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The usage of plastic in our daily lives is frequently underestimated. As stated in an article titled "Plastic Bags Wars" by Doucette, the world consumes 1 million plastic shopping bags every minute. This, along with various other types of plastics, has become a major global pollution issue. Captain Charles Moore, founder of the Algalita foundation, revealed that in the United States alone, two million plastic bottles are used every five minutes. Moore's discovery in 1997, known as the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch," serves as an example of the substantial amount of plastic pollution that enters our oceans from land.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is commonly portrayed as a mixture of various discarded items, including cups, straws, lids, bags, and food containers.
These large amounts of plastic waste are also recognized as the primary cause of marine debris in the country (Murphy). The significant quantity of plastic pollution found on our shores and in our seas is causing harm to both humans and marine life.
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Therefore, it is crucial to prevent plastics from entering our oceans to address this global issue. As stated in Murphy's report, the Center for Marine Conservation—a Washington-based environmental organization—identifies plastic trash as the main source of debris on beaches ranging from Santa Monica to Miami.
In the past, ships at sea were the primary source of oceanic plastics, depositing 14 billion pounds of garbage annually (Amaral). Previously, discarded materials consisted of natural substances that would sink and rapidly decompose (Amaral). Presently, plastics thrown into the ocean remain afloat for up to 400 years (Amaral).
Despite the existence of laws prohibiting plastic dumping, enforcing and guaranteeing ship compliance with these regulations pose challenges in preserving our oceans' cleanliness.
According to Kositgen in "Better Planet Garbage Patch," the process of how trash ends up in the ocean is quite simple. For instance, when a cup is unintentionally blown off a San Francisco beach, it gets trapped in the California Current and is carried down the coast towards Central America. This single piece of trash can eventually travel around the globe due to the ocean's different currents. "Beaches Drowning in Plastic Pollution" reports that a research study was conducted to assess the quantity of trash found on American beaches.
According to Murphy, in Los Angeles County, approximately 68% of the debris collected for the survey consisted of various types of plastic. The total number of debris recorded exceeded three million pieces, representing only a fraction of the overall trash discarded on our beaches. Officials in Santa Monica claim that the majority of the plastic collected during the survey originated from beachgoers discarding their waste. On weekends at Santa Monica Beach, maintenance crews collected a staggering twelve tons of garbage during the summer months.
According to Kostigen, 80 percent of marine debris that ends up on shore, including trash and toxic matter, comes from land-based activities (Kostigen). However, plastic pollution can also enter the ocean through storm drains, rivers, and creeks. During heavy rainfall, these drains and waterways serve as conduits that directly deposit debris into the ocean (Murphy). Although we cannot control the weather, we have control over our behavior. It is essential to properly dispose of trash instead of littering on beaches.
Murphy states that the marine conservation center has warned about the significant threat posed by the general public to beaches and marine life. While it may not be feasible to completely eliminate all plastic in the ocean, there are measures we can take to prevent additional waste from entering by organizing beach cleanings. In a coastal cleanup event in 1993, more than half of the total collected trash, which amounted to over 3.1 million pounds, consisted of plastic (Amaral). The improper disposal of waste contributes to the ongoing problem of plastic pollution. If our behaviors do not change, the garbage patch will continue to expand (Kostigen).
In his article "Better Planet Garbage Patch," Thomas Kostigen recounts his personal experience of visiting the Eastern Garbage Patch to witness the magnitude of this issue. Kostigen describes the size of this area as being equivalent to one and a half times the United States, with a depth exceeding 100 feet (Krostigen). This garbage patch covers approximately ten million square miles in the North Pacific Gyre. However, in "An Ocean of Plastic," Doucette asserts that the exact size of the patch is unknown, and it remains uncertain if it has any defined boundaries (Doucette).
