9781422279168

Circular ocean currents draw this litter into the center of the Garbage Patch. One estimate has the core of the patch at 386,000 square miles (about a million square kilometers), with an outer layer extending over 1.3 million square miles (3.36 million sq km). In addition to this, 70 percent of plas- tic sinks to the ocean floor. All of this has a tremendous effect on the health of aquatic ecosystems. Fish, sea turtles, and whales die from ingesting this contaminated water. Seals drown after swim- ming into plastic fishing nets; a sea turtle or an albatross

may confuse plastic for food. Coral eat the microplastics, but get no nutrition from them and starve. Coral are important be- cause they take in carbon diox- ide and provide vital nutrients to marine life. The Garbage Patch affects ocean species in less direct ways, too: it blocks sunlight from getting to algae and plank- ton below. Such creatures are the first link in the ocean’s food

Sea animal? No, a deadly plastic bag.

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