Tag: Ocean

Brazilian naval personnel were astonished to initially discover that what they thought to be remains of the missing Air France flight 447 in the Atlantic Ocean turned out to be nothing more than garbage and other debris located at or near the surface of water. Even the supposed oil slick that they thought came from the missing plane has now been attributed to being bilge oil from a passing ocean vessel. And what was thought to be pieces of the plan’s fuselage turned out to the pieces of plastic as well as a wooden pallet!

Oceanographers have been studying for years the disturbing effects of floating garbage on the world’s seas and oceans; and one extremely large patch of floating debris, in the mid-Pacific Ocean, is estimated to be twice the American state of Texas. The large patches of floating plastic material, waste oil (also from damaged supertankers) and other material are said to form in parts of the ocean known as gyres and are formed between a strong and narrow “western boundary current,” and a weak and broad “eastern boundary current.

When looking on the global map, as shown here (note the circled areas), gyres are found in all the world’s ocean; and this may include the Arctic and Antarctic oceans as well. Although the suspected crash site of Flight 447 appears to be south of the North Atlantic Gyre, it doesn’t mean that aquatic debris isn’t located there; it most certainly is.

Besides being a food source for the world’s populations the world’s oceans are also a supplier of a good portion of our oxygen supply which is produced by aquatic plant life – especially kelp. The “floating garbage dumps” are a big hazard for marine life, including birds which often feed their young small pieces of plastic that the birds think is food. In addition, all kinds of chemicals, sewage and poisons are present in the waters which eventually can be dangerous to animal and human health.

The bottoms of our seas and oceans are as bad or worse, and some areas have even been declared as “dead zones” are virtually devoid of marine plant and animal life. Most people don’t thing much of this problem, unless they are swimming of diving somewhere and find this garbage themselves. The problem will also manifest itself when less fish are caught, and those that are discovered will be unfit to eat.

Undoubtedly the plane’s wreckage will be found sooner or later; but at least now, people may begin to see how Mankind has literally “trashed” the world’s seas and oceans.