Android Betcha never thought of giving Googles Android mascot as a gift, did you Well, take a gander at these Androidthemed plush, minifigures, display cases. Great Pacific Garbage Patch Google Earth' title='Great Pacific Garbage Patch Google Earth' />Scientists Have Confirmed a Garbage Patch 1. Times the Size of Texas in the South Pacific. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, an enormous collection of marine debris stretching across the North Pacific Ocean, is one of the biggest both literally and figuratively frightful reminders that we need to rethink every single aspect of how much waste we produce and how we deal with it. Its very existence proves that we have to do everything in our power to stop the proliferation of plastic trash. And that necessity has just become even more critical since scientists have just confirmed that there is another huge plastic garbage patch in the Pacific Ocean. And it is bigger than Texas. While experts have long believed that it was very much the case, the confirmation of the second patchs existence in the South Pacific comes just now. The garbage patch may cover as much as 2. Texas. Similarly to the patch in the North Pacific, the one in the South was formed due to a mix of swirling currents and winds called a gyre which concentrates plastic waste into one area. The patch has been uncovered by Captain Charles Moore and his team of volunteer researchers. Together, they have set off on a six month voyage which led to the huge discovery. Great Pacific Garbage Patch Google Earth' title='Great Pacific Garbage Patch Google Earth' />We discovered tremendous quantities of plastic, Moore told Research Gate. The South Pacific garbage patch proved to be comprised mostly of tiny plastic pieces, smaller even than the grains of rice. Moores team found some larger items as well, but most of it was broken into little bits. The fact may mean that plastic in the patch has a longer journey to make before accumulating in the spot. Once the little plastic particles are in the gyre, it is pretty much impossible to clean them up and so, the best way of dealing with the problem is, of course, preventing the issue at the very source. It is far past time for us to start taking care of our plastic addiction and the problem of plastic waste disposal. Every year, we dump into the oceans around 8. Unless we stop being nonchalant about our unrecycled plastic waste, news like this will only become more frequent. As Moore explained, stopping this problem starts with you and me so to learn how to limit your use of plastics, check out One Green Planets Crush. Plastic campaign Image source myimmoPixabay. Great Pacific Garbage Patch Google Earth' title='Great Pacific Garbage Patch Google Earth' />Plastics in the Ocean Affecting Human Health. Author Gianna Andrews. This case study is part of a collection of pages developed by students in the 2. Geology and Human Health course in the Department of Earth Sciences, Montana State University. Learn more about this project. Mountain of Plastic. Photo credit Top News, Scientists Baffled by Mystery of Missing Ocean Plastic, Jamie Williamson, http www. Over a few decades, humans have managed to dump tons upon tons of garbage into the ocean. Of the most devastating elements of this pollution is that plastics takes thousands of years to decay. Since stories have started surfacing more recently, many have wondered, if the rumors are true. Are there really continents, or massive floating garbage patches. Spatial Etl Tools Arcgis. Boyan Slat has designed the Ocean Cleaup Array which could reduce the worlds oceanic garbage patches by removing 7,2500,000 tonnes from them. Great Pacific Garbage Patch Google Earth' title='Great Pacific Garbage Patch Google Earth' />In the 1980s, researchers discovered a massive garbage patch in North Pacific between Hawaii and California dubbed the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. But now. FILE This Aug. Scripps Institution of Oceanography shows a patch of sea garbage at sea in the Pacific Ocean. As a result, fish and wildlife are becoming intoxicated. Consequently the toxins from the plastics have entered the food chain, threatening human health. Archicad 15 Keygen there. In the most polluted places in the ocean, the mass of plastic exceeds the amount of plankton six times over. This is a large piece of evidence that leaves the problem of polluted oceans undeniable. It is upsetting that more of clean up effort is not taking place. The Three Plastic Islands. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, also know as the Pacific Trash Vortex or gyre, is located in the central North Pacific Ocean and is larger than the state of Texas. There are also garbage patches in the Indian and Atlantic ocean. The patches are defined as containing a higher amount of plastic as compared to surrounding oceans. To date, five patches in total have been discovered. Plastics are transported and converge in the ocean where currents meet. This means that huge plastic islands are made as a result. SES Sea Education Society scientists studied plastics in the Atlantic and calculated there are 5. Location of Plastic Islands in Ocean. Photo credit Earthly Issues, Charles Welch, http www. Sources of Plastic Toxins Entering the Oceanic Food Chain. As far as plastic entering the ocean, about 2. The rest sources from litter being blown into the sea, picked up by tides on the beach, or intentional garbage dumping. The