Great Pacific Garbage Patch: Causing Bizarre Reaction

The plastic debris are collecting together in the ocean to form the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which is covering thousands of miles of ocean. This floating garbage patch is found in the middle of the ocean between Hawaii and California, covering an area about the size of the state of Texas.

Thanks to mankind's disposal techniques, these floating specks of garbage are not only changing the environment, but it's playing havoc with at least on marine critter. It is changing the reproductive system of one insect, and instead of bringing them toward extinction, the plastic is supplying the insects a way to produce more than they commonly do.

According to the Huffington Post, a recent expedition by Scripps Institution of Oceanography found that the plastic has provided a place for a marine insect to lay their eggs. Instead of depositing the eggs on seashells and natural floating objects like wood, their habitat and habits have changed. The manmade material is now taking a big role in their reproductive system.

Because the plastic is offering so much space for the insects to lay their eggs, the insect larvae has increased greatly, meaning much more insects come to life than nature intended. The consequences of this happening is not known as of yet, but it's just a matter of time until this sets off some type of chain reaction in the ecosystem. This bizarre reaction of the bugs multiplying greater than they ever have due to the garbage patch is disturbing.

This oceanography team found that fish in the area had ingested the plastic. They found that almost 10 percent of the fish that they tested on their 2009 expedition had these plastic particles inside of them. The confetti size plastic particles cannot be seen from space, as they are so small and spread across thousands of miles of ocean.

After the plastic breaks down, it's formed into what looks like confetti. This plastic confetti floats over thousands of miles in the Pacific ocean at all different depths. The fish and marine life are swimming in this manmade mess. This is growing and it's causing problems for birds and fish alike that mistake these tiny flecks as food.

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