Essay about Plastic and the Ocean - 831 Words

Plastic and The Ocean Could Alexander Parkers, the German chemist-scientist, expect that his great invention of plastic in 1862 will turn nowadays as an ecological catastrophe? In August 1997, after a regatta in Honolulu Capitan Charles Moore, today is scientific and researcher, decided to safe time and sailed straight to California through the North Pacific Gyre, a giant watery desert without any wind. He was terrified by the view that he saw around his yacht, which navigated through infinite debris of floating plastic, hundred of miles across to the horizon. Thus was discovered the â€Å"Great Pacific Garbage Patch†, which is a result of human civilization. Since 1950, when people have begun using plastic products vastly, it is difficult to†¦show more content†¦Therefore, it is an incorrect representation that the garbage patch is as an island of plastic on which it is almost possible to walk. The floating waste is composed of very small pieces and is similar to a â€Å"plastic soupâ₠¬ . It corresponds to the area, possibly, twice the USA (chaskor.ru). Charles Moore, the American oceanographer, believes that in this region turns about 100 million tones of floating stuff (Greenberg, Nell 1). By polluting the ocean, plastic certainly makes harmful effect on flora and fauna. According to estimation of The United Nations Environment Program, plastic is a cause of death of 100,000 marine mammals and one million birds every year, including the albatross (Doucette, Kitt 2). Sea birds swallow plastic cigarette lighters, disposable forks, toothbrushes and bottle caps, mistaking them for fish. Turtles chew plastics bags instead of seaweed. Tiny fragments of plastic are the real threat to respiratory system of whales, dolphins and other sea animals. One more problem is that plastic does not decompose or photo-degrade. It just splits into small pieces and remains in the ocean as an invisibly poisonous powder. Small jellyfishes and shellfish ingest this toxic dust. They are the basis of the oceanic food web, which passes farther up the food chain. The possibility of more and more creatures ingesting plastics that contain concentrated pollutantsShow MoreRelatedThe Effects Of Plastic On The Ocean2050 Words   |  9 PagesPlastic in the ocean A large number of marine species are known to be harmed and/or killed by plastic debris, which jeopardize their survival, since many are already endangered by other forms of anthropogenic activities. Marine animals are affected through entanglement in and ingestion of plastic litter (Marine Debris). Less conspicuous forms, such as plastic pellets and â€Å"scrubbers† are also hazardous. To address the problem of plastic debris in the oceans is a difficult task, and a variety of approachesRead MoreEffects Of Plastic Pollution On Our Oceans1593 Words   |  7 PagesFor decades, oceans have been one of the biggest dumpsters used throughout the world. Plastics among other pollutants have affected our oceans and freshwater as well as marine life. Plastic pollution effects not only the ocean and its’ marine life, but humans as well and not just in the United States, but everywhere. Landfills are running into water systems every day, carrying more plastics and trash into all of the oceans. For instance, in the Mediterranean Sea, sewage is untreated and that totalsRead MoreThe Pacific Ocean is a Plastic Garbage Dump Essay1589 Words   |  7 Pages1.1. Distribution of plastic objects into the Pacific Ocean 1.2. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch characteristic 1.3. The discovery of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch 2. Effects on wildlife 2.1. Characteristics of plastics 2.2. Plastic with marine birds and animals 3. Examples of reducing the plastic garbage 3.1. Clean up 3.2. Law toward solving plastic pollution 4. Recommendations 5. Conclusion References 1. Introduction Oceans make up seventy percentRead MorePlastic And The World s Oceans : More Than 5 Trillion Plastic Pieces1355 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"Plastic Pollution in the World’s Oceans: More than 5 Trillion Plastic Pieces Weighing over 250,000 Tons Afloat at Sea† Scientist have now begun research on the mass production of plastic and the accumulation of plastic in our oceans. There are several ways plastic can degrade into micro-plastic. For example photodegradtion and weathering processes can increase the designation of plastic materials causing them to become microscopic. Common locations where scientists are discovering mass quantitiesRead MoreThe Effects Of Plastic Pollution On The World s Oceans Essay2272 Words   |  10 Pagesinception in the late 1930’s, plastic has revolutionized, modernized, and undoubtedly eased the human experience. Unfortunately, this leap in consumer and industrial technology also came with an unforeseen and devastating side effect. Plastic pollution in the world’s oceans is serious and disgustingly under-looked problem. Due to the influx of hundreds of thousands of tons of plastic, the marine landscape is changing rapidly. This issue isn’t just exclusive to oceans either. The world’s rivers andRead MoreWhat will the effects be if we dont stop plastic pollution in our oceans?991 Words   |  4 PagesWhat effects will we see in the future if plastic pollution in our oceans does not stop? ABSTRACT Plastic Pollution has become a global issue in our oceans. Although we hear about this from time to time the problem has grown tremendously beyond our knowledge. There are a growing number of animals dying each day due to plastic particles that either get stuck around their head, or that they swallow. If we do not stop plastic pollution in our oceans the ocean will eventually lose its habitats and ourRead MoreSaving The Ocean From Plastic.Just Think People Don’T Throw1102 Words   |  5 PagesSaving the ocean from Plastic Just think people don’t throw away their plastic, just eliminate plastic and go to a better and safer way to throwing plastic away, people also need to throw their trash away,I think there needs more things being done to reduce plastic and there s not anything being done to prevent plastic going into the ocean . Plastic is taking over the ocean and it should not be, a problem that is going on is the plastic is getting caught in the sea animals and they eventuallyRead MoreResearch: Plastic Pollution in Water1102 Words   |  5 PagesSolutions to Plastic Pollution in our Oceans The Basics We re treating the oceans like a trash bin: around 80 percent of marine litter originates on land, and most of that is plastic. Plastic that pollutes our oceans and waterways has severe impacts on our environment and our economy. Seabirds, whales, sea turtles and other marine life are eating marine plastic pollution and dying from choking, intestinal blockage and starvation. Scientists are investigating the long-term impacts of toxic pollutantsRead MoreThe Worlds Oceans Make Up 71 % Of T 1306 Words   |  6 Pages The world’s oceans make up 71% of the Earth’s surface (NOAA-National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and is home to over 1 million known species of plants and animals, and scientist say there may be as many as 9 million species we haven’t discovered yet (school.discoveryeducation.com) Humans effect the ecosystem by agricultural, industrial, and household waste. (Ecosystems. BBC News. BBC,). In turn this pollutes the waters of our oceans and all forms of life ranging from giant humpbackRead MorePlastic Pollution1025 Words   |  5 PagesPlastic, a lightweight, tough and flexible material, first invented in 1907, and is constantly present in daily, modern life. Ironically, it was invented to save animals as it replaced materials such as ivory and whale bone. Plastic production isn’t slowing down - in 2012 there was a 4% increase in production of plastic from 2013 worldwide. In New Zealand, we use 1 billion shopping bags per year and around 60 kg on average of plastic per person per year! Astoundingly, only 5.58 kg on average of plastic