Human Impact: Synthetic Sea "plastic in the Open Ocean"

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Debris Issue Marine Plastic Pollution Problems Seas Synthetic Watershed
007bmac
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    007bmac
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  • Added: 07-Sep-07

Plastics, like diamonds, are forever. Plastic floating in the ocean is the number one source of pollution of the world ocean, and 80% of marine debris comes from urban run-off. The problem is many marine birds and fish confuse floating plastic particles with food.
Plastic does not biodegrade, it photo-degrades, or slowly breaks into smaller and smaller pieces, but still remains a polymer. And plastic has been proven to absorb toxins up to one million times background levels in ambient seawater, making the floating plastic a defacto poison pill. Because of their buoyancy and persistance, most of the debris that either entangles sea creatures or found in their stomachs, is made of plastic. The groundbreaking research has been conducted by the Algalita Marine Research Foundation, aboard the ORV Alguita under the direction of Captain Chales Moore.
Please visit www.algalita.org or www.plasticdebris.org for detailed information.
Produced and filmed by Bill Macdonald

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Human Impact: Synthetic Sea "plastic in the Open Ocean"

9 Comments | Add Comment
  • Outstanding video! ...

    Outstanding video! The issue is very complicated. We need plastics: catheters, hospital supplies, on our vehicles, etc. HOWEVER, we do not need plastic bags,tons and tons or plastic bottles, etc. I remember back in the day when coke came in a glass bottle and we recycled them. Perhaps, going back to a simpler way of life would be better. Human corruption and greed accounts for most of this waste of epic proportion. We are not going to make any headway without continued studies. Island Bounty, SA

    By onlinedesign [Affiliate User] 1220091428 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • SUPPORT ALGALITA ...

    SUPPORT ALGALITA
    ALGALITA is a NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION that relies on public funding to continue researching and reporting. ANYONE WHO WISHES TO SUPPORT Algalita, PLEASE donate 10 US Dollars or more to ALGALITA and place "Youtube" in box that reads "How did you hear...". Thanks!

    By tinimoon [Affiliate User] 1215630320 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • SUPPORT ALGALITA As ...

    SUPPORT ALGALITA
    As a volunteer, I thank you for sharing the video of horrific problems from plastic pollution in our oceans. However, ALGALITA is a NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION that relies on public funding to continue researching and reporting. By ripping off this video you may have deterred funding. This has been viewed over 40K times. ANYONE WHO WISHES TO SUPPORT Algalita, PLEASE donate 10 US Dollars or more to ALGALITA and place "Youtube" in box that reads "How did you hear...". Thanks!

    By tinimoon [Affiliate User] 1215630151 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • nasty.. plastic ...

    nasty.. plastic should be banned and everyone trying to use it should have get sentence to life, cleaning the ocean

    By Lulieishawt [Affiliate User] 1215118403 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • That was very ...

    That was very interesting and enlightening. I live in West Hollywood and sometimes we go down to the beach and pick up the trash. I am surprised that the number of beachgoers just leave all their trash on the beach to be swept into the ocean. It is heartbreaking.

    By lesbianknowsbest [Affiliate User] 1200902672 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • Ca shoppers are ...

    Ca shoppers are using cloth bags more and more, and some counties have banned styrofoam take-out containers. So there is some progress and awareness starting. Hopefully it will snowball. The issue is the Pacific rim watareshed. thank you for the interest.

    Bill Macdonald

    By 007bmac [Affiliate User] 1198377884 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • this is so ...

    this is so heartbreaking. of course consumers need to do all they can, but above all the corporations need to halt plastic production and stop the propaganda campaign that the manufacture of plastic is 'normal' and part of 'progress.' they knew the stuff was toxic back when they first started making it. consumers did not *ask* for plastic, it was forced on them by aggressive production and marketing. we lived just fine without it before the horrible day it was invented.

    By pennilesscripple [Affiliate User] 1198351012 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • thank you, bill ...

    thank you, bill mcdonald, for your important work

    By pennilesscripple [Affiliate User] 1198350551 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • The Ocean needs ...

    The Ocean needs Help!

    By AnaluMoratti [Affiliate User] 1197384543 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
9 Comments | Add Comment