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I want to research marine pollution which must be addressed to reach SDG goal #14 life below Water. I will focus on the North Pacific Ocean and Re-purposing collected plastic. 

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I want to research marine pollution which must be addressed to reach SDG goal #14 life below Water. I will focus on the North Pacific Ocean and Re-purposing collected plastic. 

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I love anything that includes marine life. This interests me because I love marine animals and I would love to learn more about their environment and what their life is like.

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One fact on the SDG website that caught my attention was that by 2025, they wanted to prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution.

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Hawaii has a large amount of cesspools, which are leaking sewage into the coastal waters, contributing to bacteria contamination.

A substantial amount of plastic pollution is being spread around the oceans across the world, including derelict fishing gear, accumulates on beaches and in the ocean endangering marine life through entanglement and ingestion.

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The contamination of the ocean and its ecosystems with harmful substances or objects. Which include:

Plastics

Chemicals

Garbage

Oil spills

Gases

Heavy metals

Nutrients

These contaminations damage coral reefs and other habitats, poison marine life, cause algal blooms that deplete oxygen levels, spread diseases and contaminate seafod and drinking water.

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Marine pollution mapping includes various techniques to visualize and analyze the distribution of pollutants in the ocean.

These methods include:

Satellite imagery

Remote sensing

ADIS

Citizen science initiatives

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Organizations involved in marine pollution mapping:

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Organizations involved in marine pollution mapping:

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NCEI: They provide data and and tools for mapping marine microplastics.

The nature Conservancy: They have developed a marine mapping tool to support marine spatial planning.

EMOD Network: They are a European initiative that provides marine data and information, including data on marine litter.

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I learned all the effects from plastic pollution and how it damages the ocean and marine life. I also learned all of the steps that we can take to break the cycle of us throwing trash on the roads or around oceans/beaches in order to prevent from all of the trash landing in the ocean and damaging animals, plants and even us humans.

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The Growing Issue of Plastic Pollution in Oceans | Eleanor Elkus | TEDxYouth@MBJH

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Top 5 places where oceans are most affected

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Top 5 places where oceans are most affected

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The top 5 areas that are most affected by ocean pollutants are:

North Pacific ocean

Indian ocean

North Atlantic ocean

South Atlantic ocean

South Pacific ocean

These areas are heavily impacted by plastic pollution, chemical runoff, and other forms of waste, with the Pacific Ocean holding a significant portion of the world's plastic debris

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This Region, specifically the great Pacific garbage patch, is notorious for its high concentration of plastic debris, with an estimated 2 trillion pieces circulating within the north Pacific Gyre.

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This ocean is the second most polluted in terms of plastic particle count. This area has an elevated level of pelagic plastics, chemical sludge and many more different debris.

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*Corresponding Author: Sarah James, Department of Ecosystem, College of Coventry, United Kingdom, Email: sarah@yahoo.com

Received: 03-May-2023 / Manuscript No. jee-23-97601 / Editor assigned: 05-May-2023 / PreQC No. jee-23-97601 (PQ) / Reviewed: 19-May-2023 / QC No. jee-23-97601 / Revised: 22-May-2023 / Manuscript No. jee-23-97601 (R) / Published Date: 29-May-2023 DOI: 10.4172/2157-7625.1000399

Water pollution, Biodiversity; Conservation

Introduction

Water pollution in the Indian Ocean is caused by a range of human activities. One of the primary causes is untreated sewage and wastewater. Many coastal cities and towns around the Indian Ocean discharge untreated sewage directly into the ocean. This sewage contains a range of harmful substances, including pathogens, nutrients, and chemicals, which can have serious consequences for marine life and human health [ 1].

Methodology

Another significant cause of water pollution in the Indian Ocean is agricultural runoff. Agricultural practices such as the use of fertilizers and pesticides can result in excess nutrients and chemicals entering the ocean through rivers and streams. These substances can cause harmful algal blooms, which can deplete oxygen levels in the water, leading to the death of marine life.

Industrial activities such as oil and gas exploration and shipping also contribute to water pollution in the Indian Ocean. Accidents such as oil spills can have catastrophic consequences for marine life, while the discharge of ballast water from ships can introduce invasive species into the ocean, further threatening the already vulnerable marine ecosystems [ 2, 3].

Consequences of water pollution in the Indian Ocean

The consequences of water pollution in the Indian Ocean are significant and wide-ranging. One of the most immediate consequences is the impact on marine life. Water pollution can damage or destroy habitats, harm fish and other marine organisms, and disrupt the food chain. This can have a significant impact on the fishing industry, which is an important source of income and food for many communities around the Indian Ocean.

Water pollution can also have serious consequences for human health. Swimming or bathing in polluted water can lead to skin irritation, respiratory problems, and other health issues. Consumption of seafood contaminated with pollutants can lead to serious health problems, including cancer, neurological disorders, and reproductive problems.

Water pollution can also have economic consequences, affecting industries such as tourism, shipping, and fishing. For example, coral reefs, which are an important attraction for tourists, are highly vulnerable to water pollution, and their degradation can lead to a decline in tourism revenues [ 4, 5].
Solutions to water pollution in the Indian Ocean
There are several solutions that can help mitigate water pollution in the Indian Ocean. One of the most important is the implementation of effective wastewater treatment systems. This can involve the construction of treatment plants, as well as the implementation of policies and regulations to ensure that sewage is treated before being discharged into the ocean. Another important solution is the implementation of sustainable agricultural practices. This can involve reducing the use of fertilizers and pesticides, using crop rotation to reduce nutrient depletion, and planting cover crops to reduce soil erosion. Regulations and policies can also help reduce water pollution from industrial activities. For example, regulations can require oil and gas companies to implement spill prevention and response plans, while shipping companies can be required to use ballast water treatment systems to prevent the introduction of invasive species [ 6, 7].

Education and awareness-raising can also play an important role in reducing water pollution in the Indian Ocean. Governments, NGOs, and other stakeholders can work to educate the public about the impacts of water pollution and the actions that can be taken to reduce it. This can help to create a culture of environmental responsibility and encourage individuals and communities to take action to protect the ocean.

The Indian Ocean is the third largest ocean in the world, covering an area of about 73 million square kilometers. It is home to a diverse range of marine species, providing livelihoods and food security for millions of people in the region. However, water pollution in the Indian Ocean has become a growing concern, threatening the health of marine ecosystems and the well-being of human populations. This article explores the causes, impacts, and solutions to water pollution in the Indian Ocean [ 8, 9].

