Plastic Pollution
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Everything you need to know about plastic pollution
Rivers, seas and oceans are now pervaded by plastic and the repercussions on our health and the environment are becoming a serious threat. The scientific world has been “shining the spotlight” on the issue for years through studies and monitoring projects.
The term “plastic” encompasses a wide range of materials with different and incredibly versatile properties. Plastic, a material with high thermal and electrical insulation, is not only extremely cheap but is also durable, strong and lightweight; all characteristics that have made it “popular”.
Composed mainly of synthetic polymers and macromolecules derived from gas or oil, it can also be made of biological material with the addition of chemical additives (so-called “bio-mass”). Thanks to the diversity of polymers and the enormous versatility of their properties, man has been able to produce a wide range of products that have unquestionably resulted in technological advances, energy savings and, above all, economical savings. But despite these and many other advantages for society, plastics today are turning into a “boomerang” with potentially devastating “side effects”.
Bakelite, developed in 1907 by the Belgian chemist Leo Baekeland, represents the first real synthetic polymer, the “first starting point” of plastic. In the years that followed, in just a few decades, man succeeded in developing many other kind of plastics: it was in the 1940s and 1950s that the production of “commonly used” plastic objects began, but it was in the 1960s and the years that followed that the “plastic boom” took place.
But what is the real impact of plastic on our Planet?
Calculating that we have been producing and using it for almost a century now, plastic has now invaded our Planet. Humans, especially in the early days, and unknowingly, released and dispersed the plastic they used into the environment and the consequences, today, are there for all to see and the ocean, unfortunately, is the “collector” for most plastic waste.
Humans have started to collect, dispose and recycle plastic but if the dumping of plastic waste in the Planet’s waters is not stopped now, by 2025 the ratio of plastic to fish will become 1 to 5 and by 2050 the percentage of plastic in the sea will be greater than the percentage of fish, leading to serious consequences for the entire food chain.
Through constant monitoring and the collection of data on the presence of plastic in the sea there is now evidence that there are as many as five major plastic accumulations in our oceans. Two “plastic islands” (as they are called) are found in the Atlantic Ocean, two others in the Pacific Ocean and the last one in the Indian Ocean. These real accumulations are originated by marine circulation, i.e. huge oceanic vortices capable of conveying and concentrating plastic in their central section.
Plastic in the sea and oceans: the interactive maps
Once plastic is thrown into the waters of rivers and seas it “disintegrates” into microplastics due to the action of the sun’s ultraviolet rays but also due to the “mechanical action” caused by the movement of ocean waves. These small plastic fragments, harmful to marine organisms and ecosystems, can be carried by ocean currents hundreds or thousands of kilometres away from their source, making them difficult to detect and, above all, remove.
Thanks to new technologies, such as NASA‘s extensive network of satellites (Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System – CYGNSS), it is now possible to accurately measure wind speeds over the oceans and provide information on the strength of hurricanes. The CYGNSS system uses radar that can measure the roughness of the ocean influenced by several factors including wind speed and debris floating in the water.
Working “backwards”, the researchers first identified those areas of the oceans that had surfaces that were unusually smoother than would normally be expected from “normal” wind velocity action and, believing that this might indicate the presence of microplastics, they then compared these areas with previous surveys and observations of patterns of microplastic aggregation locations in the oceans. This is how the scientists found that microplastics tended to be present in the smoother waters, demonstrating that CYGNSS data can be used as a tool to track ocean microplastics by observing them from space.
Here below are four interactive maps (source: MAPBOX) useful for visualising the current situation. Let us explore together the challenges and solutions to plastic pollution in the oceans.
MAP 1: RIVER SOURCES OF PLASTIC POLLUTION
80% of plastic pollution comes from about 1,000 rivers worldwide. Thanks to extensive data collection, the map identifies the “hot spots” of plastic pollution at the mouths of rivers. Although still definable and manageable, the river source map indicates that the problem of polluted rivers is bigger than estimated.
Click on the image to navigate the map in order to obtain more detailed data and information.

MAP 2: THE PRICE OF PLASTIC POLLUTION
Plastic pollution comes at a high cost. Ocean Cleanup (in collaboration with Deloitte) calculated and analysed the global economic impact of plastic pollution in the oceans on some of the “key sectors” including: aquaculture, fisheries and tourism. The map displays the results of this economic analysis.
Click on the image to navigate the map in order to obtain more detailed data and information.

MAP 3: TRACKING WASTE
This map shows the global problem of plastic in the oceans around the world. The map illustrates the hypothetical path that a piece of plastic might take from the moment it is first released into the environment to reach the ocean. Each trajectory is modelled using a Lagrangian model of plastic dispersal using data on ocean currents, river mouth emissions and inland water flow direction.
Click on the image to navigate the map in order to obtain more detailed data and information.

MAP 4: CITIZEN SCIENCE
Ocean Cleanup makes use of a “citizen scientist”, i.e. a (global) network of people who make observations and report plastic litter with the specific intention of helping researchers better understand plastic pollution. This support also serves to refine clean-up strategies. The Citizen Science Map is an extraordinary tool because is able to display data collected through the Ocean Plastic Survey and River Plastic Survey applications. This important “grouping” of information makes the map easy to use even if the number of reports grows exponentially.
Click on the image to navigate the map in order to obtain more detailed data and information.
