Category: Organizations

The Plastic Debris Project

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Eliminating Land-based Discharges Of Marine Debris In California: A Plan of Action from The Plastic Debris Project

The Plastic Debris, Rivers to Sea Project seeks to minimize the land-based discharges of marine debris. Just like ocean-based marine debris, land-based discharges of human-made debris are comprised mostly of plastics. http://www.plasticdebris.org/CA_Action_Plan_2006.pdf

The threat and impacts of marine debris have long been ignored. Perhaps it is the perceived vastness of ocean and lack of visibility of marine debris to most people that has allowed society to dismiss the problem as a serious threat. However, recent research demonstrates that quantities and impacts of marine debris are significant and increasing. The Algalita Marine Research Foundation’s investigation of plastic in the North Pacific Central Gyre of the Pacific Ocean showed that the mass of plastic pieces was six times greater than zooplankton floating on the water’s surface. This study is one of many that demonstrate that our oceans have become the virtual garbage can for the developed and developing world.(1)

The Last Plastic Straw

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500 million straws are used and discarded every day in the US alone. That’s 175 billion a year filtering into landfills and littering the oceans.

Join a global movement to eliminate plastic drinking straws from our landfills, our streams, our oceans, and our beaches! The Last Plastic Straw strives to educate the public about the absurdity of single use plastic, its effects on our health, our environment, and our oceans. They aim to eliminate from the source, the use of single use plastic.

• Simply request “no straw” at bars and restaurants and share your commitment with others.

• Encourage your favorite restaurant or bar to only provide straws on request and to use biodegradable or reusable options to the plastic straw.

 

Scripps Institution of Oceanography

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Revisiting SEAPLEX, 4/15/15

Scripps Environmental Accumulation of Plastic Expedition: Seeking the Science of the Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch,

A thousand miles off California, the North Pacific Ocean Gyre contains one of the largest ecosystems on Earth – but it may be in danger from a deluge of accumulated plastic trash. Dubbed the “Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch,” the debris at the center of the North Pacific Ocean has the potential to damage marine life and alter the biological environment.

From August 2-21, 2009, a group of doctoral students and research volunteers from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego embarked on an expedition aboard the Scripps research vessel New Horizon exploring the problem of plastic in the North Pacific Gyre. The Scripps Environmental Accumulation of Plastic Expedition (SEAPLEX) focused on a suite of critical scientific questions. How much plastic is accumulating, how is it distributed, and how is it affecting ocean life?

SEAPLEX was supported by UC Ship Funds, Project Kaisei, and the National Science Foundation.

https://scripps.ucsd.edu/news/revisiting-seaplex
Plastic Trash Altering Ocean Habitats, Scripps Study Shows, Scripps, 5/8/2012
Sharp increase of small plastic debris in the ‘Garbage Patch’ could have ecosystem-wide consequences

A 100-fold upsurge in human-produced plastic garbage in the ocean is altering habitats in the marine environment, according to a new study led by a graduate student researcher at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego.

In 2009 an ambitious group of graduate students led the Scripps Environmental Accumulation of Plastic Expedition (SEAPLEX) to the North Pacific Ocean Subtropical Gyre aboard the Scripps research vessel New Horizon. During the voyage the researchers, who concentrated their studies a thousand miles west of California, documented an alarming amount of human-generated trash, mostly broken down bits of plastic the size of a fingernail floating across thousands of miles of open ocean.

At the time the researchers didn’t have a clear idea of how such trash might be impacting the ocean environment, but a new study published in the May 9 online issue of the journal Biology Letters reveals that plastic debris in the area popularly known as the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” has increased by 100 times over in the past 40 years, leading to changes in the natural habitat of animals such as the marine insect Halobates sericeus. These “sea skaters” or “water striders”-relatives of pond water skaters-inhabit water surfaces and lay their eggs on flotsam (floating objects). Naturally existing surfaces for their eggs include, for example: seashells, seabird feathers, tar lumps and pumice. In the new study researchers found that sea skaters have exploited the influx of plastic garbage as new surfaces for their eggs. This has led to a rise in the insect’s egg densities in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre.

About Scripps Oceanography
Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego, is one of the oldest, largest, and most important centers for global science research and education in the world. Now in its second century of discovery, the scientific scope of the institution has grown to include biological, physical, chemical, geological, geophysical, and atmospheric studies of the earth as a system. Hundreds of research programs covering a wide range of scientific areas are under way today on every continent and in every ocean. The institution has a staff of more than 1,400 and annual expenditures of approximately $195 million from federal, state, and private sources. Scripps operates oceanographic research vessels recognized worldwide for their outstanding capabilities. Equipped with innovative instruments for ocean exploration, these ships constitute mobile laboratories and observatories that serve students and researchers from institutions throughout the world. Birch Aquarium at Scripps serves as the interpretive center of the institution and showcases Scripps research and a diverse array of marine life through exhibits and programming for more than 430,000 visitors each year. Learn more at scripps.ucsd.edu and follow us at Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

NOAA Marine Debris Program

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NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION MARINE DEBRIS PROGRAM (NOAA)

The NOAA Marine Debris Program is the U.S. Federal government’s lead for addressing marine debris. The NOAA Marine Debris Program has developed a strategic plan to help us succeed in continuing to combat marine debris in the coming years. Read more…

The Marine Debris Clearinghouse is an online database that serves as the federal government’s hub of information for marine debris stakeholders. This resource benefits the nation’s coastal managers, researchers, and communities as they work to study and mitigate marine debris and its impacts. It is intended to help improve the state of knowledge on marine debris, promote collaboration, and spark ideas for prevention and mitigation. Read more…

 

Story of Stuff – Micro Bead Ban

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Plastic Microbeads:  Ban The Bead!

Microplastics may be small, but they’re causing big problems for our environment and our health. These tiny pieces of plastic used in personal care products are designed to go down the drain and into our lakes, rivers, and oceans — by the billions every day. They absorb toxins in the water, are eaten by marine life, and can make their way up the food chain all the way to our dinner plates.

We knew it wasn’t enough to simply avoid certain products – we didn’t want them to be sold at all. That’s why the Story of Stuff Project waged a major campaign to ban microbeads in California and then the whole United States in 2015 – and won! Thanks to our Community members flexing their citizen muscles, by 2017 it will be illegal to sell a personal care product containing plastic microbeads – a huge victory for our waterways and public health. This policy provides a precedent setting model for the rest of the world to replicate and is an important stepping stone to tackling plastic pollution in our oceans. Learn about banning the bead here!