Unveiling the Scope of Ocean Plastic Pollution
Considerable plastic and microplastic waste has been detected in remote regions of the ocean by a ground-breaking study, suggesting that the problem is remarkably more prevalent compared to earlier considered. It highlights the need for prompt worldwide action to reduce plastic contamination of the ocean and pushes for a comprehensive Plastics Treaty to tackle the issue at its core. Microplastics were revealed in a remote marine-protected area by UFZ studies.
In the process of weathering and breakdown, plastic arrives in the ocean and slowly breaks into tiny fragments. If marine life swallows these tiny particles, it could harm their health. As a result, massive plastic accumulations possess the ability to disrupt the ecological balance of marine ecosystems. However, which areas are most impacted?
Discoveries in Remote Marine Protected Areas
In a new study, a research team from the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) and the Helmholtz Centre for Environments Research (UFZ) uncovered large amounts of microplastics and plastic fragments in a remote marine protected area in the Pacific Ocean. These volumes were close to those found in one of the largest known waste patches in the world. The researchers pointed out that plastics are discovered in greater quantities than imagined. It poses a threat that impacts the ocean’s general ecosystem. This is why, they advocate plastic contamination of the ocean to be stopped forthwith on a global level. The study report was published in the Environmental Science & Technology.
Ocean contamination with plastic is a serious concern. Millions of tonnes of plastic waste reach the ocean every year from rivers, wind, ships, and fishing, and they remain there permanently. As coordinator of the MICRO-FATE project, which conducted the research, UFZ environmental chemist Prof. Annika Jahnke states, “It is still difficult to assess the consequences for the ocean ecosystem.”
How are plastics carried across the oceans? Which areas have been worst impacted? Are any regions that are plastic-free? And what qualities do plastics have in the open ocean, far from their origin? These are some of the questions that Jahnke and her study team have delved into.
Researchers sampled surface water in the North Pacific Oceans between Vancouver, Canada, and Singapore in 2019 during a five-week journey on board the German research vessel “Sonne.” Applying a prediction model from the University of Hawai (Surface CUrrents from Diagnostic model (SCDD)), the team picked the sample stations along the cruise track. This model predicts the quantity of plastics that likely exist in a particular marine area.
For our studies, we selected stations with both high and low plastic loads, as per Jahnke. Some stations, including the so-called Great Pacific Garbage Patch, were found in the areas that had already been the focus of research. We also wanted to delve into regions of the open ocean that had not been thoroughly explored. In one case, we took samples from the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, a marine reserve to the northwest of Hawaii.
Sampling and Analysis Methods
The amount of plastics on the surface surface water was determined by the team applying two separate methods. The first was a litter survey in which teams of two scientists teams on the deck of the “Sonne” counted and assessed plastic debris that was visible to the human eye while the ship was in transition. Neuston nets were pulled at the surface in the second one, having nine stations gathering samples.
The size of the mess was 0.3 millimeters. This allowed it to be feasible for us to gather each larger object and small plastic fragment to estimate the volume of microplastics, which possess a diameter of less than five millimeters, based on research by lead author and UFZ researcher Robby Rynek. Each sample’s plastic particles were counted and grouped by their sizes. Following that, we chemically analyzed the particles through a specific kind of infrared spectroscopy to figure out the weathering status based on how they appeared.
Understanding Plastic Weathering and Degradation
Plastics weather and degrade more the longer they are exposed to sun, wind, waves, and ocean. Larger, non-degraded plastic particles typically appear where plastic enters the seawater, based on other studies. The particles should be smaller and more weathered the further they are carried.
This is exactly what our study showed. Exactly as we expected, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is where we gathered the samples having the highest amounts of plastics, stated Rynek. However, the objects do not generate a dense plastic carpet that covers the whole surface. This is essential to keep in mind when evaluating plastic removal processes, which must span to cover vast areas to effectively gather a significant amount of plastics. As per co-author Dr. Melanie Bergmann of the AWI, ” the bulk of plastics are small pieces that escape nets or which can only be collected with extensive animal “by-catch’.” Thus, minimizing plastic pollution is necessary.
Implications for Global Plastic Pollution Solutions
Previous notions were questioned by a study that revealed extremely large quantities of microplastics in faraway marine spots. All of the locations that were looked at had plastics, implying that ocean pollution is everywhere. To solve this matter, scientists advocate for a globally binding plastic treaty that will put a greater priority on safer reuse and recycling methods as well as production reduction. To keep the entire ocean ecology, the findings require urgent action.