A network of 90 NGOs from around the world including big names such as Greenpeace, Oceana, the Story of Stuff Project, GAIA, 5Gyres and Clean Water Action have come together to launch a massive global movement to achieve a “future… Read More ›
Plastic pollution
Study Determines Increased Plastic Pollution Detrimental to Sea Turtles
A new global review led by the University of Exeter that set out to investigate the hazards of marine plastic pollution has warned that all seven species of marine turtles can ingest or become entangled in the discarded debris that… Read More ›
Biologist Equates Plastics in Environment to DDT Contamination
–Visit Neptune 911 For Kids to learn more about Patricia Newman’s “Plastic, Ahoy!” A prominent Canadian marine biologist has warned of a second “silent spring” — this time in the world’s oceans — due to the vast amount of plastic… Read More ›
Ocean Star Surrounded by “Endless layers of garbage”
Far away from California’s coast, where the Pacific Ocean currents swirl, the blue of the sea was replaced by fishing nets, buckets, buoys, laundry baskets and unidentifiable pieces of plastic that floated past the Ocean Star, a ship carrying a… Read More ›
Video Shows Plankton Consuming Plastic Beads
Neptune 911 has reported on scientific concerns about plastics in the seafood that we consume. This video shows how plankton easily consume plastic beads. Yes, the following is editorializing, something Neptune 911 uses only when facts out-weigh the hyperbole. There… Read More ›
Ocean Debris a “Big-Time Problem” for Sailors
Sailors said the worse place for debris was the Malacca Strait, which divides the Indonesian island of Sumatra from Malaysia. So much debris can be found there that Charlie Enright, the youngest skipper in this year’s event, said one “could walk across that stretch of water on the trash.”
Phthalates Found in Aleutian Island Seabirds
The chemicals that Padula looks for in sea birds are called phthalates. They are a family of chemicals used to make plastic more flexible, and they can leach into the muscle and liver tissues of birds.
Padula found those chemicals in all of the birds she collected in the west Aleutians. But only some birds had visible pieces of plastic in their stomach.
Microplastics Found in Birds of Prey
“The implications are obvious and severe,” said Jim Elliott, director of the Center for Birds of Prey, about the discovery of the repellents and retardants in all 27 birds sampled among eagles, hawks and owls. “Who’s next on the (food chain) ladder? It’s us.”
Study Searches for Microplastics in Sacramento Rivers
A UC Davis researcher is studying whether tiny bits of plastic used in face washes, toothpaste and other consumer products are accumulating in Sacramento-area rivers and flowing out to the Pacific Ocean. Microbeads are tiny synthetic particles barely noticeable to… Read More ›
Microplastics Swarm Oregon Beach
ASTORIA, Ore. — Marine debris researcher Mark Ward is leading a charge to clean up a tidal inlet near the mouth of the Columbia River. The inlet is littered with millions of tiny pieces of plastic called micro-plastics. Ward has… Read More ›
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