The Environmental Effects Of Plastic Pollution In The Ocean

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Plastic pollution affects our oceans just as harshly, if not worse, than the land we live on considering 70% of the earth’s surface is our oceans. It has been estimated that five to thirteen million metric tons of plastic pollution enter our ocean annually. In even the most remote areas where human life isn't seen, plastic can be found floating on top of and throughout the water. Scientists estimated five trillion pieces of plastic float among the ocean’s surface worldwide, even though most of the pieces are small enough to not be visual when looking upon the waves. However, 50% of marine debris including plastic will sink in the ocean. Plastic from areas where any human population is present travels around in one of the five main tides created …show more content…

This drags pollution further out than most people are aware of.
Sea life is incredibly damaged by these large masses of garbage as well. Plastics in the water get ingested by many larger organisms which are completely toxic material and can lead to illness or death. The sea turtle easily will believe a plastic bag is a jellyfish and they will consume the …show more content…

Albatrosses might eat plastic resin pellets as a mistake for fish eggs and die of starvation because they are not actually eating the nutrients they need. These pellets also have the ability to tear apart their organs. These organisms might also be caught by fisherman for human consumption and end up in human diets as well. The toxins from the plastic build up in the fat and muscle tissues of fish, that humans eat, therefore emptying the stomach is not quite enough. Plastics that sit inside of waters long enough will break down into smaller pieces called microplastics that will never decompose. The sun is what initially breaks down these products with the help of ever moving ocean waves and ocean salt. It is referred to as photodegradation. Most of the pollution within the garbage patches of the oceans are made up of this microscopic material mixed in with larger pollution items such as shoes or dropped cargo. This can be referred to as a smog like environment created by the amount of microplastics. A good example of a small microplastic many people know, are the microbeads used in toothpastes and facial scrubs that are starting to be banned worldwide. Some microorganisms

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