Ocean Plastic Pollution May Be 'Vastly' Underestimated

By Jeanna Bryner, LiveScience Managing Editor:

An oceanographer who noticed a disappearing act in which the surface of the ocean went from confetti-covered to clear now suggests wind may driving large amounts of trash deeper into the sea.

Oceanographer Giora Proskurowski was sailing in the Pacific Ocean when he saw the small bits of plastic debris disappear beneath the water as soon as the wind picked up.

His research on the theory, with Tobias Kukulka of the University of Delaware, suggests that on average, plastic debris in the ocean may be 2.5 times higher than estimates using surface-water sampling. In high winds, the volume of plastic trash could be underestimated by a factor of 27, the researchers report this month in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

Plastic waste can wreak havoc on an ecosystem, harming fish and other organisms that ingest it, possibly even degrading a fish's liver; the trashy bits also make nice homes for bacteria and algae that get carried to other areas of the ocean where they could be invasive or cause other problems, the researchers noted. [Video Reveals Sea Lions Strangled By Debris]

In 2010, the team collected water samples at various depths in the North Atlantic Ocean. "Almost every subsurface tow we took had plastic in the net," Proskurowski told LiveScience, adding that they used a specialized tow net that isolated certain layers of the water, so it would only open at a specific depth and close before being pulled up.

Next, they combined the trash tally with wind measurements to come up with a mathematical model, which allowed them to calculate the amount of debris at different depths on average as well as look at how that amount changed with different conditions, such as on a windy day.

They found 2.5 times more debris in the layers of water below the "surface water" (defined as the top 9.8 inches or 25 centimeters) as was found in that surface section. The debris was distributed down to a depth of about 65 to 82 feet (20 to 25 meters).

The findings mean the estimates of plastic litter in the ocean, conducted by skimming the surface water only, may in some cases vastly underestimate the true amount of plastic debris there. 

"The scope of the [plastic debris] problem is not just at the very surface but goes down to 20 meters or so, and that plastic is distributed throughout this layer," Proskurowski said during an interview.

He and his colleagues plan to publish a simplified version of the model so others investigating ocean plastics can use it.

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Comments

[RudyHaugeneder]

02:04 PM on 04/29/2012

As each day passes, the situation grows worse and worse -- each day. Remember, plastics and other modern toxins have only been around for a half century or so.
Unfortunately, there is no short-term solution to preventing the skyrocketing growth of this problem -- none. Absolutely none. Global economies depend on these products for economic growth, no matter what the long-term costs which few people, industry or business even dare think about seriously. Yup, including people who rarely understand what happens to our waste, everything from aging smart telephones to furniture and the stuff that covers our food.
By the time governments may ultimately kick into action gear, the tipping point will have long passed, if it isn't already part of our past.

[Jimm Milenski]

07:39 PM on 04/28/2012

If plastic debris was the only thing we'd be "lucky". The oceans were the great dumping ground for everything from surplus weapons, poison gas, old ships, toxic chemicals, to nuclear waste. Maybe some far thinking soul might have questioned the wisdom, but the usual retort would be that "I'll be dead by the time any problems happen. So, who cares? " Us,maybe?

[dtroppy]

11:39 AM on 04/28/2012

Corporations that dump this waste into our oceans, seas, rivers all should be shut down... countries that dump should be boycotted....

[ILoveFiction]

02:01 AM on 04/28/2012

Trashed?

I thought it was hosed.

[PhiPlanet]

06:41 PM on 04/27/2012

The more we learn the more depressing the statistics become. We're just scratching the surface with ocean pollution problem, and unfortunately, there isn't a great solution. Our best hope is to try and curtail future pollution by consuming less and recycling/reusing MUCH more frequently. It has to be a worldwide effort if we want to preserve the natural integrity of the planet.

[Kenz300]

04:37 PM on 04/27/2012

All plastic should be required to be recycled.

[GuyRC]

05:10 PM on 04/27/2012

There are laws against littering already, people still litter. We need to use less plastic, for example in the fast food and junk food industries.