...A Systems Analysis of Plastic Debris in the Pacific Ocean Course: Integrated Environmental Systems Instructor: Steven Arnold Fall Quarter University of Denver By: Cletus Achibonga November 7, 2012 Table of content Title 1 Abstract 4 Introduction 5 1.1 Scope 5 1.2 Background 5 Animal and plant deaths 8 2.1 Birds 8 2.2 Mammals and other animals 10 2.3 Plants and plant food 11 Environmental impacts 12 3.1 Physical impacts 13 3.2 Chemical impacts 14 3.3 Biological impacts 14 3.4 Human impacts 15 3.5 Economic impacts 16 Societal Responds 17 Conclusion and Recommendation 20 References: 21 List of figures Figure 1: A pack of plastics at the shores of Kamilo Beach, Island of Hawaii 8 Figure 2: Bird corpse with ingested plastic 10 Figure 3: Seal entangled in fishing nets and lines 11 Figure 4: DPSIR model analysis of the pacific gyre 18 Abstract The pacific patch is the most devastating problem of our generation yet there is little public knowledge about the nature and severity of the situation. There is also little to no awareness as to the way we humans either intentionally or unintentionally contribute to the worsening situation in our water bodies. This study used the DPSIR model in analyzing the problem of the pacific gyre from a systems perspective. It focused on the impacts of the pacific gyre on the environment, plants, animals as well as the ecosystem...
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...sources of marine pollution is plastics. The problem of plastic pollution in oceans is a serious issue because of the negative impacts that it has on the marine ecosystems and the abundant living organisms found within these areas. The introduction of plastics into the natural environments of marine species often causes considerable damage to these creatures, as plastic debris is a known culprit of injuries and even the deaths of many marine animals. For instance, plastic bags are commonly mistaken by animals, both in marine ecosystems as well as on land, as a type of food “especially when the bags carry food residues, are brightly coloured...
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...OCEANIC IMPACTS Plastic Waste Humans have been utilizing the ocean for millions of years and have created serious problems within our oceans. Plastic pollution has caused huge problems in our oceans, as massive amounts of plastic trash ends up in our oceans every year. According to recent studies at least 5 trillion pieces of plastic waste are now floating in the world’s oceans. This waste for the most part sinks to ocean floor, what remains at the surface has created large whirlpools, and a significant amount of it washes onto our coastlines daily. (Parley, n.d.) The Pollution Problem Plastic pollution within our oceans is caused by following reasons: debris washed into the ocean from rivers after heavy rain or floods, blown off of garbage...
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...discoverer of Great Pacific Garbage Patch (in 1977), "The ocean is downhill from everything" (as cited in Blomberg, 2011). Considering the fact that high percentage of all trash is produced on the land, it is very surprising then the biggest junk yard is actually in the water and not on the land. Even though, recently many people and companies started to care more about amount of trash in oceans, there is a lack of information about Great Pacific Garbage Patch and related issues among large number of population. First of all, Great Pacific Garbage Patch consists of two parts, Western and Eastern Pacific Garbage Patch as mentioned in article written by Jacob Silverman (n.d.). Some sources refer to Eastern one as Great Pacific Garbage Patch and do not talk about the other one (Boudreau et al., n.d.), even though they do not deny the existence of Western Pacific Garbage Patch it can cause some misunderstanding with names. In this essay, there will be used distinction of Eastern and Western Pacific Garbage Patch as well as collective name Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Eastern one is situated between Hawaii and California, the Western flows between Hawaii and Japan. Silverman continues that both patches contain trash from all over the world and they are connected with 6000-miles long thin current called Subtropical Convergence Zone which also holds noticeable amount of trash. Holly Bamford, director of NOAA’s Marine Debris Program calls this convergence zone a "trash superhighway"...
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...Bio 324 12/01/12 Plastics in the ocean Imagine the massive breadth and spread of our great state of Texas. Now imagine every milli-inch of that piled high with trash: bottle caps, cigarettes, cigarette lighters, tampon applicators, plastic nets, discarded flip flops, Frisbees, soda bottles, milk jugs, diapers, six-pack rings, busted tennis rackets, empty pens, shampoo bottles, empty squeeze bottles of jam, you name it. Now take that image, double it, and plunk into the water. That's what is floating around the eastern corner of a 10-million-square-mile oval known as the North Pacific subtropical gyre. Nicknamed the "Eastern Garbage Patch," this buoyant stew of toxic pollution-most of which is plastic-is only one of five such garbage heaps caught in the swirling high-pressure currents characteristic of gyres. The others reside in the South Pacific, the North and South Atlantic, and the Indian Ocean. And each year, perhaps unwittingly, each one of us adds to plastic to the heap. Plastic makes it into our oceans in a variety of ways. About twenty percent of it comes from goods lost from boats: i.e. accidental loss of fishing tackle and other recreational gear, massive shipping containers carrying millions of plastic items washed overboard during severe storms; litter from pleasure boats, or illegal dumping of unwanted goods. Beachgoer’s debris is also a contributor. The other eighty percent is swept in from land. Just as Nonpoint Source Pollution from fertilizers...
