. A new study has revealed that more than five trillion pieces are floating around in the oceans. This study was published in PLOS ONE. It revealed that plastic pollution is approximately 268,940 across five of the world’s oceans. This is the first such study to examine all types of floating plastics in oceans around the globe, from large items to microplastics. It covered six years, from 2007 up to 2013.. The research covered Australia’s waters, including the South Pacific and North Pacific. Microplastic, which is less than 5 millimetres in size, makes up the majority of plastics floating around our oceans. According to the research team, microplastic accounts for about 92% of floating plastics in our oceans. The abstract includes the following: We have calculated that the oceanographic model of floating plastic dispersal, calibrated using our data and corrected for wind-driven vertical mixing, gives us a minimum estimate of 5 trillion particles. 25 billion particles, weighing 268,940 tonnes.” According to the authors, the plastic could pose a danger to birds and marine mammals. The study also found that the large amount of plastics in the ocean can be broken down into smaller particles, which could then be eaten by bigger predators. Marcus Eriksen (director of research at the Five Gyres Institute), said that microplastics can make it into the food chain. A beach littered with marine debris is Laysan Island, Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge. It was washed up on the shore. The smaller pieces of plastic were collected by the researchers using nets. The larger pieces such as plastic bag, bucket, and fishing gear debris, were observed from the water. Plastic can be buoyant, durable and semi-synthetic or organic solid. Plastic particles can be spread by currents across oceans around the globe. The plastics eventually build up into vortex currents like the one in the North Pacific Ocean that is almost as large as Texas. Their estimates may not be as conservative as they might be, but the authors emphasize that these estimates can be considered minimal estimates. (2014) “Plastic Pollution in the World’s Oceans: More than 5 Trillion Plastic Pieces Weighing over 250,000 Tons Afloat at Sea.” PLoS ONE 9(12): e111913. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone. 0111913
Study: Five Trillion Pieces of Plastic in Our Oceans.
