Why do ocean animals eat plastic?
Why would an apex ocean predator eat gloves? Or rope? Or plastic cups? How does a whale end up with more than 200 pounds of waste in its stomach?
Beached sperm whale found with 220 pounds of trash in his stomach
A sperm whale that washed up on a beach was found with 220 pounds of plastic trash in his stomach. The whale beached itself and died on a northern Scottish island.
Bacterial communities ‘hitchhiking’ on marine plastic trash
Using an innovative microscopy method, scientists have revealed the structure of the microbial communities coating microplastic trash collected from a variety of ocean sites.
The sun can help break down ocean plastic, but there’s a catch
A recent study found that when four different types of post-consumer microplastics collected from the waters of the North Pacific Gyre were placed under a solar simulator, they dissolved into organic carbon, then, for the most part, munched up by marine bacteria in the water, which then likely converting it to carbon dioxide.
We’re recycling but garbage keeps piling up: What you may not know about the recycling industry
Recycling is a market-driven industry. But if there is no market for the recyclable goods, then those materials go to landfills.
He’s doing the ‘dirty work’ to keep plastic out of the ocean
Afroz Shah, a lawyer in Mumbai, hasn’t had a weekend off in four years. But he hasn’t spent this time writing briefs or preparing for court. His mission? Saving the world’s oceans from plastic pollution.
Newly identified fish nurseries are choked with plastic
A new study reveals that it’s not just adult sea animals that are getting a gullet full of plastic. Larval fish are inundated with plastic fragments in their nursery habitats and they’re eating those pieces along with their natural food sources
Microplastics “washing right out into the ocean,” marine biologists say
Signs of climate change are everywhere, but sometimes those signs are very hard to see. Tiny, nearly invisible pieces of plastic called microplastics are making their way through our ecosystem. The results could be devastating.
The Ocean cleanups latest invention collects 110,000 pounds of trash from rivers each day
Dubbed the Interceptor, this boat is designed to collect plastic trash as it floats down rivers and into the sea. The vessel is the latest project from The Ocean Cleanup, a Dutch nonprofit organization helmed by eco-engineering Boyan Slat.