Our plastic waste doesn't just stay put when it hits the oceans. Currents sweep it into the deep blue abyss,Porno (1981) full movie in english subtitles spreading the garbage far and wide. And much of that debris apparently winds up in the Arctic Ocean, a new study found.
Plastics are "abundant and widespread" in the seas east of Greenland and north of Scandinavia — areas that tend to have more polar bears and seals than people. Scientists encountered the pools of plastic during a 2013 expedition around the Arctic Polar Circle.
SEE ALSO: Arctic Meltdown: NASA photos capture region in rapid transitionLed by Spanish biologist Andrés Cózar, the team hadn't expected to find such large accumulations of shopping bags, fishing lines, microbeads, and other plastic fragments, given how far the polar latitudes are from pollution-creating populations.
Their study reveals how far plastic can travel if not disposed of properly, "because once it enters the ocean, its destination can be unpredictable," the scientists wrote in the study, which was published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances.
"There is continuous transport of floating litter from the North Atlantic, and the Greenland and the Barents Seas act as a dead-end for this poleward conveyor belt of plastic," Cózar said in a news release.
Scientists from two global research efforts collaborated for the study, including the 2009-2014 Tara Oceans expedition team, based in France, and the 2010 Malaspina expedition team from Spain.
Around the world, humans dump an estimated 19.4 billion pounds of plastic waste into the ocean each year, according to a separate 2015 study.
Those bottles, jugs, threads, and scraps are visible in giant swirling "garbage patches" in the middle of the ocean, and even in trenches along the seafloor. The Mariana Trench -- the deepest spot on the planet, at 36,000 feet deep -- is lined with plastic bags and soda cans, videos from Japan's marine science agency show.
Plastic waste isn't just unsightly. Birds, fish, and other wildlife can eat it and choke. Fish also gobble up fragments of deteriorated plastic, which contain harmful chemicals that spread throughout the food chain.
During the 2013 circumpolar expedition, Cózar and his colleagues used nets to collect floating plastic debris.
They found that most of the ice-free surface waters in the Arctic Polar Circle were only slightly polluted. But far more plastic debris had accumulated in the Greenland and Barents Sea. They estimated hundreds of tons of plastic fragments bobbing in the surface waters there, with even more plastic likely piling up on the seafloor below.
Using 17,000 satellite buoys, the team followed a "pathway of plastic" in the North Atlantic Ocean. Data-transmitting devices confirmed the pollution is flowing toward the pole via the "thermohaline circulation," a current that's known as the global ocean conveyer belt.
Scientists said the plastic likely originated from far away, including the coasts of northwest Europe, the United Kingdom, and the U.S. East Coast. Some plastic was also likely brought there by local shipping activity.
"The sea has no boundaries," Maria-Luiza Pedrotti of Sorbonne Universités-CNRS in France, said in the news release. "Plastic trash generated in one place can pollute other, even remote areas and have devastating effects on a virgin ecosystem such as the Arctic."
Floating Arctic plastic accounts for only about 3 percent of the global total, according to the study.
Yet more plastic is likely to pile up in the polar region as pollution from lower latitudes continuously flows upward. The scientists said they are particularly worried about how these pollution flows could affect the Arctic's fragile ecosystems, which are already feeling the effects of global warming.
So, in case you needed another reminder to reduce, reuse, and recycle, think of the polar bears. They might be eating your garbage.
The Mystery and Beauty of Richard Dadd’s “Fairy Feller”Terry Pratchett’s Advice for “Keeping It Real”In Which George du Maurier Feels Neglected By His MomAdam Scott, Lena Dunham, and more celebs auction off random experiences to help strikeMax Blecher‘s Adventures in Immediate RealityMark Twain’s Advice for Curing a ColdGoogle commits to 10 years of Chromebook updates to extend device lifespanBest Garmin deal: Garmin epix smartwatch on sale for $200 offThe Mystery and Beauty of Richard Dadd’s “Fairy Feller”Ghostly Beauty: Anna Atkins, the First Woman to Take a PhotoNorthwestern vs Duke livestream: How to watch live, kickoff time“Guess You Had to Be There,” Insult of Insults'Interview with the Vampire' reboot is a brilliant gay fever dreamTrollope Gets His 65,000 Words BackTikTok's biggest trends for 2021: ReportRon Arad’s Haunting, Flattened Cars Remind of J. G. BallardBest Garmin deal: Garmin epix smartwatch on sale for $200 offThe Thirteen Club: Dispelling Superstition Since 1882Why Do We Personify the Weather?Tuesday. March 10: Lorin Stein and Paul Beatty in Conversation Heinz made Ketchup Caviar so Valentine's Day dates can dine like fancy trash New AirPods Pro earbuds could debut at Apple event this week '1000 People of Dance' video captures humanity at its best Twitter will let users edit a tweet up to 5 times Stephen King's take on the Trump shutdown is as blunt as you'd expect iPhone 13 vs iPhone 14 price comparison: Which is the better value? Pornhub traffic took a hit with Apple Watch Ultra reveal at iPhone 14 event Please enjoy these Pope Snap's layoffs are just the latest in Big Tech's belt Jack Dorsey's sneaker style is the story of Silicon Valley growing up People have the weirdest nicknames for their pets and yep, it's a meme now Randy Credico's dog Bianca is in the spotlight thanks to Roger Stone's indictment Amazon pauses user reviews to protect 'The Rings of Power' from trolls NFT marketplace trading is down big as crypto winter rages on Huu + Live TV deal: Save $20 for football season 'House of the Dragon': Who exactly is the Crabfeeder? NYT honors record number of women in Congress with stunning special section Apple reveals AirPods Pro 2. Here's what's been upgraded. Fiona the Hippo turns 2, gets a birthday song from her hippo crush The iPhone notch is no more on iPhone 14 Pro
2.3399s , 10158.2265625 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【Porno (1981) full movie in english subtitles】,Charm Information Network