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 ›
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 ›
WASHINGTON: Debris in the ocean, such as plastic and glass, has been having a life-threatening global impact on marine life. Nearly 700 species of marine animal have been recorded as having encountered man-made debris according to the most comprehensive impact… Read More ›
Some eight million metric tons of plastic waste makes its way into the world’s oceans each year, and the amount of the debris is likely to increase greatly over the next decade unless nations take strong measures to dispose of… Read More ›
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Balloons are killing animals on land and in water, according to researchers at the Virginia Aquarium. And now a lawmaker from Virginia Beach is hoping to ban the release of helium balloons into the air…. Read More ›
The fibers “get enmeshed in their G-I [gastrointestinal] tracts,” where they can pose physical and physiological hazards, explained Laura Kammin, pollution prevention specialist with the Ilinois-Indiana Sea Grant who worked with Mason on the study that documented fibers in Lake Michigan waters.
The debris found in the 37-foot (gray whale) male included more than 20 plastic bags, small towels, surgical gloves, a pair of sweatpants, duct tape, and a golf ball.
Reading about ocean plastic makes one marvel at what man has wrought. According to National Geographic, trash from North America makes a mighty six-year voyage to reach “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch,” where it hooks up with trash from Asia. Ocean currents form these areas of spinning debris that researchers are only now starting to measure.
by Matthew Zumbo One Green Planet There are several things in our environment that we have to keep reminding ourselves are not precious to everyone. Despite a direct correlation to the future of life on our planet, people somehow fail… Read More ›
The Natural History Museum reports: Deep-sea sediments are accumulating tiny fragments of plastic in surprisingly high concentrations, scientists have discovered. The accumulations represent a previously unknown repository of global plastic waste. Marine plastic debris in surface waters and coastal sediments… Read More ›
Neptune 911! 