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A New Blend of Rock and Plastic Is Forming on a Portuguese Island
- EndXA 7y agoOriginal study: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969719326919 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S004896971... Abstract: > Plastic debris is one of the most extensive pollution problems our planet is facing today and a particular concern for marine environment conservation. The dimension of the problem is so large that it is possible our current era will generate an anthropogenic marker horizon of plastic in earth's sedimentary record. Here we present a new type of plastic pollution, the ‘plasticrusts’, plastic debris encrusting the rocky surface, recently discovered in the intertidal rocky shores of a volcanic Atlantic island. The potential impact that these new ‘plasticrusts’ may have needs to be further explored, as e.g. potential ingestion by intertidal organisms could suppose a new pathway for entrance of plastics into marine food webs. Consequently, its inclusion as a potential new marine debris category in management and monitoring actions should be pondered.
- JetSpiegel 7y agoThe abstract mentions "a volcanic Atlantic island", so it's the Azores; some of the authors are from there. Not sure why this was elided.
- empath75 7y agoI wonder how long the plastic would last on geologic time scales. I supposed after enough pressure and heat it would turn back into oil?
- antisemiotic 7y ago"To the left you will see a rock formation made of organic polymers. Recent research shows that it might be a sedimentary layer left by a species of sapient mammals..."
- rmah 7y agoWait what? Thinking meat? That's crazy talk!
- antisemiotic 7y agoPlease show some respect... do you know what that oxygen level would do to your servos?
- semi-extrinsic 7y agoDoesn't have enough hydrogen atoms for that. If it decomposes due to pressure and heat in a closed space, probably it turns into polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Which incidentally is what a lot of interstellar dust is made from. Hmmm...
- olalonde 7y agoMeta: is it just me or is there an unusually high amount of pollution/plastic related articles on HN recently?
- makerofspoons 7y agoThere have been a number of major reports published in the last few months that detail just how much environmental damage we have caused since industrialization. I believe the uptick in articles is a result of people becoming aware of the extent of the problem.
- lelima 7y ago>>I believe the uptick in articles is a result of people becoming aware of the extent of the problem. Totally agreed, That encourage me to stop buying/using plastic bottles. Quite challenging in Dublin where Everywhere you go water comes with plastic bottles/glasses, Ireland #1 plastic generator in Europe per person 61kg/yr [1]. [1]: https://www.thejournal.ie/ireland-plastic-waste-3786393-Jan2018/ https://www.thejournal.ie/ireland-plastic-waste-3786393-Jan2...
- 52-6F-62 7y agoI've been enjoying seeing the gradual proliferation of water-bottle refill stations being installed by the city here in Toronto. They should be bloody everywhere.
- logfromblammo 7y agoI used to refill my stainless-steel canteen from faucets and drinking fountains. The container was round, and the hole was on an edge of the circular side, rather than poking out of the cylinder wall, so it could fit almost anywhere that water was available, including a stream 15cm (6") across and 5cm (2") deep (filtered with bandana, made potable by iodine). It even had a canvas case, so that you could wet the outside with non-potable water to swamp-cool the drinkable water inside. Unfortunately, everything you can find close to the same form factor today is shoddily constructed and near-worthless. We wouldn't need water-bottle refill stations everywhere, if the water containers themselves were more easily refilled. All the bottles are tall cylinders. Where did all the short, wide cylinders go?
- badosu 7y agoI wonder if at any point, given the quantity of plastic available, organisms will evolve to consume it as food since it would be an advantage.
- ForHackernews 7y agoMaybe eventually https://science.sciencemag.org/content/351/6278/1196 https://science.sciencemag.org/content/351/6278/1196 Probably not soon enough to help all the creatures that don't benefit from ingesting plastic.
- itsbenweeks 7y agoI think this will definitely occur. In the same way that organisms could not work with wood fiber's lignin during the carboniferous period, we're seeing it play out in a plastic period of our own construction. The Earth will win, but whether we will see that happen depends on all of us.
- ASalazarMX 7y agoWe just need to wait 300 million years and nature will adapt! It would be cool seeing plastics things rot, though. We're used to them being impervious.
- core-questions 7y agoI think the coolness would wear off mighty quickly when your laptop starts to rot
- tejtm 7y agoWe will almost certainly crisper such beasts into existence and all be replaced with organisms with plastic infrastructure which existing live can't metabolize but thinks our collections of atoms are yummy building blocks.
