Great Garbage Patch' in the Pacific Ocean not so great claim scientists

[mad1]

Environmental scientists have been criticised for exaggerating the size of an "island" of plastic waste said to be swirling around in the Pacific Ocean after a study finds that it is 200 times smaller than claimed.

Claims that the "Great Garbage Patch" between California and Japan is twice the size of Texas is "grossly exaggerated" said the research which reckons it is more like one per cent the size.

Further reports that the oceans are filled with more plastic than plankton, and that the patch has been growing tenfold each decade since the 1950s are equally misleading, the new research claimed.

In reality it often cannot even be seen from the deck of a passing boat, said the latest analysts from the Oregon State University professor of oceanography Angelicque White.

Prof White said: "There is no doubt that the amount of plastic in the world's oceans is troubling, but this kind of exaggeration undermines the credibility of scientists.

"We have data that allow us to make reasonable estimates. We don't need the hyperbole.

"Given the observed concentration of plastic in the North Pacific, it is simply inaccurate to state that plastic outweighs plankton, or that we have observed an exponential increase in plastic."

One popular claim is that the size of the patch is twice that of the state of Texas – half a million square miles or the equivalent of 20 times the size of England.

But while the plastic stretches across the surface, its mass compared to the amount of water means it only takes up a tiny fraction of its proclaimed area, said Prof White.

'Great Garbage Patch' in the Pacific Ocean not so great claim scientists - Telegraph

[The Real Bingo]

Not a good week for science. What's next...admission that "global warming" is b.s.?

[Beemer]

Just like back in the 70's with global cooling it is the media that hypes this stuff up.

[Gomer]

Environmental scientists have been criticised for exaggerating the size of an "island" of plastic waste said to be swirling around in the Pacific Ocean after a study finds that it is 200 times smaller than claimed.

Where is the study, mad1? The article you have shared did not provide a title or an author.

Anyone who has looked into this at all knows that this isn't an actual "island" of plastic twice the size of Texas. That is, there is not a continuous sheet of plastic that large. But it is an area of the ocean in the middle of nowhere at least that size where there is a significant concentration of particulate plastic material and other plastic debris.

For those of you that question the size of the patch, I would ask you this: What do you consider a "normal" amount of plastic material that would be found in a square mile of ocean water? Let's just measure it in pop bottles (as an amount of plastic) per square mile. Do you consider 10 pop bottles per square mile normal? 100? 1000? The definition of normal is what will determine the size of the "island".

The plastic IS a problem. Media hyperbole IS a problem.

The science is not.

[sharder8]

As far as I'm concerned . . . one piece of plastic floating in the ocean, is one piece too many. They can argue all they want about the size . . . if it's more than one piece of plastic, it's too big.


Harder

[sharder8]

In reality it often cannot even be seen from the deck of a passing boat, said the latest analysts from the Oregon State University professor of oceanography Angelicque White.

That must be like what we had in the Army during combined fires . . . Artillery and mortars firing, while planes and helicopters came in for firing runs. It was called the "Big sky, little bullet theory".

I never saw a plane or chopper hit . . . but, I know it's happened.


Harder

[Gomer]

As far as I'm concerned . . . one piece of plastic floating in the ocean, is one piece too many. They can argue all they want about the size . . . if it's more than one piece of plastic, it's too big.


Harder

In the Great Garbage Patch, scientists with the Algalita Marine Research Foundation observed a density of 800,000+ pieces of plastic per square mile.

[Epidemic]

Not a good week for science. What's next...admission that "global warming" is b.s.?

Where is the link on that one. I have not even heard about it in passing???