Ocean Pollution- Essential Questions

1. What, specifically about your topic, are you going to research?
My topic is ocean pollution, and I am specifically researching the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and garbage dumping. My question is how does the Great Pacific Garbage Patch effect animals?

2. What conclusions did you come to? What do you recommend average citizens do to make a difference? Be specific. This is the main part of your assignment.
The floating trash, often mostly plastic, is viewed by jellyfish, sea turtles, Black-footed Albatross, and other marine birds and animals. The garbage is not only impossible to digest, but it adds toxic pollutants into the food chain as well. Many animals have been found dead with plastic or other wastes in their stomach. When the animals aren't eating the garbage, birds, fish, and other animals have been found entangled in the mess. Average people can help by, for starters, recycling more plastic so it doesn't end up in the ocean. Not littering on beaches, or even picking up litter, can help as well. To clean the patch, most of the work has to be organized. The condition of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch can't be changed overnight, it might not even be improvable, but something we can do it prevent it from getting worse.

3. What would happen if, worst-case scenario, nobody listened to your recommendations?
If people didn't listen to my recommendations, the problem of the garbage patch would continue to increase, causing more animals to die. The ocean would become more and more polluted until animals couldn't even live there anymore. The problem might even spead further out into the ocean, taking away more living space for aquatic animals.

4. What would happen if, best-case scenario, everybody listened to your recommendations?
If everyone listened to my recommendations, the problem would most likely improve. Only oragnized programs would help the current issue, but everyone can help to prevent it from increasing. The patch of ocean may even be free of trash one day, a perfect place for all kinds of animals to make their home.