New ocean concern: tiny plastic pollutants

While scientists have documented the effects of large plastic flotsam in the oceans for decades — turtles trapped in fishing nets, albatrosses swallowing plastic cigarette lighters — very little research has focused on what happens when those bigger pieces break down into tiny specks, called microplastics.

Read more about the impact of microplastics in this article (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2012102451_microplastics13.html) by Phuong Le, The Associated Press.

Albatross Chicks

See Chris Jordan's collection of amazing photographs of albatross chicks
from one of the world's most remote marine sanctuaries,
more than 2000 miles form the nearest contintent. Unfortunately they have died, theirbellies full of plastic fed to them by their parents.

http://www.chrisjordan.com/current_set2.php?id=11

Colbert Nation and the Pacific Gyre

Charles Moore talks with Stephen Colbert about the garbage patch that's turning the Pacific Ocean into a plastic wasteland.

See it yourself at http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/260772/january-06-2010/charles-moore

Afloat in the Ocean, Expanding Islands of Trash

Light bulbs, bottle caps, toothbrushes, Popsicle sticks and tiny pieces of plastic, each the size of a grain of rice, inhabit the Pacific garbage patch, an area of widely dispersed trash that doubles in size every decade.

Read this November 2009 update from the New York Times.

Timelines - Plastics Longevity

Charles Moore says "Plastics, like diamonds, are forever". For a good introduction, read the "Why is plastic in the ocean a problem" section from his Algalita brochure.

Here are several overview timelines, showing how long different materials will last in a marine environment. You might be surprised - plywood lasts a few years, but a plastic 'disposable' diaper or a plastic water bottle last four to five hundred years.

The Texas 'Adopt A Beach' program created this visually dynamic timeline, illustrating how long it can take commonly used items to dissolve back into nature.

Here are some more tabular versions of similar information:

• This simple page shows how long some common things will stay in the ocean - from the Los Angeles, California stormwater program.
  
• And here's a more complete list - from the Long Beach Peninsula visitors bureau in Washington State.
• A similar Marine Debris Timeline - from the United States Environmental Protection Agency - Gulf of Mexico Program.
  

This timeline comes from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, 15 islands about 3/4 of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines.

 
Here's another pictorial view
that you can download from the Irish Sea Fisheries Board

Slideshow - Plastics in the (Ocean) Environment

This 12 page 'slideshow' provides a wonderful introduction to the issues of plastic marine debris:

• Plastics Debris Washed Ashore
• Plastic Debris on the Move
• North Pacific Gyre Study Site
• Plastic Deburs in the Ocean Water Column
• Sources of Pollution in our watershed
• Nurdles
• Chemical Pollutants from Plastic
• Pollutants from Plastic Incineration
• Peril of the Albatross
• Plastic Debris Pollutes the Food Chain
• Stopping Pollution in our Watershed
• Changing How We Think About Plastic

Source: Algalita Marine Research Foundation

FAQ - Pacific Gyre and Plastic Pollution

This set of frequently asked questions and answers will give you a jump-start to your understanding of the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch", and many related issues of plastic pollution.

Source: Algalita Marine Research Foundation