Study Gauges Plastic Levels in Oceans

Alston Tarry                                                                                       December 10, 2014

CE 9                                                                                                    Mr. Ippolito

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/11/science/new-research-quantifies-the-oceans-plastic-problem.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=second-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

I read the article “Study Gauges Plastic Levels in Oceans” written by John Schwartz. This article talks about how much plastic is in our oceans. Giant plastic masses float around al over the place, causing trouble for sea life and much more. Not only are there giant plastic masses, there are little pieces scattered all over the place. There is so much waste that it is hurting the ocean life. Some people think nets on fishing boats could help with this problem. The nets could pick up the debris and take it out of the water. The smaller pieces of plastic seem to be less than thought. Researchers are taking a look as to where they may have gone, and how this could be a problem in the future.

Researchers are concerned that the fish are eating the plastic and getting the toxin in them. They could then pass of along the toxin to other predators. “Plastics are like a cocktail of contaminants floating around in the aquatic habitat,” said Chelsea M. Rochman, a marine ecologist at the University of California. The small fish may get the toxin at first, but when they are eaten, the toxin spreads and spreads. This can be very troubling for the human race. People eat fish all the time. Where do we get fish? The ocean is the answer. Some of these fish that are caught and eaten could have this toxin in them. This would pass the toxin on to many people and make people very sick. It is hazardous to eat a fish when you don’t know what it has eaten. Not only is all this plastic in the ocean dangerous to sea life, it is dangerous to humans as well.

I thought this article was very well written. The beginning paragraph or two talked about what the main problem was. Then it got into the details after that. A problem would be stated and then a solution for that problem would come after that. There were quotes from researchers, which helped get a view of what people on the job thought, and helped to understand how important this issue really is. The ending paragraphs summed up the article, and I thought the closing paragraph was really good. It gave readers something to look for in the future. It said how to move forward and how they would work to make the sea a cleaner place.