Thawing polar ice cap could unleash billions of pieces of plastic to the sea

The Arctic polar caps that are now melting will liberate more than a billion pieces of plastic to the sea over the next 10 years. According to a new study, there are billions of servings of plastic fangs icy regions. As the ice caps are melting, the plastic will be released into the food chain, threatening marine life, clogging waterways and harming the ecosystem of the oceans.

The study, published in the journal Earth's Future, indicates that there is a considerable amount of junk trapped in the ice, which was identified by the research teams. Most of this garbage is comprised of microplastic, the remains of plastic objects decomposed or from cosmetics containing microspheres, referred to Inhabitat. As the ice forms, this microplastic gets stuck in ice until the ice melts.

Scientists hope that at least two billion cubic metres of Arctic ice melt in the next decade, releasing microplásticos were simultaneously. During the investigation, scientists found among the 38 234 pieces of plastic per cubic meter of ice. This means that, in the worst-case scenario, the estimated one billion pieces of plastic released can be low. Additionally, the plastics act as magnets, attracting other pollutants become more toxic and dangerous to marine life.

Foto:  { pranav } / Creative Commons

If You Enjoyed This, Take 5 Seconds To Share It

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Google+
• StumbleUpon
• Digg
• Delicious
• LinkedIn
• Reddit
• Technorati