Trash in the Ocean- How Bad Really is it?
- Isha Nandipati
- 7 hours ago
- 2 min read
Ocean pollution is a huge problem in the world right now. We’ve all seen pictures of trash, animals struggling, or murky brown water. It’s an important environmental factor so it’s important to learn the extent and effects of it.
Well how bad really is ocean pollution, is it just a few piles of trash? One example of
pollution in the ocean is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It spans from the West Coast of North America to Japan and is separated into western and eastern parts. It’s mostly made up of plastics and other non biodegradable materials. Studies show that just between 2016-2022 the garbage patch quintipled in size, meaning it got 5x bigger. However this is just one example: what about the ocean as a whole? Well in the last 10 years more plastic has been produced than in the last century. About 0.5-4.5% percent of all plastic produced ends up in the ocean. While that may seem like a small percent, that translates to 8 to 11 million metric tons of plastic in the ocean.
All this pollution also affects marine life in the ocean. One example is the overproduction of algae, when there is too much algae in an area it can become a dead zone. That means there isn’t enough oxygen available for other plants and animals. Another common example is marine animals consuming trash and other pollutants. Their bodies aren’t able to digest the plastics, leading to it building up in the body and harming them. Overall, pollution causes changes to the marine environment that harms animals and it can be deadly.
This is why it’s important to recycle when you can and pick up your trash. Also, using reusable products like water bottles is a small change that can save an animal’s life.
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