Study: 5 trillion plastic pieces floating in ocean
Published 3:45 pm Thursday, December 11, 2014
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A new study estimates that the plastic floating in the world’s oceans weighs more than 260,000 tons.
The study, published in the science journal PLOS ONE, covered 24 expeditions from 2007 to 2013 where researchers collected plastic of all sizes with nets and recorded observations to aid in their estimates.
Plastic Pollution in World’s Oceans: > 5 Trillion Pieces Weighing > 250,000 Tons Afloat at Sea http://t.co/cOH3sThu0s pic.twitter.com/hzxGaqTB4K
— PLOS ONE (@PLOSONE) December 10, 2014
The study only examined floating plastic, omitting anything that has already settled to the ocean floor. The floating material would, according to the Associated Press, fill more than 38,500 garbage trucks.
Researchers categorized the plastic they found, breaking it down into categories like fishing line, bottles, buckets and foamed polystyrene. Plastic fishing buoys led the pack, accounting for the greatest weight.
Though the numbers revealed by the study seem high, researchers warned that their numbers are just a baseline for the future: “However, we stress that our estimates are highly conservative, and may be considered minimum estimates.”
