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Study: More Than 90 Percent of Dead Pacific Northwest Seabirds in Pacific Northwest Had Ingested Plastic

Northern Fulmar

A pair of northern fulmars (Photo: annecarringtoncotton via Flickr)

There is great concern about the impacts of plastics on marine wildlife in the Pacific, but much of the focus has been in tropical regions like the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. A new study in Marine Pollution Bulletin and reported by Discovery News shows that plastics are impacting seabird populations in the Pacific Northwest as well, a region that researchers have compared to the highly-polluted North Sea with respect to plastic pollution.


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Infographic: Oceans of Garbage

This infographic from MastersDegree.net lays it out there for all to see: Our oceans are getting more and more polluted, and most of the pollution originates from land, like plastics. These pollutants have a wide range of impacts on marine life, including getting caught up in the food chain, even at a microbial level. Scary stuff. Please share!

Ocean of Garbage

Plastic Bag Bans Aren’t the End of the World, Just Ask Edmonds

Single-use plastic bag bans aren’t the end of the world, as the plastic lobby would have us believe.

They do, however, prevent wastes from floating to the end of the world.

Plastic bags are made to last forever, yet they are marketed for single use. Ironic? Perhaps. Problematic? Definitely. Especially for those places where even that single use has never been put into affect the oceans and remote shorelines of the world. Here, plastic is not made, bought or sold. It simply arrives. And never leaves.

Throughout October and culminating on November 6th, some of the world’s experts and motivated activists on plastic pollution and marine conservation will be presenting their stories in a worldwide TEDx event: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch. But, their focus stretches beyond the Pacific to encompass the global nature of this modern crisis. Already, the videos posted present some disturbing perspectives on just how prevalent and persistent this problem has become.

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What Everyone Should Know About Bottled Water

The Ocean Doctor on WebTalkRadio.netSeptember 13, 2010: The truth about bottled water and what you can do about it. Drew McGowan from Brita fills us in with advice on how you can help the planet while helping your wallet. Did you study? Our first pop quiz?and it’s hard. Can you keep up with the high school students of the National Ocean Sciences Bowl? Can you beat The Ocean Doctor? And the discovery of massive amounts of oil covering the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico and why it’s especially bad news.

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