Despite numerous estimates, the size of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, known as Hinton 4, remains unknown. Additionally, Doucette has issued a warning that this patch holds over ten million tons of waste. Doucette further describes the area as a "fetid swamp of debris" where decaying plastic outweighs zooplankton by a ratio of six-to-one, even though zooplankton is one of the most abundant organisms on Earth (Doucette). It is now evident that the presence of plastic particles in our oceans is causing damage to the natural habitat and this problem persists.
Plastic particles in the ocean are always on the move, forming "gyres" and eventually ending up in the center of a current cluster known as the Pacific Garbage Patch. Within these gyres, the trapped trash continues to circulate for long periods, lasting from months to years or even decades. Since plastic does not naturally break down, these plastic fragments persist in our oceans and release chemical additives and plasticizers into the water (Kostigen).
Moore's article "An Ocean of Plastic" explains that the North Pacific Gyre, home to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, is just one of five major gyres in the world's oceans. He emphasizes that these gyres accumulate plastic, stating that "half of the world's oceans are accumulators - these high pressure gyres that bring stuff into themselves, and every single one of them is full of plastic" (Moore qtd. in Doucette). It is clear that efforts must be made to prevent plastic from entering the ocean from land in order to stop this global epidemic from growing.
The prevention of plastic pollution can only be achieved through a change in our behavior. Plastics in the ocean have had a major impact on marine life, putting various species at risk and disturbing their natural habitat. According to Doucette's "An Ocean of Plastic," the United Nations Environment Program estimates that plastic debris results in over 100,000 marine mammal deaths and 1 million seabird deaths annually (Doucette). The excessive amount of plastics present in the ocean is causing a distressing decline in innocent marine creatures.
"Plastics in our Oceans" highlights the harmful effects of plastics on marine mammals, which were first noticed by scientists in the late 1970s. According to research conducted by the National Marine Mammal Laboratory, around 40,000 seals die each year because they get tangled in plastic (Amaral). As a result, these seals become trapped and unable to move freely, leading to death from starvation or exhaustion (Amaral). This problem poses a major risk to various species as fishermen dispose of their nets in the ocean, introducing an unnatural element into their natural environment.
Both Amaral and Kostigen emphasize the negative impact of plastics on marine life. Amaral provides an example of a humpback whale getting tangled in 50 to 100 feet of net and washing up on a beach in Cape Cod. Similarly, Kostigen warns about the dangers posed by fishnets used by fishermen at sea, stating that "twenty-mile castaway fishnets trap sea turtles, dolphins, and other animals, putting their populations at risk" (Kostigen). Additionally, the disposal of various types of plastic into the ocean not only physically harms marine life but also leads to ingestion by many species. Murphy's article "Beaches Drowning in Plastic Pollution" underscores the dangerous consequences of plastic on marine life.
Murphy states that plastic bags are frequently confused with jellyfish and other see-through organisms, which are a regular source of food for many species including sea turtles. Although these creatures can consume plastic bags, they are incapable of digesting them. Floating plastic particles in the ocean are often mistaken as food by small birds, resulting in their eventual demise after ingesting them. Furthermore, marine life is adversely affected by plastic six-pack rings. Murphy elaborates that young fish can get entangled in these rings and suffer fatal injuries as they grow and surpass the size of the rings.
In his book "Better Planet Garbage Patch", Kostigen interviews Captain Charles Moore about the impact of plastic pollution on sea life. Moore states that 90% of Laysan Albatross chick carcasses and stomach contents contain plastics. He goes on to explain, similar to Murphy, that seabirds often mistake plastic particles for food. During a lecture, Moore further explains that plastic bottle caps are not included in bottle bill recycling programs. This is problematic because these caps float on the surface of the ocean and are frequently mistaken for food by Albatross chicks.
According to Moore, many chicks are dying because they eat bottle caps and other debris that is the same size as geese. The marine life in our oceans is being harmed by plastic pollution because we throw too much waste on streets and beaches. When trash is thrown onto the beach, it eventually ends up in the ocean where seabirds may eat it and die from choking. Amaral's article "Plastics in Our Oceans" reveals that approximately 63 out of 250 seabird species have small plastic particles in their stomachs.
