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Plastic Island

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plastic islands

One marine environmental problem that I have found to be fascinating and terrifying at the same time are the formation of the “plastic islands” that have been found in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Millions of tons of plastic have made it’s way into the oceans over the years and now we find that the currents and winds have gathered these pieces into floating islands, some the size of Texas. According to National Geographic “plastic can circulate in this part of the Atlantic Ocean for years, posing health risks to fish, seabirds, and other marine animals that accidentally eat the litter.” This floating trash pieces can kill off all kinds of sea life, from fish to birds and plant life. Calling it an island is a bit misleading, because it’s more complicated than that. There are huge floating piles of plastic, but it’s similar to an iceberg than an island. As it grows the smaller pieces are pushed below the surface and can become almost a soup like texture. While the plastic doesn't truly go away it does change in form. This new form of the plastic is one of the worst parts of the problem, when it becomes too small to be effectively removed through any method that we have today. What can be done about this problem? According to Popular Mechanics “Data from earlier in the study reflects a larger concentration of industrial resin pellets, the raw material of the consumer plastics industry. But the group notes a significant decrease in the concentration of these tiny pellets over the course of the study, likely due to voluntary programs the plastics industry initiated in the 1990s to prevent or recapture spilled material.” So this is a problem that has been brewing for years, and so too has some of the solutions. Identifying one of the biggest contributing factors has already lead to some positive changes, but much more is needed. The

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