Pollution in the ocean

Image: Tech Explorist

Taking over ocean space

Plastic is not only harming animals and ecosystems within the ocean, but due to the current amount dumped into the ocean each year, the ocean will be so full of plastic it will become uninhabitable and unusable for animals and humans alike. 

Image: Monterey Bay Aquarium Shorelines

Affect on People

While it may not seem to directly affect humans, plastic in the ocean will stop us from enjoying the beach as we all love, cause the extinction of all marine animals, and has already begun to enter the food chain causing humans to ingest plastic unknowingly. 

Image: Change.org

re-beaching of plastic

Plastic does not just dissappear when thrown in the ocean. Most of the time, if not caught on coral reefs, animals, or ingested, plastic is re-beached in different locations due to tides as well as storms and natural disasters. 

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Articles on Pollution:

• http://www.eaglenews.ph/big-western-brands-polluting-oceans-with-cheap-plastic-in-philippines-greenpeace/
• http://seavoicenews.com/2018/01/17/466/
• ​http://www.takepart.com/article/2015/02/20/ocean-plastic-pollutions-shocking-death-toll-endangered-animals
• https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.com/turtle-chair/?utm_source=ars-arsfan&utm_medium=social-fb&utm_content=link&utm_campaign=turtle-chair&utm_term=AT456&origin=ars-arsfan_social_fb_link_turtle-chair
  

A Plastic Ocean

A Plastic Ocean is a documentary made in 2017 looking at the detrimental impact that plastic has on the ocean. Made with the help of many scientists brought in at each stage of the process, the film focuses on facts on studies done on one gyre. An ocean gyre is a large system of circular ocean currents formed by global wind patterns and forces created by Earth’s rotation.  The film focused on the center of the Pacific Ocean gyre, as they assumed if it was occurring in one gyre, it would be occurring in all five of them. The scientists found that there was more plastic present than plankton in that location as well as how the plastic breaks down and once it enters the food chain it attracts toxins like a magnet. These toxins and plastic pieces are eventually consumed by humans affecting not only these animals but humans as well. Plastic Oceans, the organization has many different programs in order to change these facts found in the documentary, including education programs, a social enterprise program, and global partnerships. The organizations film serves as an educational social warning film to all humans alike. Illustrating how we must first understand our impact to try and revert the ocean back to its original healthy state. 

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Documentary, 2017 
Available on netflix or vimeo
vimeo.com/ondemand/aplasticocean
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​Plastic Oceans Foundation is a global charitable organisation that aims to change the worlds’ attitude to plastic in a single generation. The organisation aims to limit the demand for non-essential plastic, using the Ocean as a litmus test to monitor the impact of this man-made pollution crisis on human health.
https://plasticoceans.org/about-film/

Image: The Tico Times

Initiatives to help

Many projects and groups are devoting their time, efforts, and money towards improving the ocean's condition.  ​

WAYS TO HELP

Image: Mother Nature

DIsposal of Plastic

People need to focus on changing their habits and finding a better way to dispose of their plastic trash.

Proper Disposal

Items to watch for

Plastic Items ​

        Common plastic items found in the ocean:
- Plastic grocery bags
- plastic utensils 
- toothbrushes 
​- product packaging 
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Other items:

- Fishing lines 
- fishing nets 
- fishing hooks 
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Easy ways to help:​

- Recycle plastics
- use reusable grocery bags
- use a reusable water-bottle
- use a wooden toothbrush 
- encourage others to join you 
- pick up trash when you see it

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Oceans Alive Project 
Girl Scout Gold Award Initiative 
​Pick up Five to help them survive!

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