Substantial part of planet Earth is made up of water. About 70% of the Earth is made up of Oceans. It is also here that most of the oxygen found in the atmosphere is produced, however, over the years, greater marine pollution has affected the pH of the water and consequently increased the temperature of the oceans, causing so marine life is affected. The ocean, for several generations, has been the target of fatal attacks by the human being, the concentration of garbage is higher every year. Disposable plastics is a major source of marine pollution.
Where are the “Plastic Islands” located?
The plastic islands are in the main oceanic vortexes: two in the Atlantic, two in the Pacific, and one in the Indian Ocean. This heap of garbage is formed mostly by micro plastics that end up floating in the rotating currents and are housed in these huge whirlpools. Since the density of water has a higher density than plastic, it will not sink and once it is in the ocean it will be transported by currents. The amount of plastic in the ocean was counted and 1.8 trillion plastic fragments were found in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP), which will be the equivalent of 250 plastic fragments for each human being (The Ocean Cleanup, 2020).
Fig.1- Location of major "plastic islands" in the ocean
What is the impact on species?
The constant increase in plastic pollution in the marine environment raises questions of great importance for the health and safety of marine and terrestrial animals. Unfortunately, it is increasingly common for animals to confuse plastic fragments with food, which ends up causing malnutrition and, consequently, a change in the individual's behavior. Ingesting plastic ends up taking up space in the digestive system, which causes a reduction in food signals. The feeling of fullness ends up reducing food intake (Ritchie & Roser, 2018).
Not only do marine animals suffer from the accumulation of plastic in the ocean, but humans also. Bioaccumulation is a process that explains how a substance reaches the top of a food chain. The chemicals that are found in plastic are entering the body when an individual feeds on plastic, consequently that individual becomes a prey, which when ingested transmits the chemicals ingested to the predator and so on throughout the food chain, which normally ends in human beings (Denchak, 2018).
Fig.2- Plastic path until it reaches the human organism
Which countries pollute the oceans the most with plastic?
According to the graph, it is possible to observe that in 2010, China was the country responsible for 8,8 million tons of waste that were considered “poorly managed”, about 3,53 million tons ended up in the oceans. However, it is important to note that China has the largest population in the world. According to the Chinese government, China has set a target to recycle 35% of plastic waste by the current year (2020) (Plastic Ethics, 2019).
In second place is Indonesia is identified with 264 million inhabitants, with 3.2 million tons of waste managed poorly, with 1.29 million endings in the oceans. When comparing with the USA, they have 327 million inhabitants, with an average of 0.30 million poorly managed plastics where 0.11 million plastics end up deposited in the oceans (Plastic Ethics, 2019).
Fig.3- Countries with more plastic waste produced in 2010.
How plastic reaches the oceans:
In 2010, around 270 million tons were produced, and there was a worldwide plastic waste of 275 million tons, this figure is alarming since it has exceeded annual production. However, regions that are 50 km from the coast are more likely to see their plastic waste in the ocean, with these areas totaling 99.5 million tons of plastic waste, however, only plastics poorly managed is that they present a significant risk of leaking into the environment. The real value of ill-conditioned plastic waste was 31.9 million tons. Of that 31.9 million tons, 8 million tons were leaked into the ocean (Ritchie & Roser, 2018).
Fig.4- Plastic path to the oceans
Plastic production from the 1950s to 2015
In the 1950s, an average of 2 million tons of plastic was produced. Annual plastic production has increased exponentially since then, thus increasing approximately 200 times, thus reaching 381 million tonnes produced in 2015. The short slowdown observed between the years 2009 and 2010 as a result of the economic crisis of 2008 that reached the whole globe (Ritchie & Roser, 2018).
Fig.5- Amount of plastic produced from the 1950s to 2015
How to prevent?
Conclusion:
The problem of plastic in the ocean is not a recent one. Every year millions of tonnes are deposited in the oceans. In addition to having consequences for marine fauna and flora, it also has an impact on humans. Strong plastic production needs to be slowed down; single-use plastics need to be eradicated. The human being needs to gain awareness that he depends a lot on the ocean and what it offers. There are several alternatives to plastics, the plastic bag can be replaced by a cloth bag, a plastic bottle can be replaced by a thermos, a takeaway coffee cup by a reusable coffee cup, among others. It is necessary to reuse more than 9% of plastic and prevent it from reaching the ocean. It is necessary to let the ocean breathe.
Reference List:
Denchak, M., 2018. Ocean Pollution: The Dirty Facts. [online] NRDC. Available at: <https://www.nrdc.org/stories/ocean-pollution-dirty-facts> [Accessed 1 June 2020].
Hutchinson, B., 2018. 7 Ways To Reduce Ocean Plastic Pollution Today. [online] Oceanicsociety.org. Available at: <https://www.oceanicsociety.org/blog/1720/7-ways-to-reduce-ocean-plastic-pollution-today> [Accessed 4 June 2020].
Plastic, E., 2010. The Countries Polluting The Oceans The Most With Plastic Waste. [online] Plastic Ethics. Available at: <https://www.plasticethics.com/home/2019/3/17/the-countries-polluting-the-oceans-the-most-with-plastic-waste> [Accessed 2 June 2020].
Ritchie, H. and Roser, M., 2018. Plastic Pollution. [online] Our World in Data. Available at: <https://.org/plastic-pollution> [Accessed 1 June 2020].
The Ocean Clean Up, 2020. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch. [online] The Ocean Clean Up. Available at: <https://theoceancleanup.com/great-pacific-garbage-patch/> [Accessed 2 June 2020].
Trowsdale, A., Housden, T., Meier, B., Bridge, S. and Roxas, J., 2017. Seven charts that explain the plastic pollution problem. BBC, [online] Available at: <https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-42264788> [Accessed 3 June 2020].