11 billion plastic waste drifting in the world's ocean is driving coral death

Although it is known that coral is killed in large quantities due to the whitening phenomenon caused by rising seawater temperature, a large amount of plastic waste discarded in the sea is newly attached, the pathogens breed and the coral is killed What has been made clear by American researchers.

Plastic waste associated with disease on coral reefs | Science
http://science.sciencemag.org/content/359/6374/460

Plastic Is Riddling Corals With Disease - The Atlantic
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/01/plastic-junk-coral-disease/551495/

Dr. Joria · Lam's research team at Cornell University analyzed 159 coral reefs in 4 countries of Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, Australia for 4 years. As a result, we found that the probability of disease occurring in corals, usually 4%, is increased by 89% due to plastic adhesion. Especially, as it is easier for plastics garbage to adhere to corals with more complicated shapes that also function as fish 's plums, we also found that there is a high possibility that they will be sick eight times higher than simple spherical corals.


It has been known that sea birds are swallowed by various studies on plastic ocean contamination problems so far, but according to Mr. Lam, surprisingly, we relate plastic garbage and coral disease infection It seems that there have been no studies so far.


As a result of the survey, as in Australia's Great Barrier Reef, there are relatively few coral contaminated with plastic waste, some areas such as Indonesia overflowed with plastic garbage can be found, and plastic garbage There are variations in the pollution situation. However, the Asia-Pacific region, which has more than half of the world's coral reefs, contains 8 out of the worst 10 of plastic waste contamination, about 11 billion plastic waste is drifting in the sea and contaminated The researchers speculate. Unfortunately, as this data does not include data on China, the world's largest plastic waste contaminated country, the situation is even more serious.


The detailed mechanism has not yet been elucidated why corals become sick when plastic waste adheres, but it has been pointed out that invasion of bacteria adhering to plastics from the coral surface damaged by plastic pieces may be the cause I will.

The cause of coral death phenomenon has been known to rise in seawater temperature accompanying global warming, but it turned out that plastic waste also has a big influence. In terms of the difficulty of problem solving, however, it is possible to solve the problem of plastic garbage by each country's effort, compared to measures against global warming, which is too complicated. Therefore, we share problems in various countries around the world It is required to take urgent measures as soon as possible.