A Plastic Soup in the Atlantic? Oh No!

For more than 13 years, an area of the Pacific Ocean, known as the North Pacific Gyre, has been studied to determine the amount of plastic in the ocean. In 2001, the Algalita Marine Research Foundation found a plastic to plankton ratio of 6 to 1. In 2008, they discovered that the plastic to plankton ratio had increased to more than 28 to 1.  For every pound of plankton, there are 28 pounds of plastic.  According to the U.N Environmental Program, 80% of the plastic found in the ocean comes from land-based debris.

What does this have to do with the Atlantic Ocean you ask? 

Now the research is showing that the Atlantic as well as the other three major gyres around the world are also polluted with plastic trash.  A research group out of Woods Hole, MA known as SEA, the Sea Education Association has been studying plastic in the Atlantic for 20 years.  They have a Semester program that allows students to gain hands-on research in marine issues.  According to their research, the Atlantic Garbage Patch stretches from 22 to the 40 degrees north latitude, more than 1000 miles.  That’s essentially all the way from Cuba to Virginia.  The amount of plastic found varies depending upon the location within the Gyre.  The most plastic discovered was more than 520,000 pieces of plastic in one squire mile!!!

In February of this year, Anna Cummins and Dr. Marcus Eriksen of the 5 Gyres Project, sailed out into the center of the Atlantic Gyre.  Anna and Marcus sailed from Bermuda to the Azores Islands located more than 950 miles off the coast of Portugal.  Every 100 miles, they took samples by trawling the ocean – finding plastic every time. They also examined fish to see how much they had ingested. 

Why does the plastic and trash collect in the Gyres? 

Gyres are areas where the currents in the oceans and the wind create giant circular patterns in the surface of the ocean.  The currents circulate in large swirls collecting the plastic pieces.  The center of the Atlantic Gyre is just north of Bermuda.   Sometimes the plastic is found in large pieces like whole bottles but plastic that has been floating a while, breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces but doesn’t go away.  They photo-degrade but don’t biodegrade.  It is an indication of the amount of waste that is being generated by our convenience driven lifestyles.  It also suggests the opportunity to improve recycling rates.