ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Science

It’s official: there’s more plastic in the oceans than ever before

Researchers are calling for change on all levels of society.

Mihai AndreibyMihai Andrei
April 16, 2019
in Environment, News, Pollution, Science
A A
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterSubmit to Reddit

There are about ten times more plastic pieces in the ocean than there were in the 1990s.

Plastic production has increased exponentially since the 1950s. The world can’t get enough of it — we produce an estimated 300 million tons every year and we only recycle a small fraction of this plastic, so much of it ends up in landfills or the oceans. Between 4.8 and 12.7 million tonnes of plastic enter the ocean each year, but the material’s distribution there remains very difficult to map.

In a new study, a team led by Clare Ostle from the University of Plymouth used data from the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) — a plankton sampling instrument that has been towed over 6.5 million nautical miles in the North Atlantic and adjacent seas since 1957 — one of the oldest continuous marine datasets in the world.

The primary purpose of the CPR has been to record pelagic plankton — which it has been successfully doing. However, inadvertently, the CPR served another useful purpose: indicating the amount of plastic pollution.

The CPR is towed off the back of ships of opportunity, such as ferries and container ships, at ~7 m depth and from 10 to 20 knots speed. In this sense, the CPR is susceptible to entanglement in a similar way to marine mammals that spend time in surface waters. When the CPR mechanism is hauled back on to the ship, the crew report any issues, such as plastic entanglement, which is a rather common occurrence. So indirectly, the CPR records the increase in plastic water pollution — with the caveat that it can only reveal macroplastics, and tends to be biased towards plastics that are more likely to cause entanglement (such as nets and strings). Most of the entanglement material comes from fishing equipment.

This study indicated a significant increase in microplastics from 1960–70 to 1980–1990. Intriguingly, no significant trend was observed between the 1980s and the 1990s. However, from the 1990s until now, the amount of plastic entanglements has increased tenfold.

The dataset confirms the importance of actions to reduce and improve plastic waste. Researchers say that this trend will likely increase unless there is an urgent change in policy.

RelatedPosts

New, fully recyclable and biodegradable plastic could change the world
EU wants to ban some microplastic production responsible for 400,000 tonnes of pollution in 20 years
Why is the ocean salty?
Leaky pipes in Baltimore are funneling a lot of pharmaceuticals into local waterways

“As the global population continues to increase, plastic waste will continue to grow. The realisation that plastics are ubiquitous, and that the consequent health impacts are yet to be fully understood, has increased the awareness surrounding plastics. Plastics are likely to be used as an indicator of marine health in environmental monitoring to drive policy.”

The team also calls for change on all societal levels: from us as clients, to producers and of course, policy-makers.

“There is a need for re-education, continued research and awareness campaigns, in order to drive action from the individual as well as large-scale decisions on waste-management and product design,” the study concludes.

The study “The rise in ocean plastics evidenced from a 60-year time series” has been published in Nature Communications.

Tags: microplasticoceanplasticpollution

Share22TweetShare
Mihai Andrei

Mihai Andrei

Dr. Andrei Mihai is a geophysicist and founder of ZME Science. He has a Ph.D. in geophysics and archaeology and has completed courses from prestigious universities (with programs ranging from climate and astronomy to chemistry and geology). He is passionate about making research more accessible to everyone and communicating news and features to a broad audience.

Related Posts

Geography

Your new phobia, unlocked: a rogue hole in the ocean

byMihai Andrei
1 day ago
Environmental Issues

The oceans are so acidic they’re dissolving the shells of marine creatures

byMihai Andrei
2 days ago
Chemistry

Scientists Invented a Way to Store Data in Plastic Molecules and It Could Someday Replace Hard Drives

byRupendra Brahambhatt
2 weeks ago
Environment

At 99, David Attenborough Releases “Ocean”, The Most Urgent Film of His Life — and It Might Be His Last

byTibi Puiu
1 month ago

Recent news

Science Just Debunked the ‘Guns Don’t Kill People’ Argument Again. This Time, It’s Kids

June 13, 2025

It Looks Like a Ruby But This Is Actually the Rarest Kind of Diamond on Earth

June 12, 2025

ChatGPT Got Destroyed in Chess by a 1970s Atari Console. But Should You Be Surprised?

June 12, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
  • How we review products
  • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Science News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Space
  • Future
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Physics
      • Matter and Energy
      • Quantum Mechanics
      • Thermodynamics
    • Chemistry
      • Periodic Table
      • Applied Chemistry
      • Materials
      • Physical Chemistry
    • Biology
      • Anatomy
      • Biochemistry
      • Ecology
      • Genetics
      • Microbiology
      • Plants and Fungi
    • Geology and Paleontology
      • Planet Earth
      • Earth Dynamics
      • Rocks and Minerals
      • Volcanoes
      • Dinosaurs
      • Fossils
    • Animals
      • Mammals
      • Birds
      • Fish
      • Amphibians
      • Reptiles
      • Invertebrates
      • Pets
      • Conservation
      • Animal facts
    • Climate and Weather
      • Climate change
      • Weather and atmosphere
    • Health
      • Drugs
      • Diseases and Conditions
      • Human Body
      • Mind and Brain
      • Food and Nutrition
      • Wellness
    • History and Humanities
      • Anthropology
      • Archaeology
      • History
      • Economics
      • People
      • Sociology
    • Space & Astronomy
      • The Solar System
      • Sun
      • The Moon
      • Planets
      • Asteroids, meteors & comets
      • Astronomy
      • Astrophysics
      • Cosmology
      • Exoplanets & Alien Life
      • Spaceflight and Exploration
    • Technology
      • Computer Science & IT
      • Engineering
      • Inventions
      • Sustainability
      • Renewable Energy
      • Green Living
    • Culture
    • Resources
  • Videos
  • Reviews
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Editorial policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.