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Post by Vinny on Apr 6, 2024 10:04:02 GMT
How about we discuss the effects of overfishing, ocean plastics ocean acidification and coral reef bleaching?
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Post by Red Rackham on Apr 6, 2024 11:57:06 GMT
Ref ocean plastics. Apologies for pasting directly from wiki... Despite the common public perception of the patch existing as giant islands of floating garbage, its low density (4 particles per cubic metre (3.1/cu yd)) prevents detection by satellite imagery, or even by casual boaters or divers in the area. This is because the patch is a widely dispersed area consisting primarily of suspended "fingernail-sized or smaller"—often microscopic—particles in the upper water column known as microplastics.[4] Researchers from The Ocean Cleanup project claimed that the patch covers 1.6 million square kilometres (620,000 square miles)[5] consisting of 45,000–129,000 metric tons (50,000–142,000 short tons) of plastic as of 2018.[6] The same 2018 study found that, while microplastics dominate the area by count, 92% of the mass of the patch consists of larger objects which have not yet fragmented into microplastics. Some of the plastic in the patch is over 50 years old, and includes items (and fragments of items) such as "plastic lighters, toothbrushes, water bottles, pens, baby bottles, cell phones, plastic bags, and nurdles".
Research indicates that the patch is rapidly accumulating.[6] The patch is believed to have increased "10-fold each decade" since 1945.[7] The gyre contains approximately six pounds of plastic for every pound of plankton.[8] A similar patch of floating plastic debris is found in the Atlantic Ocean, called the North Atlantic garbage patch.[9][10] This growing patch contributes to other environmental damage to marine ecosystems and species...link
The above figs are huge but are probably an underestimate. I think ocean plastic/garbage is a much bigger problem than most people are aware of, indeed most people are probably not aware of it. A case of out of sight out of mind perhaps. And there are probably millions of tonnes of, who knows what, sitting on the ocean floor that's secretly dumped every year. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 6, 2024 14:30:02 GMT
I only know about the plastics that arrive on the beach. In the form of broken car indicator lenses, plastic bottles, lego (ouch), plastic bags, barbie dolls, fishing equipment/line, netting, building materials.
Every time I walk on the beach I pick some rubbish up and bin it, mostly plastic. I will have a job till I die.
It is an absolute disgrace that in modern society that invented plastic, we are unable to do the right thing and dispose of unwanted plastics correctly. Rubbish is a far bigger threat to us than slightly warmer air.
The rubbish is poisoning the food supply, that is deadly.
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