Time to Roam Magazine Issue 12 - December/January 2015 | Page 46

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on the roam my top 5

Fighting a tidal
wave of plastic
Spectacular tourist photos don’t yet show it, but our
waterways are increasingly being spoiled by plastic
pollution. JULIA REISSER is leading research
and helping raise awareness of the problem.
BY PARIS BOSCH

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timetoroam.com.au

When the search began for missing
Malaysian Airlines aircraft MH370
over the southern ocean recently
there were a series of sightings that
later turned out to be false alarms.
What the spotters thought were aircraft
fragments later turned out to be large
chunks of plastic pollution swirling
in one of the world’s known hotspots
for marine garbage debris.
When it does eventually break
down, tiny plastic particles remain
present in the ocean ecosystem.
Just what effect it is having on marine
systems, including the fish consumed