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According to an authoritative data, 150 million tons of plastics have entered the sea between 1950 and 2013, and by 2020, plastics entering the ocean may exceed 230 million tons. Marine debris is entering the field of human alertness...
The BBC recently reported that in the past 40 years, the number of small plastic fragments floating above the Northeast Pacific has increased by a factor of 100.
Plastic waste products that are thrown into the ocean will not sink to the bottom of the sea. They will continue to differentiate and degrade under the influence of sunlight and waves, and eventually become fragments of fingernail size. Of course, these tiny fragments will eventually be ingested by marine organisms.
How much impact does marine plastic pollution have? What are the current governance measures?
Plastic garbage runs across the global sea
Marine debris includes waste from a variety of sources. It is widely believed that most of the waste is land-based waste that enters the sea through coastlines and estuaries. According to experts, 75% of marine waste is plastic.
In 1988, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued a report in which it was predicted that part of the North Pacific Circulation (NPG) – the North Pacific Subtropical Circulation (NPSG) will have plastic waste accumulation. In 1997, Captain Charles Moore discovered that there was a large accumulation of waste as he passed through the area. The news released a global concern about this issue. The North Pacific Circulation (NPG) is one of the five major ocean circulations in the world. Floating debris in the five major circulations, including garbage, is easy to accumulate in the calm waters here.
Due to the successive adoption of the 1972 Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter and the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973 (MARPOL), the issue of marine debris has long been on the global agenda. However, the above two conventions only deal with the disposal of platforms, aircraft and ship waste, but do not involve the disposal of land-based waste.
Since then, global initiatives for marine debris have emerged: the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development discussed marine debris; the theme of the European Commission meeting in April 2013 was how to prevent and manage marine litter; in 2013 in Hawaii The 6th International Conference on Marine Waste discussed in depth the issue of marine debris and its solutions.
"Difficulty in decomposition" leads to "invisible killer"
The accumulation of marine plastic waste is intensifying, and the decomposition time has already exceeded the acceptable range.
Most plastics do not completely decompose in the marine environment, but can degrade in the sun and the marine environment – ​​photodegradation. Plastics are degraded into small fragments by photodegradation, floating on the surface of the sea or sinking into the sea floor.
Marine plastic waste will have a series of negative effects. The environmental impact is that swallowing marine debris can cause malnutrition, poisoning, starvation, infertility and even death in marine life; physical damage or even suffocation of corals and plants can cause changes in the habitat of the ocean. The economic impacts include: direct costs of cleaning up beach debris, beach pollution leading to low tourism, reduced fishing boat fishing or fish contamination, and direct damage to the ship caused by the entanglement.
It is estimated that 95% of all northern white-bellied birds in the North Sea have plastic in their stomachs. According to known circumstances, more than 267 species worldwide are affected by entanglement and the ingestion of marine debris, including 86% of sea turtles, 44% of seabirds and 43% of marine mammals. In 1992, Japan’s ship repair costs damaged by marine debris cost $4.2 billion.
DNV new concept ship is expected to break the problem
The five major circulations cover 145 million square kilometers of continuously moving sea surface, and the degree of plastic aggregation fluctuates greatly. Experts say that if a clean-up ship can clean up 5 square kilometers of sea surface per day, it will take 80 years to clean up the surface of the circulation.
Marine health is an indispensable part of the future sustainable development of society. DNV (short for Norwegian Classification Society) worked with the WWF Norway to conduct a comprehensive assessment of marine plastic waste issues through a project focused on high-polymer clusters such as the North Pacific Circulation (NPG).
It is a new scientific research ship design concept developed by DNV and the Norwegian branch of the World Wide Fund for Nature. The 85-meter-long scientific research vessel can support 38 researchers working at sea for 90 days, providing them with a flexible research platform to better understand the problem and test plastic collection solutions. The new scientific research vessel is equipped with a system for effective monitoring of the ocean from the air and water, designed to flexibly handle different collection techniques.
These technologies include: setting up small drones that can freely take off and land on the ship to increase the visibility of the ship; high-altitude cables or snorkeling kites to detect large-scale waste near the ship; self-propelled and unmanned ships surveying currents It surveys the currents within 10 meters of the water and can detect and track large-scale waste. The ship can rely on renewable energy to provide independent navigation for several weeks. In addition, the ship also considers the installation of observation balls, autonomous underwater vehicles, satellites, buoy lights for tracking floating waste, and remotely operated submersibles.
In addition, the collected waste will be disposed of on board and used primarily for scientific purposes. Waste disposal will undergo a series of processes such as cleaning, sorting and storing biological materials.
Of course, whether it is to convert plastic into marine diesel fuel or land upgraded recycling program, it needs to be further studied.
Say "No" to marine plastic waste
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