plastic pollution Archives - Science Connected Magazine

Tracing the Origins of Ocean Garbage Patches

April 5, 2021April 2, 2021 Science ConnectedGreat Pacific Garbage Patch, marine pollution, ocean pollution, plastic in ocean, plastic pollution

Where do garbage patches come from, what garbage is in them, how do they form, and how can we clean them up once and for all?

Environment Opinion

How the History of Littering Should Impact the Solution

June 24, 2020June 22, 2020 Science Connectedocean plastic, plastic pollution

LIttering has wreaked havoc on ecosystems all over the world. What do we do now to amend the global problem of chronic waste?

Environment Science Debate Series Science Policy

Plastic Waste Necessitates Policies for Producers

September 5, 2019September 5, 2019 Science Connectedenvironment, microplastics, ocean, plastic pollution, plastic recycling, plastic waste, science debate

By Neha Jain (@lifesciexplore) This article is part of a series about key science policy issues. Please use these articles to become an informed voter, ask political candidates about the issues, and put every candidate on record about science. Countries around the world, both developed and developing, have been grappling with growing piles of plastic waste from overuse of packaging materials, such as those for food and beverages, and single-use plastic tableware. In 2015, 42 percent of all plastic produced was used for packaging, much of which is used only…

Environment

Microplastics Contaminate Snow from Alps to Arctic

September 3, 2019August 29, 2019 Science Connectedarctic, environment, microplastics, plastic pollution, pollution, snow

By Jacqueline Mattos (@mattosjacq) Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic that pollute the environment and can range from 0.05 to 5 millimeters in length. Bigger plastic items can be fragmented by the action of light, temperature fluctuations, ocean waves, or mechanical abrasion into smaller pieces that are widely dispersed, persistent in the environment, and sometimes accompanied by microorganisms. A recent article by Bergmann et al., published in the periodical Science Advances, assessed quantities of microplastics in the snow from the Alps and other northern European sites to the Arctic and…

Environment Oceanography Science Policy

The US Needs a Federal Ban on Marine Plastic Pollution

May 30, 2019March 11, 2021 Science Connectedfishing net, ocean, plastic, plastic pollution, pollution, single-use

Marine plastic pollution must be addressed by the United States through policies on single-use plastics and abandoned fishing nets.