Causes of water pollution in the Indian Ocean

Water pollution in the Indian Ocean is caused by a range of human activities, including industrial and agricultural practices, urbanization, and shipping activities. Some of the main causes of water pollution in the Indian Ocean include Industrial and Agricultural Activities: Industrial activities such as oil and gas exploration, chemical production, and manufacturing can release pollutants into the ocean. Similarly, agricultural practices such as pesticide and fertilizer use can lead to nutrient pollution and algal blooms in coastal waters. Rapid urbanization in coastal areas can lead to increased sewage and waste disposal, which can contaminate the ocean with pathogens and nutrients. Shipping activities such as oil spills, ballast water discharge, and garbage dumping can also contribute to water pollution in the Indian Ocean.

Impacts of water pollution in the Indian Ocean

Water pollution in the Indian Ocean has significant impacts on marine ecosystems and human populations. Some of the main impacts of water pollution in the Indian Ocean include. Water pollution can lead to the loss of biodiversity in the Indian Ocean, as pollutants can harm marine species and their habitats.

Health Impacts: Water pollution can also have significant impacts on human health, particularly for communities that rely on the ocean for their livelihoods and food security. Contaminated seafood can cause illness and disease, while exposure to polluted water can lead to skin irritations, respiratory problems, and other health issues. Economic Impacts: Water pollution can also have significant economic impacts, particularly for industries such as fishing and tourism. Polluted waters can lead to fishery closures, reduced catches, and decreased tourism revenue.

Solutions to water pollution in the Indian Ocean

Addressing water pollution in the Indian Ocean requires a range of solutions, including policy interventions, technological innovations, and behavioral changes. Some of the key solutions to water pollution in the Indian Ocean include improved Regulation: Improved regulation and enforcement of environmental laws can help to reduce water pollution in the Indian Ocean. Governments can introduce policies to limit industrial and agricultural pollution, and enforce regulations on shipping activities. Sustainable Agriculture and Industry Practices: Sustainable agriculture and industry practices can help to reduce nutrient and chemical pollution in the Indian Ocean. This can include reducing fertilizer and pesticide use, and implementing pollution prevention measures in industrial facilities. Wastewater Treatment: Improved wastewater treatment can help to reduce the amount of sewage and waste entering the ocean. Governments can invest in wastewater treatment infrastructure, and individuals can reduce their water use and ensure that household waste is disposed of properly.

Innovative Technologies: Innovative technologies such as desalination and water purification can help to provide clean water in areas affected by water pollution. These technologies can be particularly important for communities that rely on the ocean for their water supply. Education and Awareness: Education and awareness campaigns can help to promote behavioral changes that reduce water pollution in the Indian Ocean. This can include promoting responsible waste disposal, reducing plastic use, and encouraging sustainable fishing practices [ 10].

Conclusion

Water pollution in the Indian Ocean is a growing concern that threatens the health of marine ecosystems and human populations. Addressing water pollution in the Indian Ocean requires a range of solutions, including policy interventions, sustainable agriculture.

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Water Pollution in the Indian Ocean: Causes, Consequences, and Solutions

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The Indian Ocean is the third-largest ocean in the world and is home to diverse marine life, including coral reefs, whales, and dolphins. However, like other oceans, the Indian Oce..

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The north Atlantic ocean is polluted with 27 million tonnes of nanoplastics. It also contains a substantial amount of plastic pollution and is affected by various pollutants from land-based sources.

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Nanoplastics make up most of the plastic pollutants in the North Atlantic Ocean

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A landmark field study reveals widespread pollution of the Atlantic Ocean by nanoscale plastic debris — raising questions about the risk to marine ecosystems.

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The south Atlantic ocean faces significant pollution challenges, particularly with plastic debris. This plastic, originating from various sources like landfills, shipping and coastal storms is found throughout the water column and even in remote island locations.

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Plastic Pollution Has Increased a Hundredfold in Remote Parts of the South Atlantic

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The south Pacific ocean contains something called the 'garbage patch', which consists mainly of microbeads, tiny abrasives less than 5 micrometers in size usually found in certain personal hygiene products and microscopic fibers from washing clothes.

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The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) is the largest of the five offshore plastic accumulation zones in the world's oceans. It is located halfway between Hawaii and California.
PLASTIC ACCUMULATION

It is estimated that 1.15 to 2.41 million tonnes of plastic are entering the ocean each year from rivers. More than half of this plastic is less dense than the water, meaning that it will not sink once it encounters the sea.

1.15 to 2.41 million metric tonnes of plastic are entering the ocean each year.

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The stronger, more buoyant plastics show resiliency in the marine environment, allowing them to be transported over extended distances. They persist at the sea surface as they make their way offshore, transported by converging currents and finally accumulating in the patch.

Once these plastics enter the gyre, they are unlikely to leave the area until they degrade into smaller microplastics under the effects of sun, waves and marine life. As more and more plastics are discarded into the environment, microplastic concentration in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch will only continue to increase.

ESTIMATION OF SIZE

The GPGP covers an estimated surface area of 1.6 million square kilometers, an area twice the size of Texas or three times the size of France.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch covers an estimated surface of 1.6 million square kilometers

To formulate this number, the team of scientists behind this research conducted the most elaborate sampling method ever coordinated.

This consisted of a fleet of 30 boats, 652 surface nets and two flights over the patch to gather aerial imagery of the debris.

Sampling at different locations within the same time period allowed a more accurate estimate of the size of the patch and the plastic drifting in it.

LOCATION

Due to seasonal and interannual variabilities of winds and currents, the GPGP's location and shape are constantly changing. Only floating objects that are predominantly influenced by currents and less by winds were likely to remain within the patch.

By simulating concentration levels in the North Pacific, the researchers were able to follow the location of the patch, demonstrating significant seasonal and interannual variations. On average the patch orbits around 32°N and 145°W. However, the team observed seasonal shift from west to east and substantial variations in latitude (North to South) depending on the year.

The Ocean Cleanup is currently cleaning up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch with System 03.

