Plastics have transformed every aspect of our lives. Yet the very properties that make them attractive—they are cheap to make, light, and durable—spell disaster when trash makes its way into the environment. Plastic Soup: An Atlas of Ocean Pollution is a beautifully-illustrated survey of the plastics clogging our seas, their impacts on wildlife and people around the world, and inspirational initiatives designed to tackle the problem. In Plastic Soup, Michiel Roscam Abbing of the Plastic Soup Foundation reveals the scope of the issue: plastic trash now lurks on every corner of the planet. With striking photography and graphics, Plastic Soup brings this challenge to brilliant life for readers. Yet it also sends a message of hope; although the scale of the problem is massive, so is the dedication of activists working to check it. Plastic Soup highlights a diverse array of projects to curb plastic waste and raise awareness, from plastic-free grocery stores to innovative laws and art installations. According to some estimates, if we continue on our current path, the oceans will contain more plastic than fish by the year 2050. Created to inform and inspire readers, Plastic Soup is a critical tool in the fight to reverse this trend.

Ocean Pollution provides a unique look at the effects of estuarine and coastal pollution on resource species. One of the primary objectives of the book is to provide an accurate assessment of the state of the inshore marine environment and its inhabitants. Coastal habitat degradation is discussed, and principal findings from modeling and other research efforts are analyzed and evaluated. The research undertaken thus far extends beyond the effects of pollution on resource population size to disease effects in fish and humans, effects on aquaculture, and effects on productive systems of the oceans. These far-reaching consequences - and potential consequences - of ocean pollution are expertly presented, and suggestions for mitigation are made. Realistic scenarios about the future effects of ocean pollution are outlined, providing a powerful tool for researchers and regulators.

During the recent decades, social, political and academic endeavours have been made to improve environmental quality and reduce pollution. In particular, the ocean, sea and coastal areas show varying degrees of impact from the multiple human activities carried out in the terrestrial as well as in the aquatic environment. Ecology is a science which studies the relationship between organisms and the surrounding environment and in the modern era, the marine world is getting increasing attention. For centuries it has been the final reservoir of human garbage; later it became an oil farm with a concomitant increase of coastal population growth and unplanned growth of the fishing industry and the increasing use of sea routes for cargo transport and recreational uses (cruises). All this led to rising contamination with negative effects on biota and even human health. It is then imperative to know the current situation of the world's oceans: that is the main purpose of this book, to document at a glance the latest research in the field of ocean pollution.

Our oceans are in an ecological crisis due to their contamination with millions of tons of toxic microplastic particles. In just a few years, the volume of microplastic particles will exceed that of plankton in our oceans and turn them into a huge sea of plastic. This publication brings together numerous international art projects related to environmental activities, DIY biotechnology, and science, and draws attention to the irreversible destruction of our marine ecosystems – the current threat posed by the loss of marine animal biodiversity, for example, or the decline in oxygen production due to massive plankton loss. It also presents current scientific findings on sustainable alternatives to plastic.

An exciting account of a scientist’s expedition across the Pacific on a home-made “junk raft” in order to learn more about plastic marine pollution A scientist, activist, and inveterate adventurer, Eriksen and his co-navigator, Joel Paschal, construct a “junk raft” made of plastic trash and set themselves adrift from Los Angeles to Hawaii, with no motor or support vessel, confronting perilous cyclones, food shortages, and a fast decaying raft. As Eriksen recounts his struggles to keep afloat, he immerses readers in the deep history of the plastic pollution crisis and the movement that has arisen to combat it. The proliferation of cheap plastic products during the twentieth century has left the world awash in trash. Meanwhile, the plastics industry, with its lobbying muscle, fights tooth and nail against any changes that would affect its lucrative status quo, instead defending poorly designed products and deflecting responsibility for the harm they cause. But, as Eriksen shows, the tide is turning in the battle to save the world’s oceans. He recounts the successful efforts that he and many other activists are waging to fight corporate influence and demand that plastics producers be held accountable. Junk Raft provides concrete, actionable solutions and an empowering message: it’s within our power to change the throw-away culture for the sake of our planet.

