By: Ally W.
If we don’t do something about the trash in our ocean, there will be more trash than fish in the water. 88% of our ocean's surfaces are covered in trash. The effect of trash in the ocean is disastrous for the sea animals. It also affects the people who rely on the ocean to earn income. Animals such as sea turtles, seals, and gulls have been endangered from the litter that has gone into the ocean. Fishing nets that catch sea animals in the ocean can lead towards a slow death.
How Does Trash Get into The Ocean?
Did you know that some of the trash that is on the land ends up in the ocean? If trash gets blown into sewers, then it will travel through waterways and ends up in the ocean. The more trash that we have on land, the more trash gets blown into the ocean. 80% of garbage in the ocean comes from land use. The rest is from trash and fishing gear thrown into the water. Many dumpster lids are left open and trash flies out (shown in the picture below) which can cause trash to be blown into the ocean.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a vortex where most trash in the ocean ends up. This spreads from the West Coast by North America to Japan. The Eastern and Western end up being roughly the size of Europe. What links the Eastern and Western garbage patches together is the North Pacific Subtropical Convergence Zone. This is where warm water and colder water meets to create a road where the trash travels. Why does it all collect here? It’s because of the currents that carry it through the ocean that a lot of the trash ends up in the garbage patch. The reason why there is so much trash here is because once it all collects, most of it isn’t biodegradable and will not decompose.
How Can You Help Reduce Trash?
You can help save our ocean by...
- Use 100% recyclable products
- Don’t buy cosmetics that contain micro-beads
- Help pick up loose trash on the streets
- Don’t litter or throw cigarette buds on the road
Please help our earth to save generations of sea animals and to save us. There are many charities you can donate to save these animals like these listed below.
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