Ocean plastic particle density has been rapidly increasing since 2005
In short: Researchers analyzing data from 11,777 ocean stations found that the amount of small plastic particles floating in the ocean's surface layer has accelerated rapidly in recent years. While plastic levels appeared relatively stagnant between 1990 and 2005, the study estimates that there are now between 82 and 358 trillion plastic particles weighing up to 4.9 million tonnes afloat in the world's oceans.
By compiling new and previously published data, the researchers created a global time-series spanning from 1979 to 2019. This timeline is intended to help scientists and policymakers assess whether plastic reduction strategies are actually working.
The study's findings are based on an analysis of existing and new station data, which provides a historical view of plastic abundance but relies on the quality of the underlying datasets used to reconstruct the trend.
Why it matters: The recent acceleration of plastic density in the ocean surface layer highlights an urgent need for international policy interventions.
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