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From Litter to Jewels
What is Sea Glass?
On the beaches of Southern California, during low tide when the rocks of the
ocean are exposed to the open air, a person may find one of several collectibles.
There are seashells, sand dollars, and unique rocks among other things. However,
these findings pale in comparison to sea glass. Often referred to as gems of the
ocean, they are just that. Sea glass is found as round, smooth, almost frosty jewels
on the shores of beaches. It comes in various colors including white, green, blue,
brown, and more. While it is a valued and cherished collectors item, many people
fail to realize the origins of this sea glass. The name tells it all. It is glass that has
made its way into the sea, and through several processes, is refined into a smooth
stone that eventually washes up on the beach. These stones are then collected by
beachgoers for use in jewelry making and home decoration. However, despite
people’s appreciation for these gems, many fail to realize what they really are. In
truth, sea glass is a happy result of a sad practice by humans. It comes from littered
glass that finds its way into the ocean. Despite the damaging effect that all litter has,
glass is the least detrimental, and due to its beautiful transformation it has created a
system for it to be removed from the ocean.
How is it Made?
The most common source of glass marine debris is glass littered on beaches
(Totten). Beach goers will frequently leave bottles of beer or soda in the sand,
which can then easily be washed into the water. These bottles tend to be brown or
green, which is the most common color for sea glass (Tucker). Similarly, boaters
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have been known to throw glass bottles overboard. This combined effort accounts
for a large amount of coastal glass, but a large amount also comes from commercial
sources. Open ocean glass litter commonly comes from trade ships, including from
glass intentionally thrown overboard, lost cargo, or damages to the ships caused
winds and waves (Tucker). This is where the less commons colors come from.
Commercial glass can be blue, black, red, or the rarest color, orange (NASGA). This
accounts for a greater quantity of glass, but due to the deep-sea locations that this
glass is found, a lesser amount finds its way to coastal areas. However, some
collectors are able to access this glass through extreme means. Some have turned
sea glass hunting into an extreme sport. These people will “kayak, snorkel, grapple
down cliff faces, and hike lava floes to reach premium beaches” (Smithsonian,
Tucker). An example of such a premium beach is California’s Glass Beach, which
was the site of a city dump before becoming one of the world’s premier sea glass
locations. Around the world there are other such premium sites where the rarest of
sea glass can be found (Smithsonian, Tucker). These collectors ensure that all sea
glass is collected, by any means necessary.
Regardless of where the glass reaches, it undergoes a process similar
to the refinement of sand or smooth rocks. As glass enters the ocean, it is broken
down into smaller shards by rocks, animals, and the degradation caused by the
water (Act for Libraries, Totten). These shards are then put through a process of
tumbling. The glass is tumbled through the sand over the course of many years.
This process allows for the glass to smooth out and take on a rounder shape.
Sandier coasts tend to produce smoother and rounder glass, while rocky coasts
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produce rougher, polygon shaped shards (NASGA). Simultaneously, the glass also
goes through the process of hydration. In this process, “The lime and soda in glass is
leached out by the constant contact with water, leaving variable pitting on the
surface of the glass” and, “The soda and lime can combine with other elements to
form tiny crystals in the surface of the glass” (NASGA). This produces a frosty
appearance on the glass that makes it more stone like. In addition to the sand,
sunlight and salt also work to make glass smoother. The ideal conditions for
producing smooth and frosty sea glass are sandy, sun-exposed, salty, and warm
waters
The end result of these processes is a beautiful gem of the ocean. The oceans
are able to recycle littered glass into a lovely product, which is then collected from
the shores by people. Sea glass is valued for its use in jewelry and decorations. In
fact, people are willing to pay money for sea glass goods. However, as time goes on,
the market for sea glass is seeing a major reduction in supply, as demand remains as
high as ever. The result of this is increasing prices for sea glass, which in turn
encourages collectors to continue to reduce supplies of sea glass. But what is
happening to the sea glass?
What is Happening to the Sea Glass?
Sea glass is becoming less common. With recent pushes to reduce litter,
especially into oceans, the amount of glass being dumped into the seas is decreasing
(Lamotte and Peden). This means that less glass is able to tumble and polish into
the sea glass that eventually washes ashore. Another issue is that the widespread
use of plastics for packaging purposes is reducing the need for glass in packaging
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(Tucker). This has led to an increase on the amount of plastic litter, which is far
more harmful to marine life, and does not form into the beautiful gems that glass
does.
While the amount of glass entering the oceans is decreasing dramatically, the
number of people searching for this glass has not diminished in the slightest. Across
coastal areas, such as Southern California, people can be found every day searching
for these gems of the ocean. During low tide, many people can be found scrounging
for sea glass. These collectors search through large mounds of rocks, which
accumulate on the shore during low tide hours. It is almost a competitive hobby,
where people work to search the beaches faster and more thoroughly than others.
With so many people searching for glass, it is becoming increasingly difficult for
anyone to find glass. Year by year, sea glass yields are decreasing dramatically,
which is beginning to cause some people to leave search entirely.
It is difficult to mourn the loss of sea glass as a collectible. It is a fortunate
byproduct of an unfortunate practice. However, the paradigm shift from glass to
plastic containers has caused significant problems for our world’s oceans. While
glass has the capability to physically harm marine life through direct ingestion, it
does not have the dangerous potential of plastics. Plastics can harm marine animals
through ingestion, which can cause starvation and malnutrition. In addition,
animals can become entrapped in plastics, which can lead to death by choking or
strangulation (EPA). These examples don’t even begin to delve into the dangers of
plastics in our oceans. These plastics also cannot break down the way that glass
does, so inevitably it accumulates and will continue to do so as long as it continues
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to enter the ocean. As we move into a more environmentally conscious world,
hopefully people will realize that human impact on the oceans can be significantly
reduced with a shift back to glass use. If this were to occur, we could reduce our
negative impact on the world, while continuing to enjoy the oceans beautiful
recycling of glass.
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Works Cited
LaMotte, Richard and Peden, Charles. "NASGA Resources: Genuine vs. Artificial Sea
Glass." NASGA. North American Sea Glass Association, 2012. Web. 11 Nov.
2015. <http://www.seaglassassociation.org/RealVArtificial.html>.
"Marine Debris Impacts." Marine Debris Impacts. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA), n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.
<http://water.epa.gov/type/oceb/marinedebris/md_impacts.cfm>.
Totten, Michael. "How Sea Glass is Formed." Act for Libraries. Act for Libraries, n.d.
Web. 6 Nov. 2015. <http://www.actforlibraries.org/how-sea-glass-isformed/>.
Tucker, Abigail. "Sea Glass: The Search on the Shore." Smithsonian Magazine.
Smithsonian, 6 Oct. 2006. Web. 6 Nov. 2015.
<http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/sea-glass-the-search-onthe-shore-81920649/?no-ist>.