Oceans of plastic waste

Oceans of plastic waste

Net gain: The schooner Tara, on an expedition around the Mediterranean to monitor microplastic pollution, drags a so-called manta net to collect floating debris. (Photo © A. Deniaud Garcia Tara Expéditions.) The research vessel Tara, a schooner built for marine and polar research, spent seven months of the last year cruising the Mediterranean Sea on an expedition to collect an unglamorous mater...

River plastic emissions to the world's oceans

Plastics in the marine environment have become a major concern because of their persistence at sea, and adverse consequences to marine life and potentially human health. Implementing mitigation strategies requires an understanding and quantification of marine plastic sources, taking spatial and temporal variability into account. Here we present a global model of plastic inputs from rivers into ...

Plastic Debris in the World’s Oceans

Solid materials, typically waste, that has found its way to the marine environment is called marine debris. It is known to be the cause of injuries and deaths of numerous marine animals and birds, either because they become entangled in it or they mistake it for prey and eat it. At least 267 different species are known to have suffered from entanglement or ingestion of marine debris including s...

Plastic Debris in the World’s Oceans

Beyond plastic waste

ith more than 8 million tons of plastic entering the ocean each year, humanity must urgently rethink the way we make and use plastics, so that they do not become waste in the first place. Cheap, light, and versatile, plastics are the dominant materials of our modern economy. Their production is expected to double over the next two decades. Yet, only 14% of all plastic packaging is collected for...