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Trash Islands Research Paper

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“Trash islands” within international waters are mass accumulations of marine debris or litter. These accumulations occur as a result of oceanic pathways called convergence zones. As debris enters the ocean, the different temperatures of the waters create currents, acting like a “highway”. Eventually, the debris becomes bounded and is trapped by ocean gyres, circular ocean currents. The most famous “trash island” is The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, located in the Pacific Ocean. The size and mass of the island is indeterminable, for the size of North Pacific Subtropical Gyre is too large to be accurately measured. It is estimated that around 80% of the debris that makes up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch comes from land-based pollution, most …show more content…
Cleaning “trash islands” is an extensive and intricate process that requires an abundance of time, money, and global influence to properly clean. As Cuba wants to be involved with this issue as much as we can, but maintain focus on the current matters and affairs in our own country, we want to implement an education program that will inform people of the importance of clean water and the dangers of polluted oceans. Cuba created the Environmental Education program that helped regulate and educate our citizens. From small tasks, such as cleaning neighborhoods, to more complex methods, like exchanging certain chemicals when farming, Cuba has managed to lower its pollution readily since 2007. We helped clean Havana Bay, which was once said to be one of the “most polluted marine environments of the world”, but building designated places for garbage. Doing this lowered the amount of wasted disposed into the ocean.Cuba believes that if a program like this was implemented in all countries, we would be able to raise awareness of the effects of pollution and effectively be able to combat the damage that it has already done. Both scientists and explorers have agreed that the best way to clean the “trash islands” that contaminate our oceans is by “limiting or eliminating our use of disposable plastics and increasing our use of biodegradable

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