The Arctic Ocean is a cemetery waste

The bottom of the Arctic Ocean has become a graveyard of waste - it is completely strewn with plastic and other debris.

Experts studied more than 2,000 photos of Strait separating Greenland and Svalbard, made in 2011, and compared them with images of the same terrain the period 2002 - 2008. Typically, this information is used exclusively by biologists, however, this study was conducted in collaboration with scientists and ecologists. The occasion to sound the alarm, as it turned out, there are those and others - about 70% of the total number of inhabitants of the ocean come into contact with are on the bottom of the garbage. The picture shows that the fauna entangled in plastic bags and ropes, and oceanic flora colonized glass bottles.

The reason for such a catastrophic situation, scientists see the thinning of the Arctic ice that covers much of the Arctic Ocean, and shipping, to develop rapidly in the region: five years ago, the number of ships passing here, including private, was three times less. The main source of pollution are fishing boats. In addition, the debris blows into the ocean from the land - the thin ice is no longer protected.

The situation is detrimental to the ecosphere, scientists warn, urging the international community to take immediate action. The fact that many inhabitants of the ocean the day are injured - is not so bad; piles of garbage prevent them eat properly and, as a result, grow and reproduce. Meanwhile, plastic and glass waste at this depth can be maintained for a very long time.

via factroom.ru