Plastic pollution in oceans inspires international event

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Plastic pollution in oceans inspires international event
Morgan Erickson-Davis, special to mongabay.com
September 03, 2009

For the past decade, an annual volunteer drive involving thousands of divers from all over the world has taken place in an effort to lessen the plastic content of the ocean. This year's International Cleanup Day is scheduled for September 19th and registration is open to certified divers and other volunteers who would like to do their part to save a choking ocean.

The world's oceans contain millions of tons of plastics, most of which are discarded on land and wend their way down rivers and along coasts until eventually they are carried into the middle of the sea. The most dramatic example of this is the "great Pacific garbage patch" which is a mass of plastic debris about twice the size of Texas in the North Pacific.

Laysan Albatross chick full of plastic marine debris on Green Island at Kure Atoll State Wildlife Refuge in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument. Claire Fackler, NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries

Predicted in the 80s and discovered in the 90s, the patch is not detectable by satellite as it lies at and immediately below the surface of the sea. If viewed from the deck of a boat, however, it is immediately clear by the pails, bottles, and other detritus floating past that one is sailing through a soup of plastic. Oceanic garbage accumulations are composed of both largely intact pieces of refuse and those that have been broken down into a plastic sludge. Plastic is not capable of biodegrading; it remains as a polymer even when decomposed to a molecular level. These tiny particles are then capable of being incorporated into the food chain. Large plastics themselves are a hazard to many members of the marine ecosystem. Albatross, for example, often mistake pieces of plastic debris for squid and other prey species. Sadly, the albatross digestive system cannot break down plastic and accumulation can lead to eventual starvation.

AWARE, a nonprofit group whose mission is the preservation of marine ecosystems, along with the Ocean Conservancy and the Professional Association of Dive Instructors joint-organize an event called International Clean-Up Day to encourage the large scale removal of marine debris. Last year, 10,600 volunteer divers removed almost 100 tons of garbage from various locations around the world. In addition to divers, the September 16th event needs volunteers to collect and tally data. For more information about the project and how to help, please go to www.projectaware.org or http://www.padi.com/scuba/about-padi/padi-partners/project-aware/default.aspx.

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Morgan Erickson-Davis, special to mongabay.com (September 03, 2009). Plastic pollution in oceans inspires international event. http://news.mongabay.com/2009/0903-morgan_plastic_oceans.html

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