Comments on: Is there really six times more plastic than plankton in the North Pacific Gyre?

By: may in laser

may in laser — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 17:52:19 +0000

may in laser…

[...]Is there really six times more plastic than plankton in the North Pacific Gyre? « The Oyster’s Garter[...]…

By: Clarifying the plastic issue | Climatide

Clarifying the plastic issue | Climatide — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 19:55:32 +0000

[...] going on in the ocean. The reasons for this are somewhat technical, but you can read about them in this blog entry, which I wrote a year before I starting doing my own research on plastic in the North Pacific. I [...]

By: Does the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” exist? « SEAPLEX

Does the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” exist? « SEAPLEX — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 04:18:20 +0000

By: mailace

mailace — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 02:51:25 +0000

Very interesting posts. It is indeed important that scientific material that gets into the general press be as accurate as possible and I am very glad to learn that the ratio of plastic nurdles to plankton is probably not 6:1 in the N.Pacific gyre. Similarly I think it is not very accurate to say that the infected area of the N.Pacific gyre is twice as big as Texas or twice as big as the U.S.A. but I understand that these descriptive types of comparison have more effect on the general public. It is extremely important I believe to educate the general public as to the real harm being done to our environment by the careless use of plastics. I became aware of the so called ‘North Pacific Garbage Patch’ about 3 or 4 years ago when I didn’t know what a gyre was and set out to learn as much as I could about it without actually going and seeing for myself – something I would like to do as I don’t feel I really can know the problem without going there. I now lecture to any group I can about the danger to life on this planet from the virtually uncontrolled disposal of plastics in all forms. Less than 20% of plastic waste is recycled worldwide. In time almost all waste plastics wind up in the lakes and rivers and mainly the ocean gyres. We already know that there are immense amounts of plastic, both the small nurdles as well as larger pieces, floating in the North Pacific and the North Atlantic gyres. I’m certain that in time similar ‘garbage patches’ will be discovered in the other three gyres. Because plankton is a major basic food for a large percentage of ocean life forms we need to be very concerned about how plastic is affecting the plankton itself. More study needs to be done on this. In the meantime I think it is incumbent upon all concerned people to spread the word and make every effort possible to reduce plastic usage and therefore reduce manufacture. I will be presenting as a start, a proposal to my local borough council to ban the distribution of plastic bags in retail outlets. Such efforts have so far been successful in 55 cities, towns and villages in the U.S. and a similar amount world wide. Not much but it’s a start and the movement to ban the use of plastic bags and the idiot use of plastic bottles for water containment is growing rapidly.

By: Dr. Bill Bushing

Dr. Bill Bushing — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 16:37:55 +0000

As a marine ecologist, I appreciated the discussion presented here about the potential flaws in the finding of a 6:1 ratio by Algalita. I support Algalita in its activities to address this problem. I also value peer review that addresses flaws in the methodology… this is a critical part of science and therefore this piece serves the scientific community and the general population well.

There is little dispute that plastics are a BIG problem regardless of what the actual ration is.

By: Emma

Emma — Sat, 15 May 2010 17:38:24 +0000

Exactly as you are saying, here is a WSJ story (March 25, 2009) that emphasizes the confusion about precise numbers and portrays the garbage patch as another over-hyped “environmental catastrophe”. They even say that plastic might be good for the environment!

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123793936249132307.html

By: Faut-il nettoyer la mer? | Le Portail de Toute L'Actualités du Monde

Faut-il nettoyer la mer? | Le Portail de Toute L'Actualités du Monde — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 11:00:25 +0000

[...] -cette zone qui ressemble à une libellule sur cette carte, par exemple, est riche en poissons, en phytoplancton et en zooplancton, alors que la Plaque de déchets, en elle-même (la zone rose entre la Californie et Hawaï) est [...]

By: Sea Trash- Global Garbage

Sea Trash- Global Garbage — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 18:41:50 +0000

[...] than others—the dragonfly-shaped area on this map, for example, has high amounts of fish, phytoplankton and zooplankton, whereas the Garbage Patch itself (the pink area between California and Hawaii) is a relative dead [...]

By: Roger from Solar Power Facts

Roger from Solar Power Facts — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 03:25:41 +0000

Apparently when plastic breaks down into tiny particles and is absorbed by the micro flora and fauna it becomes very toxic.

By: Shawn Tisdell

Shawn Tisdell — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 10:56:20 +0000

Seems a very reasonable explanation. Has there been additional follow up studies done on the degradation and abundance and distribution of plastics in the worlds oceans? I have a growing concern not only for the effects of direct ingestion of the plastic but that it seems that the plastic is absorbing PCB’s out of the water and this is leading to biomagification up the food chain. This may be a large reason why so many fish are now recommended for us not to eat at all. Seems a pretty big problem to be ignorant about, if only for the selfish reason that people are being recommended not to eat fish. http://opendoorworld.com/fish/