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Help fund our scale-up and let's make the Great Pacific Garbage Patch a thing of the past

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At the time of sampling, there were more than 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic in the patch that weigh an estimated 80,000 tonnes. These figures are much higher than previous calculations.
TOTAL MASS AND COUNT

80'000 tonnes of plastic float in the GPGP, equivalent to 500 Jumbo Jets

The mass of the plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) was estimated to be approximately 80,000 tonnes, which is 4-16 times more than previous calculations. This weight is also equivalent to that of 500 Jumbo Jets.

4 to 16 times more plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch than Previously Estimated

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The center of the GPGP has the highest density and the further boundaries are the least dense. When quantifying the mass of the GPGP, the team chose to account only for the denser center area. If the less-dense outer region was also considered in the total estimate, the total mass would then be closer to 100,000 tonnes.

A total of 1.8 trillion plastic pieces were estimated to be floating in the patch - a plastic count that is equivalent to 250 pieces of debris for every human in the world.

Using a similar approach as they did when figuring the mass, the team chose to employ conservative estimations of the plastic count. While 1.8 trillion is a mid-range value for the total count, their calculations estimated that it may be range from 1.1 to up to 3.6 trillion pieces.

Concentration

Using data from multiple reconnaissance missions, a mass concentration model was produced to visualize the plastic distribution in the patch.

The mass concentration model, pictured below, shows how the concentration levels gradually decrease by orders of magnitude towards the outside boundaries of the GPGP. The center concentration levels contain the highest density, reaching 100s of kg/km² while decreasing down to 10 kg/km² in the outermost region.

These results prove that plastic pollution at sea, while densely distributed within the patch, is scattered and does not form a solid mass, thus demystifying the trash island concept.

Vertical distribution

The Ocean Cleanup measured the vertical distribution of plastic during six expeditions between 2013 to 2015. Results from these expeditions proved that the buoyant plastic mass is distributed within the top few meters of the ocean.,

Factors such as wind speed, sea state, and plastic buoyancy will influence vertical mixing. However, buoyant plastic will eventually float back to the surface in calmer seas. Larger pieces were observed to resurface much more rapidly than smaller pieces.

Persistency

Characteristics of the debris in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, such as plastic type and age, prove that plastic has the capacity to persist in this region.

Plastic in the patch has also been measured since the 1970's and the calculations from subsequent years show that microplastic mass concentration is increasing exponentially - proving that the input of plastic in the patch is greater than the output. Unless sources are mitigated, this number will continue to rise.

The vast majority of plastics retrieved were made of rigid or hard polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP), or derelict fishing gear (nets and ropes particularly). Ranging in size from small fragments to larger objects and meter-sized fishing nets.

Size classes

Plastic within the patch was categorized into four size classes:
- Microplastics (0.05 - 0.5 cm)
- Mesoplastics (0.5 - 5 cm)
- Macroplastics (5 - 50 cm)
- Megaplastics (anything above 50 cm)

92% of the total mass is made of debris larger than 5mm

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When accounting for the total mass, 92% of the debris found in the patch consists of objects larger than 0.5 cm, and three-quarters of the total mass is made of macro- and mega plastic. However, in terms of object count, 94% of the total is represented by microplastics.

Categorization types

75% to 86% of GPGP Plastics Comes from Fishing Activities

Once the plastics were collected, a team of volunteers classified the plastic into:
- Type H: Hard plastic, plastic sheet or film;
- Type N: Plastic lines, ropes, and fishing nets;
- Type P: Pre-production plastics (cylinders, spheres or disks);
- Type F: Fragments made of foamed materials

These plastic types were then screened for clues on age and origin. This was performed by examining each object for dates, languages, trademarks, symbols or 'made in' statements.

Why large debris matter

Because the plastics have been shown to persist in this region, they will likely break down into smaller plastics while floating in the GPGP.

This deterioration into microplastics is usually the result of sun exposure, waves, marine life, and temperature changes. Microplastics have been discovered floating within the water surface layers, but also in the water column or as far down as the ocean floor.

Once they become this small, microplastics are very difficult to remove and are often mistaken for food by marine animals.

Not only does plastic pollution in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch pose risks for the safety and health of marine animals, but there are health and economic implications for humans as well.

Impact on wildlife

Plastic has increasingly become a ubiquitous substance in the ocean. Due to its size and color, animals confuse the plastic for food, causing malnutrition; it poses entanglement risks and threatens their overall behavior, health, and existence.

84% of samples contained toxic chemicals

Studies have shown that about 700 species have encountered marine debris, and 92% of these interactions are with plastic. 17% of the species affected by plastic are on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List of Threatened Species.

Toxic for Sea Surface Feeders

180X more plastic than food at the surface of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

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Floating at the surface of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) is 180x more plastic than marine life. Animals migrating through or inhabiting this area are then likely consuming plastic in the patch. For example, sea turtles by-caught in fisheries operating within and around the patch can have up to 74% (by dry weight) of their diets composed of ocean plastics. Laysan albatross chicks from Kure Atoll and Oahu Island have around 45% of their wet mass composed of plastics from surface waters of the GPGP.

Since 84% of this plastic was found to have at least one Persistent Bio-accumulative Toxic Persistent Bio-accumulative Toxic (PBT) chemical, animals consuming this debris are therefore ingesting the chemicals attached to the plastic.
Entanglement of Marine Life
Fishing nets account for 46% of the mass in the GPGP and they can be dangerous for animals who swim or collide into them and cannot extract themselves from the net. Interaction with these discarded nets, also known as ghost nets , often results in the death of the marine life involved.

Impact on Humans and Society

Once plastic enters the marine food web, there is a possibility that it will contaminate the human food chain as well. Efforts to clean and eradicate ocean plastic have also caused significant financial burdens.

Plastic pollution costs 13B dollars per year.

Affects the Human Foodchain

Through a process called bioaccumulation, chemicals in plastics will enter the body of the animal feeding on the plastic, and as the feeder becomes prey, the chemicals will pass to the predator - making their way up the food web that includes humans. These chemicals that affected the plastic feeders could then be present within the human as well.

Affects the Economy

According to a study conducted in collaboration with Deloitte, yearly economic costs due to marine plastic are estimated to be between $6-19bn USD. The costs stem from its impact on tourism, fisheries and aquaculture, and (governmental) cleanups. These costs do not include the impact on human health and the marine ecosystem (due to insufficient research available). This means that intercepting plastic in rivers is much more cost-effective than dealing with the consequences downstream. Learn more in our interactive map.

Resulting from several research missions, traveling across and above the GPGP, The Ocean Cleanup team compiled an unprecedented amount of data to better understand the plastic that persists in this region.

