Arctic Islands - More Evidence of Plastic Pollution

Plastic waste dumped in UK seas is carried to the Arctic within two years, according to a study carried out by an oceanographer at Imperial College, London.  As a result, severe damage is done to the sensitive polar environment. Some scientists warn that, by 2050, the quantity of plastics in the oceans will outweigh fish.  There is already the Great Pacific garbage patch, in the North Pacific Ocean, discovered in the 1980's  - comprising the Western Garbage Patch and the Eastern Garbage Patch, - it is an exceptional example of marine pollution.

​A recent Arctic study by Dutch scientists has helped identify about 12% of waste as being connected to the fishing industry - pointing to sources which can help stop this dumping.  As one scientist acknowledged, to do something about the litter - you need to know the source.  A difficult problem, because half of the waste found had become unidentifiable.  Marine pollution is a pressing and urgent problem, one which MARPOL constantly seeks to alleviate.  Hopefully it is not too late for the Arctic and its marine life.

---