10. What animal population
has been harmed by
plastic pollution? Circle
the sentence that contains
the example. Categorize
and record your answer
on the Types of
Evidence Chart.
In some areas of the patch, there is so much plastic in the water
that researchers say it looks like “plastic confetti.” These tiny pieces
of plastic are called microplastics or nurdles. Scientist who have
analyzed nurdles from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch have found
concentrations of PCB (polychlorinated biphenyls) that are 100,000 to
1,000,000 times that which occurs in plastic-free seawater.
Because of the water currents that form gyres, marine life collects
in the centers, just as trash does. These areas of the ocean are teeming
with life, from microscopic plankton to whales, and everything in
between. Scientists have evaluated water samples from some areas
of the garbage patch and found that there is more plastic in the water
than plankton.
Estimates are that 1,000,000 seabirds and 100,000 seals, sea lions,
whales, dolphins, and turtles die each year from ingesting trash.
Nurdles look and move in the currents just like plankton and get eaten
by marine life that eats plankton. The plastic can harm animals even
when they don’t eat it. Plastic bags and abandoned fishing nets can
snare and injure sea turtles and other marine life.
Some populations of wildlife are declining dramatically because
of plastic pollution. One example is the albatross that nest on Midway
Atoll, an island that has been designated as a marine sanctuary.
Midway Atoll is two thousand miles away from the nearest continent.
However, it is in the path of the garbage patch, and ocean-borne refuse
poses a major threat to its marine birds.
Albatross are huge seabirds that spot their prey from the air
and swoop down to catch them. They then go back to their nests
and regurgitate, or bring up, what they’ve eaten for their chicks.
Unfortunately, from the air, floating bits of plastic look a lot like fish.
The albatross eat the trash and take it back to their chicks. According to
wildlife experts, tens of thousands of albatross chicks on Midway Atoll
die each year of starvation, choking, and internal bleeding as a result of
being fed plastic.
10
11
12
13
14
Underline the details that
explain how albatross
chicks die from plastic
poisoning.
Albatross and chicks
on Midway Atoll
What is one way the
garbage patch will harm
humans?
168 Lesson 7 • Scientific Texts
CC13_ELA_G8_SE_L07_163-190.indd 168 5/1/13 2:53 PM
11. In 2009, NOAA formed the Marine Debris Program to study the
garbage patch, calculate its impact on marine life, and research
methods of cleaning it. NOAA’s goal is to combine rigorous scientific
surveys with visual observation from volunteers at sea. They have
gained the assistance of sailors participating in the Transpacific Yacht
Race and the Pacific Cup to map the patch’s location, photograph it,
and collect water samples.
To measure the extent of pollution in the water, scientists drag
a special “manta net” behind a boat. It measures the volume of
water and collects tiny pieces of plastic in a fine mesh net. Once the
researchers have their water samples, they analyze them to find the
amounts of plastic toxins in them. They also examine any dead fish,
birds, or other marine life for plastic toxicity.
Research, government, and environmental groups are studying
different methods of cleaning up the plastic. In Hawaii, volunteers
regularly sweep the beaches, picking up all the marine debris they can.
The trash is then taken to a landfill and disposed of.
Hawaii has also launched a program that scoops abandoned
fishing nets out of the ocean. The nets are taken to a special facility that
incinerates them. The steam from incineration powers turbines that
create energy. It’s one excellent, but tiny, dent in a huge problem.
A possible cleanup solution is to drag nets behind ships and scoop
up all of the trash. While this might work for any debris on or close
to the surface, the plan has some serious drawbacks. First, the size
of the area to be cleaned is so vast that it would take a fleet of ships
working for years to cover it all. Then, there’s the pollution that would
be created by sending all of those ships to sea. Finally, what would
happen to the trash after it is collected? There is no landfill big enough
to handle that amount of garbage.
15
16
17
18
19
Summarize why scooping
up the trash would not
provide a solution to the
problem.
What are scientists
from the Marine Debris
Program researching?
Circle what they’re
studying and hoping
to find.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch 169
CC13_ELA_G8_SE_L07_163-190.indd 169 5/1/13 2:53 PM
12. Connect
How can practicing the
“3Rs” for plastic help your
local environment? Cite
textual evidence to support
your ideas.
In addition to the size of the area to be cleaned and extra pollution
caused by dragging nets through the ocean, there is the further damage
such projects could cause the marine ecosystem. Because marine life
tends to concentrate in the same areas as marine debris, dragging nets
through the water would mean scooping up fish, seabirds, seaweed,
and plankton from the ocean, along with the trash.
Most researchers agree that the best course of action is to monitor
the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and stop it from growing any bigger.
Captain Moore, one of the first to recognize the problem, has formed a
research group that is doing just that. Scientists collect water samples
and track the movement of the trash. Members of the group also
provide education and outreach efforts aimed at spreading the word
about the problem.
To stop the Great Pacific Garbage Patch from growing and to
prevent any others from forming, there needs to be a worldwide effort
to halt the flow of bottles, toothbrushes, shoes, bags, and all other
forms of plastic into the oceans. Governments must encourage their
countries to shift away from petroleum-based products—plastics—and
toward ones made out of biodegradable materials.
You can help, too. Practice the “3Rs” whenever possible. Reduce,
reuse, and recycle. It may not seem like a lot, but buying fewer
plastic products is a good start. Use refillable water bottles instead of
disposable ones. Remind your parents to use reusable bags at stores
instead of single-use bags. And try getting into the habit of recycling
what remaining plastic you must use. These actions can make a small
difference in your own local impact. But that effort, if repeated by
millions of people like you, will add up to a huge difference globally.
20
21
22
23
Complete the Types
of Evidence Chart by
filling in any boxes with
additional evidence from
the selection. If any types
of evidence aren’t used,
write none in the box.
Summarize ways to stop
the garbage patch from
getting bigger.
170 Lesson 7 • Scientific Texts
CC13_ELA_G8_SE_L07_163-190.indd 170 5/1/13 2:53 PM
18. The Human Factor
Fire researchers use the collective term “wildland fires” to refer
to uncontrolled fires that occur in the countryside or in a wilderness
area. Today, wildland fires are an ever-increasing threat to human life,
livelihood, and property. Ironically, according to the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP), human activities are responsible for
about 90 percent of all fires around the world. People set off nearly all
of the world’s fires, which in turn have a direct effect on human life.
One research focus is on the impact of changing vegetation
conditions, since vegetation is fuel. In many cases, people have
altered the nature of the vegetation, and such changes often create
greater potential for wildland fires. For example, reducing forests for
farming and clear cut logging2
can be disastrous. When thick forests
are cut down, the canopy shade is destroyed. This causes the drying
out of once-moist, lush woodlands. Along with these unnaturally dry
conditions, human carelessness is always a risk. Forests left vulnerable
like this are prone to massive, quick-spreading wildfires.
9
10
Circle evidence that
humans cause nearly all
wildland fires. Is it reliable,
credible, and sufficient?
Write your answers on
the Evaluating Evidence
Chart.
What are some examples
of human carelessness that
can cause wildland fires?
2
clear cut logging the practice of harvesting all trees in an area
176 Lesson 7 • Scientific Texts
CC13_ELA_G8_SE_L07_163-190.indd 176 5/1/13 2:54 PM