worse part is, these plastics dont biodegrade, so they brake up into tiny pieces that are consumed by fish and sea mammals. Plastic is killing more than 1. To learn more visit Project Green Bag. Chemicals in plastics are released into the water as well as the atmosphere. Fish easily become contaminated from the chemicals in the water. This is a direct link of how plastic chemicals enter the food chain. See Earth Times for more on this. Plastics getting to Humans Impacting Health. Different plastics spread throughout the ocean. As Styrofoam breaks into smaller parts, polystyrene components in it sink lower in the ocean, so that the pollutant spreads throughout the sea column. In fact, not only do the toxins in plastic effect the ocean, but acting like sponges, they soak up other toxins from outside sources before entering the ocean. As these chemicals are ingested by animals in the ocean, this is not good for humans. We as humans ingest contaminated fish and mammals. For more information on this topic on toxins in the ocean, see this article by National Geographic. National Geographic. There are different types of ways that plastic is dangerous for humans. Direct toxicity from plastics comes from lead, cadmium, and mercury. These toxins have also been found in many fish in the ocean, which is very dangerous for humans. Diethylhexyl phthalate DEHP contained in some plastics, is a toxic carcinogen. Other toxins in plastics are directly linked to cancers, birth defects, immune system problems, and childhood developmental issues. To learn more on effects of plastics on humans visit the Ecology Center. Other types of toxic plastics are BPA or health bisphenol A, along with phthalates mentioned above. Both of these are of great concern to human health. BPA is used in many things including plastic bottles and food packaging materials. Over time the polymer chains of BPA break down, and can enter the human body in many ways from drinking contaminated water to eating a fish that is exposed to the broken down toxins. Specifically, BPA is a known chemical that interferes with human hormonal function. Rolf Halden, associate professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and Arizona State University has studied plastics adverse effects on humans and has thus far concluded that and exact outline of health effects of plastics on humans is almost impossible to determine. This is due to the fact that the problem of plastic contamination in humans is globally spread there are almost no unexposed subjects. That being said, it is evident that the chemicals are not healthy for humans. To learn more about Haldens studies on plastic at Arizona State University see Impacts of plastics on human health and ecosystems. Prevention of Contamination. As Rolf Halden asserts, the only way for this unsustainable plastic production to decrease would be a global staggering petroleum supply, because of environmental worry. About 8 of the worlds oil use is from manufacturing plastics. There are efforts to protect the oceans from plastic pollutants along with human health, but they are mostly grassroots organizations. One in particular that I discovered during my research is Save My Oceans http www. As far as protecting yourself from contamination, it is probably best not to have a diet that consists mainly of fish, since most is probably contaminated. However, one of the most effective things we could all do as members of this fragile ecosystem is to be responsible for our trash. When we have the opportunity, we should try to avoid buying products packaged in plastic. We should always recycle plastic when we do use it. At the store, request a paper bag instead of plastic, or bring your own. Use a reusable water bottle, and of course dont litter. Recycle Photo credit Bay County Michigan Government, http www. EACDRecycling. Information. The Role Humans Play. As quoted by UN Environment Programme Executive Director Achim Steiner,Marine debris trash in our oceans is a symptom of our throw away society and our approach to how we use our natural resources. Our tendency as humans to be irresponsible about cleaning up after ourselves is about to get us in trouble. We risk losing many species in the ocean as well as negatively effecting ourselves. The average person produces half a pound of plastic waste every day. No wonder the oceans are filling up with waste I think part of the problem is that we dont recognize how this issue starts with the individual. There are obviously life style changes we can make to solve this problem. We just have to be willing to accept this issue and look past our denial. The government also needs to make regulations on plastics if anything is going to change. Surprisingly, there is little to no information on governmental websites about pollution in the oceans. I think they are afraid to address the problem it is a costly fix. However there have been some treaties formed to minimize the amount of trash entering the oceans. This is still not enough. To see more on EPA laws and treaties visit US Environmental Protection Agency. These grassroots organizations are vital then to the protection of the oceans, striving to get information out about this tragic pollution. We should really all be involved though, it is everyones responsibility. Lets make these changes before it is too late and we kill the all oceanic life, or even our own. Related Links. 1. How Does Plastic Get Into The Ocean Project Green Bag.