A rogue Georgetown University researcher is making waves with her suggestion we hit the pause button on vacuuming trash from the ocean.
Rebecca Helm, a marine biologist, is among a group of researchers now saying that we should pause all ocean plastic cleanup efforts.
The very thought “has left some scientists speechless,” according to Earth.com.
“After years of people screaming for more action to rid the seas of plastic, a few voices like Helm’s are now encouraging a more careful approach,” the widely followed website reports.
Helm and her (brave) colleagues are contending that the plastic trash seen floating in the world’s oceans actually supports potentially valuable sea life.
“Though the mainstream view still champions large-scale cleanup operations, Helm and others highlight that a few organisms, collectively known as the neuston, appear to be using floating plastic as their new home,” Earth.com reports.
The neuston is a group of living organisms that stay right on the surface of the water. Some are algae or bacteria. Others are tiny, almost invisible animals that drift on the ocean’s top layer.
“These animals are not famous, and they rarely get any attention. Yet, these creatures are critical components of the ocean’s life support system,” writes Eric Ralls, staff writer for Earth.com.
“They help keep the food web running, take part in shifting gases between the atmosphere and the sea’s watery depths, and break down dead matter that is floating around so that other life forms can use it.
“Without them, a lot of important processes might not unfold properly. The idea that these small organisms could be snatched away if we pull out the plastic is unsettling.”
Three cheers for plastic ocean garbage!
