Our oceans are being threatened by “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch.” This is a phenomenon that has many scientists concerned. The debris field of this massive vortex of floating plastic trash is said to be twice the size of Texas.
An article written by Paul Rogers from the San Jose Mercury News highlights some of the issues that are involved. For the full article you can click here.
“The bobbing debris field, where currents swirl everything from discarded fishing line to plastic bottles into one soupy mess, is about 1,000 miles west of California,” Rogers writes.
On Whidbey Island it is not uncommon to find plastic bottles or debris that is washed on to our shores.
It may be impossible to clean up this mess. The larger pieces can be pulled from the ocean; however, we are dealing with an area that is just too large.
Rogers says “First, most of the plastic is broken into tiny fragments. Plastic becomes brittle from the sun’s ultraviolet radiation and eventually breaks up into minuscule pieces like confetti. Billions float just below the surface in the garbage patch, which is located north of Hawaii but shifts in size and location depending on the season and the currents.”
Holly Bamford, director of marine-debris program for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in Silver Spring, Md. has these comments.“Albatrosses and other sea birds die from ingesting plastic, which fills their stomachs without providing nutrition. The plastic pieces also can absorb toxic chemicals, which then migrate up the food chain, even potentially contaminating fish that humans eat.”
This issue is an “out of sight out of mind” issue according to Rogers. We can be thankful that scientists are looking into the problem. However, we must be more vigilant in protecting our planet. We need to be disciplined and create habits that are friendlier to the environment.
This is all about setting roots in our culture; about the importance of being good stewards of our Planet. Taking action creates a domino effect; it can inspire others to take action. Our beaches and oceans are littered with items made of plastic; so buy reusable shopping bags and water bottles. Whidbey Island residents seem to be ahead of the times.
found your site on del.icio.us today and really liked it.. i bookmarked it and will be back to check it out some more later
This is what we like to hear creating conversation is our goal.