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The plastic ‘missing’ from our oceans has been found

#1
C C Offline
https://theconversation.com/for-decades-...und-133434

EXCERPT: You’ve probably heard that our oceans have become a plastic soup. But in fact, of all the plastic that enters Earth’s oceans each year, just 1% has been observed floating on the surface. So where is the rest of it?

[...] But our new research suggests ocean plastic is being transported back onshore and pushed permanently onto land away from the water’s edge, where it often becomes trapped in vegetation. ... Our separate, yet-to-be-published research has found around 90% of marine debris that enters the ocean remains in the “littoral zone” (the area of ocean within 8km of the coast). This new study set out to discover what happens to it.

[...] Think about what you see on your beach. Smaller debris is often found near the water’s edge, while larger items such as drink bottles, plastic bags and crisp packets are often found further back from the water, often trapped in vegetation.

We also found more debris near urban areas where rivers and creeks enter the ocean. It could be that our trash is being trapped by waterways before it gets to the sea. We’re finding similar patterns in other countries we’re surveying around the Asia Pacific and beyond.

This pollution kills and maims wildlife when they mistake it for food or get tangled in it. It can damage fragile marine ecosystems by smothering sensitive reefs and transporting invasive species and is potentially a threat to human health if toxins in plastics make their way through the food chain to humans. It can also become an eyesore... (MORE - details)
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#2
Zinjanthropos Offline
Couple years back my wife and I strolled along the beach near Tofino, the end of the road on the Pacific side of Vancouver Island. You can’t help noticing that there’s always a bunch of loose sediment washing up with each wave. I wondered about the white flecks I saw so I scooped some. I thought it was the remnants of ground up seashells but it was obvious upon closer inspection that there was a mix between shell and plastic in that handful. Thankfully more shell bits but plastic was there nonetheless. Same for other samples I picked higher up the beach.
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