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By: Shelby Wilson Summary: We have all heard of pollution and know that it is affecting our oceans. We have taken a stand trying to reduce the amount of plastic straws and bags we use, but is that helping as much as we think it does? According to Sophie Lewis, a writer at CBS, plastic bags and straws account for less than 1% of the total oceans plastic. She also states that over 10 million tons of plastic ocean waste enters our oceans each year. Most of that plastic we can't even see. Most is taken to the deep ocean floor by currents. Just because we cannot see that plastic doesn't mean it still isn't there not only affecting us but all other organisms. If microplastics are not filtered correctly out of factories, they can easily enter the ocean and be absorbed by living organisms. Not only do microplastics have a huge impact on marine life, but it has an impact on all living organisms. After it has entered the food chain, those microplastics can end up on our dinner table. Researchers said the amount of plastic is so high, it has become part of the makeup of the ocean floor. Those microplastics were never a part of the makeup of the ocean floor before, and they shouldn't be now. Currently scientists have uncovered the highest amount of microplastics ever recorded. A very unsettling 1.9 million pieces. There are “hotspots” where most of these microplastics have settled. By tracking ocean currents, we can estimate where these microplastics may end up. These currents carry oxygen and nutrients needed for deep sea organisms to survive but are disrupted by the microplastics. Plastic pollution is happening everywhere on earth. Why we should care? I believe we should care about this topic because we are the ones who made plastic and are most of the reason it has ended up in our oceans. We should take accountability for our own actions.  Photo Credit: https://images.app.goo.gl/KEPUK4sZGSqtyKZd7 Example Article. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/highest-ever-concentration-microplastic-ocean-floor-plastic-pollution/ I found this article particularly interesting because of the numbers involved. I was unaware of how much microplastic was not only on the ocean floor but in the entirety of the ocean. When I read that 10 million tons of plastic enter the ocean every year, I was in disbelief. I also found it interesting that plastic straws and bags only account for 1% of all that plastic. I feel that we need to broaden our view and not only focus on straws and bags. It is also clothes fibers and takeout containers. This article really opened my eyes to just how many microplastics are on the ocean floor and it is much worse than I could have ever thought. Science in Action.
Dr. Ed Carpenter is a Professor in the Department of Biology at San Francisco State University. Ed Carpenter researched that not only plastic bottles, bags and straws (all the mainstream plastic many people think of) is not the only factor contributing to the oceans microplastic problem at the seafloor. He researched the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in the Pacific Ocean. He found that the plastic emitted into the ocean is affected by sunlight, wind and waves which all weakens the plastic and breaks it into smaller and smaller pieces. Along with breaking down bigger pieces of plastic, the beads that are in body scrubs and exfoliants products are also on the seafloor and are microplastics. I thought this scientist's research was very interesting because he mentions that when he was on a cruise he saw tiny white pieces of plastic floating in the ocean very far off shore and was shocked to see it. I believe that many people don't know just how bad the microplastic is and how badly it can affect everyone. We should be concerned for not only ourselves but our marine life and our plant.
18 Comments
10/22/2020 10:18:13
I agree that micro plastics are a real problem. I also agree that we need to broaden our horizons as to the causes. However, i was deeply concerned by the lack of solutions put forward. The post seems to have fallen back into the old environmental problem of showing a problem, which is important, but offering no viable solution. Otherwise, good work.
Justin Yarrington
11/17/2020 10:08:16
I did a similar topic but mine was on micro-plastics in the human organs. So reading this was very interesting because I had heard about how most of the accumulation of these particles is in the ocean. I also really enjoyed the article that you had provided from cbs, definitely widened my perspective.
Jessica Sabatini
10/22/2020 10:18:29
Yes! I think microplastics/plastics in the ocean and other bodies of water are a huge issue. I mean, we're already running out of drinking water and fresh water. Water isn't a renewable resource, so this is a prevalent problem. There has to be something done about this... ASAP.
Erika Lyijynen
10/22/2020 10:20:19
Hey Shelby! I think this is a really interesting topic to cover. Plastic alone is such an immense part of pollution that is aiding to climate change. On top of that, microplastics like you're talking about do so much harm to our environments! It's absolutely insane to me how much microplastic is in our oceans... Everything we use on the daily like plastic bags, straws, etc, all just end up right back in our environments. I personally have been trying to lessen my waste/plastic use in any way I can, but it's hard! You really don't realize how many things in our daily lives contain plastic. Almost all of our food nowadays even comes wrapped in plastic, whether it's at the grocery store or takeout. And now a lot of that plastic is coming BACK into our food because we put it everywhere. It's just scary to think about how much plastic is everywhere... especially considering plastic wasn't even invented that long ago. Anyways-- great job on your post, too!!