Where does garbage in the ocean come from, and how can it harm ocean animals? How do poisonous chemicals end up in our oceans? What is an oil spill, and how does it hurt wildlife and seashore habitats? Polluted Oceans introduces young readers to the issues of pollution due to the dumping of garbage, chemicals, and other things into our planet’s seas. It also gives students plenty of ideas for ways that they can be part of the campaign to help keep our oceans clean and safe for the future. Filled with information perfectly suited to the abilities and interests of an early-elementary audience, this colorful, fact-filled volume includes grade-appropriate activities and experiments, critical-thinking questions, and fascinating fact boxes to keep the pace lively and interactive.

Much of what you’ve heard about plastic pollution may be wrong. Instead of a great island of trash, the infamous Great Pacific Garbage Patch is made up of manmade debris spread over hundreds of miles of sea—more like a soup than a floating garbage dump. Recycling is more complicated than we were taught: less than nine percent of the plastic we create is reused, and the majority ends up in the ocean. And plastic pollution isn’t confined to the open ocean: it’s in much of the air we breathe and the food we eat. In Thicker Than Water: The Quest for Solutions to the Plastic Crisis, journalist Erica Cirino brings readers on a globe-hopping journey to meet the scientists and activists telling the real story of the plastic crisis. From the deck of a plastic-hunting sailboat with a disabled engine, to the labs doing cutting-edge research on microplastics and the chemicals we ingest, Cirino paints a full picture of how plastic pollution is threatening wildlife and human health. Thicker Than Water reveals that the plastic crisis is also a tale of environmental injustice, as poorer nations take in a larger share of the world’s trash, and manufacturing chemicals threaten predominantly Black and low-income communities. There is some hope on the horizon, with new laws banning single-use items and technological innovations to replace plastic in our lives. But Cirino shows that we can only fix the problem if we face its full scope and begin to repair our throwaway culture. Thicker Than Water is an eloquent call to reexamine the systems churning out waves of plastic waste.

Exciting, adventurous, educational and captivating! Bethany Stahl's stories express heartfelt messages while engaging readers. With beautiful illustrations, as well as lovable characters, this is a book everyone will love reading over and over again. Save the Ocean has a lesson of recycling and conservation!

While oceans are vast, they represent a fragile resource that must be protected if we want to protect our livelihoods and our planet. Marine pollution has been a topic of concern for a long time, and it has recently attracted the attention of scientists, environmentalists, economists, politicians and journalists in mainstream media. Besides providing food, transportation routes and other resources, the oceans serve as a heat absorbing sink which offsets the extreme heating effects of climate change, but only to a limited degree. Pollution in marine environments such as the oceans, poses a threat to coastal communities by affecting the fauna and flora in the environment and the health of the nearby population. This has a disruptive effect on the health and economy of these communities. Marine Pollution: Current Status, Impacts and Remedies emphasizes the limitations of marine resources that relevant environments provide. Readers will find chapters on methods to assess pollution as well as important information for identifying, measuring, and remediating various pollutants. The book also covers some known pollutants (heavy metals, organic pollutants, microplastics) and ways to manage these substances. Other issues covered in the book include problems caused by invasive species, and the ecological problems caused by pollutants which affect local fauna and flora. This book will prove to be a useful resource for students, researchers, and policymakers, who are working in environmental science, marine conservation and allied fields. [Series Intro] Marine Ecology: Current and Future Developments brings forth contemporary issues in the study of marine environments. The scope of the series includes ecological, toxicological and biological aspects of the topic. Each volume of the series focuses on a broad theme, with reviews contributed by several experts in the field. The series is essential reading for environmental scientists, ecologists, conservationists and marine biologists.