Why do some scientists say that plastic garbage in the ocean can't be cleaned up?

Marine garbage will not only cause visual pollution, but also cause water pollution and water quality deterioration.

Distribution of marine garbage in the North Atlantic Ocean

Distribution of marine garbage in the North Atlantic Ocean

The biggest plastic garbage in the ocean is abandoned fishing nets, some of which are miles long and are called "ghost nets" by fishermen. Under the action of ocean currents, these nets are intertwined and become a "death trap" for marine mammals, which entangles and drowns thousands of seals, sea lions and dolphins every year. Other marine organisms tend to mistake some plastic products for food. For example, turtles especially like to eat plastic bags that look like jellyfish. Seabirds prefer lighters and toothbrushes because they are shaped like small fish, but when they want to spit them out to feed their young birds, weak young birds often choke to death. Plastic products can't be digested and decomposed in animals, which will cause stomach discomfort, abnormal behavior, decreased fertility and even death after eating by mistake. The death of marine life eventually leads to the destruction of marine ecosystem.

Plastic garbage may also threaten navigation safety. Waste plastics will entangle the propeller of the ship, especially all kinds of plastic bottles called "magic bottles", which will damage the hull and machinery, cause accidents and stop driving, and cause great losses to the shipping company.

The vast blue waters, white beaches and good ecology of the South China Sea are fascinating. However, fast food boxes, plastic bags, fishing nets and other marine garbage float on the sea from time to time, polluting the beautiful South China Sea.

"Marine garbage pollutes our blue homeland and poses a certain threat to the marine ecology of the South China Sea." Bi Huaru, a professor at Hainan Normal University, said.

A picture of a dead sea bird provided by Bi Hua is really shocking: a huge seabird died tragically on the beach, and after dissection, some plastic garbage was faintly visible in the seabird's abdomen.

Greenpeace found that at least 267 species of marine life died because of eating by mistake or being entangled in marine debris, which is fatal to marine life. In addition, marine debris can harm human beings through the biological chain. For example, heavy metals and toxic chemicals can be enriched in the body by eating fish, and eating these fish will inevitably pose a threat to human health.

Coastal activities and recreational activities, shipping, fishing and other marine activities are the main sources of beach garbage. According to statistics, plastic and polystyrene products account for 90% of marine floating garbage.

Experts believe that marine debris is devouring the ocean on which human beings and other living things depend. If no measures are taken, the ocean will be unbearable, and human beings and other living things will be unable to survive.

To this end, experts strongly appeal that the public should enhance their awareness of marine environmental protection, do not throw garbage into the ocean at will, reduce the amount of marine garbage at the source, reduce the impact of marine garbage on the marine ecological environment, and jointly care for our "blue home."

Marine garbage monitoring

In order to master the types, quantities and sources of marine garbage and evaluate its evolution trend, marine garbage should be removed while monitoring and public education should be strengthened.

Marine garbage removal

The methods of cleaning up marine plastic garbage can be divided into coastal and beach collection methods and marine ship collection methods according to regions. Among them, the coastal and beach collection method is much simpler than the marine ship collection method, because once the garbage enters the ocean, it will have two characteristics: strong persistence and wide spread, which increases the difficulty of collecting garbage by marine ships. At the same time, the technical requirements for ships when collecting garbage at sea are also very high. As long as the ship can form a high-speed water channel, it must also have tipping equipment and lifting collection boxes, so as to collect plastic garbage floating on the sea surface.

The Digital Forum in Seoul, South Korea, issued a statement that the global marine plastic waste cleaning operation will be launched in 20 16. Millions of tons of plastics enter the ocean, which affects the lives of a large number of seabirds and marine mammals and has a great negative impact on human health. Toxic chemicals (including PCBs and DDT) are adsorbed by plastics, and the concentration can be increased by 6.5438+0.0000 times. The pilot deployment of the first phase of the global marine plastic waste cleaning operation will be carried out in the sea area spanning 2,000m along the coast of Japan and South Korea, and the operation will last for at least two years, with the goal of approaching the coast of Tsushima Island. In a series of large-scale tasks in the next five years, the ocean cleaning operation will also deploy a 100 km long cleaning system between Hawaii and California to remove about half of the Pan-Pacific garbage belt.

Sailors at sea are unwilling to take the garbage back to the port or salvage the garbage thrown into the sea. So some crew members choose to throw garbage into the sea. Strengthening the fine for dumping marine garbage can effectively prevent this practice. For example, 1993, the American luxury cruise ship "The Emperor Princess" was fined $500,000 for dumping 20 garbage bags into the sea. This fine level has a deterrent effect on dumping marine debris at will.

Link the recovery and recycling of marine pollutants, especially in some of the poorest areas in the world. For example, some small-scale projects in East Africa can create employment opportunities and reduce the amount of marine garbage, and these projects will be further promoted.

Pollution area editor

Every piece of plastic we consume may flow into the sea. The marine garbage in the Pacific Ocean alone has reached 3.5 million square kilometers, exceeding the land area of India. If no measures are taken, the ocean will not be able to bear the load and human beings will not be able to survive.

Plastic packaging such as plastic bags and plastic bottles is now full of our lives. Under the cover of "white pollution", plastics were rated as "the worst invention" in the 20th century by a British media.

Nowadays, the tentacles of plastics have extended from land to sea, and a "marine garbage belt" dominated by plastics has been formed in the Pacific Ocean. Texas is the largest inland state in the United States, covering an area of about 700,000 square kilometers. Therefore, when scientists mentioned "a marine garbage belt about the size of Texas", many Americans couldn't believe it was true.