Plastic Floating in the Pacific Ocean, Dec. 12

A new study published Wednesday, Dec. 10, estimates that there is 270,000 tons of plastic debris floating in the oceans of the world. The study came out in the scientific journal PLOS ONE. Researchers reportedly dragged a fine mesh net at the sea surface to gather small pieces of plastic debris. Through the use of computer models they came up with the estimate that would fill more than 38,500 garbage trucks. The plastic itself is broken up into more than five-trillion pieces. Only plastic floating on the surface was included in the study. Data was gathered from the Indian Ocean, the Southern Ocean near Antarctica and the South Atlantic. Officials at NOAA (National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration) state there is also a large debris field floating in the North Pacific Ocean. Scientists hope to understand how the material will affect the environment and potentially the food chain.