Boyan Slat - The New Picture of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (2018)

Research Expeditions

"To accurately quantify a problem of the size, we had to do research at a scale that had never been done before" - Boyan Slat

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Scientists have been studying this area since the 1970's - usually by means of dragging a small sampling net through the debris. This method showed a bias towards smaller objects and did not provide much insight into the larger pieces, and, thus, the entire scope of the GPGP.

Over the course of three years, researchers at The Ocean Cleanup went on several data collection missions. This included the Multi-Level-Trawl expedition, where they analyzed the depth at which buoyant plastic debris may be vertically distributed; the Mega Expedition using vessels to cross the patch with many trawls at once; and the Aerial Expedition which involved the use of a plane flying at low altitude to observe the debris from above.

2015 - Multi-Level-Trawl Expedition

Realizing that previous methods of analyzing the plastic in the patch needed improvement, The Ocean Cleanup designed a new research tool, called the multi-level-trawl, which allowed measurements of 11 water layers simultaneously going as far down as 5 meters below surface level. This trawl was then used in the Vertical Distribution Research.

The multi-level-trawl allowed the team to study further down into the water and understand to which depths buoyant plastic may be distributed. Through these studies, it was observed that buoyant plastic floats primarily in the first few meters of the water.

2015 - Mega Expedition

In 2015, 30 vessels and 652 surface nets, in parallel, crossed the GPGP as part of the Mega Expedition.
Numerous vessel owners offered the use of their ships for the mission. Of those ships, many carried behind them a Manta-trawl; including one mothership, the 171ft long Ocean Starr, which was able to carry two 6-meter-wide trawls and a survey balloon.

The fleet returned with over 1.2 million plastic samples that rendered an unprecedented amount of plastic measurements from the three months of study. Scientists present on the expedition noted that there was an alarming amount of plastic floating in the patch, and their preliminary findings indicated that there were more large objects than originally expected.

2016 - Aerial Expedition

After the Mega Expedition, the team wanted to learn more about these large plastic pieces that were difficult to come by. Megaplastics are more scattered than the smaller plastics, and, to study this important aspect of the patch, the team needed to cover an even larger area.

Using a C-130 Hercules aircraft, The Ocean Cleanup surveyed 311 km² with advanced sensors and an RGB camera (CS-4800i) that captured one photo every second of flight time. They took two flights and came back with over 7,000 single frame mosaics from the mission.

Ocean Research Laboratory

Once the ocean plastic was brought back to the Netherlands, it then needed to be counted, classified and analyzed.

Counting and Classifying

The first step in analyzing the plastic was to quantify it - to turn this physical matter into data.

Every piece of plastic that was recovered was cleaned, counted and classified by size and type. In total, 1.2 million plastic samples were counted, one by one, and were used to further study the physical properties and toxicity of the plastic that floats in the GPGP.

The Research team takes on the monumental task of counting and classifying the Mega Expedition samples.

Understanding Physical Properties

Not only is the size and count of the plastic in the GPGP important to calculate, but the way in which the plastic interacts in the water helps the team learn more about the buoyancy and depths of the plastic.

To test this, various experiments were performed on the plastic in environments that were intended to replicate oceanic conditions and particularly salinity. Laboratory tests were conducted to measure the vertical speed of the plastic as it resurfaces.

More than 4000 rising speed tests to understand how plastic particles behave in the water.

Understanding Toxicity

It is commonly known that harmful PBT (Persistent Bio-accumulative Toxic) chemicals are found in ocean plastics, so researchers at The Ocean Cleanup tested plastic samples from the expeditions for their chemical levels. Their results helped them to realize what chemicals are present in the patch and what that means for animals feeding there.

Plastics ranging from various type and size were analyzed by placing them in mixtures that would allow the various chemicals to be identified. A process known as Chromatography. They found through various tests that 84% of the plastics in the GPGP contain at least one type of PBT chemical.

Ocean Plastic Data Science

Numerous computational and mathematical processes and methods were used throughout the study of the GPGP, allowing the team to visualize and characterize many features of the patch and the plastic within it.

Turning Ocean Plastic into Data

When the manta trawls samples were captured and then brought on the vessel, several criteria were noted in the datasheets, including the date, duration, and final coordinates of each tow.

With this information, the team was able to identify the exact location where the plastic was retrieved. The location and duration of all tows were confirmed during a post-processing phase by inspecting all the recorded datasheets against GPS trackers that were installed on all participating vessels. The total distance of tows, for example, combined with the net's characteristics allowed the researchers to estimate the total surveyed surface.

Process Aerial Expedition Data

Aboard the C-130 Hercules aircraft used for the Aerial Expedition were three types of sensors: Lidar (an advanced active sensor that is similar to that used on Google's autonomous cars), SWIR imager (an infrared camera to detect ocean plastic) and an RGB camera.

There were 3 sensor technicians, 7 navigation personnel and 10 researchers who helped track the plastic from above and monitor the equipment on board.

The data from this expedition were then analyzed and processed resulting in multispectral and geo-referenced imagery that was used to screen the surface area for plastic by trained observers and a machine-learning algorithm, providing spatial distribution of larger debris (>0.5m).

A Key to Convert Pixels into Kilograms

The mass of the plastic debris in the GPGP was calculated using imagery from the Aerial Expedition. By comparing the top view surface against dry mass of multiple objects collected during the first expedition at sea, including ghost nets, the team was able to make these estimations.

Merge all the Data into Comprehensive Computer Models

The data and imagery gathered from these objectives were eventually used by our team of computational modelers to build various models and computer-generated graphics. These served as a visual representation of the studies and tests that had been performed during the expeditions.

Research of this nature is crucial when understanding the many facets of the GPGP. These models have helped the engineers at The Ocean Cleanup to further improve the design of the cleanup system, which was deployed mid-2018.

We also use modeling to identify the pathways that bring plastic to the gyres. In 2022 our researchers published a new study based on over 6000 plastic objects (over 5 cm in size) captured in the GPGP by our System 001/B cleaning system in 2019. We then compared our field observations with our 'virtual particle' modeling results, allowing us to see the most statistically probable sources of GPGP plastic.

This indicated that over 75% of plastics in the GPGP - not only the 46% made up of fishing nets, as we discovered in 2018 - are attributable to offshore fishing activities. More research will be required in order to discover if this also applies to the other garbage patches around the world.

