Much of the 260 million tons of plastic the world uses every year winds up in the oceans, threatening marine life. Indeed, a mass of floating trash, called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, has been observed in the northern part of the ocean. Over the past two years photographer Chris Jordan has documented the affect the plastic debris has had on wildlife on Midway Atoll, which is northwest of the Hawaiian Islands. This three-square-mile area is home to the albatross, the world’s largest flying bird. Albatross parents often mistake colorful debris for sea life and feed it to their chicks, which can prove fatal. “There’s a dead bird every 10 steps in different decomposed stages,” Jordan says. He photographed the chicks and the contents of their stomachs: bottle caps, lids from tops of spice bottles, lighters and other fragments. 

This article was originally published with the title What Is It?.

2 Comments

1. 1. bucketofsquid 10:11 AM 2/2/11

   Cold water ocean or buried in a land fill are the worst conditions for plastic to degrade. The best condition for plastic to degrade is high temperature, direct sunlight. Depending on the chemical make up of the plastic it takes 5 to 75 years to degrade. For those that claim that plastic never degrades completely, well neither does glass, brick or a wide variety of other materials. Be realistic and people will take you much more seriously.
   
   I wonder if it would be cost effective to scoop up that plastic and recycle it. I doubt it would be but as mass die offs drive up food prices, it may gain sufficient urgency to actually get done. I won't hold my breath though.

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

2. 2. alice3372 01:41 AM 2/29/12

   I wonder if it would be cost effective to scoop up that plastic and recycle it. I doubt it would be but as mass die offs drive up food prices, it may gain sufficient urgency to actually get done. I won't hold my breath though.
   <a href="http://www.wholesalewatchsupplier.com/">wholesale watches</a>
   

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this