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alternate title: Analysis shows we've been underestimating the size of the ocean by 30x
The ocean is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly hugely mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist, but that's just peanuts to the ocean.
-- Not quite Douglas Adams
It's an easy mistake to make. Maps are quite misleading about the size of the Pacific Ocean
I'm sure that's great news.
But microplastics have already been found in seafood.
So, yay. But ultimately, it's still there and still a problem
But the problem is a magnitude easier to solve hopefully.
Nah it's means we've got way more free space for additional plastic.
29 times more, to be precise.
Exactly. It's not the ideal situation but it's much better than we thought, which is uplifting.
There will eventually be more microorganisms tohat develop the ability to digest and break down microplastics. We've already found a few!
Which is also alarming, depending on the rate they break down plastics and whether they are harmful to humans.
It's like having a snake problem, releasing mongooses, and suddenly having a mongoose problem
Reading this has definitely made my day better.
Cleaning the ocean now seems like something we can actually do.
I'm worried we won't now that this information is out there, and we won't until it's actually too late.
until it's actually too late
Don't worry - with everything else we've done to fuck up the environment and ignoring the filth in the oceans... it's probably already too late! We'd have to massively curb consumerism to get the happy ending and...ooh, new shiny toy!
Well we can't just do nothing!
Cool. I can start throwing my plastic bottles back in the ocean again.
Dude c'mon, everyone knows bottles don't go in the ocean
That's for car batteries
No no, plastic stuff are specifically made to be thrown at turtles in the water and you are not allowed to pet the plastic if it is on the ground. That is at least what the warning label on all plastic containers says.
The vast majority of ocean plastic comes from fishing boats, we're just told it's from land based sources so that major factory fishing firms can continue to pollute but make you feel guilty for dropping a straw in the trashcan.
Drop locally. Chances are there is a small lake closer to you and your plastic bottle will have many more times the impact instead of pissing it away in the big ocean.
I'm always amazed by Ocean Cleanup when I hear about them. I remember it started several years ago from a teenager with a funky idea. Back then I thought "huh another greenwashed startup, right?". Fast forward and they actually do the things, actually operate those ships and pull out plastic.
That’s great, but there is still a shit ton of it in there. Check this channel where an amazing team rescues seals entangled in all our waste for a look into what we’re doing to the oceans: https://youtube.com/@OceanConservationNamibia