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The Great Pacific Garbage Patch * The Ocean Cleanup

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The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is the largest accumulation of ocean plastic in the world and is located between Hawaii and California. Scientists of The Ocean Cleanup Foundation have conducted the most extensive analysis ever of this area.

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We can help our oceans by not throwing our trash outside and if we see any to pick it up and throw it away in its correct trash bin. We can also volunteer at many organizations who help with keeping our oceans clean and healthy.

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national oceanic and atmospheric administration

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Here are 10 simple things you can do at home, around town, on the water, or anywhere!

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Evaluating the environmental impact of cleaning the North Pacific Garbage Patch

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The north Pacific garbage patch is very big and has a lot of composition. Studies also investigate the patch's dynamic nature, influenced by ocean currents, and identify major sources of pollution, particularly lost fishing gear from industrialized nations.

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This is a great organization is very helpful because it gives us information on ways that we can help clean up the garbage patch. Some goals they have are:

successfully removing 90% of floating plastic by 2040.

Develop and scale technology

Minimize environmental harm

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Over 5 trillion pieces of plastic currently litter the ocean

Ocean plastic accumulates in five ocean garbage patches, the largest one being the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, located between Hawaii and California. To solve it, we not only need to stop more plastic from flowing into the ocean, but also clean up what is already out there. Floating plastics trapped in the patches will keep circulating until they break down into smaller and smaller pieces, becoming harder to clean up and increasingly easier to mistake for food by sealife. If left to circulate, the plastic will impact our ecosystems, health, and economies for decades or even centuries.

Illustration of ocean gyres

Cleaning the ocean garbage patches

The fundamental challenge of cleaning up the ocean garbage patches is that the plastic pollution is highly diluted, spanning millions of square kilometers. Our cleanup solution is designed to first concentrate the plastic, allowing us to effectively collect and remove vast quantities. This is how it works:

CREATING AN ARTIFICIAL COASTLINE

To clean an area of this size, a strategic and energy-efficient solution is required. With a relative speed difference maintained between the cleanup system and the plastic, we create artificial coastlines, where there are none, to concentrate the plastic. The system is comprised of a long U-shaped barrier that guides the plastic into a retention zone at its far end. Through active propulsion, we maintain a slow forward speed with the system.

SCALING UP

We captured our first plastic from the GPGP in 2019 and in 2021 we reached proven technology. Today, our total catch runs to hundreds of tons and counting, and as we continuously improve our operations, our catches become larger and more reliable. In 2022, we began transitioning to the three-times larger System 03 by upgrading and replacing components gradually while continuing to harvest plastic. In August 2023, System 03 was deployed to the GPGP for the first time. Cleaning the entire GPGP requires a fleet of cleaning systems, and we believe that System 03 will allow us to develop our blueprint for that scale-up, all while continuing to extract unprecedented amounts of plastic.

How it works

Illustration of The Ocean Cleanup ocean system 2.0

Target

The circulating currents in the garbage patch move the plastic around, creating natural ever-shifting hotspots of higher concentration. With the help of computational modeling, we predict where these hotspots are and place the cleanup systems in these areas.

Capture

By maintaining a relative speed difference to the plastic, the plastic can be caught in the retention zone of the cleanup system. The wingspan, speed and direction are corrected and maintained by the vessels.

Extraction

Once the system is full, the back of the retention zone is taken aboard, sealed off, detached from the system, and emptied on board the vessel. The retention zone is then put back in place and the cleanup continues.

Recycling

Once our containers are full of plastic onboard, we bring them back to shore for recycling. For each system batch, we plan on making durable and valuable products. Supporters getting the products will help fund the continued ocean cleanup. Catch, rinse, recycle and repeat - until the oceans are clean. The sunglasses are a proof of concept for this.

Expected impact

Our floating systems are designed to capture plastics ranging from small pieces, just millimeters in size, up to large debris, including massive, discarded fishing nets (ghost nets), which can be tens of meters wide.

Modeling predicts we need around 10 full-size systems to clean up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

After fleets of systems are deployed into every ocean gyre, combined with source reduction, The Ocean Cleanup projects to be able to remove 90% of floating ocean plastic by 2040.

With cleanup

Without cleanup

Great Pacific Garbage Patch in 2030 with and without cleanup. [scale: kg/km²]

Smart steering

Active steering and computer modeling enable us to target plastic hotspots -areas of higher concentration- to improve efficiency. Our models will be steadily improved using field data collected during our offshore missions, allowing for continually smarter operations and more focused cleanup.

Carbon offsetting

We aim to offset all carbon emissions related to our operations. We continuously work on technological and operational ways of minimizing emissions, while also conducting a full cost-benefit assessment to determine our net impact on the environment.

Scalable

By taking a careful step-by-step approach, the modular fleet of systems can be gradually scaled up while we learn from the field and improve the technology along the way. The more systems deployed, the faster the cleanup will be.

Track the progress

See where we are cleaning and how much has been removed to date.

The system at sea

MANAGING ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

We aim to rid the oceans of plastic in the most responsible way possible. Our mission is intended to benefit the ocean and its inhabitants, so we place protection of the marine environment and mitigation of any negative impact of our operations at the forefront of our ocean cleaning operations.

Since our operations began, we have conducted continuous research in the laboratory and the field, aiming to optimize our positive impact consistently. System 03, our current ocean cleaning technology, has deterrents, cameras, escape aids, and other features to minimize risk to marine wildlife. We also have trained independent observers on board the vessels each trip to monitor any interactions with protected species (such as turtles or whales) in the area. Monitoring data has confirmed that our operations are having only minimal effects on the environment.

In the gallery below, you can learn more about how we keep marine wildlife safe during our cleaning operations. You can also read more about our environmental protection measures in greater detail in this update.

Furthermore, System 03 provides a unique platform for scientific research investigating the sources, fate, and impacts of plastic pollution in the open ocean. The data also helps improve the global understanding of the ecosystem in the GPGP.

We are also committed to offsetting all carbon emissions associated with the System 03 operations. For more about our approach to topics like these, see our Environment page.

SURVIVING STORMS

As the cleanup systems must remain in the GPGP for long periods (sometimes under extremely harsh conditions), it is crucial that our systems can withstand ocean forces. We closely monitor the loads on the system, and we adapt the speed and span during rough seas. We track the latest weather forecasts to plan our route to avoid storms and to identify areas where cleaning conditions are most optimal. In the case of a particularly severe storm, the system can be temporarily withdrawn from operation.

