perils of pacific plastic pollution: facts, myths, and how you can help
TRANSCRIPT
Perils of Pacific Plastic Pollution: Facts, Myths, and How You Can Help
Miriam C. GoldsteinScripps Institution of OceanographyUniversity of California San Diego
SEAPLEX ScienceMario AguileraRebecca AschPete DavisonLara DickensJesse DublerMatt DurhamJosh JonesJesse PowellMeg RippyChelsea RochmanTimothy StillingerDarcy TaniguchiAndrew Titmus
SEAPLEX Faculty AdvisorsJim LeichterMark Ohman
Project KaiseiDoug Woodring
Annie CrawleyKarin MalmstromGeorge Orbelian
Sorting VolunteersOlivia BengeCarri-Lyn CameronPatrick ChengDominic DufourChris GawadAdam GrecoCatherine NickelsErin ReedErik RaudzensMarci RosenbergAshley SalasSummer Strutt
Algalita Marine Research FoundationDimitry AbramenkoffBruce AppelgateGustaf Arrhenius
Karen BakerAlison CawoodDave CheckleySteve Constable & teamPaul DaytonSteve DiggsPenny DockryJim DufourRose DufourPeter FranksLisa GilfillanLucina GonzalezPhil HastingsAmy HaysBrian HentschelJohn HildebrandCapt. Wes Hill & crew of R/V New HorizonEunha HohDavid HyrenbachTony KoslowMike Landry
Kara Lavender LawSkye MoretPeter NillerNOAA Southwest Fisheries Dick NorrisCheryl PeachGreg RouseSteve BennettScripps CommunicationsScripps CollectionsScripps DevelopmentScripps Web OpsShip Scheduling OfficeShipboard Technical SupportBeth SimmonsAnnie TownsendEric Wolff
Many Thanks
UC Ship FundsProject Kaisei
Jeffrey & Marcy KrinskJim & Kris McMillanLyn & Norman LearAnonymous Donor
Association for Women in Science -‐ San DiegoCenters for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence
Michael M. Mullin Graduate Student Fellowship in Biological OceanographySea Education Association
Scripps Center for Marine Biodiversity and ConservationScripps Director’s Office
National Science Foundation
1862: First man-made polymer (Celluloid) from plant cellulose
1907: First synthetic polymer (Bakelite) from coal tar
1940s-50s: >15 new synthetic polymers from petroleum; plastic becomes a ubiquitous consumer product
1972-74: Plastic debris observed in N. Atlantic & N. Pacific Subtropical Gyres
1989: MARPOL Annex V bans plastic disposal at sea
http://buyvintageads.com
A Brief History of Plastic
[video of Crying Indian PSA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_R-FZsysQNw
Plastic pollution is now everywhere
• Subtropical gyres (Morris et al. 1980, Moore et al. 2001, Law et al. 2010)
• Boundary currents (Yamashita & Tanimura 2007, Gilfillan et al. 2009)
• Coastal benthos (Thompson et al. 2004, Ng and Obbard 2006)
• Deep benthos (Galgani et al. 1996, Watters et al. 2010)
• Remote islands (McDermid & McMullen 2004, Barnes 2005)
Debris highly variable in space and time
Gilfillan et al. 2009
1984
1994
2007
[video of Charles Moore on Letterman]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrhXUB4UJAE
Longitude
Sea surface temperature (°C
)La
titud
e
The Scripps Environmental Accumulation of Plastic Expedition (SEAPLEX)
Why did we go here?
It’s the closest major convergence zone
• Microbes (Meg Rippy)
• Phytoplankton (Darcy Taniguchi)
• Subsurface zooplankton (Jesse Powell)
• Midwater fishes (Pete Davison and Rebecca Asch)
• Seabirds (Andrew Titmus)
• Ecotoxicology (Chelsea Rochman)
• Cetaceans (Josh Jones)
• Collaborators: Project KaiseiPhotos: Andrew Titmus
SEAPLEX Science Mission
[video from Scripps SEAPLEX]http://explorations.ucsd.edu/Features/2010/Plastic_Vortex/
Results so far...• Vast quantities of small
plastic particles on surface in central Pacific
• Some particles are sinking into the midwater (100-700 m)
• Some fish are ingesting plastic
• Plastic provides habitat for possible nuisance species
Plastic mostly small pieces
Statistically unsupportable estimate of total plastic:
0.001 g/m2 x N. Pacific area ≈ 84,500 tons ≈ 10,500 elephants
Rare, large pieces of plastic could substantially increase this
Latit
ude
10 miles
Are there plastic hot spots?
40 miles
Longitude
Latit
ude
Water tem
perature (Celsius)
Next Scientific Steps• Map plastic in North
Pacific- Depth- Size - how small?
• Plastic & the food web• Ingestion• Toxins
• Further exploration of North & South Pacific
M. Aguilera
J. Leichter
Can it be cleaned up?
Obstacles:
• Huge area
• Tiny pieces
• Collateral damage
• Extremely expensive
A. Crawley, DiveIntoYourImagination.com
Solutions: Technology
• NOT “bioplastics”
• Probably not corn-based polymers (PLA)
• Future invention?
Solutions: Legislative• Plastic bag ban: San Francisco
CA, Bethel AK, Edmonds WA, Outer Banks NC, Mexico City, Mumbai, China, Tanzania, Bangladesh...and more!
• 11 proposed statewide bans in past 2 years, all failed to pass
• Plastic bag tax: Washington DC, Ireland, Denmark, Israel, Taiwan...
• Plastic water bottle ban: Concord, MA; Bundanoon, Australia
• Polystyrene ban: many cities, mostly in CA
Solutions: Prevention
• Beach cleanups
• Better infrastructure
• Recycling
• Education/Outreach