3 facts about our oceans that shocked me
Anyone who has gazed out to sea from a sandy shore has marvelled at the majesty of the ocean. Covering 70% of the planet’s surface, water dominates the natural world. I have always sensed a mysterious beauty in the rolling waves and the waters that lie beneath. It is today, however, on World Oceans Day that I realised how little I know about our oceans.
Deciding to brush up my knowledge, I trawled the net for inspiration. Plastic, pH, and pollution: this was the story that greeted me. These problems were far more than the ‘drop in the ocean’ I’d thought them. The truth surprised me. The size and significance of these issues was undeniable, and, from my new Zero Waste perspective, it was hard not to feel some personal responsibility. Here are 3 facts about our oceans that particularly shocked me.
1. There will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050
Plastic is spilling into the oceans at an alarming rate. According to a report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, “at least 8 million tonnes of plastics leak into the ocean” every year. That amount of rubbish in the sea is incomprehensible. It is the equivalent of a truckload of plastic waste being dumped in the sea every minute. Imagine for a moment a truck piled full of plastic waste, set against a coastal road. Gulls circle overhead as the plastic tumbles into the water below. Picture an endless line of vehicles waiting to tip their waste into the sea.
Tragically, the speed is increasing. The predictions are that the rate of plastic entering our oceans will have doubled by 2030 and quadrupled by 2050. I am horrified to learn about what is happening. From chemicals leaching into the water to wildlife becoming entangled in debris, the impact our discarded packaging is already wide-ranging. If current trends continue, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation warns that by 2050 “there will be more plastic than fish (by weight)” in our oceans.
2. A mass of plastic three times larger than France floats in the Pacific Ocean
Today I also heard about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch for the first time. There is a floating mass of plastic in the Pacific Ocean three times larger than France. This was the most shocking discovery: not only could I now visualise the enormous marine rubbish dump, but it upset me that for my almost 28 years of life, it had been there without me knowing.
There would be an outcry if this much rubbish covered our cities, towns and the countryside, but in our oceans, it was massively under-reported. What would happen if the accumulation of debris between California and Hawaii grew and grew until people could see an island of plastic approaching from the shore? Would people wake up? Or would they blame someone else?
The truth is that the debris might be hard to see from a distance. The plastic in the water breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces. While larger pieces like crates can be seen from the air, most of the waste is microscopic particles of plastic that are eaten by marine life and find their way into the ecosystem. However, sailors report that if you sail through the patch you can see “bottles, bottle caps, wrappers, fragments” and other debris covering the surface of the water all around. A study of the area estimated a total of 1.8 trillion plastic pieces are floating there.
Further investigation revealed to me that there are five plastic accumulation zones across the world. These are growing in naturally occurring gyres which are areas of circulating currents that draw the floating waste in from the surrounding ocean. The middle of the vortex of swirling water is calm, and there the plastic builds up. Heavier waste falls underwater and sinks to the seabed.
3. Our actions are causing oceans to warm, deoxygenate and acidify
People are affecting the earth’s oceans in many more ways than filling them with plastic waste. Fertilisers that are used on crops worldwide to improve yields, filter into the watercourse and eventually the sea. An increase of these nutrients in the water causes eutrophication, which is excessive growth of algae, ultimately leading to less oxygen for marine wildlife. The full effects of deoxygenation of the oceans on sea creatures are unknown, but essentially they struggle to breathe and suffer from stunted development.
“The loss of oxygen in the ocean can broadly be put
Laffoley, D. & Baxter, J.M. (eds.) (2019). Ocean deoxygenation: Everyone’s problem – Causes, impacts, consequences and solutions.
down to two overlying causes – eutrophication as a
result of nutrient run-off from land and deposition of
nitrogen from the burning of fossil fuels, and the heating
of ocean waters as a result of climate change”
Climate change is adding to the problem because as the waters warm, they can hold less dissolved oxygen. The increasing amounts of atmospheric carbon dioxide behind this warming create another problem. Our oceans absorb carbon dioxide from the air, but the quantity affects their acidity. More carbon dioxide in the atmosphere results in increased absorption into seawater with which it reacts to form carbonic acid. Consequently, the ocean is acidifying – one of the many factors leading to the bleaching of coral reefs.
What can I do?
These three facts about our oceans shocked me because I became aware of how increasingly vulnerable marine habitats are to climate change and pollution. One way to make a difference is to campaign and sign petitions. Today, with this in mind, I signed the CampaignForNature’s 30×30 petition calling on world leaders to commit to protecting 30% of the planet by 2030. Marine reserves help protect the biodiversity and resilience of the ocean, but currently, only 7% of our oceans are protected.
The other primary responsibility we have as individuals is reducing our impact on the planet. Therefore, we must reduce our waste where possible and our carbon footprint. I am even more determined to lead a less materialistic life, refuse single-use items and to try and substitute plastic with biodegradable materials.
Our voluntary actions may seem insignificant in the face of such a massive problem, but our influence is more considerable than we realise. Neighbours, friends and colleagues, through their actions, affect the decisions we make. It follows that the way we behave sets an example for those around us, and simultaneously changes us into conscious consumers, ready to take an active part in the wider policy reforms needed for change.
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