Group One is focused on the effect of plastic debris on the marine environment. The purpose of this general focus is to increase awareness of this issue and incite the public to combat the threat. Our “MUST-READ” article is “Environmental Implications of Plastic Debris in Marine Settings—Entanglement, Ingestion, Smothering, Hangers-On, Hitch-Hiking and Alien Invasions,” written by Murray R. Gregory (click title to read the article). His paper describes the various ways in which plastic debris can impact the marine environment and harm its organisms. We find that this paper provides a basic, yet vital understanding of the scope of effects that plastic debris can have on the environment. This knowledge is necessary in order to fully grasp the severity of this issue. Since there are a multitude of ways in which plastic debris are harmful, some more obvious than others, there may be an equal number of ways in which these dangers can be limited or prevented.

Aesthetic value and ingestion by marine organisms, for example, is the first topics related to plastic debris covered in this paper, and coincidentally are also two of the major components used in raising awareness of the public to marine pollution issues. Additional topics, which are less frequently known to the public, in this paper include smothering, unnatural and increased growth of flotsam, and the migration of invasive species.

The preventative measures offered in this paper are scant, despite there being an evident critique of beach clean-up procedures. Gregory seems to offer that other methods must be created or refined in order to better combat the threat of plastic debris. While beach clean-ups, international conferences, and an increasing amount of research has certainly provided an introduction into solving this issue, the sources of marine plastic debris must be handled more effectively. Most importantly, according to Gregory, is the “further development of biodegradable plastics with significantly reduced and tightly managed disintegration times.” This is not fully discussed however, and so, further research would need to be examined to better grasp how this technological development can occur. Data not disclosed in this paper, such as the density and specific disintegration times of different plastics, would help in this assessment.

This review paper solidifies the notion there need to be more attention devoted toward understanding the different impacts of plastic debris and preventative solutions, as opposed to a narrower view on their affects and a focus on post-contamination solutions.