APR 13 GREAT PACIFIC GARBAGE PATCH IS NOW THE SIZE OF ALASKA

APR 13 GREAT PACIFIC GARBAGE PATCH IS NOW THE SIZE OF ALASKA

The most disturbing news story of the week is not what you think! No, it's not an inflammatory Trump Tweet. Nor is it another NBA player found cheating on his pregnant wife. It has nothing to do with Facebook. Nope, this week's truly terrifying item comes from a beach in Spain. A dead Sperm whale washed ashore. While this happens all the time, this time things were different. See, the enormous mammal did not die from natural causes. It died from the 40 pounds of plastic found in his stomach.

Sadly, dead sea creatures washing ashore with bellies full of colorful plastic is becoming commonplace worldwide. The largest problem is the Pacific Plastic Patch. While it sounds pretty, it is truly the opposite. Simply put, it is an enormous section of the North Pacific where waste collects. Why does this happen? Well, ocean currents are circular. So this means the center (gyre) of a current's massive circle receives little movement. Over the last fifty years, floating debris has accumulated. Hence, the name Garbage Patch.

However, the patch in the North Pacific Ocean has grown so large, it received a special moniker: It's the GREAT Pacific Garbage Patch. Ten years ago, National Geographic reported the GPGP had grown in size and was now about the size of Texas. Recently, a study using new satellite technology measured it at 617,000 square miles. That's a little larger than Alaska! Stay tuned, because it shows no signs of slowing down. Soon its size will be compared to nations instead of US States.

There's lots of fishing nets and waste from the 2011 tsunami in Japan, but most of the trash in the garbage patch is plastic. The difference between plastic and this other waste is simple. Other debris will eventually deteriorate, but indestructible plastic is stuck in the ocean forever. Well...actually, scientists speculate that plastic will eventually disintegrate in 500 years. So we'll just have to wait until the year 2518 to know for sure! It's clear: The real problem with the GPGP is delicious, brightly colored micro-plastics which whales just love to eat.

Humankind's love affair with plastic was understandable at first. It was first introduced to the US market in the 1950's. The amazing, wondrous material is stronger than paper and lighter than tin. Soon, plastic containers began replacing tin cans. Plastic bags began replacing paper bags. Nowadays plastic is omnipresent. But this dead whale clearly shows this love affair has gone awry. The DUNER BLOG is not green-washing: The people of earth really need to reconsider the long-term effects of plastic before the garbage patch reaches our beaches!