One of the many things I have been learning about over the last few weeks is the state of our oceans. Being from a land locked state I have always held a a sort of fearful awe for the ocean but had never really made an attempt to understand it or it's environmental threats.
One of the largest threats, and one that you may have heard of, is the huge amount of plastic in the oceans. Plastic never becomes organic material- it breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces, even microscopic pieces, but it remains unnatural and a treat to marine life even in its smallest states. The Northern Gyre is a central meeting point of currents in the Pacific ocean where tides carry the plastic trash that make it into the ocean through ether dumping or littering. The plastic will eventually break down into smaller pieces and is often eaten by marine life that will assume it is food. Because tides carry not just trash but many objects in the sea, especially food, the Norther Gyre was previously a rich food source and many animals continue to feed there.
Animals who eat or get stuck in debris and nets are often injured, disabled, or killed. Even if they are able to stay alive the plastic moves through the food chain reaching seals, birds, turtles, wales, and believe it or not, humans!
Other issues with plastic in our oceans include the amount of plastic that has sunk to the base of the ocean ruining natural habitat and the transport of invasive species across vast bodies of water. Maybe the most daunting issue is how to fix it tough. Because plastic is broken down into such small pieces if we cleared it it would remove all other small forms of life, the bases for the entire marine food chain, leaving larger creatures with nothing to eat. Clearing the sea floor could potentially totally ruin the ecosystem. Even if there there was a way to clear the plastic it does not go away. If it is burnt it goes into the atmosphere and moving it it is only a temporary fix. This means the only real way to stop this is by cutting out the production of plastic and re-cycling what we already have made because there is no getting rid of it.
Plastics are like diamonds- they are forever.
One of the largest threats, and one that you may have heard of, is the huge amount of plastic in the oceans. Plastic never becomes organic material- it breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces, even microscopic pieces, but it remains unnatural and a treat to marine life even in its smallest states. The Northern Gyre is a central meeting point of currents in the Pacific ocean where tides carry the plastic trash that make it into the ocean through ether dumping or littering. The plastic will eventually break down into smaller pieces and is often eaten by marine life that will assume it is food. Because tides carry not just trash but many objects in the sea, especially food, the Norther Gyre was previously a rich food source and many animals continue to feed there.
Animals who eat or get stuck in debris and nets are often injured, disabled, or killed. Even if they are able to stay alive the plastic moves through the food chain reaching seals, birds, turtles, wales, and believe it or not, humans!
Other issues with plastic in our oceans include the amount of plastic that has sunk to the base of the ocean ruining natural habitat and the transport of invasive species across vast bodies of water. Maybe the most daunting issue is how to fix it tough. Because plastic is broken down into such small pieces if we cleared it it would remove all other small forms of life, the bases for the entire marine food chain, leaving larger creatures with nothing to eat. Clearing the sea floor could potentially totally ruin the ecosystem. Even if there there was a way to clear the plastic it does not go away. If it is burnt it goes into the atmosphere and moving it it is only a temporary fix. This means the only real way to stop this is by cutting out the production of plastic and re-cycling what we already have made because there is no getting rid of it.
Plastics are like diamonds- they are forever.
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