Ocean floor a 'reservoir' of plastic pollution, study finds

Ocean floor a 'reservoir' of plastic pollution, finds global study

Researchers have taken a deep dive into plastic pollution, and found up to 100 times more of the synthetic material blankets the ocean floor than floats on the surface.

Ocean Floor Littered With Plastic Pollution: CSIRO

In 1997, Captain Charles Moore was returning from a trans-Pacific race when he made a shocking discovery in a remote part of the ocean. Before him was a truly gigantic, floating mass of mostly plastic waste he dubbed the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Similar garbage patches are now known to exist in all five of the earth’s swirling gyres in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans—inescapable evidence of society’s unabated addition to plastic. Bu…

11 million tons of plastic sits on sea floor, says a World’s 1st study - Interesting Engineering

Researcher estimate 3-11 million metric tons of plastic pollution on the ocean floor, 100x than on the surface, hinting at a global crisis.

The global plastic consumption is huge, and it is growing at a high rate. Analysis shows that the oceans are already full of garbage. A significant part of it is stored on the ground.

For the first time, researchers were able to capture with underwater vehicles how much plastic waste accumulates on the ocean floor. The deeper the waste is, the slower it decomposes.

Ocean floor a 'reservoir' of plastic pollution

New science has taken a deep dive into plastic waste, providing the first estimate of how much ends up on the sea floor.