We think of islands as being fixed in size, but some do grow. On the Big Island of Hawaii, Kilauea volcano erupted almost continuously from 1983 to 2018. For 35 years, lava poured out, and some of it reached the ocean, which caused the island to grow fresh land. Between 1983 and 2002, the island’s landmass grew by 542 acres.
Hawaii is a natural example of the earth’s growing landmass, but there are also growing islands of trash in five different places in the ocean. The biggest island of trash is called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which is between Japan and Hawaii.
Some estimates say it is twice the size of Texas. Its actual size is hard to pin down because it is not an island of solid trash but is better described as a ‘trash soup.’ In some areas, this soup is thick and up to 10 meters deep, and in other areas, it thins to very small pieces of plastic that are not visible from the surface. It is estimated to weigh 80 million tons and is continuing to grow daily.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is held together by wind and water currents, but that doesn’t mean it is contained. It kills many different types of sea life, including turtles, penguins, and birds that mistake plastic trash for food.
In the Midway Islands, the bodies of birds that have died from eating the plastic have been photographed, which has encouraged some people to decrease their use of plastics.
Zooplankton are tiny organisms in the ocean that are a necessary food source for many of the ocean’s creatures. In 2000, there were six pounds of plastic per pound of zooplankton in the ocean. Today, there are 60 pounds of plastic per pound of zooplankton. According to some estimates, by 2050, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. This isn’t just a problem for sea life, but also for anyone who enjoys seafood. In 2011, researchers found plastic in 9% of fish caught in the Pacific Ocean.
In the US, 2 million plastic bottles are thrown away every 5 minutes, and about 1 million plastic bags are used every minute worldwide. They’re thrown in landfills and in the oceans of the world. All of this plastic is designed to stick around for 500 to 1,000 years before finally breaking down.
When we are faced with such immense pollution problems like this, it’s easy to bury our heads in the sand, but there are both global solutions and personal choices that can make a difference. Watch the video below as you ponder whether you can reduce plastic in your life.
References:
https://www.livescience.com/27622-kilauea.html
https://theoceancleanup.com/great-pacific-garbage-patch/
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/microplastics-impact-on-fish-shown-in-pictures
https://www.theworldcounts.com/challenges/planet-earth/waste/great-pacific-garbage-patch-size/story
We think of islands as being fixed in size, but some do grow. From 1983 to 2018, lava came out of a Hawaiian volcano into the ocean. This caused the island to grow 542 acres of new land.
Hawaii’s new land was natural, but there are also growing islands of trash in the ocean. The biggest island of trash is called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It is between Japan and Hawaii.
Some say it is twice the size of Texas. Its size is hard to pin down because it is not an island of solid trash. It is ‘trash soup.’ In some places, this soup is thick and up to 10 meters deep. In other places, it thins to very small pieces of plastic that are hard to see. There are 80 million tons, and it is growing daily.
Animals sometimes think the plastic is food. This kills many different types of sea life, including birds.
In the Midway Islands, many birds have died from eating the plastic. Seeing photographs of these birds has made some people reduce their use of plastics.
Zooplankton in the ocean are food for many of the ocean’s creatures. In 2000, there were six pounds of plastic per pound of zooplankton in the ocean. Today, there are 60 pounds of plastic per pound of zooplankton. By 2050, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. This isn’t just a problem for sea life, but also for anyone who enjoys seafood. In 2011, researchers found plastic in 9% of fish caught in the Pacific Ocean.
In the US, 2 million plastic bottles are thrown away every 5 minutes. About 1 million plastic bags are used every minute. They’re thrown in landfills and in the oceans of the world. All of this plastic will stick around for 500 to 1,000 years before breaking down.
When we are faced with such a big problem, it’s easy to bury our heads in the sand. But there are personal choices that can make a difference. Watch the video below as you think about whether you can reduce plastic in your life.
References:
https://www.livescience.com/27622-kilauea.html
https://theoceancleanup.com/great-pacific-garbage-patch/
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/microplastics-impact-on-fish-shown-in-pictures
https://www.theworldcounts.com/challenges/planet-earth/waste/great-pacific-garbage-patch-size/story
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