The Great Garbage Spot a disaster extending over an area of ​​1.6 million square kilometers in the Pacific Ocean

Given the increasing human demand for plastic production, scientists estimate that cumulative global plastic waste could exceed 25 billion metric tons by 2050.

The subtropical North Pacific is home to a new continent of garbage known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which spreads over an area of ​​1.6 million square kilometers in the open ocean, and scientists estimate it contains 79,000 metric tons. of plastic waste.

According to a report published on the "Science Alret" website, different ideas were put forward about how to deal with this environmental disaster, especially after scientists noticed that a large group of coastal species that were considered foreign to the open waters had settled in this plastic habitat. the new.

Plastic rafts in the open ocean

In new research published in Nature Communications on December 2, lead author Lynsey Harram, marine ecologist and former postdoctoral fellow at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) SERC), assesses marine species that have taken on an oceanic "garbage spot" as their new habitat.

Haram and colleagues note that there is a shift in the species composition of oceanic invertebrates, with the emergence of an increasing diversity of coastal species capable of occupying these plastic rafts. These communities include species of sea anemone, and shrimp-like amphipods. Harram's team has dubbed these new communities "neopelagic," with "neo" for new, and "pelagic" for the open ocean rather than coastal waters.

Most species of ocean invertebrates, throughout the ages, have been 'neustons', small floaters or creatures that stick to the top or bottom of the ocean's surface. They also live on floating tree trunks, seagrass, and other marine animals. The researchers believe that the arrival of these new coastal organisms to this spot may lead to the disruption of a sensitive ecosystem that lacks virtually resources.

"Coastal species compete directly with those that inhabit the rafters of floating tree trunks, seagrass, and other marine animals," Harram said in an official statement posted on the Euekalert website. pretty much understandable so far." Previous research has indicated the role of these seeds, trees and seaweeds in the spread of coastal and continental species over large distances of the ocean.

This process is believed to be responsible for the colonization of the marine iguana, an archipelago of volcanic islands scattered on both sides of the equator in the Pacific Ocean, whose ancestors are originally from South America.

Plastic waste by 2050

With the widespread human introduction of plastic into the environment, plastic rafts have provided a permanent opportunity for coastal species to cross ocean basins, paving the way for a long-term habitat for colonization in the open ocean.

However, the introduction of these new coastal species into the open ocean represents a quantum leap in marine biogeography, as the vast areas of open water are a physical and biological barrier to the distribution of different types of marine organisms, in addition to climatic changes that play a key role in the distribution of marine species.

With the emergence of this new habitat in the open ocean, coastal organisms can live and reproduce in self-sustaining communities within the open ocean waters away from the coast, which could pose a great danger represented in the reproduction of these new communities invading ocean waters.

Many countries in the world are looking for innovative solutions to recycle plastic and prevent it from reaching the seas (Getty Images)

"We need to know how self-sufficient new deep-sea communities are, or need a continuous supply of floating rafters and other necessities of life from shorelines," the researchers wrote.

The researchers believe that more research is needed to learn more about these deep ecosystems, especially since many of their questions remain unanswered. They were unable to know the extent of the biodiversity of coastal species still present in the sea, nor were they able to solve the puzzle of coexistence on plastic buoys between coastal and modern species. They also noted the need to understand the range of abiotic factors likely to influence the success of coastal communities in the open ocean.

Given the increasing human demand for plastic production, scientists estimate that cumulative global plastic waste could exceed 25 billion metric tons by 2050, increasing the chances of coastal species making their first journey deep into the sea.