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...2009 Using our oceans as garbage dumps has had negative effects on both sea life and the environment. Imagine walking by the beach in Carlsbad, California and dropping the cap from your soda bottle; as you reach to pick it up, a wave comes and sweeps it from your grasp. Three years later that cap is part of a floating island of debris in the North Pacific Ocean, that some estimate to be twice the size of Texas. Humans are having a devastating impact on the earth’s oceans. Billions of tons of recyclables have found their way to the middle of the ocean. Many studies regarding the impact of plastics on the environment have been done, yet little has been done to understand what devastating effects this will have on our environment in the future. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is one of the largest trash vortexes known to researchers. It is interesting to know that, currently, more than 60 billion tons of plastic are produced each year, and less than 5% of that is ever recycled. (Walsh) Plastic bags, bottles, toys, sun glasses and even shoes can be found floating in this giant mass of garbage. It is located in the remote waters between California and Hawaii, does not have distinct boundaries and varies in length and location throughout the year. This area moves seasonally between 23° and 37° N latitude. (NOS) Ocean currents grab the garbage and take it out to sea. It accumulates in different places where the water currents from several different oceans come together to form...
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...Plastic pollution in the ocean is continuing to increase, causing the death of marine animals and ruining islands that are habitat to many animals. Even uninhabited islands in the middle of the ocean are not immune to the issue even though they are located thousands of miles from any civilization. In particular Henderson Island has been severely impacted by plastic pollution, despite its tiny size and remoteness. This rural island is covered in over 38 million pieces of plastic debris (Parker). Plastic pollution is a current issue because despite the many organizations and people that are working to reduce the amount of plastic pollution, the amount of plastic in the ocean continues to increase and harm the most important parts of the ocean....
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...Kure atoll is located in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands of the Pacific Ocean 28°25′N 178°20′W and is the most remote atoll in the world. 178°20′W and is the most remote atoll in the world. Green Island is 6 miles in diameter and is the only existing land that currently protrudes from the ocean. The atoll is located at the “Darwin point”, where coral growth decreases to a slower rate than atoll subsidence, and the atoll will sink below the surface. The good news is that the coral growth at Kure is faster currently than the subsidence. However, further north are the Emperor seamounts, showing a grim future for Kure atoll, where the water is too deep and cold for coral growth. The atoll is extremely important, because its home for dozens of nesting birds, sea turtles and the endemic Hawaiian monk seal. Along with the many endemic species inhabit the atoll, human...
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...Plastics in the Oceans We live in an increasing disposable world. Everything from food to electronics ends up in a landfill somewhere. We are always looking for newer and better products to replace what we already have. The consequences of this behavior are resulting in more and larger landfills, toxic water and a myriad of other problems. With our growing population and excessive consumption, the items we use everyday are becoming disposable so the garbage problem continues to expand exponentially. It is a readily accepted fact that plastics has made our lives both easier and safer, but, at the same time, has also left a damaging imprint on our environment and even our health. The waste management industry has done a very clever job of keeping the inner workings of landfill disposal cloaked in secrecy. As a result we give less and less thought to what actually happens to all the trash we throw away every day. Our culture of convenience is so dominant we do not even see the consequences of our actions. Journalist and filmmaker Heather Rogers, in her essay “The Hidden Life of Garbage” takes us on a journey of garbage disposal that most of us never think about once we take the trash to the curb. She explains one particular method that should give us all pause for thought: In new state-of-the-art landfills, the cells that contain the trash are built on top of what is called a “liner.” The liner is a giant underground bladder intended to prevent contamination of groundwater...
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...Save Our Beaches! The Study Behind Coastal Pollution Plastic Pollution is a significant contributor to the non-point source pollution found in the Monterey Bay and around the world. While terms such as Marine Debris and Ocean Trash have been used to describe the garbage that enters the ocean, a growing number of scientists, researchers and marine-based organizations have adopted the term Plastic Pollution not only because 90% of floating ocean trash is plastic, but because the term pollution highlights that we are dealing with a pervasive substance that contaminates water, the cells of organisms, and knows no boundaries. (Plastic Pollution, n.d.) 80% of plastic pollution that enters the ocean originates from land. Common sources include: recreational beach users, people who drop litter on sidewalks and streets, plastics manufacturers and transporters, illegal dumping, and areas with inadequate trash receptacles. All land-based plastic pollution has the potential to become ocean pollution. Plastics easily blow into the ocean or washed down storm drains that flow directly to the Bay, and oceans around the world. (Marine Problems: Pollution, n.d.) Marine animals often mistake plastic pieces for food. For example, bird species such as pelicans or albatross will mistake pieces of plastic for small fish. Once the animal ingests the plastic, their body cannot digest it. The plastic item will remain in the animals’ stomach causing the animal to feel full. Thus the animal will eventually...
