Every day humans produce and unbelievable amount of trash which sometimes ends up in the ocean. A trash pile has gathered in the Pacific ocean in-between Hawaii and California. This trash heap keeps growing bigger and bigger which makes the size undeterminable. This happens due to the currents constantly circulating and bringing the trash back in. Oceanographers and ecologists found that 70% of marine debris sinks to the ocean floor. Studies have shown that 80% of trash comes from land whereas 20% comes from ships at sea. Approximately 90% of this trash pile was said to be made from plastic. Water bottles and caps, cups and plastic bags along with fish netting tend to make up most of the trash in the ocean. Plastic never degrades, it just breaks into smaller pieces. In water plastics don’t break down easily but when on land it heats up easier making it break down faster. Plastic is very durable and doesn’t cost much to make and is also malleable. This means plastic is used more and more by consumers. Therefore more trash adds up in the ocean.
Animals get trapped and strangled by trash that circulates throughout the ocean. While swimming, they might not notice something like nets and swim right into it. Other animals such as birds or sea turtles might eat plastic thinking it is food. This would result in the garbage getting stuck in their throat or not being able to break down in their stomach. Jelly-fish and fish are filter feeders and could mistakenly eat garbage which is toxic to them. If it doesn’t kill them, it could cause genetic issues.
Organizations have been made to attempt to clean up the oceans of the trash and debris. No nation takes responsibility in the trash flowing into the ocean. Funding isn’t being provided because the country would go “bankrupt”. Humans need to step it up and not ruin our planet and attempt to help clean earth clean.
Haley Wright
http://geography.about.com/od/globalproblemsandissues/a/trashislands.htm
http://education.nationalgeographic.com/encyclopedia/great-pacific-garbage-patch/
Communicating Health, Science and the Environment 
Something definitely needs to be done to take care and action against the pollution in the ocean. This problem needs to be solved before we do not have any wildlife left in the ocean. The pollution is not only harmful to the wildlife but it is also very harmful to humans because we are consuming these creatures so we are also exposed to the dangerous plastic. Wouldn’t you want to avoid this? It’s as simple as not littering, but people still cannot follow this. I agree that cleaning this up is a very expensive process but this will be very effective in the long run.
Gabby Hirlinger
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All the plastic in the ocean makes me sick. We need a world wide help to reduce the plastic. Start removing it instead of adding it.
josh bertke
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It is awful to think about how much garbage is in the ocean, and also that most of it is from our own doing. Although some efforts are being made, I think more should be done.
Jane Gripshover
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