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Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Millions Of Pieces Of Plastic Are Piling Up On An Otherwise Pristine Pacific Island

More than 37 million pieces of plastic debris have accumulated on a remote island in the South Pacific, thousands of miles from the nearest city, according to estimates from researchers who documented the accumulating trash.

Turtles get tangled in fishing line, and hermit crabs make their homes in plastic containers. The high-tide line is demarcated by litter. Small scraps of plastic are buried inches deep into the sandy beaches.

It's the highest density of debris reported anywhere in the world, scientists say. Their research on trash accumulated at Henderson Island, largest of the the Pitcairn Islands, was published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The island is uninhabited and visited by scientists only once or twice a decade, according to the University of Tasmania. But ocean currents bring a steady stream of plastic trash from around the world, from litter swept into storm drains to debris dropped off fishing boats.

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6 comments:

Anonymous said...

So that's where Wilson went!


































Anonymous said...

Plastic water bottles should be banned. If you need to travel with water put it in a reusable container like we did in the 70s and 80s.

Anonymous said...

If the scientists are so concerned why didn't they attempt to clean it up?

Anonymous said...

17 tons of plastic? I doubt they sailed there on a Garbage Scow.

Anonymous said...

Would the trash, millions of tons, dumped in the ocean from NY / NJ have anything to do with this problem? How much come from sinking old ships / railcars in the ocean etc.?

Anonymous said...

Anonymous Anonymous said...
Would the trash, millions of tons, dumped in the ocean from NY / NJ have anything to do with this problem? How much come from sinking old ships / railcars in the ocean etc.?

May 17, 2017 at 12:02 PM

Maybe, but that would be a heck of a trip from one ocean to another.