Plastic plague intensifies on remote southern islands

http://climateandcapitalism.com/2018/10/09/plastic-plague-intensifies-on-remote-southern-islands/
Date Written:  2018-10-09
Publisher:  Climate and Capitalism
Year Published:  2018
Resource Type:  Article
Cx Number:  CX23066

A look at a report titled " Marine plastics threaten giant Atlantic Marine Protected Areas", which examines the alarmingly high concentrations of plastic on southern Atlantic islands and throughout the food chain.

Abstract: 
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Excerpt:

The amount of plastic reaching these remote regions has increased at all levels, from the shore to the seafloor. More than 90% of beached debris was plastic, and the volume of this debris is the highest recorded in the last decade.

Lead author Dr David Barnes from British Antarctic Survey (BAS) explains:

"Three decades ago these islands, which are some of the most remote on the planet, were near-pristine. Plastic waste has increased a hundred-fold in that time, it is now so common it reaches the seabed. We found it in plankton, throughout the food chain and up to top predators such as seabirds."