Garbage patch in ocean

May 19, 2010 10:18 a.m.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The ocean is a breathtaking presence along our coastline, stretching out as far as the eye can see.

It's a gem in our backyard, and one that can turn ugly in an instant. If you thought hurricanes can muddy the water, then you should consider what is being dumped into the Atlantic.

"Our coast has a lot of stuff out there mainly because we have a disposable society and a lot of people believe the solution to pollution is dilution," said Janet Phipps, a coral reef ecologist for Palm Beach County.

She knows about the 'Atlantic garbage patch,' an area right in the middle of the Atlantic, and north of the equator. It's home to non-biodegradable material.

"There's a scum on the surface of the water, these tiny little beads, tiny little pieces of plastic. It imitates plankton, and worst of all it's being consumed by fish," she said.

The same problem exists in the great 'Pacific garbage patch' between Hawaii and California. It's left environmentalists baffled because it's the size of Texas. Thousands of gallons of sludge, plastic and filth killing everything from fish to birds, scientists say.

The problem is so extreme in our oceans across the world that many organizations are coming together to raise awareness here in Palm Beach County.

Gerry Carroll, of the Jupiter Dive Center, sees the signs of trash locally and has been a part of reef clean-up projects. "Fishing line, soda cans, beer bottles, beer cans," he said.

It is the same trash that filters from the Intracoastal through our waterways, into the Gulf Stream and right to the garbage patch.

"It's very disturbing that people use the ocean as their endless and bottomless dumping ground," said Elaine Blum, who has pulled everything from shopping carts to car batteries out of the ocean. She and experts agree; it all comes down to education and how it's ending up on our dinner plate.

"Knowing that filter feeders are eating it, mistaking the broken plastic particles for plankton which will end up in the marine food chain and on you dinner plate," she said.

It's a swirling current, filtering a floating landfill, a site you can't see from the shore but rest assured it's out there.

"People need to step up and be responsible for their actions and for this earth," said Phipps.

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