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Ara em veus. la problemàtica dels plàstics flotants en els nostres mars i oceans
Summary
This Catalan science communication piece explains the scale of plastic pollution entering oceans annually — estimated at 7 to 18 million tonnes — and describes how plastics fragment into micro- and nanoplastics that spread globally, enter food chains, and persist in the environment. It frames ocean plastic as a global 21st century environmental problem.
catalaSegons estimes recents, entre set i divuit milions de tones de plastics podrien entrar als mars i oceans aquest any (segurament mes si fem altres suposicions). D’aquests materials, entre el 70 % i el 95 % acabaran en els fons i la resta arribara a les nostres costes o es fragmentara en particules de meso-, microi nanoplastic que suraran pels mars o entraran a les seves cadenes trofiques. Nosaltres els hem creat, depenem d’ells i ara hem descobert que tambe son un problema. Un problema que al segle xxi apareix, com tantes altres problematiques ambientals, de forma global (son desplacats pels corrents independentment del seu origen), persistent (els farem servir un minut, pero seran escombraries per una centuria o mes) i incert (nomes estem comencant a visualitzar les seves primeres problematiques… i ja son molt serioses). En el present treball, a partir d’unes expedicions realitzades pel mar Mediterrani (les campanyes del NIXE III) parlarem d’aquesta problematica, de com aquests materials afecten els nostres mars i oceans, quins serveis dels ecosistemes marins es veuen afectats i quines respostes hem de comencar a plantejar-nos com a societat civil.Paraules clau: plastics, microplastics, DPSWR, Mediterrani. EnglishAccording to estimates, between 7 and 18 million tonnes of plastic could enter the seas and oceans of our planet this year (and probably even more if we make other assumptions). Between 70 and 95 % of this material will sink to the bottom and the rest will reach our coasts or become fragmented and end up in meso-, micro- and nano-plastic particles which will float about our seas or enter their food chains. We have created plastics, we depend on them, and now we have discovered that they are also a problem for us. In the 21st century, like so many other environmental issues, it is a problem that is global (particles will be mobilized by currents regardless of their origin), persistent (we may use them for only one minute, but they will remain as rubbish for a century or more), and uncertain (we are only starting to realise some of the problems that this entails but these problems are already quite serious). In this paper, basing ourselves on data from the NIXE III Project carried out in the Mediterranean, we will discuss the problem of plastics and what impact these materials have on our seas, which marine ecosystem services are affected, and which responses we must consider as a civil society.Keywords: plastics, microplastics, DPSWR, Mediterranean Sea.