From concept to reality

The idea to clean the garbage patches started with Boyan Slat, Founder and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup, in 2012. The technology has come a long way since his first sketch; from a V-shaped array anchored to the seabed, to variations of a free-floating passive system, to our current active cleanup approach.

In 2019 we caught our first plastic. However, the catch amount was low, and our calculations showed it would take too long to clean up the GPGP using that original design. We decided to move to an active cleanup approach, and after some prototyping and field testing, we received proof of technology in 2021. This meant we had successfully met the following criteria: limited negative environmental impact, no safety issues during operation, and of course, repeatedly harvesting large amounts of plastic. Taking on such an ambitious challenge and solving problems nobody has ever solved before requires a fast and iterative approach - so we keep learning and improving every day.

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We are cleaning up ocean plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Learn more about the technology used and the cleanup progress here.

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The main issue is that even when there are many organizations people don't want to join them when helping clean up the oceans and its surroundings and because of this the garbage patch causes harm to marine life and can cause them to be extinct.

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The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a collection of marine debris in the North Pacific Ocean. Marine debris is litter that ends up in oceans, seas, and other large bodies of water.

The area in the center of a gyre tends to be very calm and stable. The circular motion of the gyre draws debris into this stable center, where it becomes trapped. A plastic water bottle discarded off the coast of California, for instance, takes the California Current south toward Mexico. There, it may catch the North Equatorial Current, which crosses the vast Pacific. Near the coast of Japan, the bottle may travel north on the powerful Kuroshiro Current. Finally, the bottle travels eastward on the North Pacific Current. The gently rolling vortexes of the Eastern and Western Garbage Patches gradually draw in the bottle.

The amount of debris in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch accumulates because much of it is not biodegradable. Many plastics, for instance, do not wear down; they simply break into tinier and tinier pieces.

For many people, the idea of a "garbage patch" conjures up images of an island of trash floating on the ocean. In reality, these patches are almost entirely made up of tiny bits of plastic, called microplastics. Microplastics can't always be seen by the naked eye. Even satellite imagery doesn't show a giant patch of garbage. The microplastics of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch can simply make the water look like a cloudy soup. This soup is intermixed with larger items, such as fishing gear and shoes.

The seafloor beneath the Great Pacific Garbage Patch may also be an underwater trash heap. Oceanographers and ecologists recently discovered that about 70 percent of marine debris actually sinks to the bottom of the ocean.
Marine Debris
80 percent of plastic in the ocean is estimated to come from land-based sources, with the remaining 20 percent coming from boats and other marine sources. These percentages vary by region, however. A 2018 study found that synthetic fishing nets made up nearly half the mass of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, due largely to ocean current dynamics and increased fishing activity in the Pacific Ocean.

While many different types of trash enter the ocean, plastics make up the majority of marine debris for two reasons. First, plastic's durability, low cost, and malleability mean that it's being used in more and more consumer and industrial products. Second, plastic goods do not biodegrade but instead, break down into smaller pieces.

In the ocean, the sun breaks down these plastics into tinier and tinier pieces, a process known as photodegradation. Most of this debris comes from plastic bags, bottle caps, plastic water bottles, and Styrofoam cups.

Marine debris can be very harmful to marine life in the gyre. For instance, loggerhead sea turtles often mistake plastic bags for jellies, their favorite food. Albatrosses mistake plastic resin pellets for fish eggs and feed them to chicks, which die of starvation or ruptured organs.

Seals and other marine mammals are especially at risk. They can get entangled in abandoned plastic fishing nets, which are being discarded largely due to inclement weather and illegal fishing. Seals and other mammals often drown in these forgotten nets-a phenomenon known as "ghost fishing."

Marine debris can also disturb marine food webs in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. As microplastics and other trash collect on or near the surface of the ocean, they block sunlight from reaching plankton and algae below. Algae and plankton are the most common autotrophs, or producers, in the marine food web. Autotrophs are organisms that can produce their own nutrients from carbon and sunlight.

If algae and plankton communities are threatened, the entire food web may change. Animals that feed on algae and plankton, such as fish and turtles, will have less food. If populations of those animals decrease, there will be less food for apex predators such as tuna, sharks, and whales. Eventually, seafood becomes less available and more expensive for people.

These dangers are compounded by the fact that plastics both leach out and absorb harmful pollutants. As plastics break down through photodegradation, they leach out colorants and chemicals, such as bisphenol A (BPA), that have been linked to environmental and health problems. Conversely, plastics can also absorb pollutants, such as PCBs, from the seawater. These chemicals can then enter the food chain when consumed by marine life.
Patching Up the Patch
Cleaning up marine debris is not as easy as it sounds. Many microplastics are the same size as small sea animals, so nets designed to scoop up trash would catch these creatures as well. Even if we could design nets that would just catch garbage, the size of the oceans makes this job far too time-consuming to consider. The National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration's Marine Debris Program has estimated that it would take 67 ships one year to clean up less than one percent of the North Pacific Ocean.

Many expeditions have traveled through the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Charles Moore, who discovered the patch in 1997, continues to raise awareness through his own environmental organization, the Algalita Marine Research Foundation. During a 2014 expedition, Moore and his team used aerial drones, to assess from above the extent of the trash below. The drones determined that there is 100 times more plastic by weight than previously measured. The team also discovered more permanent plastic features, or islands, some over 15 meters (50 feet) in length.

All the floating plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch inspired National Geographic Emerging Explorer David de Rothschild and his team at Adventure Ecology to create a large catamaran made of plastic bottles: the . The sturdiness of the Plastiki displayed the strength and durability of plastics, the creative ways that they can be repurposed, and the threat they pose to the environment when they don't decompose. In 2010, the crew successfully navigated the Plastiki from San Francisco, California, to Sydney, Australia.

Scientists and explorers agree that limiting or eliminating our use of disposable plastics and increasing our use of biodegradable resources will be the best way to clean up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Organizations such as the Plastic Pollution Coalition and the Plastic Oceans Foundation are using social media and direct action campaigns to support individuals, manufacturers, and businesses in their transition from toxic, disposable plastics to biodegradable or reusable materials.

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The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a collection of marine debris in the North Pacific. Marine debris is litter that ends up in the ocean, seas, and other large bodies of water.