Ben Matthews
10/22/2020 10:21:58
This is very unsettling, with more than 10 million tons of plastic entering the oceans each year. These fragments being broken down by sunlight, wind, and waves leads to tiny microplastics being cycled through the oceans. This not only disrupts natural systems; it will eventually have an affect on us and our food sources. How can we best remove or reduce microplastics from the oceans to mitigate marine life loss?
Grace Komrska
10/22/2020 10:22:14
I find it very interesting that plastic bags and straws only make up 1 percent of the oceans plastic content. Microplastics are such a danger because they so hard to detect, and almost impossible to clean up. This article is very important because awareness needs to be spread to other materials and products that are damaging the oceans more then straws and plastic bags.
Mike Knust
10/22/2020 10:23:07
I would find it interesting to know more about the path the plastic takes to get to the ocean. Obviously a lot of people litter, but I wonder how much plastic is coming from people who think they are properly disposing garbage. (discluding the beads in body & face washes.)
Ella F
10/22/2020 10:25:12
I did not know that over 10 million tons of plastic waste filtered into our oceans each year. In response to your point about plastics becoming part of the food chain, I have seen before that humans consume at least the equivalent of one credit card worth of plastic per week! Also, I agree with your point that we must focus on limiting our plastic consumption in more areas, not just plastic straws and plastic bags. Great job, Shelby! 10/22/2020 10:26:17
I found it interesting to find out that most microplastics/plastics travel all the way down to the ocean floor. I always thought they mostly stay afloat and travel to the shores. I also agree with you that we should be accountable for our own actions because this earth is our home. We need to keep it safe for our future generations.
Noah Howard
10/22/2020 10:32:54
I also believe this article is very interesting, and disturbing that we have such a devastating effect on organisms that live in this environment. We should put more effort into decreasing these numbers of microplastics in these waters, as this is the product of our inventions destroying this habitat and altering its composition to such a degree. I completely agree with the idea that we need to care more about other commonly used plastics that pollute our waters and not just straws and plastic bags. I was really surprised that these mainstream plastics only take up 1% of the plastic found in our oceans. In the article and in your summary it says that the micro plastics is beginning to enter the sedimentary cycles and others along with it, but I'm wondering how the added microplastic particles will affect the way these cycles function or if it will just run the same.
Dante Ritchie
10/22/2020 17:02:18
The amount of microplastics in the water on Earth is astounding. The simple amounts of plastics in the water is enough to smother the Earth. One of the world's biggest hotspot is a vortex of trash and plastics swirling in the ocean, getting larger and larger each day.
Mallory Evatz
10/22/2020 17:49:19
I thought you did a great job on your post! I agree with how dangerous microplastics are especially as they have become so prevalent in our oceans. I think it is important also to recognize that by reducing our use of straws and plastic bags we are not saving the oceans but preventing an extremely small amount of plastic use. I think we need a solution to resolve bigger issue involving micropastics which is the production of plastic and is being done with it afterwards
Maissa Hamieh
10/23/2020 07:43:20
I agree with the fact that micro plastics are a severe issue in todays world. Society has been so careless with our use of plastics and where they go when we're done. Everyone needs to start holding themselves accountable and go on to help fix what's broken because habitats are being destroyed.
Heba M. Chokr
10/23/2020 18:44:54
This blog post really opened my eyes to a problem that I, and many others, overlook-- and for that, great job. I think the amount of micro plastics on the seafloor is extremely unsettling. I can't imagine how we just stand back and see this issue taking place without doing anything extraordinary to stop it. That being said, I wonder what the best approach is in getting rid of these micro plastics in the ocean. 11/16/2020 18:10:41
Plastic in the ocean is widely talked about, but not really about the severity of it. I had no idea that that amount was put in the ocean yearly. It is sad that people do not care about our oceans. Our earth is truly beautiful but we continue to destroy it and it is more than unfortunate. 11/18/2020 14:40:31
I feel that microplastics are a huge issue for our planet. We talk about the amount of pollution there is and how we need to change it, but we don't really talk about the severity of it nor do we truly take action. We need to make more of an effort to stop the waste because it is killing our environment. Leave a Reply. |
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