Nov 18, 2014 07:00 AM ET // . Discover News
Photo: NOAA
The Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in Hawaii, a World Heritage Site and one of the largest marine conservation areas in the world, is an isolated assortment of tiny uninhabited islands and coral reefs that are home to an amazing array of marine animals and plants, including 14 million seabirds and endangered green sea turtles.
But unfortunately, the once-pristine area also has become a catch-all for the massive amount of garbage that humans dump into the oceans. In October, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had to send a ship and a team of 17 divers to Papahānaumokuākea in an effort to clean up the trash, which is endangering animals there. Read more at http://news.discovery.com/animals/hawaiian-marine-refuge-now-filled-with-garbage-141118.htm