Plastic-footed marine pollution for 60 years…

Scientists around the world are pointing to the problem of marine pollution from plastic waste and microplastics, but long-term investigations so far have not been supported. However, on April 16 last year, the results of ocean surveys over 60 years were disclosed through a paper published in the science magazine Nature. The increase and trend of marine pollution caused by plastics can be seen.

The research team of Dr. Clare Ostle of the British Association for Marine Biology has been paying attention to the garbage data collected by the Continuous Plankton Recorder, which has been conducted in the Atlantic and offshore since 1931. CPR is a device made by the British Association of Marine Biology for the purpose of researching microbes in the sea. It was shaped like a torpedo, about 1m long. After being dropped into the sea from a ship, it moves in the sea while towing with a rope at a depth of 10m, and a floating matter with a diameter of 5mm or more floating in the sea is collected through the silk filter inside.

CPR began operation in 1931 and has traveled more than 10 million kilometers, contributing to the investigation of plankton ecology in the sea. CPR collects not only plankton, but also all kinds of floating matter, such as sea pebbles and plant debris. Of this data, if only plastic pieces are extracted, plastic pieces have been discovered since 1957, but in the 2000s, the number increases dramatically.

The research team analyzed that the trash they found and the catches of deep-sea fishing boats operating in the northern Atlantic Ocean since the 1970s, are mainly derived from nets used in fishing. In addition, he noted the trend that the proportion of plastic debris in the garbage collected in CPR recently decreased somewhat, and analyzed the possibility of reducing plastic fiber waste due to changes in maritime policies or advances in fishing technology regarding the impact of fishing on the sea.

The research team also pointed out that CPR cannot collect floats with a diameter of less than 5 mm, so plastic waste is highly likely to contain fine plastics due to decomposition by ultraviolet rays. The fact that the reduction of plastic fragments collected by CPR does not reduce the risk of plastic contamination in the sea. Added views. Related information can be found here.