Scientists during an oceanographic trip in the central part of the North Pacific last August were amazed by the number of man-made objects littering the surface of the ocean. [Далеко від цивілізації та судноплавних шляхів] they recorded 53 artificial objects in 8.2 hours of viewing. More than half were plastic. They further estimated that there are between 5 and 35 million plastic bottles drifting in the North Pacific Ocean.
Renewal
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is now larger than it was in 1973, containing an estimated 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic in an area twice the size of Texas. In recent years, marine biologists have begun to see evidence that trash is destroying ocean ecosystems. For example, large pieces of garbage helped species move to new territories. But an even greater threat may be lurking beneath the waves. Tiny pieces of plastic concentrate at a depth of hundreds of meters, where they can be eaten by filter feeders and potentially end up in the guts of larger predators.