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...Mai English 961A March 13 2015 The Lack of Awareness of Overconsumption of Los Angeles Residents Last year the Advance Science, Serving Society reported that 4.8 to 12.7 millions metric tons of trash enter the ocean. America, the country has the well-developed infrastructure to handle the waste, contributed 40,000 to 110,000 metric tons per year. The improved life quality and the increase resource consumption as the society gets more modern have posed the negative impact on the environment. Moreover, the waste management is far beyond the handling of the government and the agencies because there are never enough landfills for 25 percents of world trash in America (Humes). In the article “Can Psychology Help Save The World? A Model For Conservation Psychology,” Susan Clayton, a professor of psychology at the College of Wooster, and Amara Brook, a professor of Santa Clara University, use psychology to help explaining the human behavior which causes environmental problem. Although the government spends a lot of money on waste management, the lack of awareness of Los Angeles residents causes high volumes of waste, which leads to ocean pollution and health problem. The Los Angeles government spends a lot of money for trash management and controlling the amount of trash. California government spends millions a year to clean trash from their beaches and alley ways. In the article “L.A. lawmakers press for cleanup of city's trash-strewn alleys” by Emily Alpert Reyes, she states...
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...In our Oceans When someone sees trash in the water do they ever wonder just how much trash is out there? Or how it is affecting marine life? You should. In 2013 Kyra Schilling, lead author of this study, was able to look at the sea floor at a depth of 365 meters, and continued to the depth of 4,000 meters. What they found was a lot of trash, one-third of the trash was plastic, of these objects half were plastic bags. Metal was the second common form of debris found, aluminum cans, steel, and tin cans were found. Other things were found as well that include rope, fishing equipment, glass bottles, paper, and cloth. Kyra made a good point, “We don’t usually think of our daily activities affecting life two miles deep in the...
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...and its Effects on Society “Around 8 million tons of plastic ends up in the oceans every year”,(Milman 1). Nowadays in our everyday society, plastic is used constantly from cups and plates, to bags and pencils. It is this same plastic that ends up in the world’s oceans due to various means of transportation, where it then harms the existing life and ecosystems present. Until something is done to combat this issue, the pollution will never cease to increase. Oceanic pollution harms the world’s oceans, it’s marine life, and ultimately ourselves due to the overwhelming influx of pollutants, and lack of action against it. The formal definition of marine pollution is as states, “Oceanic pollution also known as marine pollution is the spreading of harmful substances such as oil, plastic, industrial, and agricultural waste and chemical particles being released into the ocean”,(NOAA). Essentially there is no one cause to marine pollution, therefore there is also no one effect or solution to it either. Marine pollution is the accumulation of waste being emitted into the ocean both via natural, and unnatural means. A few of the most notable causes of marine pollution would include the following: sewage, industrial, land runoff, large scale oil spills, ocean mining, and littering. To go more into...
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...spitting gum on the floor, people litter every day without giving a single thought to what might be affected. For what feels like eternity, humans have rigorously affected the marine life in Earth’s oceans by spreading their various and vast amounts of pollution. Ocean pollution is the spreading of detrimental substances such as plastic, oil, chemical particles, and industrial and agricultural waste. Being even more specific, littering. When objects are blown by the wind over long distances and end up in the ocean, this is considered pollution from the atmosphere and is a huge source of ocean pollution. Most of the debris that is dumped, especially plastic debris, cannot decompose and remains in the oceans...
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...fishing industry has long been associated with the contribution of marine pollution little work has been done on the effects on the industry itself of marine debris and other pollution. The fishing industry is responsible for discarded nets, hooks, fishing poles, and many times sunken boats, among other gear. In many circumstances this is not the intended plan when going fishing to catch their paychecks. In fact the fishing industry pays a high price for these losses from the time they have to replace their nets to the pulling of old nets and trash out of their new nets on a regular basis. When questioned about the effects of marine debris on their fishing activities, Shetland fishermen responded that 92% had recurring problems with accumulated debris in nets, 69% had had their catch contaminated by debris and 92% had snagged their nets on debris on the seabed. Many also experienced fouled propellers and blocked intake pipes. On average, 1-2 hours per week were spent clearing debris from nets. Debris could cause a restricted catch and many boats avoided particular fishing areas altogether due to the high concentrations of debris. It has gotten to the point for many fishers that they can no longer fish certain areas known to be well stocked with money fish due to the time consuming issues with trash and fishing debris in those specific waters due to left behind gear. Ultimately their carelessness or specifically their loss of equipment into their own favorite fishing area and...
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