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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsPlastic trash in oceans 'vastly' underestimated
An oceanographer who noticed a disappearing act in which the surface of the ocean went from confetti-covered to clear now suggests wind may driving large amounts of trash deeper into the sea.
Oceanographer Giora Proskurowski was sailing in the Pacific Ocean when he saw the small bits of plastic debris disappear beneath the water as soon as the wind picked up.
His research on the theory, with Tobias Kukulka of the University of Delaware, suggests that on average, plastic debris in the ocean may be 2.5 times higher than estimates using surface-water sampling. In high winds, the volume of plastic trash could be underestimated by a factor of 27, the researchers report this month in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
Plastic waste can wreak havoc on an ecosystem, harming fish and other organisms that ingest it, possibly even degrading a fish's liver; the trashy bits also make nice homes for bacteria and algae that get carried to other areas of the ocean where they could be invasive or cause other problems, the researchers noted
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47206045/ns/technology_and_science-science/
Kalidurga
(14,177 posts)I said that one day aliens would come here and find no humans and they would discover we were killed off by having too much plastic in our environment.
Egalitarian Thug
(12,448 posts)Gregorian
(23,867 posts)That's where the plastic came from. That's where the CO2 emissions come from.
For 100 years the oceans have been dumping grounds. Barges departing every day in just New York alone must have been a large contributor.
postulater
(5,075 posts)We're killing the oceans.
We're killing us.
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)there is a huge island of junk in the pacific where most of this stuff usually accumulates
Uncle Joe
(58,112 posts)Thanks for the thread, joeybee.
CaliforniaPeggy
(149,297 posts)Why isn't some clever entrepreneur creating a machine that will strain the stuff out of the water? I mean, I realize this is a huge problem. But we have to start somewhere.
Damn.
Fla Dem
(23,351 posts)Politicalboi
(15,189 posts)I went whale watching on a charter boat. I ended up getting sea sick, but before that, I was on deck and couldn't believe they allowed people with food on deck. I saw people with chip bags that blew out of their hands into the water. Other kinds of trash just blowing into the water. It was disgusting. And it didn't seem to bother those that lost their trash either. You would think that those who pay to watch whales, would be pollution conscience. The seagulls on the other hand were plenty, looking for scraps for the worlds biggest polluters.
MineralMan
(146,192 posts)I'm an avid angler, and I fish out at least 100 lb of trash floating on the lakes and rivers I fish every year. I net it up when I'm in my boat, stow it in a plastic garbage bag, and put it the trash cans when I get back to the dock. What I can't figure out is that people seem to love going to the lake or the river, and then they throw trash in it. It's completely nonsensical and illogical.
People are way stupid.