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Some things that we can do to help clean the garbage patch are:

Preventing new plastic from entering the ocean through waste reduction

Recycling

Clean up existing plastic

Re-purpose collected plastic.

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The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) is one of a number of stretches of ocean littered with plastic trash. While larger items like fishing nets or plastic shopping bags are the most visible components of ocean debris, up to 51 trillion microplastic particles float in our oceans. Plastic pollution contaminates every ocean from surface to seafloor and from tropical waters to Arctic ice. It suffocates sea creatures large and small and enters all marine ecosystems and food webs, including the seafood that humans consume. If you are what you eat, then you are also what you throw away.

What Is a Garbage Patch?

Every ocean has at least one garbage patch. Garbage patches also accumulate in coastal ecosystems where rivers meet the sea or where tidal flows trap buoyant plastic-important habitats for many marine species. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is only the best known and largest deposit of ocean trash, and its cleanup has become a focal point of efforts to address the global problem of ocean plastic pollution.

How the Garbage Patch Formed

Ocean plastic debris was first identified in 1972 in the Sargasso Sea, part of the western Atlantic. What is now known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch was discovered in 1997 and came to prominence in a series of articles by Los Angeles Times writer Ken Weiss in 2006.

Debris patches have formed in all oceanic gyres, huge spirals of seawater formed by colliding currents. The upper part of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, a few hundred miles north of Hawaii, is where warm water from the South Pacific crashes into cooler water from the north. Known as the North Pacific Subtropical Convergence Zone, this is where the GPGP has formed.

By mass, nearly half of the plastic debris in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is from fishing nets-known as ghost nets -the result of increasingly intensive fishing in the Asia Pacific region. But microplastics make up 94% of the estimated 1.8 trillion plastic pieces of the GPGP. Those microplastics come from synthetic fishing nets, as well as a wide variety of land-based sources: plastic bags, bottles, and various other consumer products. A stunning 90% of all plastic items are used once and discarded. Only 9% of all plastic by mass gets recycled.

Eventually, an estimated 11% of all plastic waste ends up in aquatic ecosystems. Rivers are a significant source, as some 80% of ocean plastic comes from just 1,000 rivers worldwide, but so too are stormwater runoff, wind-blown litter from landfills or garbage bins, and sewage overflows. According to one study, about 8 million metric tons of plastic now enter the ocean during a typical year, mostly coming from people who live within 50 kilometers (30 miles) of a coastline, but also from even farther inland.

It can be a six- or seven-year journey before it arrives in the garbage patch. On the other hand, larger materials such as fishing nets and shipping containers often fall off ships directly into the ocean. One of the most famous of such debris spills came in 1992, when 28,000 rubber ducks fell overboard in the Pacific. Another is the soccer ball swept into the Pacific during the Fukushima earthquake and tsunami which washed up on the shore of a remote Alaskan island.

Environmental Impacts, Big and Small

The environmental impact of plastic pollution in the GPGP depends on the size of the debris. While larger debris floats on or near the surface and affects larger marine life, smaller plastic particles floating make their way down the water column toward the seafloor, then make their way up the food chain from the smallest creatures to the largest, including us.

Surface Plastics

Megaplastics like fishing nets entangle oxygen-breathing marine life, such as dolphins, seals, sea turtles, and other animals, often drowning them. Sea turtles frequently swallow plastic bags, mistaking them for jellyfish, their main prey. The plastic fills their stomachs, causing them to die of starvation. Smaller surface items like plastic resin pellets (aka nurdles) are another common component of marine debris.

What Are Nurdles?

The tiny, toxic granules are shipped in bulk around the world, melted down at manufacturing sites, and remolded into commercial plastics. Floating on the sea surface, they wreak havoc with sea birds like the short-tailed albatross, which mistakes them for fish eggs that they harvest and feed to their young, who eventually die of starvation or ruptured organs.

Microplastics

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) considers microplastics and the even smaller nanoplastics among the world's top environmental challenges. The main problems are their permanence and their toxicity. Fossil fuel-based plastic is primarily non-biodegradable, though sunlight does eventually "photodegrade" the bonds in plastic polymers, reducing them to smaller and smaller pieces.

This just makes matters worse: When plastics floating on or near the ocean surface are exposed to sunlight, they release methane and ethylene, two potent greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. Photodegradation also releases colorants and chemicals like bisphenol-A, which studies have linked to various environmental and health problems. One-quarter of all carnivorous fish in China's Xiangxi River were found to have microplastics in their digestive tracts. Ingesting microplastics affects animal growth rates and constitutes a health risk to humans as well.

What Is Being Done?

The effort to abate plastic pollution in marine environments is three-pronged: removing pollutants already in the environment; recycling or repurposing plastics before they reach waterways; and limiting the production of plastic in the first place (as well as striving to curb demand).

Cleanup Efforts

Stirred into action by increasing media focus on marine plastic pollution, cleanup efforts such as those that are part of World Environment Day act to remove pollution from the rivers and beaches before the trash heads out to sea. The Clean Seas campaign, led by the United Nations Environment Programme, is another global effort to remove and reduce marine litter. Perhaps the most well-known effort is Ocean Cleanup, launched in 2018 by Boyan Slat, a Dutch inventor who came up with the idea as a teenager. Ocean Cleanup is also the creator of Interceptors, solar-powered boats that remove trash from rivers before it reaches the ocean.

Stopping plastics from entering the waste stream in the first place is preferable to cleaning up the mess afterward. This involves reducing or eliminating the 90% of plastics that are used once and increasing the number of plastics that get recycled from its current rate of 9%. (Only 14% is collected to begin with.) Since 1991, nations, states, and municipalities have adopted policies to reduce or eliminate single-use plastic bags.

After introducing a fee on single-use plastic bags, for example, the United Kingdom witnessed a sharp decline in offshore debris. Making producers pay for plastic pollution can also increase recycling efforts. Norway's innovative program of taxing bottling companies if plastic bottle recycling rates drop below 95% has led to a world-leading 97% of Norway's bottles being recycled. (It's important to remember, though, that plastic only ever gets downcycled into a lesser version of itself, so it can never be reincarnated in the same form that it started.)

Carrots as well as sticks also increase recycling. Creating a larger market for recycled plastics-and a higher reward for recycling them-also prevents them from entering waterways. In Rome, people can purchase metro tickets with plastic bottles. Amsterdam's Plastic Whale organization can provide low-cost tours of the city's many canals because their passengers collect profitable plastic waste from the waterways.

