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State of the Oceans: Plastic—Not So Fantastic (May 7, 2004, One)

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Program Summary

An old saying goes, “Out of sight, out of mind.” It is this mindset that has led to today’s serious threats to the health of the oceans, say Ira’s guests. After all, when we look at the ocean, we see an endless expanse of sparkling blue water, not the tons of trash that are dumped in it every year or the dead zones in which the oxygen has been depleted by chemical runoff. It’s only when bacteria close our favorite beach or a tanker spills its load of oil that we stop to think about what is happening to our greatest natural resource.

Now the science world’s attention has been caught by a study that found millions of microscopic particles of plastic mixed in with beach sand and sea bed sediment in parts of the United Kingdom. Where did these particles come from? From the plastic containers in our ocean-going garbage, that’s where. The action of the wind and waves wears the plastic down into pieces that are invisible to the eye, but still present and being consumed by microscopic creatures.

What does “biodegradable” really mean? What effect could the particles have on marine life? Will those plastic particles work their way up the food chain into our stomachs? Now that’s something to chew on.

Guests

Richard C. Thompson, senior lecturer in marine biology at the University of Plymouth in Plymouth, United Kingdom

Pat D.White, chief executive officer for the Maine Lobstermen’s Association and commissioner of the Pew Oceans Commission in York, Maine

Robert B. Gagosian, director and president of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and member of the Commission on Ocean Policy Science Advisory Panel in Woods Hole, Massachusetts

Related Links and Resources

Environmental Health Perspectives: Ocean Health and Human Health
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: Office of Climate Observation
Science Friday Kids Connection January 22, 1999: Tell Me Where It Hurts—Ocean Diseases
Science Friday Kids Connection, June 6, 2003: Hour Two: Health of the Oceans
Smithsonian Institution: Ocean Planet: Threats
The United States Commission on Ocean Policy

For Discussion:

• What are some of the major threats to the ocean’s health?
• What are scientists and conservationists doing to halt and reverse those threats?
• What are dead zones? How were they created? Can they be brought back to life?
• Where do the plastic particles in the ocean come from?
• What effect do you think the particles may have on marine and human health, or do you think they’re too small to be harmful?
• What can we do to reduce the amount of plastic that ends up in the environment?
• What products can be made from recycled plastic?

Activities

Talking trash. Pollution Solutions (Discovery School) examines how ocean dumping sickens the seas. One activity has students estimate how much trash is generated in the United States in one year. They can view clips from the accompanying video Finite Oceans. A Sea-nic Perspective, a lesson plan from the New York Times Learning Network, uses Has the Sea Given Up Its Bounty? as a platform for studying the declining health of the oceans. Students create a classroom exhibit based on their research and invite other classes to view it.

Particle particulars. For details on the plastic particle study, read National Geographic’s “Oceans Awash With Microscopic Plastic, Scientists Say” “Trashing the Oceans” documents the 2000 discovery of a 10-mile wide “garbage patch” of plastic bags in the North Atlantic. Charles Moore of the Algita Foundation also talks about his other plastic trash finds and the negative effects the floating debris has on marine life. Plastic in the Sea and Lakes is an extensive bibliography of pertinent publications.

Learn your lesson. Plastic Pleas, a lesson plan from the New York Times Learning Network, uses the article Just One Word for the Ocean: Plastics as a basis for an examination of plastic and plastic recycling in general. Students study recycling programs in their own communities and propose improvements. The Life Cycle of a Plastic Product (American Plastic Council) explains how plastics are manufactured, used, and recycled.

Sack the sack? Are Plastic Grocery Bags Sacking the Environment? (National Geographic) presents the debate over using paper or plastic grocery bags. Ireland has solved the problem by imposing a tax on every plastic bag used; people are switching to reusable totes.

Use the search box below to perform a Google search within any of the specifc sites or general domains mentioned in this Activities section.

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