8 Million Tons of plastic is dumped at sea each year. Becoming 5 massive gyres that pollute the oceans for decades!
Plastic “continents” are not static. Based on the oceanic circulation modelling work conducted in the Pacific, the IRD and CNRS researchers have recently shown that there are exit currents for these areas of the sea where these piles of waste build up. This means that they are not caught in a never-ending whirlpool in the middle of the ocean, as had been previously thought. Although inappropriate given the actual estimated concentrations, this term highlights the awareness of the impact of human activity on the oceans.
A huge waste vortex in each ocean
Due to the winds on the surface of the oceans and the rotation of Earth (via the Coriolis force), huge vortexes, called “oceanic gyres,” are formed in each of the five major basins: North and South Pacific, North and South Atlantic, and the Indian Ocean. These huge whirlpools slowly gather in their wake all the plastic objects and waste floating on the surface of the water, accumulating year after year.
This pollution is now recognized as a global problem, representing a threat to marine biodiversity. In particular, this surface drift acts as a means of transport for the viruses and bacteria that the spread across the oceans.
“Exit doors”exist
Read more at http://www.geologyin.com/2016/07/plastic-continents-is-there-way-out.html#e5xBOokAsjbQ4VCg.99
MN: (Pentru Limba română, activați opțiunea Translate/Tradu, de pe site).
