforms in the fishing and diving areas in order to protect the coral reef by anchors .
• Some of the marine areas were characterized with clear and fine environment free from pollutants besides that their coral reef are still alive and look pretty and comprise plenty of marine species which emphasize the necessity to protect and preserve them .

References:

Arabic references:

• Almadani Ismail and Alsayed Hashim. Marine Environment in Bahrain. The National Authority for protection of wild life. Series of books about wild life No. (7) 2001
• Almadani Ismail and Khalaf, Ibtisam, National Authority for protection of wild life, Series of books about wild life No. (3) Bahrain 2000 .
• Al Madani Ismael, The solid wastes in the seabed of the territorial waters of the Kingdom of Bahrain .

Foreign References:

• Dixon, T.R. and Dixon, T.J. Marine litter surveillance. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 12, 289-285 (1981).
• Donohue, J., Boland, R., Sramek, C. and Antonelis, G. Derelict fishing gear in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 42, 1301-1312 (2001).
• Gabrielides, G., Golik, A., Loizides, L. and Marino, M. Man-made garbage pollution on the Mediterranean coastline. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 23, 437-441 (1991).
• Galil, B., Golik, A. and Turkay, M. Litter at the bottom of the sea; a seabed survey in the Eastern Mediterranean. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 30, 22-24 (1995).
• http://www.af,nfr.no/andre-doc/alternative-agenda/oceancs.html. Pollution of the marine environment (2001).
• http://www.ocean. Undel.edu/mas/masnotes/plastic.html. Farrell, J. Plastic pollution in the marine environment (2001).
• Moore, C., and Moore, S., Leecaster, M. and Weisberg, S. Marine litter surveillance. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 42, 1297-1300 (2001).
• Moore, S., Gregorio, D., Carreon, M., Weisberg, S. and Leecaster, M. Composition and distribution of beach debris in Orange County, California. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 42, 241-245 (2001).