Informative Essay on a Problem. Ocean plastic. Language Essay

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Ocean plastic
The oceans are the largest natural resource on the planet, and it is the habitat for millions of marine species and terrestrial. We, humans also depend on the oceans for food, transport, etc. However, unsustainable human activities on land and in the oceans have destroyed this natural habitat. One of the main ocean pollutants is plastic which over the years has been dumped into oceans in billions of tons. The reason why humans have developed a voracious appetite and overconsumption of plastics is because of its properties. It is a lightweight, durable, moisture resistant, strong, inexpensive and versatile material which seems to be the best choice for most utility options especially packagingCITATION Gue18 \l 1033 (Guern). Plastics in oceans have destroyed the ecological balance of marine life and has sparked an irregular mass migration and extinction of some species. Some of the species have been going extinct often before they are discovered. When ocean plastic is compounded with other enemies of marine life such as oil spillage, poor farming methods among others has cumulatively been causing ocean desertification. Ocean desertification has also become prevalent in many areas of the ocean depending on the intensity of the human activities around that place. Ocean desertification has led to reduced oceanic biomass and the ecological balance of marine life has become unstable.
Why it is an ecological issue
One of the main pollutants of the oceans is plastic. There are natural waste collection points in the oceans, which are naturally collected because of the nature of ocean currents flowing in these areas which are known as gyres. Over the years, these gyres as they are commonly known to have collected millions of tons of plastics. They have become natural disposal centers of the oceans and have become filthy thus affecting marine life adversely. One of the greatest collection points is known as the great Pacific patch which is an area thousands of kilometers in between Europe, Africa, and America where millions of tons of plastics have collected. It is not the only gyre; there is another one between Australia, Asia and eastern Africa (Indian ocean gyre). Other gyres are South Atlantic gyre, south Pacific gyre, North Atlantic gyre and they are all filled with millions of tons of plastics.
These plastics tangle marine life and often killing them. Some are ingested, and they have been found in the bellies of many terrestrial and marine animals. Additionally, ocean plastic coupled with other unsustainable human activities such as oil spillage has led to reduced sunlight penetration on the ocean floor, oxygen levels have plummeted thus fewer planktons grow on the ocean floor, and the entire food chain in the oceans is adversely affected. We, humans, are also part of this food chain; it is becoming increasingly harder to get food from the oceans in the recent past. There is also indirect ecological impact in other areas. For example, if the terrestrial animals, especially the birds which feed on marine life are unable to get enough food to sustain their numbers, they will affect the ecological balance because of their dual ecological niche position in marine and on land. Microplastics, e...