Garbage patch
Every year around 10 million tons of plastic flows into the Oceans, it is 80% of the water pollution. Oceans are moved by the rotation of the Earth, Coriolis force, and the wind. Circular currents, called Gyres, are a kind of giant vortex in which floating is slowly sucked into the middle. The currents are connected with the regulation of water temperature and salinity.
Pacific trash vortex
The amount of plastics moved by currents creates two giant pools called The Great Pacific Garbage Patch or Pacific trash vortex, these are between Japan and Hawaii. Their size is similar to Texas. It is not possible to see the big quantity of floating plastic waste in the Oceans because the majority of the composition is made of microplastics.
What are the elements that compose the Garbage patch?
Plastics
Plastics are made from polymers, long repeating chains of molecule groups. By breaking down crude oil into its components and rearranging them we can form new synthetic polymers, that don’t exist in nature. Thanks to this, the characteristics of plastics, such as lightweight, durability and the possibility to be molded into any shape; let them be suitable to any sort of application.
Some examples
Bottles, bags, clothes, packaging and many others. The introduction of Plastics can be dated about 100 years ago. These revolutionary materials increased their use more and more.
Photodegrade
When plastic objects are exposed to the sun, the UV radiations break down plastics into smaller parts of about 5 mm, this process is called photodegrade.
It is estimated that 51 trillion of parties float in the Ocean. Fishes and marine animals, especially seabirds, easily eat these elements, which lead them to death. Also the human health is in danger, because microplastic could travel up the food chain.
Microplastic fibres
Also polyester fibres, microplastic fibres, 3500 tonnes plastic microfibers from clothes washing were found, mainly in Artic
Not only garbage patch...
Example of Mediteranean hotspot
Hotspot
There are other pools of “plastic soup” with a high density of waste, they are called “hotspot”. The closest to us is the amount of plastic in the Mediteranean sea, it is a sort of hotspot because on the one hand the waste inside rivers comes into the sea, on the other hand the connection between Mediteranean sea and the Atlantic Ocean is too small to let the waste to pass outside the sea, so it remain there.
Two famous islands are involved...
We have an example of this fact between Elba and Corsica. It could create some worse consequences than the previous two, because of their concentration of water pollution. The bad impact of this situation caused the destruction of the marine ecosystem, and also influenced the economic aspect of these two islands without tourists.
The bad impact of this situation caused the destruction of the marine ecosystem
Water pollution, in particolar microplastics, causes the death of fishes and sea birds. They are smothered by the objects that they eat or they are trapped or hurt by nets, bags and others. Scholars say that 115 marine species are in serious danger.
Turtle: the symbol of sea health
Turtle death is a common fact linked to water pollution. This fragile animal, hurt by human products, is the symbol of sea health, because when one of these is in a good condition, it is the same for the other.
Unexpected phenomenon
In an Indian state called Odisha,during the first lockdown caused by the pandemic situation, about 2000 female turtles went near the shore to lay eggs. This unexpected phenomenon underlines that we still have the possibility of saving our world, so we have to catch this opportunity!
Annalisa B.