Multiple sources indicate that marine life is at risk due to the increasing amount of plastic pollution in the ocean. This plastic not only endangers marine organisms but also poses a threat to humans. Furthermore, plastic pollution has an impact on both marine life and humans by contaminating our food. In "Better Planet Garbage Patch," Hinton 7 Moore elaborates on how plastic pollution disrupts the natural food chain as it absorbs hydrophobic pollutants like PCBs and pesticides such as DDT.
The pollutants mentioned by Moore in Kostigen's article bioaccumulate in marine organisms' tissues, biomagnify as they move up the food chain, and enter the foods we consume. Ingesting these pollutants can pose health risks. Doucette discusses in "An Ocean of Plastic" that smaller organisms like jellyfish and zooplankton may now be consuming small bits of plastic found in our oceans. Confirming Moore's concerns, Doucette adds that these critical species, which form the foundation of the oceanic food web, are becoming saturated with plastic and may pass it along as they move up the food chain.
The excessive amount of plastic being thrown into the oceans is causing significant harm to the natural food chain. In the words of "An Ocean of Plastic", the concern lies in the substances that the plastic carries and emits when consumed by organisms (Barn-ford qtd. in Doucette). By consuming food that contains plastic, we are exposing ourselves to toxic chemicals such as PCB’s and DDT, which have been linked to liver damage, skin lesions, and cancer. Numerous species, including fish, now carry harmful toxins due to the release of these harsh chemicals from the plastic. According to Kostigen, approximately 2. billion people depend on fish for a fifth of their protein intake (Kostigen).
Moore asserts that the pollution of fisheries results in the contamination of fish consumed by humans. Based on his earlier findings, Moore concludes that all oceanic food is tainted with plastic. If we persist in disposing significant quantities of waste into our oceans without altering our behaviors, the seafood we rely on for sustenance will grow progressively more toxic and polluted. Though cleaning up beaches to prevent additional plastic pollution in the oceans can yield positive outcomes, the ultimate resolution lies in creating biodegradable plastics or entirely eradicating their use.
In his article "An ocean of Plastic," Kostigen suggests that the key solution to stop plastic from entering the global food chain is by reducing our plastic consumption. He asserts that if we decrease the production of plastic, there will be a significant decline in the amount that ultimately ends up in the ocean. One particular item, namely plastic bags, should be reevaluated by individuals as it plays a role in exacerbating this issue. China has already taken measures to address this problem by implementing a ban on plastic bag usage.
In their (year) publication, Doucette warns about the negative effects of plastic bags on beaches and wildlife. This includes sea turtles and camels. Although completely stopping plastic production may not be feasible, a solution can be found in the manufacturing of photodegradable and biodegradable plastics. Some states have already passed laws mandating the use of biodegradable materials for products such as six-pack holders. By significantly reducing plastic production, we can prevent further pollution of our oceans caused by additional plastic waste.
Plastic manufacturers are currently researching ways to create "degradable plastics", but the existence of plastic pollution in the ocean poses a danger to marine life overall. What is concerning is that the exact amount of plastic in the ocean is still unknown. Given the significant quantity of plastic particles found in the ocean, it is clear that most, if not all, marine species are ingesting these particles. Since plastic particles contain harmful substances, it is highly probable that toxic chemicals have affected every marine species. Many countries around the world rely on fish as a source of food.
Consuming fish caught from the ocean now results in ingesting plastic particles, leading to various health issues. While it is not feasible to entirely eliminate all plastic from the oceans, we can have an impact by changing our habits of littering on beaches. To prevent this growing global problem, we need to stop plastics from land entering our oceans and also make efforts to clean up as much as we can. If we fail to modify our behavior, it will undoubtedly contribute to the ongoing increase in this concerning level of plastic pollution.
The Impact of Plastic Pollution on Our Oceans. (2016, Sep 10). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/plastic-pollution-2-essay
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