“High levels of mercury, plastic toxins found in stranded whales, dolphins”

https://www.upi.com/Science_News/2020/08/10/High-levels-of-mercury-plastic-toxins-found-in-stranded-whales-dolphins/8951596826663/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=TopNews2020Aug10&utm_content=TopNews2020Aug10+CID_c75460a2593f5ea0a8d4b6dc05bb8681&utm_source=CM&utm_term=Toxins%20found%20in%20stranded%20whales%20dolphins%20in%20Southeast%20US

Dolphins and whales stranded on beaches in the southeastern United States had high levels of toxins, including mercury and chemicals found in plastic, according to a study published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science.

Scientists who led the study said the data provides new, troubling information about the impact of pollution on marine mammals — knowledge that could help save vulnerable and declining species.

“There’s a Tiny Plastic Enemy Threatening the Planet’s Oceans”

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-01-11/there-s-a-tiny-plastic-enemy-threatening-the-earth-s-oceans?srnd=premium-europe

“Nurdles” may be a big source of marine pollution, and shareholder advocates want to know what’s being done.

“Sea snail shells are dissolving as the ocean gets more acidic”

https://www.upi.com/Science_News/2018/10/15/Sea-snail-shells-are-dissolving-as-the-ocean-gets-more-acidic/3471539608218/

Rising acidity levels in the world’s oceans are disrupting the shell-making abilities of the marine gastropods. According to a new study, the shells of triton shell sea snails are smaller, thinner and less dense in regions where acidity levels are accelerating.

“U.K. to Seek Ban on Domestic Sale of Plastic Straws, Cotton Buds”

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-18/u-k-to-seek-ban-on-domestic-sale-of-plastic-straws-cotton-buds

The U.K. promises to ban the sale of single use plastic drinking straws and cotton buds later this year in a bid to clean up the world’s oceans.

“A sperm whale washed up on the shore of Spain with 64 lbs of plastic and waste in its stomach”

https://qz.com/1250628/a-sperm-whale-washed-up-on-the-shore-of-spain-with-64-lbs-of-plastic-and-waste-in-its-stomach/

The whale—a juvenile male, nearly 33 feet long (10 meters) and weighing 6 tons—had swallowed all manner of debris at sea, including ropes, nets, plastic bags, and a plastic drum. The buildup likely blocked its digestive system, causing an infection, according to scientists at the El Valle Wildlife Rescue Center in Murcia, Spain.

“Drop in plastic bags littering British seas linked to introduction of 5p charge”

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A big drop in plastic bags found in the seas around Britain has been credited to the introduction of charges for plastic bags across Europe.

 

“Microplastic pollution in oceans is far worse than feared, say scientists”

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The work reveals the highest microplastic pollution yet discovered anywhere in the world in a river near Manchester in the UK. It also shows that the major floods in the area in 2015-16 flushed more than 40bn pieces of microplastic into the sea.

“Microplastics pollute most remote and uncharted areas of the ocean”

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Microplastics have been found in some of the most remote and uncharted regions of the oceans raising more concerns over the global scale of plastic pollution.

 

“Marine organisms can shred a carrier bag into 1.75 million pieces, study shows”

https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/news/marine-organisms-can-shred-a-carrier-bag-into-175-million-pieces-study-shows?mc_cid=275b9b2934&mc_eid=eaaa9fef29

Researchers believe this is an example of marine wildlife actually contributing to the spread of microplastics within the marine environment