<
https://theconversation.com/five-hotspots-where-floating-plastic-litter-poses-the-greatest-risk-to-north-atlantic-marine-life-new-study-224705>
"Plastic has been found in every single part of the ocean, from the surface to
the seafloor and from the tropics to the poles. Land-based sources of plastic
account for the majority of this pollution, with plastic bags, bottles,
wrappers, food containers and cutlery among the most common items found.
These items are often buoyant and float on the sea surface. As they travel long
distances, they get pushed by the wind, waves and currents. This means they
have the potential to cause harm far beyond the country from which they
originated. For example, land-based plastic waste from Indonesia has been shown
to travel over 4,000km to the Seychelles.
As it travels, plastic litter can cause harm to wildlife. Megafauna (large
marine animals) can eat or become entangled in it. Consuming plastic litter can
block or damage the gastrointestinal tract of animals, causing significant
health impacts or death.
While ghost fishing gear (lost fishing nets that float freely) is the most
common entanglement threat to marine megafauna, they can also become entangled
in land-sourced plastics such as plastic bags, frisbees, potato nets, elastic
bands and other circular plastics. This can cause severe trauma to the animal,
and in some cases entanglement causes death.
If plastic is transported towards the shore, it can get caught or lodged in
shallow environments where it can entangle or cover plant or animal habitats,
causing damage. Plastic entanglement can cause breakage, and if it covers a
habitat it will restrict access to food or light.
At Plymouth Marine Laboratory, our team of marine researchers have developed a
risk assessment approach to understand where this plastic litter could cause
the most harm in the North Atlantic, and which countries that plastic
originated from. Our research highlighted five areas of high risk – the US
Atlantic, the US Gulf of Mexico, the UK, French Atlantic and Portuguese
Azores."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
