HONOLULU (KHON2) — According to University of Hawai’i at Manoa coastal animals and plants have discovered a new way to survive in the open ocean by utilizing the plastic pollution.
Two oceanographers from the university contributed to this discovery in Nature Communications where they wrote about coastal species growing on trash hundreds of miles out in the Pacific Ocean.
More specifically growing in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, more commonly known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
According to the university, plastic is providing a new habitat in the open ocean, meaning these new species are finding food.
But can these new coastal species alter the environment? That’s what scientist are looking into currently.
According to the article these new species could change the ocean ecosystem by reproducing on the plastic and giving these new coastal species more opportunities to invade new coastlines.
To read the full article about this new discovery and the steps they took to look at the plastic waste in the ocean click here.
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The University of Hawai’i at Manoa said as the world continues to be dependent on plastic, they are doing what they can, to make a difference and try to keep our oceans clean.