Plastics

These are some overall notes I have and general feelings about the page.

1. It is a great topic! There is a lot you can do with this and definitely some case studies that you have, such as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
2. You need a lot more sources and citations for your info. Maybe think of creating more at the bottom to add some variety? I do like, however, that you have each source as a link to the actual website. That is beneficial and very formal. Make sure to keep that format throughout. Finally, don't have more than 3 web-based sources (according to Gangi). Although I just asked Brian and he said to have a majority of non-web-based, so that will work.
3. It is always good to have case studies of the solutions, too. Especially since you have a case study of the problem in the first place.
4. I like the YouTube video, but you may want to type in that information and then include the link as the reference to where people can go watch.
5. Great job with the pics!
6. state which source is land based and which is ocean based. I am still a little confused on the matter since no litter in the ocean originally came from the ocean-it all came from the land.
7. include sources for the garbage patch
8. great job with grammar and formatting and organization-stellar!
9. finally, include more on the affects to aquatic life and the oceans as a whole to stress the importance of your topic.

That is all, nice job!

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Plastics and Other Litter

Amazing YouTube video of a potential solution to clean up the plastic in the Pacific Garbage Patch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROW9F-c0kIQ

Overview

According to the University of Siena in Italy, a major reason for the increase in the amount of plastic in the ocean is because of the global increase in plastic production. In the 1950s, the annual production was 1.5 million tons. By 2011, that number had spiked to 280 million tons. Naturally large quantities of that ends up in oceans around the world. What little bit of plastic is visible on the shore often fools people to think that the issue of debris and litter in the ocean is trivial, especially given the vastness of the oceans. However, the vast majority of the plastic goes unseen until the larger pieces are consumed by animals or the smaller pieces are ingested or lodged in the throats of other creatures.

Sources of Debris

• Tourism related litter
• Sewage
• Street litter
• Fishery related debris
• Waste from ships

It is estimated that roughly 80% of the litter in the ocean is land-based, while the remaining 20% comes from ocean based means.

Effect on Marine Life

Over 267 species of marine life have been documented to be harmed by litter in the oceans, either from entanglement or ingestion.

Birds, for example, often confuse red pieces of plastic for food: a mistake that often proves to be fatal. If a bird's stomach is dissected, it is not uncommon to find undigestible pieces and plastic and other litter inside of it.

Degradation Times of Various Litter

• Glass Bottle: 1 million years.
• Monofilament Fishing Line: 600 years.
• Plastic Beverage Bottles: 450 years.
• Disposable Diapers: 450 years.
• Aluminum Can: 80-200 years.
• Foamed Plastic Buoy: 80 years.
• Foamed Plastic Cups: 50 years.
• Rubber-Bood Sole: 50-80 years.
• Tine Cans: 50 years.
• Leather: 50 years.
• Nylon Fabric: 30-40 years.
• Plastic Film Container: 20-30 years.
• Plastic bag: 10-20 years.
• Cigarette Butt: 1-5 years.
• Wool Sock: 1-5 years.
• Plywood: 1-3 years.
• Waxed Milk Carton: 3 months.
• Apple Core: 2 months.
• Newspaper: 6 weeks.
• Paper Towel: 2-4 weeks.

Great Pacific Garbage Patch

While its name may be misleading, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is not actually a visible patch of floating garbage. In fact, one could sail through this area without being aware. Rather it is called this because of the exceptionally high concentrations of pelagic plastic - or plastic found in the pelagic zone of the ocean - that has been trapped in the currents of the North Pacific Gyre. Despite the relatively small size of these plastics, they are still known to have a dramatic impact on birds and other wildlife.

The existence of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch was actually predicted by the Northern Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in 1988 by scientists studying water conditions. With the understanding of the oceanic currents and knowledge of the pollution, the hypothesis was proved correct, and in fact turned out to be more serious than originally believed. Since the area is not visible from satellite or air, it can only be estimated that the patch ranges from 270,000 sq mi to more than 5,800,000 sq mi (roughly one and a half times the size of the continental United States). This discrepancy is largely in part due to the obscurity between boundaries and the definition of what is considered to be a "high level" of pelagic debris, especially in a time when pollution and plastic in the oceans is omnipresent.

What can be done to reduce oceanic litter?

• Recycling plastic bottles and bags
• Decrease in dependency of plastic
• Increased penalties for littering in ocean
• Manual removal of large pieces of debris (dragging net behind a boat)
• Using the current to trap pieces of plastic and debris so that they can be caught and recycled (this is largely still a theory, but there is hope for the future)