Global mass of buoyant marine plastics dominated by large long-lived debris

Abstract The fate of plastics that enter the ocean is a longstanding puzzle. Recent estimates of the oceanic input of plastic are one to two orders of magnitude larger than the amount measured floating at the surface. This discrepancy could be due to overestimation of input estimates, processes removing plastic from the surface ocean or fragmentation and degradation. Here we present a 3D global marine mass budget of buoyant plastics that resolves this discrepancy. We assimilate observational data from different marine reservoirs, including coastlines, the ocean surface, and the deep ocean, into a numerical model, considering particle sizes of 0.1–1,600.0 mm. We find that larger plastics (>25 mm) contribute…

• EC
  European Commission

  Awards: 715386, 862923
• FJ
  Forschungszentrum Jülich
• H2
  Horizon 2020 Framework Programme

  Award: 715386