The NOAA Microbris Program

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 our ecosystem will be changed forever.

In the National Geographic article “Eight Million Tons of Plastic Dumped in Ocean Every Year”, author Laura Parker expresses how violent the simple act of dumping trash into the ocean really turns out to be. This article goes into depth telling exactly what plastics pollution is causing, where it’s mostly coming from, and what you can do to decrease this problem and help save both our planet and ocean wildlife.

More than 750,000 pieces of microplastic can be found in just one square kilometer of it. Approximately 80 percent of its debris comes from land, 10 percent is made up of over 700,000 tons of commercial fishing nets, and the remaining 10 percent consists miscellaneous objects discarded by recreational and commercial ships. What is it? The Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The garbage patch lies in the Pacific Ocean between the west coasts of America and the East coasts of Asia. Because the effects on marine life caused by the Great Pacific Garbage Patch are detrimental to their habitat, diet, and

Is plastic really that harmless innovation that saves us time and energy without any repercussions? “80% of plastic waste in the ocean originates on land, and recycling rates are poor, with just 9% of plastic in the U.S. recycled, according to the EPA.” - Kieron Marks. Massive amounts of our plastic begin on land and appear in the ocean. The majority of plastic that is in the ocean is in a microscopic form which makes the plastic extremely difficult to find let alone clean up. This affects not only the ocean life by killing 1 million sea creatures a year, but it also has effects on the fishing and the shipping industry, along with tourism. Furthermore, the pollution causes 13 billion dollars in damage to the marine environment every year. This

In the article When the Mermaids Cry” The Great Plastic Tide by Claire Le Guern Lytle, she wrote “For more than 50 years, global production and consumption of plastics have continued to rise. An estimated 299 million tons of plastics were produced in 2013, representing a 4 percent increase over 2012, and confirming and upward trend over the past years” This means that more and more trash is added to the 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic floating in the ocean. Almost everything around us is made out of plastic, this is later misused and ending in the wrong place. The Center for Biological Diversity wrote “In the first decade of this century, we made more plastic than all the plastic in history up to the year 2000. And every year, billions of pounds of plastic end up in the world’s oceans. Most ocean pollution starts out on land and is carried by wind and rain to the sea. Once in the water, there is a near-continuous accumulation of waste.” Our plastic is misplaced and it escalates from there. However, plastic pollution hurts us as well. “Trash in the water compromises the health of humans, wildlife and the livelihoods that depend on a healthy ocean;” wrote a non-profit group called Ocean Conservation. If our oceans are covered in trash, everyone that relies on the ocean is going to suffer. The effect is not just in our health, it also affects our economy. Ocean Conservation also

In 1988, it was determined that the United States alone, was producing 30 million tonnes of plastic per year (Derraik, J.G.B., 2002). This can be compared with the global and annual production of 260 million tonnes of plastic as of 2012 (Pearson, E., 2014). Plastics are lightweight, durable, and cheap to make. This makes them incredibly easy to sell and manufacture. However, these attributes are many of the reasons why plastics are the most prominent type of marine debris, and why they are a serious hazard to various ecosystems and the organisms that live within them (Derraik, J.G.B.,

From the polar regions to the equator, these microplastics are everywhere (Avio, 2017). While we know there are tons of plastic in the ocean, it is difficult for researchers to give an exact amount. However, after twenty-four expeditions, a team of researchers in 2014 estimated that there are at least 5.25 trillion plastic particles weighing 268,940 tons floating in the ocean (Eriksen, 2014). They estimate that the North Pacific and North Atlantic oceans contain 55.6% of the particles found in the oceans (Eriksen, 2014). These researchers have helped give emphasis and proof as to why the worlds plastic consumption needs to be dealt with, either by banning non-biodegradable plastic all together, or by providing people all around the world with an easier way to recycle plastic.

One of the issues that is currently harming the ocean is the presence of pollution. Studies have shown that over the past thirty years, people have increased their use of plastics and synthetic materials and recently it has become even more abundant (Laist). The amount of plastic debris that has entered the ocean is partially due to people 's inability to properly dispose of plastic and waste. This has immeasurable effects on the physical ecosystem, as well as the creatures who inhabit it. While plastic is very buoyant, it takes a very long time to degrade, and it is usually eaten by

It is not just marine animals, from planktons to whales, which ingest microplastics. It can end up in humans when they eat seafood.

B. Main Point #2: Fish bring in water through their gills and ingest micro plastics causing a chain reaction 1. So what are “microplastics”? “NOAA classifies microplastics as small plastic pieces less than 5 mm in diameter which can be harmful to our ocean and aquatic life”. Microbeads are also tiny pieces of plastic added to health and beauty products, such as some cleansers and

To put this in perspective, if ten small fish who ate a single piece of microplastics are consumed by a single larger fish, that large fish will then have all ten of the pieces of plastic that the smaller fish ate earlier. Not only does the larger fish have the pieces of plastic in its body, it also has a concentrated amount of chemicals that come along with the plastics. If marine animals are higher in the food web, the more concentrated the chemicals are within the organisms along with all of the pieces of plastic the previous organisms has consumed, this concept is called biomagnification. Humans are also heavily impacted as well. Due to the fact that fish is the world's primary source of protein, meaning that when we consume fish we are potentially as well consuming the tiny pieces of plastics and highly concentrated chemicals. The Environmental Protection Agency agrees that bioaccumulation has integrated itself into the human food web, which could result in malfunctions of the kidneys, liver, and the nervous system. It may also contribute to the development of cancer. In the United States alone, there are an estimated 75,000 chemicals that need further research, before any conclusions can be made regarding the chemicals

( Connor, Microplastic Waste; This massive(tiny) threat to sea life is now in every ocean). Microplastics can also range in size from invisible to millimeters in diameters. Because of this, it is quite hard for scientists to identify. Although it is also very easy for microplastics to stick together and make these islands. These tiny plastics are also beginning to spread everywhere in the oceans. Because they are everywhere that means they are also polluting the water and endangering marine

You hear your alarm go off on a typical morning and jump in the shower. You start your daily routine in the shower; normal things, like washing your hair, brushing your teeth, destroying oceans, scrubbing your face-- Wait, what? How could you possibly be destroying oceans with something as insignificant as a morning shower? Almost every personal care item contains plastic in the form of microbeads, which are those little exfoliating pieces in your products. They’re so small and insignificant that everyone thinks they disintegrate or are filtered out after they go down the drain. That’s far from the truth. These, along with every other kind of plastic, are helping to ruin our oceans and the marine wildlife that lives

Plastic pollution affects every waterway, sea and ocean in the world. When we damage our water

The main cause in the hazard of water pollution is the constant plastics that make their way into the place of many animals homes. About fourteen billion pounds of garbage mostly plastics are found in the oceans each year (Conserve Energy Future). Plastic pollution's aren’t just affecting marine life, it is also affecting everyone’s life due to the chemicals plastic absorbs like Polychlorinated biphenyl, Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, and Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon. These chemicals are extremely toxic and can disrupt endocrines and can inevitably cause cancer mutations.