Researchers in Australia have found that corals commonly found on the Great Barrier Reef will eat micro-plastic pollution.
"Corals are non-selective feeders and our results show that they can consume microplastics when the plastics are present in seawater," says Dr Mia Hoogenboom, a Chief Investigator with the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University.
"If microplastic pollution increases on the Great Barrier Reef, corals could be negatively affected as their tiny stomach-cavities become full of indigestible plastic," Dr Hoogenboom says.

275 milioni di tonnellate. È la quantità di plastica prodotta nel 2010 nelle zone costiere della Terra, di cui tra i 4,9 e i 12,7 milioni di tonnellate sarebbero finite nei mari e negli oceani del nostro pianeta.

Un nuevo cálculo eleva la contaminación por materiales derivados del petróleo que se extiende por los océanos mientras Nueva York prohíbe los envases de poliestireno En los océanos está prohibido desde hace décadas verter residuos radiactivos y también se vigilan otro tipo de vertidos pero no se han tomado medidas efectivas hasta ahora para disminuir, al menos, la contaminación por materiales plásticos, que es probablemente la más preocupante de todas.

Menée par des chercheurs de l’Université de Georgie, aux États-Unis, une nouvelle étude quantifie pour la première fois la quantité de déchets plastiques déversés dans les océans. Un phénomène extrêmement préoccupant.
Bouteilles, emballages, jouets ou autres objets en tout genre… Nombreux sont les déchets plastiques qui viennent polluer chaque année les mers et océans du globe menaçant les écosystèmes marins. Ce phénomène relativement récent, est extrêmement préoccupant d’autant plus qu’il ne va pas en s’amenuisant. Bien au contraire.

Nearly 700 species of marine animal have been recorded as having encountered human-made debris such as plastic and glass according to the most comprehensive impact study in more than a decade.
Researchers at Plymouth University found evidence of 44,000 animals and organisms becoming entangled in, or swallowing debris, from reports recorded from across the globe.

A landmark study, published in the journal Science on Thursday 13 February, reveals just how much plastic makes its way in the world's oceans and the top countries responsible for the ocean-bound trash.

The United Nations agricultural agency has today announced the launch of new technology that will allow quick identification of species of the fish while better helping to protect endangered shark species and to combat illegal trade in shark fins.

Jenna Jambeck hält eine Einkaufstüte voller Müll in die Höhe. "Fünfzehn solcher Tüten", sagt sie, "kommen auf jeden Meter Küste der Welt. Fünfzehn!" Rund acht Millionen Tonnen kämen so zusammen - die Menge an Plastikmüll, die jedes Jahr in die Weltmeere gelange.
Jambeck, Umweltingenieurin an der University of Georgia, und zwei Kollegen versuchen am Donnerstag auf dem Jahrestreffen des US-Forscherverbands AAAS im kalifornischen San José, schwer vorstellbare Zahlen anschaulich zu machen.

About 8 million tons of plastic waste wound up in the world's oceans in 2010, and researchers warn that the cumulative amount could increase more than tenfold in the next decade unless the international community improves its waste management practices.