Marine pollution is a growing problem in today’s world.
It is a combination of chemicals – pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, detergents, oil, industrial chemicals, and sewage – and trash.
Most of these chemicals come from land sources and are washed or blown into the ocean.
This pollution damages the environment, the health of all organisms, and economic structures worldwide.
Marine trash encompasses all manufactured products that end up in the ocean.
Littering, storm winds and poor waste disposal all contribute to the accumulation of this debris, 80 percent of which comes from sources on land.
Common types of marine debris include various plastic items such as shopping bags and beverage bottles, cigarette butts, bottle caps, food wrappers, and fishing gear.
Plastic waste is particularly problematic as a pollutant because it is long-lasting and can take hundreds of years to decompose.
This trash poses dangers to both humans and animals. Fish become tangled and injured in the debris.
Under the influence of solar UV radiation, wind, currents, and other natural factors, plastic breaks down into tiny particles called microplastics (particles smaller than 5 mm (about 0.2 in)) or nano plastics (particles smaller than 100 nm), and the small size makes them easy for marine life to ingest accidentally.
When larger animals eat tiny organisms that consume microplastics, the toxic chemicals become part of their tissues.
In this way, microplastic pollution migrates up the food chain, eventually becoming part of the food that humans eat.
Animals most vulnerable to harm from plastic debris in the ocean include dolphins, fish, sharks, turtles, seabirds, and crabs.
Plastic floating tends to collect in large “patches” in ocean gyres. The Pacific Garbage Patch is one example of such a collection, with plastics and microplastics floating on and below the surface of swirling ocean currents between California and Hawaii in an area of about 1.6 million square kilometers (617,763 square miles), although its size is not fixed.
The term “garbage patch” is a misleading nickname, making many believe that garbage patches are “islands of trash” visible from afar.
These areas are made up of debris ranging in size, from microplastics to large bundles of derelict fishing gear.
Kela is the best and most efficient solution to clean up seas effectively and collect waste on the water surfaces.
