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Ocean Commotion

Plastic pollution is one of the biggest environmental threats to our oceans and the organisms living there. In 1997, a boater discovered what is known today as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which is larger than the state of Texas and contains around 79,000 tons of trash. However, what some people don’t know is how this trash gets into the oceans and how it affects marine life. Scientists estimate that around 100,000 marine animals are strangled, suffocated, or injured by plastics in the ocean every year. So how does it end up there?
When trash ends up on the ground, it gets blown into storm drains, makes its way into sewers, and is released into waterways. The sun’s rays break down plastic trash into smaller and smaller pieces, which become “microplastics.” The plastic moves through the waterways and eventually is deposited into the oceans. In a National Geographic study, published in March of this year, individual pieces of trash from the Pacific Garbage Patch were collected and examined for dates and countries where they originated. Those with legible writing ranged from the year 1977 to the early 2000’s. Researchers also found trash with recognizable words or sentences in nine different languages. The country of production was legible on some, revealing that they were manufactured in 12 different nations. The study showed that trash can travel all over the world through our waterways and oceans, and it does not just go away over the years.
This pollution threatens the existence of all marine life by disrupting their habitats and even by killing the animals when ingested or attached to the animal. Birds (like the albatross chick pictured below) and fish may mistake pieces of trash for food, turtles can become entangled in plastic bags, and even larger marine animals like dolphins and whales may eat larger pieces of trash which remain in their stomachs until they die. Coral reef bleaching is also a major cause of concern to marine life and diversity. This bleaching is caused by higher water temperatures, as well as by exposure to plastics in the water. Plastics and microplastics are detrimental to just about all aspects of life in our oceans, and certain species of marine organisms, such as the corals, are dying out because of it.


There are many ways to reduce plastic entering our waterways and oceans. Single-use packaging and hygiene products that contain small microbeads are two of the biggest culprits when it comes to accumulation of plastic in our oceans. Most plastics are able to be recycled and should be whenever possible. Plastic that is not recycled and instead sent to a landfill, contributes to an increasing lack of space. There is also no guarantee that every piece of trash that gets thrown away will even make it to a landfill. A good portion of garbage, like plastic bags, fly out of garbage trucks and end up on the side of roads. The same is true for garbage inside cars, which may fly out the window, or be intentionally thrown out by the driver, eventually ending up in our oceans. We can all contribute to reducing the problem of trash in our oceans by recycling when we can, and by paying attention to the packaging and contents of the products we are buying.

To learn more:

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/03/great-pacific-garbage-patch-plastics-environment/

Coral Reef Bleaching
https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/01/25/580227045/plastic-pollution-is-killing-coral-reefs-4-year-study-finds


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