‘Chunky soup’ of plastic in Atlantic

[Amelia]

‘Chunky soup’ of plastic in Atlantic

Researchers document trash across remote ocean area

By MIKE MELIA

Associated Press

Thurs., April 15, 2010

Quote:

"It's shocking to see it firsthand," Cummins said. "Nothing compares to being out there. We've managed to leave our footprint really everywhere."

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - Researchers are warning of a new blight on the ocean: a swirl of confetti-like plastic debris stretching over thousands of square miles in a remote expanse of the Atlantic Ocean.

The floating garbage — hard to spot from the surface and spun together by a vortex of currents — was documented by two groups of scientists who trawled the sea between scenic Bermuda and Portugal's mid-Atlantic Azores islands.

The studies describe a soup of micro-particles similar to the so-called Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a phenomenon discovered a decade ago between Hawaii and California that researchers say is likely to exist in other places around the globe.

Read the whole article here

Researchers tracking garbage in the Atlantic last February came across this collection of plastic debris on Portugal's Azores Islands.

The garbage patches in the Atlantic typically looked like this: a clump of Sargassum mats in which a mosaic of plastic was embedded.

[SivartM]

Gr, I hate plastic waste. :(

[Gail]

We are able to recycle much of our plastic. It sickens me to throw it out, too.

[Amelia]

Ships at sea have been known to dump their garbage over the side.

[Anthony!]

There is a solution!

The Pacific Ocean plastic dump is about the size of Texas. I believe there are actually two, the other one being between Midway Island and Japan. There is also one in the South China Sea.

Take Japan's huge fishing fleet and let those trawlers net the plastic! It will take a few years, but enterprising companies can turn that plastic into recyclables, namely petro products.

[phkrause]

There is a solution!

The Pacific Ocean plastic dump is about the size of Texas. I believe there are actually two, the other one being between Midway Island and Japan. There is also one in the South China Sea.

Take Japan's huge fishing fleet and let those trawlers net the plastic! It will take a few years, but enterprising companies can turn that plastic into recyclables, namely petro products.

Interesting, hadn't heard that before.

pk

[GreatLakesGramma]

Excellent idea, Anthony.

[Gerr]

Pretty soon, the fish you chomp on may be have flesh of plastic.