Raising the value of recycled plastics also increases the percentage recycled, especially in developing countries. In India informal sector recyclers (small-scale, independent workers who scavenge scrap yards and other urban waste sites) are the reason for the country's relatively high plastic recycling rate of 48%.

Make recycling profitable and its rates increase. This is easier said than done. As reported on Treehugger regarding California's recycling center closures, "Recycling doesn't work if the stuff has no value. Recycled PET is worthless now because natural gas is so cheap that virgin PET is cheaper than cleaning and processing recycled."

Limiting Production

While cleanup can mitigate plastic pollution and recycling can reduce the amount of plastic trash, neither of these efforts can keep pace with the rate of plastic production, which has boomed from roughly 1.5 million tons in 1950 to 348 million tons in 2017. As with the climate crisis, the source of the product is the source of the problem.

Indeed, the two crises are related, since like oil and gas, most non-biodegradable plastics are fossil-fuel based. As declining demand for fossil fuels and government policies to reduce carbon emissions cut into the fossil fuel industry's profits, oil companies have turned to plastics to make up for their lost revenues.

The production problem is one of price: Just as a drop in gas prices leads to larger vehicles and more emissions, low prices make plastic cheaper than the alternatives. For example, the lower cost of plastic nets compared to traditional ones made from natural fibers has led to their widespread adoption and increased abandonment at sea.

Similar to a carbon tax, a plastic tax can both increase recycling and reduce consumption. In 2021, Maine became the first state in the U.S. to require companies that use single-use packaging to pay for the cost of recycling. Those costs will be passed on to the consumers, of course, with the intended goal that the use of plastic declines. Legislation to promote reusables in place of single-use disposable packaging is important, too.

Remove, Recycle, Rethink

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Great Pacific Garbage Patch: Overview, Impacts, Solutions

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Learn about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a huge sea of plastic trash in the North Pacific-part of an even broader plastic plague.

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The results of cleaning the garbage patch is that marine, land, and human life will be improved.

Maine life: Less animals will become extinct and less animals will be harmed and live happy lives.

Land life: Less animals are in danger and are able to live a happy life

Human life: Less diseases are spread and people are able to live a long and healthy life.

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Evaluating the environmental impact of cleaning the North Pacific Garbage Patch - PubMed

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Cleanup of existing plastic pollution is crucial to mitigate its impact on marine ecosystems, but such efforts must ensure benefits outweigh potential environmental damage caused by the cleanup. Here, we present an impact assessment framework and apply it to evaluate whether cleaning the North Pacif …

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How does acidification from the garbage patch affect the north Pacific Ocean?

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How does acidification from the garbage patch affect the north Pacific Ocean?

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What is the garbage patch's impact on the north Pacific Ocean regarding microplastics?

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What is the garbage patch's impact on the north Pacific Ocean regarding microplastics?

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How can re-purposing plastics impact the north Pacific Ocean?

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How can re-purposing plastics impact the north Pacific Ocean?

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This article explains how The Ocean Cleanup, a foundation developing advanced technologies to rid the oceans of plastic, has just presented the initial findings of its Aerial Expedition.

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from research organizations
Credit: Image courtesy of The Ocean Cleanup
The Ocean Cleanup, the Dutch foundation developing advanced technologies to rid the oceans of plastic, today presented the initial findings of its Aerial Expedition -- a series of low-speed, low-altitude flights across the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the plastic accumulation zone between Hawaii and California. Using a modified C-130 Hercules aircraft, expert spotters, and an experimental array of plastic scanning equipment, the expedition aims to accurately measure the biggest and most harmful debris in the ocean. This is an essential milestone in preparation for the cleanup of the patch, scheduled to begin before the end of the decade.

This first-ever aerial survey of floating ocean plastic provided confirmation of the abundance of plastic debris sized 0.5 m/1.5' and up. While the flight plan took us along the Northern boundary of the patch, more debris was recorded than what is expected to be found in the heart of the accumulation zone. Initial estimates of the experienced observer crew indicate that in a span of 2.5hours, over a thousand items were counted.

For the development of a cleanup technology, it is essential to understand the problem, specifically the dimensions of the individual objects and the plastic accumulation as a whole. The nature and amount of the debris determine the design of cleanup systems, the logistics of hauling plastic back to shore, the methods for recycling plastic, and the costs of the cleanup.

The quest to answer this question started in August 2015, when The Ocean Cleanup's fleet of about 30 vessels crossed the patch simultaneously in an operation named the Mega Expedition. On their crossing wide range of debris sizes were sampled, producing the first high-resolution map of the patch. By using sampling nets that were 80x larger than conventional scientific measurement tools, it was discovered that the amount of large debris was heavily underestimated.

The Mega Expedition successfully measured plastic up to 0.5m/1.5' in size, but there were signs of a significant mass of plastic even larger than that. This includes "ghost nets" -- discarded fishing nets many meters in diameter, which are notorious for ensnaring sea life and ship propellers. To accurately quantify those and other very large debris, a much larger area must be covered, which lead to the launch of the Aerial Expedition. For every 5 minutes of flight the same ocean surface area is scanned that was covered by the entire Mega Expedition in 2015. This increase in survey area enables the quantification of the largest pieces of trash in the ocean, resolving the last piece of this puzzle.

Once all exploration flights are finalized later this week, the results from the Aerial Expedition will be combined with the data collected during the 2015 Mega Expedition in a peer-reviewed scientific paper expected to be published early 2017.

Founded in 2013 by then 18-year-old Boyan Slat, The Ocean Cleanup now employs approximately 50 engineers and researchers. The foundation is headquartered in Delft, The Netherlands.

Instead of going after plastic debris with vessels and nets - which would take many thousands of years and billions of dollars to complete - The Ocean Cleanup is designing a network of extremely long floating barriers that will remain stationary in the water, enabling the ocean to concentrate the plastic using its own currents.

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geography; oceanography; recycling and waste; landslides; ecosystems; water; environmental awareness; global warming

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'Great Pacific Garbage Patch' worse than expected

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The Ocean Cleanup, a foundation developing advanced technologies to rid the oceans of plastic, has just presented the initial findings of its Aerial Expedition -- a series of low-speed, low-altitude flights across the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the plastic accumulation zone between Hawaii and California.