From grocery bags and bottle cap to fibers from synthetic wear , the populace ’s sea are swarm with formative trash . About13 million tonsflow into the ocean each year , and experts say that amount will only increase . This pollution hold severe consequences for our ecosystem — especially for sea birds .
A squad of Australian researchers value 135 seabird metal money around the world and find that 59 percent of them had assimilate plastic , and within that group 29 percent had charge plate in their gut . Using this data , the researcher forecast that a stupefying 90 percent of ocean shuttlecock have eat up plastic of some kind — either accidentally or because they mistook it for food . The researcher predict that , by the twelvemonth 2050 , this number will rise to 99 pct .
The findings , which were published this week in thejournalPNAS , give researchers “ a global prevision of how wide - reaching charge card impacts may be on maritime species — and the results are striking,“according to Dr. Chris Wilcox , the sketch ’s principal author .
The study , which tracked plastic ingestion rates over time , found that less than five percent of skirt had plastic in their belly in 1960 . This portion had swelled to 80 percent by 2010 . Researchers say this is due to the increasing rate of global plastic manufacturing , which reduplicate every year .
Since around 80 percentage of marine litter — most of it credit card — come from land , scientist desire improved waste direction practices will help relieve the sea ’s ecosystem .
" Improving waste direction can cut back the threat plastic is posing to marine wildlife , " said Dr. Denise Hardesty , the study ’s Colorado - author . " Even dim-witted measure can make a difference of opinion , such as reducing promotion , banning undivided - purpose plastic items or charging an extra fee to use them , and introducing depositary for recyclable items like drink containers . ”
