Their work, which was published in Frontiers in Marine Science, will help provide answers to help monitor and deal with the problem of marine litter.
“Marine litter is found around the world, and we do not fully understand its impact on the ocean ecosystem or human health,” said Eric Chassignet, director of FSU’s Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies (COAPS) and the paper’s lead author. “That’s why it’s important to learn more about this problem and develop effective ways to mitigate it.”
Marine litter is a big problem for the Earth’s oceans. Animals can get entangled in debris. Scientists have found tiny pieces of plastic inside fish, turtles and birds — litter that blocks digestive tracts and alters feeding behavior, altering growth and reproduction. Most of that marine litter is mismanaged plastic waste, which is of particular concern because plastics remain in the ocean for a long time.
Understanding where marine litter goes once it’s in the ocean is a big part of understanding the issue and helping individual countries and the international community to develop plans to deal with the problem. The United Nations, which funded this work, is trying to mitigate the impact of mismanaged plastic waste, and this work can inform their policies and regulations.
Take the so-called Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a cluster of marine debris in the Pacific Ocean, for example. Tracking marine litter will help answer questions about whether it is growing larger and questions about how much plastic is breaking down or sinking to the bottom of the ocean. The virtual tool also shows how countries around the world are connected.
