Ocean cleanup awarenes from Jaana Nyström

Ocean cleanup awarenes from Jaana Nyström 
#science  

Originally shared by Jaana Nyström

Oceans: The plastic pollution problem

- Millions of tons of plastic have entered the oceans (UNEP 2005)

- Plastic concentrates in five rotating currents, called gyres 
In these gyres there is on average 6x more plastic than zooplankton by dry weight 

- 1/3rd of all oceanic plastic is within the great Pacific Garbage Patch


Ecological effects

- At least one million seabirds, and one-hundred thousand marine mammals die each year due to plastic pollution 

- Lantern fish in the North Pacific Gyre eat up to 24,000 tons plastics per year 

- The survival of many species, including the Hawaiian Monk Seal and Loggerhead Turtle, could be jeopardized by plastic debris 

- Plastic pollution is a carrier of invasive species, threatening native ecosystems 


Economic effects

- Marine debris causes an estimated $1.27 billion in fishing and vessel damages in the APEC region annually 

- The costs of removing debris from beaches is on average $1,500, and up to $25,000 (U.S) per ton 

- Plastic pollution causes over an estimated $ 13 billion globally each year 


Health effects

- Toxic chemicals (including PCBs and DDTs) are adsorbed by the plastic, increasing the concentration a million times 

- After entering the food chain, these persistent organic pollutants bioaccumulate in the food chain 

- Health effects linked to these chemicals are: cancer, malformation and impaired reproductive ability 

Can we stop this?

What can you do?

Read on:
http://www.theoceancleanup.com/

#Oceans     #Plastic     #OceanCleanUp     #Nature