Plastics
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
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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. [1] 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.
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. http://www.unep.org/regionalseas/marinelitter/publications/docs/plastic_ocean_report.pdf
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. http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/How-the-oceans-can-clean-them-2
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.