This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
A global distribution of plastic on the surface of the open ocean, mostly concentrating on the convergence zones of each of the 5 subtropical gyres with similar density. However, the global load of plastic on the open ocean surface was estimated to be on the order of tens of thousands of tons, far less than expected.
Colored circles indicate mass concentration. The map shows average concentrations in 442 sites (1,127 surface net tows).
192 countries bordering the Atlantic, Pacific, Indan oceans, Mediterranean and Black seas generated 2.5 billion metric tons of solid waste in 2010.
Two billion people within 30 miles of the coast create 100 million metric ton of coastal plastic waste.
An estimated 8 million metric tons of plastic entered the ocean the same year.