- ip26 7y agoI've been wondering if wood or some kind of injection molded cellulose product might make a comeback. Decomposing plastics would probably help spur that along.
- ptah 7y agothis is not new, i think it is just that these researchers are naming it
- pbhjpbhj 7y agoMaybe it's a new formal scientific observation as an entry for plastic in to the food chain; or you have an early citation for it?
- gnode 7y agoI find it interesting that the interpretation is that this is a tragedy, rather than it being fortunate that a geological process is capturing plastic into the lithosphere, where it will be removed from the biosphere.
- scrumper 7y agoThe point was that it isn't removing it from the biosphere - molluscs that feed on algae-covered rock are now setting up on this plasticrust stuff and consuming it along with the algae.
- TomMarius 7y agoWhy is that bad? Actual question - I'm a programmer, not a doctor (biologist :-))
- undersuit 7y agoThe Gizmondo article provides two links to the observed effects of plastic in the ecosystem in the paragraph where it's mentioned that the animal life feeding near the Plasticrust maybe be consuming said plastic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/06/plastic-planet-health-pollution-waste-microplastics/ https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/06/plastic-... https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/from-fish-to-humans-a-microplastic-invasion-may-be-taking-a-toll/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/from-fish-to-huma...
- TomMarius 7y agoHmm now I'm confused. The articles you sent are about microplastics in fishes, I thought the comment I replied to was about microbes which should (I really don't know though) break the plastic down...? Edit: Now I see that I have misread the comment and confused molluscs for microbes.
- scrumper 7y agoToxins and other foreign non-food things (heavy metals, plastics, etc.) tend to get quite highly concentrated as you go up a food chain. So a little tiny dose of e.g. mercury absorbed by, say, some krill that are then eaten by fish, who are in turn eaten by bigger fish, that are finally caught by fishermen, can result in quite high concentrations by the time we humans eat it. Same with plastics consumed by these molluscs - they feed things which feed things which feed things which feed us, and we end up taking in really quite a lot of plastic as a result.
- botto 7y agoSo I wonder how much of a backlash against plastic will bring about other issues like bacteria. Plastic has had a big advantage in ensure consumables and devices are clean but granted the cost has been high in the sense of pollution. Would there maybe be a middle ground like what happens with plastic bottles in Germany and Norway where they give money back to the person who recycles the bottle,can,glass bottle etc.
- core-questions 7y agoWe may see some grocery store chains lead the way with a uniform set of washable recyclables that people can bring back for deposit money. This also works well for city cleanliness, i.e. you seldom see a beer can sitting around for long in any area with foot traffic, because there's always someone who occupies the niche of bottle gatherer for deposit money.
- botto 7y agoI have seen this in Germany, people usually scavenge the rubbish at airports and stations for plastic bottles.
- semi-extrinsic 7y agoI've also seen rubbish bins that have a special place where you put bottles, so scavengers don't have to dig through all the other trash. It feels like a very nice gesture.
- undersuit 7y agoI went to a soccer game in Vienna years back, at the end children were collecting plastic cups from those that were too lazy to return them to the beer stand for the 20 cent Euro piece.
- thomasahle 7y agoIt actually exists in many more countries, including some US states: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Container-deposit_legislation#United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Container-deposit_legislation#...
- TactiFail 7y agoThe planet will be here for a long, long, LONG time after we’re gone, and it will heal itself, it will cleanse itself, ’cause that’s what it does. It’s a self-correcting system. The air and the water will recover, the earth will be renewed. And if it’s true that plastic is not degradable, well, the planet will simply incorporate plastic into a new paradigm: the earth plus plastic. The earth doesn’t share our prejudice toward plastic. Plastic came out of the earth. The earth probably sees plastic as just another one of its children. Could be the only reason the earth allowed us to be spawned from it in the first place. It wanted plastic for itself. Didn’t know how to make it. Needed us. Could be the answer to our age-old egocentric philosophical question, “Why are we here?” “Plastic… asshole.” -- George Carlin
- seomis 7y agoIt's a bit misleading/sensational to call this a "blend." Not that it's a good thing, but plastic is merely sticking onto the surface of rocks.