Garbage patch: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 04:18, 1 November 2023

Revision as of 02:30, 24 November 2023

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[[File:Litter_on_Singapore's_East_Coast_Park.jpg|thumb|Washed-up plastic waste on a beach in [[Singapore]]]]

The North Atlantic patch is one of several oceanic regions where researchers have studied the effects and impact of plastic [[photodegradation]] in the neustonic layer of water.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Thompson|first1=R. C.|last2=Olsen|first2=Y.|last3=Mitchell|first3=R. P.|last4=Davis|first4=A.|last5=Rowland|first5=S. J.|last6=John|first6=A. W.|last7=McGonigle|first7=D.|last8=Russell|first8=A. E.|year=2004|title=Lost at Sea: Where is All the Plastic?|journal=Science|volume=304|issue=5672|pages=838|doi=10.1126/science.1094559|pmid=15131299|s2cid=3269482}}</ref> Unlike organic debris, which [[Biodegradation|biodegrades]], plastic disintegrates into ever smaller pieces while remaining a [[polymer]] (without changing chemically). This process continues down to the molecular level.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Barnes|first1=D. K. A.|last2=Galgani|first2=F.|last3=Thompson|first3=R. C.|last4=Barlaz|first4=M.|year=2009|title=Accumulation and fragmentation of plastic debris in global environments|journal=Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences|volume=364|issue=1526|pages=1985–98|doi=10.1098/rstb.2008.0205|jstor=40485977|pmc=2873009|pmid=19528051}}</ref> Some plastics decompose within a year of entering the water, releasing potentially toxic chemicals such as [[bisphenol A]], [[Polychlorinated biphenyl|PCBs]] and derivatives of [[polystyrene]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Barry|first=Carolyn|date=20 August 2009|title=Plastic Breaks Down in Ocean, After All – And Fast|url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/08/090820-plastic-decomposes-oceans-seas.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090826095155/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/08/090820-plastic-decomposes-oceans-seas.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 26, 2009|access-date=30 August 2009|work=National Geographic News|publisher=[[National Geographic Society]]}}</ref>

As the plastic [[flotsam]] photodegrades into smaller and smaller pieces, it concentrates in the upper water column. As it disintegrates, the pieces become small enough to be ingested by aquatic organisms that reside near the ocean's surface. Plastic may become concentrated in [[neuston]], thereby entering the [[food chain]]. Disintegration means that much of the plastic is too small to be seen. Moreover, plastic exposed to sunlight and in watering environments produce [[greenhouse gas]]es, leading to further environmental impact.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Royer|first1=Sarah-Jeanne|last2=Ferrón|first2=Sara|last3=Wilson|first3=Samuel T.|last4=Karl|first4=David M.|date=2018-08-01|title=Production of methane and ethylene from plastic in the environment|journal=PLOS ONE|language=en|volume=13|issue=8|pages=e0200574|doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0200574|issn=1932-6203|pmc=6070199|pmid=30067755|doi-access=free}}</ref>

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==== Plastic consumption ====

[[File:Plastic_Bag_Jelly_Fish.jpg|alt=|thumb|An exhibit at the [[Mote Marine Laboratory]] that displays plastic bags in the ocean that look similar to [[jellyfish]].]]

With the increased amount of plastic in the ocean, living organisms are now at a greater risk of harm from plastic consumption and entanglement. Approximately 23% of aquatic mammals, and 36% of seabirds have experienced the detriments of plastic presence in the ocean.<ref name=":22">{{cite journal|last=Sigler|first=Michelle|date=2014-10-18|title=The Effects of Plastic Pollution on Aquatic Wildlife: Current Situations and Future Solutions|journal=Water, Air, & Soil Pollution|language=en|volume=225|issue=11|pages=2184|doi=10.1007/s11270-014-2184-6|issn=1573-2932|s2cid=51944658}}</ref> Since as much as 70% of the trash is estimated to be on the ocean floor, and [[microplastics]] are only millimeters wide, sealife at nearly every level of the food chain is affected.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Perkins|first=Sid|date=17 December 2014|title=Plastic waste taints the ocean floors|url=https://www.nature.com/news/plastic-waste-taints-the-ocean-floors-1.16581|journal=Nature|doi=10.1038/nature.2014.16581|s2cid=138018931}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Handwerk|first=Brian|date=2009|title=Giant Ocean-Trash Vortex Attracts Explorers|url=https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/07/090731-ocean-trash-pacific.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090803165007/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/07/090731-ocean-trash-pacific.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 3, 2009|website=National Geographic}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Ivar Do Sul|first1=Juliana A.|last2=Costa|first2=Monica F.|date=2014-02-01|title=The present and future of microplastic pollution in the marine environment|journal=Environmental Pollution|language=en|volume=185|pages=352–364|doi=10.1016/j.envpol.2013.10.036|issn=0269-7491|pmid=24275078}}</ref> Animals who feed off of the bottom of the ocean risk sweeping microplastics into their systems while gathering food.<ref name=":4">{{cite web|title=Marine Plastics|url=http://ocean.si.edu/conservation/pollution/marine-plastics|access-date=2019-11-08|website=Smithsonian Ocean|language=en}}</ref> Smaller marine life such as mussels and worms sometimes mistake plastic for their prey.<ref name=":22" /><ref>{{cite journal|last=Kaiser|first=Jocelyn|date=2010-06-18|title=The Dirt on Ocean Garbage Patches|journal=Science|language=en|volume=328|issue=5985|pages=1506|doi=10.1126/science.328.5985.1506|issn=0036-8075|pmid=20558704}}</ref>

Larger animals are also affected by plastic consumption because they feed on fish, and are indirectly consuming microplastics already trapped inside their prey.<ref name=":4" /> Likewise, humans are also susceptible to microplastic consumption. People who eat seafood also eat some of the microplastics that were ingested by marine life. Oysters and clams are popular vehicles for human microplastic consumption.<ref name=":4" /> Animals who are within the general vicinity of the water are also affected by the plastic in the ocean. Studies have shown 36% species of seabirds are consuming plastic because they mistake larger pieces of plastic for food.<ref name=":22" /> Plastic can cause blockage of intestines as well as tearing of interior stomach and intestinal lining of marine life, ultimately leading to starvation and death.<ref name=":22" />